150+ Toxic Family Members Quotes (2024) Walk Away, Let Go & Move On

You can’t choose your family, but you can choose what’s best for you. And if a toxic family member is constantly hurting you, starting to affect your mental well-being, and disrupting your peace, it may be time to walk away.

But easier said than done. Trust me, I perfectly understand that moving on from toxic relationships is never easy, so I’ve decided to share some toxic family members quotes with you today.

I hope these will make you realize you’re not alone and that your happiness should always come first.

Let’s dive in.

How Do You Deal With Toxic Family Quotes?

  1. “Family or not, I will cut you off. That saying “but that’s family” means nothing if a family is toxic and means you no good.” – Morgan Sharee
  2. “Weeding out the harmful influences should become the norm, not the exception.” — Unknown
  3. “Family too can be cut off if it proves to be too toxic to be around.” –Samuel Zulu
  4. “Unsupportive family is your weakness, so leave the ones that hurt you.” – Unknown
  5. “Cutting a family out of your world does not make you a bad person. It makes you self-aware. It makes you strong enough to do the right thing.” – Unknown
  6. “The only way to win with a toxic person is not to play.” – Unknown
  7. “In the process of letting go, you will lose many things from the past but you will find yourself.” – Deepak Chopra
  8. “Saying “No” to family doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you an honest person.” – Unknown
  9. “When someone is rude and toxic, remember it’s not about you. It’s a reflection of their inner strength.” – Bernadette Logue
  10. “Families and their problems go on and on, and they aren’t solved; they’re dealt with.” – Roger Ebert
  11. “Some of the hardest people to cut off are family members. But sometimes they are the main ones that need to go.” – Unknown
  12. “You have the right to put up a fence between you and your family, and the choice whether to include a gate.” – Unknown
  13. “Letting go of toxic people in your life is a big step in loving yourself.” – Hussein Nishah
  14. “An entire sea of water can’t sink a ship unless it gets inside the ship. Similarly, the negativity of the world can’t put you down unless you allow it to get inside you.” — Goi Nasu
  15. “It always amazes me how swiftly problems can be solved, once you start cutting things off people.” – Joe Abercrombie
  16. “Sometimes you have to accept the fact that some people can’t handle you doing well, having the peace they don’t, or knowing how to receive kindness. Let them go.” – Lavon Fr.
  17. “Handling toxic people is not an art; they will be the victim of their own toxicity” ― P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar
  18. “You may feel guilty for leaving your family behind, but you’ll never regret moving yourself forward.” – Unknown
  19. “Cutting people off doesn’t have limits. Family can get cut off too if they are causing you stress. Eliminate any negativity in your circle.” – Unknown
  20. “The best revenge against toxic family members is not fighting back.” – Unknown
  21. “The scapegoat is the mentally healthiest member of the toxic family.” – Unknown
  22. “If the family you chose before your birth no longer supports your path towards fulfilling your true destiny, it is never too late to find a new tribe.” – Anthon St. Maarten
  23. “You don’t let go of a bad relationship because you stop caring about them. You let go because you start caring about yourself.” – Charles Orlando
  24. “Leave when you need to. In 10 years, you will look back and realize it’s the best decision ever.” – Unknown
  25. “Always stay up strong, even when you don’t get support from the family. To succeed in life, you need to leave behind the ones who hinder your progress.” – Unknown
  26. “We don’t get to choose our family, but we can choose our friends. With courage, we can weed out narcissistic people. We can focus on those who do appreciate us, love us, and treat us with respect.” ― Dana Arcuri
  27. “Toxic people will pollute everything around them. Don’t hesitate. Fumigate.” ― Mandy Hale
  28. “You create more space in your life when you turn your excess baggage to garbage.” ― Chinonye J. Chidolue
  29. “Let negative people live their negative lives with their negative minds.”― Moosa Rahat
  30. “No matter how much you love the person, you cannot change them. You may influence them, but at the end of the day, they must decide for themselves.” — Robert E. Baines Jr.
  31. “Pay no attention to toxic words. What people say is often a reflection of themselves, not you.” ― Christian Baloga
  32. Don’t let toxic people infect you with the fear of giving and receiving one of the most powerful forces in this world… LOVE!”― Yvonne Pierre
  33. “If it comes, let it come. If it goes, it’s ok, let it go. Let things come and go. Stay calm, don’t let anything disturb your peace, and carry on.” ― Germany Kent
  34. “I have found the best way to deal with a toxic person is to not respond in any other way than monotone voice and a businesslike manner.” ― Jen Grice
  35.  “We teach people how to treat us.” – Dr. Phil
  36. “Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings, and emotions.” — Will Smith
  37. “Letting go doesn’t mean that you don’t care about someone anymore. It’s just realizing that the only person you really have control over is yourself.” – Deborah Reber
  38. “Sometimes you need to give up on people, not because you don’t care, but because they don’t.” – Unknown
  39. “Toxic family relationships spoil all other relationships unless you remove the poison before it’s too late.” – Unknown
  40. “You are not part of a toxic family if you walk away.” – Unknown
  41. “You don’t heal in a place where you get hurt.” – Unknown
  42. “Ending the toxic cycle within your own life isn’t easy. When you don’t come from a healthy family, you do your best to ensure a healthy one comes from you.” – Steve Maraboli
  43. “No matter what you’ve suffered, the abuse was not your fault. Not as an innocent child, teenager, nor as an adult.” – Dana Arcuri

