40 Quotes About Surviving Domestic Violence

There are many reasons why victims of domestic violence do not leave. Whether the individual is being routinely abused or threatened, these quotes about surviving domestic violence offer the perfect encouragement you need to rise above.

“A domestic violence advocate can help you discern your level of risk from your abuser and whether you should get a civil restraining order.”

“A healthy relationship will never require you to sacrifice your friends, your dreams, or your dignity.”

“An abuser can seem emotionally needy. You can get caught in a trap of catering to him, trying to fill a bottomless pit. But he’s not so much needy as entitled, so no matter how much you give him, it will never be enough.”

“An option means decision, and a decision means acknowledging something is wrong and the shame one can no longer hide from.”

“And they’re all nice, cheerful environments, because that’s what the women deserve.”

“Domestic violence is frequently excused when alcohol and other substances are involved.”

“Don’t light yourself on fire trying to brighten someone else’s existence.”

“Every muscle in her body stiffened at his touch as he studied her cheek. She was expecting another blow; it was quite possible. He had always been unpredictable that way.”

“Every time he raised his hands on her. He killed a prince from a fairy tale somewhere deep within her heart, brutally.”

“I am living in hell from one day to the next. But there is nothing I can do to escape. I don’t know where I would go if I did.”

“I am slowly learning that some people are not good for me, no matter how much I love them.”

“I know betrayal can unravel a man. I learned early on from watching my parents that men are capable of doing terrible things to women when they feel deceived.”

“I want my girls to know who they are and have strong family connections. I want them to be educated. I want them to travel the world.”

“If we are to fight discrimination and injustice against women we must start from the home for if a woman cannot be safe in her own house then she cannot be expected to feel safe anywhere.”

“It hurts the most when the person that made you feel so special yesterday, makes you feel so unwanted today.”

“It is a rare person who can cut himself off from mediate and immediate relations with others for long spaces of time without undergoing a deterioration in personality.”

“It is seldom that domestic violence is an isolated episode; rather it is comprised of a number of episodes over an extended period of time.”

“It’s better to break your own heart by leaving, rather than having that person break your heart every day you’re with them.”

“It’s ironic that it was not until I lost my hearing that I finally found my voice. Sign language saved my soul.”

“Life is definitely about taking chances, living every minute with zeal, and then laying back and regretting nothing.”

“Never forget that walking away from something unhealthy is brave.”

“Never let a man put his hands on you without your permission.”

“Now let’s move on to the subject of how a real man treats his wife. A real man doesn’t slap even a ten-dollar hooker around, if he’s got any self respect, much less hurt his own woman.”

“Progress or lack of it, can only be judged by a measuring rod, and if the rod is placed low enough the standard will never threaten you.”

“She could just pack up and leave, but she does not visualize what’s beyond ahead.”

“She serves me a piece of it a few minutes out of the oven. A little steam rises from the slits on top.”

“Sometimes it is difficult to realize or hear our own prejudices and own up to their existence. Admitting there is a problem is the first step to recovery.”

“That was the truth sometimes. Sometimes, a woman’s freedom all came down to money.”

“The abusive man’s high entitlement leads him to have unfair and unreasonable expectations, so that the relationship revolves around his demands.”

“The guarantee of safety in a battering relationship can never be based upon a promise from the perpetrator, no matter how heartfelt.”

“The human need to be visible is countered by the need to be invisible to avoid further abuse, and the need for intimacy and the dread of abuse, all pose insoluble dichotomies which promote further withdrawal from human contact, which reinforces the sense of dehumanisation.”

“The lack of culpability of the perpetrator and his or her transference of blame onto alcohol or other substances only perpetuates the violent behaviors.”

“The mere fact that I exist means that I deserve to be here and to express myself any damn why I please.”

“There are as many violent women as men, but there’s a lot of money in hating men, particularly in the United States — millions of dollars.”

“There is probably nothing more menacing or dangerous than an individual who is devoid of compassion or empathy.”

“There’s far greater awareness now – and the great thing is women know there’s help available.”

“Threatening a current or former partner isn’t passion, or love, or heartache. It’s violence, it’s abuse and it’s a crime.”

“Violence is violence and can in no way be misconstrued as discipline under any circumstance cultural or otherwise.”

“When others witness or comment on abusive behaviors, the little voice that the upscale abused wife once heard inside her and ignored or muffled becomes amplified.”

“You have escaped the cage. Your wings are stretched out. Now fly.”

Even thought some victims survive domestic violence, they can still suffer from the long term effects of living in constant fear.