We all have those moments where we feel like nothing and that heavy emotional experiences due to unrequited love. Most of the time it teaches us about longing for someone, vulnerability, and the pain of loving someone who doesn’t feel the same way. But one thing is true, there’s also beauty in it. If you ever find yourself in such a situation, I hope this collection of 190 Unrequited Love Quotes That Speak to the Soul will find its place in your heart.
Let’s explore the emotions, insights, and raw truth captured in the words of authors, poets, and everyday dreamers.
From the Minds of Iconic Writers
“The heart was made to be broken.” — Oscar Wilde
“You can close your eyes to the things you don’t want to see, but you can’t close your heart to the things you don’t want to feel.” — Johnny Depp
“The saddest thing in the world is loving someone who used to love you.” — Anonymous
“Unrequited love does not die; it’s only beaten down to a secret place where it hides, curled and wounded.” — Elle Newmark
“It’s so difficult to leave—until you leave. And then it’s the easiest thing in the world.” — John Green
“Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.” — L. Frank Baum
“Love is never lost. If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart.” — Washington Irving
“There is a time for departure even when there’s no certain place to go.” — Tennessee Williams
“Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.” — Kahlil Gibran
“The emotion that can break your heart is sometimes the very one that heals it.” — Nicholas Sparks
“Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.” — Robert Frost
“It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” — Alfred Lord Tennyson
“We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love.” — Sigmund Freud
“When love is not madness, it is not love.” — Pedro Calderón de la Barca
“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” — William Shakespeare
“Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” — Hermann Hesse
“You can’t lose what you never had, you can’t keep what’s not yours, and you can’t hold on to something that doesn’t want to stay.” — Unknown
“To fall in love is to create a religion that has a fallible god.” — Jorge Luis Borges
“Love is so short, forgetting is so long.” — Pablo Neruda
“He loved her of course, but better than that, he chose her, day after day. Choice: that was the thing.” — Sherman Alexie
“You don’t die from a broken heart—you only wish you did.” — Unknown
“A broken heart bleeds tears.” — Steve Maraboli
“Love, it never dies. It just moves to a different part of your heart.” — Unknown
“We loved with a love that was more than love.” — Edgar Allan Poe
“There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen
“The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true.” — Leigh Bardugo
“Hearts are wild creatures, that’s why our ribs are cages.” — Unknown
“You gave me wings to fly, then took away the sky.” — Unknown
Shakespearean Woes
“Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs.” — William Shakespeare
“The course of true love never did run smooth.” — William Shakespeare
“I do love nothing in the world so well as you: is not that strange?” — William Shakespeare
“My only love sprung from my only hate!” — Romeo and Juliet
“Speak low if you speak love.” — Much Ado About Nothing
“Love sought is good, but given unsought is better.” — Twelfth Night
“I know a bank where the wild thyme blows…” — A Midsummer Night’s Dream
“I would not wish any companion in the world but you.” — The Tempest
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate.” — Sonnet 18
“The sight of lovers feedeth those in love.” — As You Like It
“If music be the food of love, play on.” — Twelfth Night
“When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.” — Hamlet (attributed)
“With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls.” — Romeo and Juliet
“They do not love that do not show their love.” — Two Gentlemen of Verona
“Love is merely a madness.” — As You Like It
“Men have died from time to time, and worms have eaten them, but not for love.” — As You Like It
“Journeys end in lovers meeting.” — Twelfth Night
“I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.” — Much Ado About Nothing
“So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this, and this gives life to thee.” — Sonnet 18
“This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath, may prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.” — Romeo and Juliet
“Love comforteth like sunshine after rain.” — Venus and Adonis
“Thou art thy mother’s glass, and she in thee calls back the lovely April of her prime.” — Sonnet 3
“In thy youth wast as true a lover as ever sighed upon a midnight pillow.” — As You Like It
“My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep.” — Romeo and Juliet
“Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds.” — Sonnet 116
“Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments.” — Sonnet 116
Contemporary Voices
“Sometimes, we expect more from others because we would be willing to do that much for them.” — Anonymous
“Loving someone who doesn’t love you back is like hugging a cactus; the tighter you hold on, the more it hurts.” — Anonymous
“You don’t realize how hard it is to look at someone and not be able to have them.” — Anonymous
“It hurts to breathe because every breath I take proves I can’t live without you.” — Anonymous
