If you asked me at 13 how the rest of my life would look, I would’ve given you a detailed answer.
I’m sure you were the same. You had your entire life mapped out — from when you would get married to what you would study to where you were going to live.
Whether as children or adults, it’s human nature to want control over our lives.
Unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way. You can plan the course, but life will lay the tracks the way she wants it. This might sound scary, but it’s actually a blessing. We never know what tomorrow will bring.
Here are 60 quotes on letting go of control that will reassure you that it’s okay to let go of the reins and let life do its thing.
Table of Contents
60 Quotes About Letting Go of Control
1. “You can only lose what you cling to.” Unknown
2. “Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.” Steve Maraboli
3. “Let go of what you can’t control. Channel all that energy into living fully in the now.” Karen Salmansohn
4. “Sometimes you have to stop worrying, wondering, and doubting. Have faith that things will work out, maybe not how you planned, but just how it’s meant to be.” Unknown
5. “When you relinquish the desire to control your future, you can have more happiness.” Nicole Kidman
6. “We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” Joseph Campbell
7. “Stress makes you believe that everything has to happen right now. Faith reassures you that everything will happen in God’s timing.” Unknown
8. “The moment I embrace my peace within and surrender the outcome is the moment that the Universe can truly get to work.” Unknown
9. “Sometimes you have to let things flow and trust that what’s meant for you will come to you. Only when you stop trying to force outcomes, will you experience peace of mind.” Vex King
10. “What’s coming will come, and we’ll meet it when it does.” Hagrid, in Harry Potter
11. “You can’t possibly embrace that new relationship, that new companion, that new career, that new friendship, or that new life you want, while you’re still holding on to the baggage of the last one. Let go… and allow yourself to embrace what is waiting for you right at your feet.” Steve Maraboli
12. “Enjoy what you can and ignore the rest. Let’s not waste any energy fighting things that are outside our control.” Paulo Coelho
13. “You can’t control everything that happens to you, but you CAN control the way you respond. And in your response is your greatest power. Yes, most of your stress comes directly from the way you think and respond, not the way life is. Adjust your attitude, and all that extra stress is gone.” Marc and Angel Chernoff
14. “You can’t control everything. Sometimes you just need to relax and have faith that things will work out. Let go a little and live life happy.” Unknown
15. “Inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow anything outside of you to control your emotions.” Unknown
16. “Your peace is more important than driving yourself crazy trying to understand why something happened the way it did. Let it go.” Unknown
17. “The key to being happy is knowing you have the power to choose what to accept and what to let go.” Unknown
18. “Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.” Unknown
19. “Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. When nothing is certain, anything is possible.” Mandy Hale
20. “Sometimes all you can do is accept there’s not much you can do. And sometimes all you can control is how well you let go of control.” Lori Desch
21. “Life is to be lived, not controlled.” Ralph Ellison
22. “Anything you can’t control is teaching you how to let go.” Unknown
23. “Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead, let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come.” Rumi
24. “You will be amazed at how things magically fall into place when you let go of the illusion of control.” Maryam Hasnaa
25. “Be ok with not knowing what’s going to happen and let go of control. Let things unfold in their own way and time. It can feel scary and uncomfortable, but the more you dance in the uncertainty, the more freedom you have in life.” Ashley Stahl
26. “To let go does not mean to get rid of. To let go means to let be. When we let be with compassion, things come and go on their own.” Unknown
27. “You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” Marcus Aurelius
28. “Let go or be dragged.” Zen Proverb
29. “Letting go is hard, but being free is beautiful.” Unknown
30. “Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. When nothing is certain, anything is possible.” Unknown
31. “Don’t get worked up over things you can’t change, people you can’t change. It’s not worth the anger build-up or the headache. Control only what you can. Let go.” Unknown
32. “Letting go is the ultimate control.” Unknown
33. “The more you try to control something, the more it controls you. Free yourself and let things take their own natural course.” Unknown
34. “Don’t worry about what you can’t control. Our focus and energy need to be on the things we can control. Attitude, effort, focus — these are the things we can control…” Tim Tebow
35. “Letting go of the need to control things doesn’t mean letting go of responsibility. It means embracing life.” Marc David
36. “Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.” Eckhart Tolle
37. “Today, I will go out with the flow of life and trust the process. I will not stress over things I can’t control.” Unknown
38. “Seek not that the things which happen should happen as you wish; but wish the things which happen to be as they are, and you will have a tranquil flow of life.” Epictetus
39. “Success at anything will always come down to this: focus and effort. And we control both.” Dwayne Johnson
40. “If you can’t do anything about it, don’t worry about it.” Jeanne Calment
41. “Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.” Roy T . Bennett
42. “I learned long ago to focus on things you can control and don’t even pay attention to things you don’t.” Bryan Cranston
43. “Letting go helps us to live in a more peaceful state of mind and helps restore our balance. It allows others to be responsible for themselves and for us to take our hands off situations that do not belong to us. This frees us from unnecessary stress.” Melody Beattie
44. “Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it.” Ann Landers
45. “The world belongs to those who let go.” Tao Te Ching
Other Posts You Might Like:
- 163 Most Inspiring Self-Love Quotes
- 83 Feeling Low Quotes Guaranteed to Make You Feel Better About Life
Letting Go Quotes
46. “One of the most courageous decisions you’ll ever make is finally letting go of what is hurting your heart and soul.” Brigitte Nicole
47. “If you don’t allow yourself to move past what happened, what was said, what was felt — you will look at your present and future with a dirty lens. What you do now matters more than what happened yesterday.” Marc & Angel
48. “To let go is to release the images and emotions, the grudges and fears, the clingings and disappointments of the past that bind our spirit.” Jack Kornfield
49. “One of the hardest lessons in life is letting go. Whether it’s guilt, anger, love, loss or betrayal. Change is never easy. We fight to hold on and we fight to let go.” Unknown
50. “Sometimes you don’t feel the weight of something you’ve been carrying until you feel the weight of its release.” Unknown
51. “If you want to fly in the sky, you need to leave the earth. If you want to move forward, you need to let go of the past that drags you down.” Amit Ray
52. “Let things go. Release them. Detach yourself from them. Stop turning on your emotional television to watch the same program over and over again, the one that shows how much you suffered from a certain loss: that is only poisoning you, nothing else.” Paulo Coelho
53. “There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world; it’s the beginning of a new life.” Unknown
54. “I realize there’s something incredibly honest about trees in winter, how they’re experts at letting things go.” Jeffrey McDaniel
55. “Anything you can’t control is teaching you how to let go.” Jackson Kiddard
56. “Just because something made you happy in the past doesn’t mean you have to keep it forever.” Melva Green
57. “Holding on is believing that there’s only a past; letting go is knowing that there’s a future.” Daphne Rose Kingma
58. “Letting go is the willingness to change your beliefs in order to bring more peace and joy into your life instead of holding onto beliefs that bring pain and suffering.” Hal Tipper
59. “People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.” Thich Nhat Hanh
60. “Life moves on and so should we.” Spencer Johnson
Final Thoughts on Quotes on Letting Go of Control
I hope these quotes about letting go of control eased your soul a little bit.
Letting go is tough — whether that’s control of the future, a romantic partner, a friend, or a job.
But it helps to think about it in a positive way. See it as a chance to start again and embrace freedom.
Thanks for reading this post. Here are a few other quotes you’ll like:
- 60 Quotes about Bad Days at Work to Turn Your Day Around
- The Best Is Yet to Come Quotes (42 Wise Quotes)