We share 20 timeless quotes from people from all walks of life to help remind you that, no matter how dark or lost you may be feeling, you’re not alone
When things get tough, turning to quotes for inspiration and comfort can be a natural choice. For many of us, quotes can act as mantras. We may have a favourite quote that speaks to us, that connects with how we are feeling on a deeper level, that empowers us or reminds us that we are not alone.
Quotes can offer comfort and spark inspiration. When we’re feeling disconnected and alone, they can bridge the gap and remind us that however lonely we may be, others have been here. We aren’t truly alone in our experiences.
We share 20 quotes about loneliness from people from all walks of life, to help remind you that actually, you’re not alone. We hope these can help inspire you to reach out and make new connections with someone who needs it today.
20. Kim Culbertson, author
“People think being alone makes you lonely, but I don’t think that’s true. Being surrounded by the wrong people is the loneliest thing in the world.”
19. Mandy Hale, author
“If you lean to really sit with loneliness and embrace it for the gift that it is... an opportunity to get to know you, to learn how strong you really are, to deepen on no-one but you for your happiness... you will realise that a little loneliness goes a long way in creating a richer, deeper, more vibrant and colourful you.”
18. Marilynne Robinson, author
“Once alone, it is impossible to believe that one could ever have been otherwise. Loneliness in an absolute discovery.”
17. Robin Williams, actor and comedian
“I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is ending up with people who make you feel all alone.”
16. Henry Rollins, singer and activist
“Loneliness adds beauty to life. It puts a special burn on sunsets and makes night air smell better.”
15. Michael Josephson, mental health advocate
“If you want to be happy, learn to be alone without being lonely. Learn that being alone does not mean being unhappy. The world is full of plenty of interesting and enjoyable thing to do and people who can enrich your life.”
14. Anurag Prakash Ray, Raise Your Mind
“Don’t feel alone, because there is always someone out there who loves you more than you can imagine.”
13. Justin Timberlake, singer
“The best part of being alone is that you really don’t have to answer to anybody. You do what you want.”
12. Charles Bukowski, author and poet
“I've never been lonely. I've been in a room – I've felt suicidal. I've been depressed. I've felt awful – awful beyond all – but I never felt that one other person could enter that room and cure what was bothering me… or that any number of people could enter that room.
“In other words, loneliness is something I've never been bothered with because I've always had this terrible itch for solitude. It's being at a party, or at a stadium full of people cheering for something, that I might feel loneliness.
“I've never been bothered with the need to rush out into the night. I hid in bars, because I didn't want to hide in factories. That's all. Sorry for all the millions, but I've never been lonely. I like myself. I'm the best form of entertainment I have.”
11. Douglas Coupland, artist and author
“Remember: the time you feel lonely is the time you most need to be by yourself. Life’s cruelest irony.”
10. Maya Angelou, civil rights activist and poet
“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.”
9. Anaïs Nin, essayist and diarist
“I am lonely, yet not everybody will do. I don’t know why, some people fill the gaps and others emphasize my loneliness.”
8. Bertrand Russell, philosopher and Nobel laureate
“Love is something far more than desire for sexual intercourse; it is the principle means of escape from the loneliness which afflicts most men and women throughout the greater part of their lives.”
7. May Sarton, poet
“Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self”
6. Gretchen Rubin, author
“Keep in mind that to avoid loneliness, many people need both a social circle and an intimate attachment. Having just one of two may still leave you feeling lonely.”
5. Martha Gellhorn, journalist and author
“I tell you loneliness is the thing to master. Courage and fear, love, death are only parts of it and can easily be ruled afterwards. If I make myself master my own loneliness there will be peace, and safety; and perhaps these are the same.
4. Anne Frank, diarist
“Deep down, the young are lonelier than the old.”
3. Connor Chalfant, author
“Find company within yourself and you’ll never spend a day alone. Find love within yourself and you’ll never have a lonely day.”
2. Masashi Kishimoto, manga artist
“The pain of being alone is completely out of this world, isn’t it? I don’t know why but I understand your feelings so much it actually hurts.”
1. Mandy Hale, blogger and author
“Until you get comfortable with being alone, you’ll never know if you’re choosing someone out of love or loneliness.”
Where you can find help
If you or someone you care about have been feeling lonely and you are concerned that these feelings may be developing into something deeper, there are places you can go to find out more, find help and support.
Visit Counselling Directory to discover more about loneliness or to find an accredited, therapist near you with experience helping support and guide others through feelings of loneliness.
Discover how reading can help halt the loneliness epidemic, or find out more about how you can overcome your fear of loneliness.
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