“To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves.” — Federico García LorcaAdditional Quotes:
“You can’t force someone to stay, and that’s the hardest part of letting go.” — Unknown
“I miss you in waves, and tonight I’m drowning.” — Denice Envall
“Sometimes, the person you want the most is the person you’re best without.” — Anonymous
“The worst kind of sadness is not being able to explain why.” — Unknown
“She loved him, but he didn’t notice. Or maybe he did, and he just didn’t care.” — Anonymous
“The scariest thing about distance is you don’t know whether they’ll miss you or forget you.” — Nicholas Sparks
“Some hearts understand each other, even in silence.” — Yasmin Mogahed
“I’m not mad that you lied. I’m mad that I believed you.” — Unknown
“You’re everywhere, and right now that’s the problem.” — David Levithan
“You broke my heart, but I still check my phone hoping to see your name.” — Unknown
“One day you’re going to remember me and how much I loved you… then you’re going to hate yourself for letting me go.” — Drake
“I’m slowly learning that even if I react, it won’t change anything.” — Unknown
“I’m not over you, I’m just not under your control anymore.” — Anonymous
“It wasn’t love at first sight. It took five minutes.” — Lucille Ball
“Some people will only love you as long as you fit in their box. Don’t be afraid to disappoint them.” — Unknown
“You’re not a maybe. If someone sees you as one, walk away.” — Unknown
“You were a chapter in my life. I was just a line in yours.” — Beau Taplin
“I gave you the best parts of me, and you gave them back in pieces.” — Anonymous
“It’s a terrifying thing to give someone your heart and hope they don’t drop it.” — Unknown
“We accept the love we think we deserve.” — Stephen Chbosky
“I think of you in silence. I speak to you in my prayers.” — Unknown
“Even the right person can be wrong if they come at the wrong time.” — Unknown
“I hope you find someone who sees the stars in your eyes and hears the song in your silence.” — Unknown
Quotes for When You Just Need to Cry It Out
Soulful and Relatable
“You were the song I always wanted to sing. And this silence is the music I never asked for.” — Anonymous
“I’m not mad that you didn’t love me. I’m mad that I fell for you.” — Anonymous
“It’s hard to wait for something you know might never happen. But it’s even harder to give up when you know it’s everything you want.” — Anonymous
“I wish I could hurt you the way you hurt me. But I know if I had the chance, I wouldn’t do it.” — Anonymous
“My heart is hollow and my soul aches—but still, I’d choose you again.” — Anonymous
“I stayed when I should have walked away, and that’s on me.” — Unknown
“You taught me how to love, but not how to stop.” — Anonymous
“I knew I was in trouble when my heart skipped a beat just seeing your name.” — Anonymous
“You were almost everything I wanted.” — Unknown
“There’s a version of me that still waits for you.” — Anonymous
“You broke something that I can’t seem to fix.” — Unknown
“I tried to forget you, but the harder I tried, the deeper you stayed.” — Anonymous
“You didn’t love me, not really. You just didn’t want to be alone.” — Unknown
“I miss you in places I didn’t know existed inside me.” — Unknown
“You were the one who left, but I’m the one who feels abandoned.” — Anonymous
“My heart whispers your name in the silence.” — Unknown
“You promised me the stars, but all you left was darkness.” — Anonymous
“It wasn’t just love, it was losing myself trying to keep you.” — Anonymous
“I gave you everything, and you treated it like nothing.” — Unknown
“The hardest part wasn’t losing you. It was realizing you were never really mine.” — Anonymous
“You touched my soul before you walked away with it.” — Unknown
“I wish memories had an undo button.” — Anonymous
“Every time I think I’m over you, you sneak back into my thoughts.” — Unknown
“I forgave you for not loving me back. I’m still working on forgiving myself for loving you anyway.” — Anonymous
“You’re the reason I understand what heartbreak feels like.” — Unknown
“If I could unlove you, I would. But I can’t.” — Anonymous
“We were a beautiful story, but just not the one that lasts.” — Unknown
“You were the chapter I reread when I should’ve closed the book.” — Anonymous
Finding Hope Again
“Sometimes you have to forget what you feel and remember what you deserve.” — Anonymous
“Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth.” — Unknown
“The right one will know how to love you without being told how.” — Anonymous
“Letting go doesn’t mean giving up, but rather accepting that there are things that cannot be.” — Unknown
“One day someone will walk into your life and make you realize why it never worked out with anyone else.” — Unknown
“Healing doesn’t mean the damage never existed. It means the damage no longer controls your life.” — Akshay Dubey
“You are allowed to outgrow people. It doesn’t mean you hate them, it means your story is just unfolding differently.” — Unknown
“Your heart will heal. Maybe not today, but eventually.” — Anonymous
“Some endings are really beautiful beginnings in disguise.” — Unknown
“Don’t be afraid to start over. It’s a chance to build something even better.” — Anonymous
“You will bloom again, even after the coldest winters.” — Unknown
“The people who belong in your life will come and stay. The ones who don’t were never meant to.” — Anonymous