Related: Signs Your Family Doesn’t Care About You & How To Deal With It

Toxic Family Members Quotes

Toxic Family Members Quotes
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  1. “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” – Leo Tolstoy
  2. “You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you as you are to them.” – Desmond Tutu
  3. “Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops.” – Cary Grant
  4. “If you attach to the negative behavior of others, it brings you down to their level.” – Guru Singh
  5. “Without communication, there is no relationship. Without respect, there is no love. Without trust, there is no reason to continue.” – Unknown
  6. “How to tell if someone is not good for you? You being yourself feels like a betrayal.” – Unknown
  7. “A good family will see your boundaries and move around them, a toxic family won’t even realize they’re there.” – Unknown
  8. “Sometimes I regret being nice, apologizing when I didn’t go anything wrong, and for making unworthy people a priority in my life.” – Unknown
  9. “Words don’t cover up actions.” – Unknown
  10. “Blood doesn’t make you family. Some of the most demonic and demeaning people in your life share your DNA.” – Temi Ade
  11. “Fake family is like shadows they follow you in the sun but leave you in the dark.” – Unknown
  12. “The black sheep blazes the trail for other family members to follow when they finally see the wolf.” – Unknown
  13. “If I have to endure one more holiday with my family, I might have to become a Jehovah’s Witness.” – Unknown
  14. “Some of the most poisonous people come disguised as friends and family.” – Unknown
  15. “Love them but don’t be part of their drama.” – Samuel Zulu.
  16. “You don’t have to leave your whole family in the past, just those who don’t deserve a place in your future.” – Unknown
  17. “Family is supposed to be our haven. Very often, it’s the place we find the deepest heartache.” – Lyanla Vansant.
  18. “Families are like fudge – mostly sweet with a few nuts.” – Les Dawson
  19. “How can you say you are my family when all you did is malign me as if I am your worst enemy.”  – Unknown
  20. “It’s not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons.” – Jonathan Schiller.
  21. “Ask yourself, “will you do this to your family?” If not, why let them do this to you?” – Unknown
  22. “Just because they are your family doesn’t mean that they know what’s best for you or your life.” – Samuel Zulu
  23. “A toxic family is even worse than a toxic relationship.” – Rohan Chouhan.
  24. “It’s sad how I can trust teachers more than my parents.” – Dawn Andrews.
  25. “They say they love you but they treat you like the worst criminal on earth. Shame.” – Samuel Zulu
  26. “When you are young, they assume you know nothing.” – T.S.
  27. “It’s okay to cut toxic family members out of your life. Blood ain’t thicker than peace of mind.” – Unknown
  28. “Brother or sister has no meaning if they treat each other like worst enemies.”  – Samuel Zulu
  29. “It’s sad how I can trust teachers more than my parents.” – Dawn Andrews
  30. “It’s so sad that even people closely related by blood can betray each other.”  – Samuel Zulu
  31. “I don’t wish I was born in a different family; I wish I was born in a real family.”  – Unknown
  32. “I do not hate my toxic family members. I also do not need them.” – Sherrie Campbell
  33. “And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.” – Mathew 10:36 (Bible Verse)
  34. “Sick of the excuses “they’re still your mom/ dad/ sister/ brother/ son/ daughter/ friend… etc”. No, toxic is toxic. You have the right to cut anyone off that’s unhealthy for you.” – Unknown
  35. “My father once said, ‘If you’re in the desert and you’re dying of thirst, are you going to drink a glass of blood or are you going to drink a glass of water?’ I think what he was trying to say, interesting coming from my blood father, is sometimes there are people in your family that can be toxic” –. Nicolas Cage
  36. “Because I love you” is not the reason for manipulation or abuse.” – Unknown
  37. “Parent-child relationships aren’t created at birth, they’re created in life.” – Unknown
  38. “You can miss a person every day and still be glad that they are no longer in your life.” – Tara Westover
  39. “Like all the best families, we have our share of eccentricities, of impetuous and wayward youngsters and of family disagreements.” – Queen Elizabeth II
  40. “Just because they are your family doesn’t mean that they are your friends.” – Beverly Miller.
  41. “Calling this a family doesn’t make it a loving home, it just makes it a hateful lie.” – Unknown
  42. “Not everyone deserves full access to you that included toxic family members.” – Samuel Zulu.
  43. “Love them from a distance. Pray for them, wish them well, but don’t allow them to abuse you.” – Kimber Waul
  44. If all they bring into your life is pain and misery, you need to start cutting your losses fast. Samuel Zulu.
  45. “If you can stand up to your family, you can stand up to anyone.” – Unknown
  46. “When you say “No” to a toxic family, you say “Yes” to loving yourself.” – Unknown
  47. “Family is where you’re meant to be most free. Don’t let blood chain you down.” – Unknown
  48. “When you walk away from a toxic family, you begin the journey of finding your true people.” – Unknown
  49. “Families are homes built on a foundation of trust and love. A toxic family can never be a home because the foundation doesn’t exist.” – Unknown
  50. “Family relations isn’t a license for them to abuse you.” – Samuel Zulu.
  51. “Every person is built like a computer, and the delete key is there for a reason.” – Unknown
  52. “Humans can be so ugly sometimes that the ones you love the most would only love to see you fall. It’s a cruel world.” – Sidney Albury.
  53. “Sometimes, Satan uses the people closest to you to hinder you from getting the best God has in store for your life.” – Samuel Zulu