“You don’t need someone who completes you. You need someone who accepts you completely.” — Unknown
“Broken crayons still color.” — Trent Shelton
“The best is yet to come, even if you can’t see it right now.” — Anonymous
“You deserve someone who looks at you like you’re magic.” — Unknown
“You’re not behind. You’re exactly where you need to be.” — Anonymous
“Be proud of how quietly you’ve been rebuilding yourself.” — Unknown
“Sometimes walking away is the most powerful thing you can do.” — Anonymous
“It takes strength to break your own heart and walk away.” — Unknown
“Time doesn’t heal all wounds, but it teaches you how to carry them.” — Anonymous
“Don’t cling to a mistake just because you spent a long time making it.” — Unknown
“Every goodbye brings you one step closer to the right hello.” — Anonymous
“Let go of the people who dull your shine.” — Unknown
“One day, the pain will turn into wisdom.” — Anonymous
“Some of the best days of your life haven’t happened yet.” — Unknown
“Trust the timing of your life. It knows what it’s doing.” — Anonymous
“The right person won’t be confused about you.” — Unknown
Famous Faces, Familiar Feelings
“I think unrequited love is just as valid as any other kind. It’s just harder to deal with.” — Ned Vizzini
“Love that is not reciprocated is not love at all, but a form of self-deception.” — Taylor Jenkins Reid
“You can’t make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.” — Rupi Kaur
“Even if we can’t be together in the end, I’m glad you were a part of my life.” — Unknown
“The worst feeling is wanting someone who makes you feel like you’re nothing.” — Unknown
“Unrequited love is a ridiculous state, and it makes those in it behave ridiculously.” — Cassandra Clare
“He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” — Emily Brontë
“To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves.” — Federico García Lorca
“It’s hard to pretend you love someone when you don’t, but it’s harder to pretend you don’t love someone when you really do.” — Unknown
“There is no greater sorrow than to recall in misery the time when we were happy.” — Dante Alighieri
“The heart was made to be broken.” — Oscar Wilde
“So it’s true, when all is said and done, grief is the price we pay for love.” — E.A. Bucchianeri
“Unrequited love does not die; it’s only beaten down to a secret place where it hides, curled and wounded.” — Elle Newmark
“Sometimes we just have to accept that some people only enter our lives as a temporary happiness.” — Unknown
“The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said and never explained.” — Jonathan Harnisch
“I knew I was in love with you. I just hoped you’d catch up.” — Unknown
“It hurts to breathe because every breath I take proves I can’t live without you.” — Unknown
“I loved him, every inch of him. But he was never mine to love.” — Mia Hollow
“She loved him with all her heart and he knew it, but he never truly saw her.” — Unknown
“You can close your eyes to the things you don’t want to see, but you can’t close your heart to the things you don’t want to feel.” — Johnny Depp
“It’s amazing how someone can break your heart and you can still love them with all the little pieces.” — Ella Harper
“Some of us will never know we were loved. Some of us will never tell those we love.” — Lang Leav
Words That Stuck With Us
“I’m always the one who loves more. That’s my thing.” — Fleabag
“You love someone, you open yourself up to suffering.” — Love Actually
“I would rather have had one breath of her hair, one kiss of her mouth, one touch of her hand, than eternity without it.” — City of Angels
“I wish I knew how to quit you.” — Brokeback Mountain
“You complete me.” — Jerry Maguire
“It wasn’t over. It still isn’t over.” — The Notebook
“I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly.” — You’ve Got Mail
“To me, you are perfect.” — Love Actually
“I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” — Notting Hill
“We accept the love we think we deserve.” — The Perks of Being a Wallflower
“You make me want to be a better man.” — As Good as It Gets
“I think I’d miss you even if we never met.” — The Wedding Date
“Sometimes I wish I had never met you. Because then I could go to sleep at night not knowing there was someone like you out there.” — Good Will Hunting
“You had me at hello.” — Jerry Maguire
“You’re my person.” — Grey’s Anatomy
“It’s like in that moment the whole universe existed just to bring us together.” — Serendipity
“I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.” — The Fault in Our Stars
“I’m scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I’m with you.” — Dirty Dancing
“I love you and I like you.” — Parks and Recreation
“When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” — When Harry Met Sally
“It’s not who you want to spend Friday night with. It’s who you want to spend all day Saturday with.” — Friends with Benefits
“The hardest thing is loving someone and having the courage to let them love you back.” — New Girl
Final Thoughts on Unrequited Love
Unrequited love is something that most people have walked through before, and many have come out stronger than they know. It’s a bittersweet gift to show us how strong we are and what we’re capable of feeling. So, I think you\’re not alone and I’m not alone. That’s the wrap-up of our collection of 190 Unrequited Love Quotes That Speak to the Soul.
Until then, keep your heart open and your spirit strong.