Related: Soul Family: 22 Facts You Should Know

Toxic Mother Quotes

  1. “A toxic mother talks but never listens, and she gives advice but never takes any.” – Sherrie Campbell
  2. “A child should never feel as if they need to earn a mother’s love.” – Sherrie Campbell
  3. “If you have to parent your mother and put up with her childish and selfish behaviors, it may be time to create more serious boundaries for your own self-protection.” — Barrie Davenport
  4. “You don’t have to repeat the trauma of your childhood. Use the pain your mother inflicted on you to motivate you to find a better way to raise your own children.” — Barrie Davenport
  5.  “Just because someone gives you life doesn’t mean they will love you in the right way.” — Unknown
  6. “A toxic mother can cause just as much damage as an absent father.” – Unknown

Related: Best 61 Unsupportive Family Quotes

Toxic Parents Quotes

How Do You Deal With Toxic Family Quotes
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  1. “No child should ever have to bear the burden of parenting their own parents. To toxic parents, you existed to serve them all the time.” – Kim Saeed
  2. “It’s so disheartening to see people who are supposed to love you use you for their selfish purposes.”  – Unknown
  3. “I was born into this family and all I got was a bad attitude.” – Unknown
  4. “Unhealthy families discourage individual expression. Everyone must confront to the thoughts and actions of the toxic parents.” – Susan Forward
  5. “Narcissist parents don’t care about their children’s feelings at all. Only their feelings matter.” – Kim Saeed
  6. “Some people play victims of crimes they committed.”– Unknown
  7. “Learn to cut your losses fast if you realize you are just being used for their selfish motives.” – Unknown 
  8. “Toxic parents care more about how you make them look than how you actually feel.” – Unknown 
  9. “All I wanted from you was love and acceptance but all I was given hate and rejection.” – Unknown 
  10. “Biology shouldn’t be destiny.” – Unknown
  11. “These people were meant to raise me, instead I’ve had to raise them right out of my life.” – Unknown
  12. “All of us develop our expectations about how people will treat us based on our relationships with our parents.” – Susan Forward.
  13. “It’s amazing how people can change behind closed doors.” – Susan Forward.
  14. “Many children of toxic parents find it exceptionally difficult to identify who they are once they grow up.” – JR Thorpe
  15. “A narcissist parent is easily frustrated by a healthy independent child that they can’t control through parental emotional manipulation.” – Shannon Thomas
  16. “They are not sorry for harming you. So, don’t feel guilty for cutting them off.” – John Mark Green
  17. “Narcissist parents want total control. Take back your control. If possible, don’t accept any money, favour, items or anything from them.” – Tina Fuller.
  18. “Nobody plays the parental alienation card quicker than the abusive parent who’s lost control over the survivor’s mind.” – E.S.
  19. “When you grieve toxic, abusive parents, you don’t just grieve the abuse, you grieve everything you didn’t have.” – Lily Hope Lucario.
  20. “You can’t change the toxic behavior of your toxic parents but you can decide how you respond.” – Unknown
  21. “Don’t let their past abuse define you for the rest of your life.” – Unknown
  22. “They should love you, just as you are. Parents should love their kids, right? ‘You’d think so.’” N.R. Walker.
  23. “Toxic people condition you to believe the problem isn’t the abuse itself, but instead your reactions to their abuse.” — Unknown
  24. “One day, you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through, and it will be someone else’s survival guide.” — Brené Brown 
  25. “If you push me away, I promise you you won’t find me where you left me. My heart is big, but not big enough to deal with people who decide to love me when it’s convenient for them.” — Keanu Reeves

Toxic Siblings Quotes

  1. “Brother or sister has no meaning if they treat each other like worst enemies.” — Unknown
  2. “The term Brother (or Sister) means nothing more than what you define it as.” — Unknown
  3. “Just because someone is “family” doesn’t mean you have to tolerate lies, chaos, drama, manipulation, and disrespect.” — Unknown
  4. “You’ve been lied to so many times that you know who not to trust. That’s not trust issues; that’s lessons learned.”  — Unknown
  5. “Saying “No” to a toxic family member shows that you understand what family truly means.”  — Unknown
  6. “You went through a “No” phase as a toddler as practice for when you needed to say it as an adult.”  — Unknown
  7. “The people I looked up to for comfort are the ones who make me depressed.” — Unknown
  8. “Too much fighting and drama in a place where love, peace and harmony must be the norm.” — Unknown

Related: 9 Insights – When To Leave A Blended Family

Dysfunctional Family Quotes

  1. “The more dysfunctional, the more some family members seek to control the behavior of others.” – David W. Earle
  2. “Refuse to inherit dysfunction. Learn new ways of living instead of repeating what you lived through.” – Thema Davis
  3. “A dysfunctional family is not a family at all, it’s a toxic relationship parading as a requirement.” – Unknown
  4. “It’s very sad when family members stop speaking to each other. The day will come when you regret it. That day is called “the funeral”. – Unknown
  5. “Dysfunctional families can’t give you love because love can’t come from people who don’t love themselves in the first place.”  – Unknown
  6. “People talk about dysfunctional families; I’ve never seen any other kind.” – Sue Grafton
  7. “We all come from dysfunctional families, and these days I guess that’s pretty normal.” – Carnie Wilson
  8. “The current relationship between companies and the workforce is like marrying into a dysfunctional family. Only you don’t get to escape when the holiday meal is over.” – Bill Jensen
  9. “Your whole being is involved in taking care of someone else, worrying about what they think of you, how they treat you, how you can make them treat you better. Right now, everyone in the world seems to think that they are codependent and that they come from dysfunctional families. They call it codependency. I call it the human condition.” – Cynthia Heimel
  10. “I come from a dysfunctional family, so my view of parents and parenting used to be highly mixed.” – Tamora Pierce
  11. “Weddings are never about the bride and groom. Weddings are public platforms for dysfunctional families.” – Lisa Kleypas
  12. “Families must be built on love, trust and acceptance but dysfunctional families have no such traits, which is why they are what they are.”  – Unknown
  13. “Dysfunctional families have sired a number of pretty good actors.” – Gene Hackman
  14. “If you grew up in a dysfunctional family, then there is really no hope for you to have a good relationship. That is another myth that we have to throw off so that we can get into what I call Reality.” – Gary Chapman
  15. “In my family, as in all dysfunctional families, instead of parents who act as strong and nurturing role models for their children, you get these needy people who use their children. I was the kid who tried to take on the marriage.” – John Bradshaw
  16. “One of the hallmarks of a dysfunctional family is lack of empathy. Parents do not show unconditional love, instead of becoming judgmental. Rather than attempting to understand a child’s feelings and point of view, a dysfunctional parent might rely on anger or derision, making the child feel guilty or demeaned.” – Tricia Hussung

What Are Signs of a Toxic Family?

All families are complicated, to say the least. But some families are plain toxic

While it’s perfectly fine to have an occasional blowout with your loved ones, some family relationships just hit differently. You just get constantly hurt when you’re with them, which is a red flag of its own. 

But if you’re not sure whether you have toxic family members, here are the most common signs to look out for.

  • They ignore your personal boundaries
  • They gaslight you
  • They are passively aggressive
  • They often place blame on others, including you
  • They are violent and abusive
  • They drain your energy
  • They don’t respect you for who you are
  • They lie all the time
  • They constantly offend you or make harsh remarks
  • They make everything about them

When Your Family Members Are Toxic?

Walking Away From Toxic Family Members
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Realizing your family is toxic is a hard pill to swallow. 

Everyone wants to feel safe when they’re with their family members. Everyone wants to be accepted and loved by their family. But unfortunately, not everyone is. 

So, if you feel you’re surrounded by toxic and negative people, I’m sure you’ll find some comfort in all of the above-shared quotes. 

There’s definitely comfort in knowing you’re not alone. 

Toxic families are all around us; but if you want to make a change in the world, the only way to do that is to heal yourself and focus on creating your own happy family.

Focus on the relationships where you feel safe, whether that’s a friendship, a romantic relationship, or even a relationship with your pet.

As long as you feel loved, those are the relationships that matter. 

Give them your energy and stop wasting it on people who don’t deserve it – even if they’re your closest family members.

Related: Proven NON Guilt Tips When Moving Away From Family

How Do You Respond to a Toxic Family Member?

Woman Letting Go Of Toxic Family Member
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Dealing with a toxic family member is not easy; as much you want to get over it and move on, they just keep dragging you back to the never-ending emotional hell. 

But you’ve suffered long enough. It’s time to do something about it.

Since you can’t change anyone in this world, let alone a toxic family member, it may be time to do some self-reflection and change your approach. 

The best way to respond to a toxic family member is to set healthy personal boundaries. 

Trust me, they’re not going to like it at first. But once you’ve created your own personal space and have built those strong personal walls, they won’t be able to hurt you anymore.

Other tactics for responding to a toxic family member are simply walking away, standing up for yourself, and finally, moving on.

Final Thoughts

Thanks for taking the time to read my article. I hope these toxic family members quotes helped you get a little closer to your emotional healing and recovery. 

Remember that you don’t owe anything to anybody, except yourself. You owe it to yourself to be happy and at peace. So, if cutting off a toxic family member will bring you peace, go for it. 

If I can help you in any way, don’t hesitate to ask. Walking away is never easy, but it’s much better to leave than get constantly hurt by your own family. 

Moving on from toxic relationships is not so difficult when you have a strong support system around you, whether that’s a friend, a spouse, or a personal coach. We’re here for you!

Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below, and I hope I hear from you soon!

Related Articles: More Quote Articles

About The Author

Bijan Kholghi is a certified life coach with the Milton Erickson Institute Heidelberg (Germany). He helps clients and couples reach breakthroughs in their lives by changing subconscious patterns. His solution-oriented approach is based on Systemic- and Hypnotherapy.

Bijan