75 Domestic Violence Quotes For Support and Strength (2022)

Every year, millions of people all over the world are victims of domestic violence. If you or someone you know is in a situation that’s unsafe, these domestic violence quotes can help provide the type of help and support you may need.

Have you experienced domestic violence or know someone who has?

Domestic violence can be one of the most difficult types of situations to talk about and to escape from.

And, sadly, it can happen to anyone – women, men, children, between spouses and even friends. No one is immune to domestic violence.

If you or someone you know is in a situation that’s unsafe, these domestic violence quotes can hopefully encourage you or them to seek the necessary support and resources to get yourself or the person you know out.

And, if you are a survivor of domestic violence, then these quotes can help remind you of your strength.

Also, check out our collection of bad relationship quotes about moving on.

Domestic Violence Quotes on Courage

1. “At any given moment you have the power to say this is not how the story is going to end.” ― Christine Mason Miller

2. “And here you are living despite it all.” — Rupi Kaur

3. “Grief does not demand pity; It requests acknowledgment.” ― Jude Gibbs

4. “Trauma may happen to you, but it can never define you.” ― Melinda Longtin

5. “Don’t judge yourself by what others did to you.” — Cody Kennedy

6. “Never forget that walking away from something unhealthy is brave even if you stumble a little on your way out the door.” ― Unknown

7. “Sometimes the shame is not the beatings, not the rape. The shaming is in being asked to stand judgment.” ― Meena Kandasamy

8. “When it comes to abuse, you believe there’s no way out. There is always help. There is always a way out.” ― Rev. Donna Mulvey

9. “The enemy doesn’t stand a chance when the victim decides to survive.” — Rae Smith

10. “Never let someone who contributes so little to a relationship control so much of it.” ― Unknown

11. “The more that we choose not to talk about domestic violence, the more we shy away from the issue, the more we lose.” ― Russell Wilson

12. “I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.” — Brené Brown

13. “Each time a woman stands up for herself without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.” — Maya Angelou

Domestic Violence Quotes on Surviving

14. “I was heartbroken, scared, I had a lot of anxiety, I was worried, I felt weak, and I had no idea how I was ever going to come up with the strength. But I just closed my eyes and took a blind leap. I knew I had to get out of there.” ― Bob Casey Jr

15. “You can recognize survivors of abuse by their courage. When silence is so very inviting, they step forward and share their truth so others know they aren’t alone.” ― Jeanne McElvaney

16. “It doesn’t matter how rich or poor a person is, what gender or social class, or how much fame or education she possesses. Verbal, mental, and physical abuse can happen to anyone. It doesn’t matter what a woman’s ethnicity is because the only distinguishing color of abuse is black-and-blue.” ― La Toya Jackson

17. “To survive trauma one must be able to tell a story about it.”― Natasha Trethewey

18. “From every wound there is a scar, and every scar tells a story. A story that says, -I survived.” ― Fr. Craig Scott

19. “I realize now I am a survivor. I am a stronger woman for opening my eyes and stepping away from someone who didn’t respect themselves and would never respect me.” ― Lori

20. “The boys had always been her reason to stay, but now for the first time they were her reason to leave. She’d allowed violence to become a normal part of their life.” ― Liane Moriarty

21. “The victim of encapsulating violence carries both the real fear and the memory of fear with her always. Together, they wash over her like an ocean, and if she does not learn to swim in that terrible sea, she goes under.”― Andrea Dworkin

22. “I don’t know what kind of people you grew up with but raising your hand to the powerless is no act of manliness.”― Sarvesh Jain

23. “Leaving an abusive partner is a very difficult thing to do. It frequently feels like you are failing, or destroying your family, or not trying to work things out, or not giving your partner a second chance.” ― Blaine Nelson

24. “Someone once asked me how I hold my head up so high after all I have been through. I said it’s because no matter what, I am a survivor, not a victim.” — Patricia Buckley

25. “Culture is no excuse for abuse.”― Davinder Kaur

Domestic Violence Quotes on Recovering

26. “It is not the bruises on the body that hurt. It is the wounds of the heart and the scars on the mind.” — Aisha Mirza

27. “One day, I plan to love so loudly, my body abandons every demon harvesting me.” — Arati Warrier

28. “Today I wore a pair of faded old jeans and a plain grey baggy shirt. I hadn’t even taken a shower, and I did not put on an ounce of makeup. I grabbed a worn out black oversized jacket to cover myself with even though it is warm outside. I have made conscious decisions lately to look like less of what I felt a male would want to see. I want to disappear.” ― Sierra D. Waters

29. “Use the darkness of your past to propel you to a brighter future.” ― Donata Joseph

30. “Why didn’t I report it? Because when you are sexually assaulted by a relative, it’s terribly complicated. Initially, I felt shocked, numb, and powerless. Keep in mind, sexual assault is an act of violence; not sex. In addition, sexual assault is about power. It’s common for victims to feel helpless.” ― Dana Arcuri

31. “You survived the abuse, you’re going to survive the recovery.” — Mariska Hargitay

32. “Overcoming abuse doesn’t just happen, It takes positive steps everyday. Let today be the day you start to move forward.” ― Assunta Harris

33. “Raise your heart, not your hand.”― Abhijit Naskar

34. “Your growth comes not as you work harder to get something you don’t have, but as you live in the reality of what you have already been given.” — Nancy Guthrie

35. “Trauma creates change you don’t choose. Healing is about creating change you do choose.” — Michelle Rosenthall

36. “If you want to know where to find your contribution to the world, look at your wounds. When you learn how to heal them, teach others.” — Emily Maroutian

37. “Our wounds are our sources of growth.”— Rachel Naomi Remen

38. “You survived the abuse. You’re gonna survive the recovery.” — Olivia Benson

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

Domestic Violence Quotes on Strength

40. “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.” ― Aysha Taryam

41. “Survivors of abuse show us the strength of their personal spirit every time they smile.” ― Jeanne McElvaney

42. “Abuse is the weakest expression of strength. It is weakness to destroy what you ought to protect, build and make better.” ― Kingsley Opuwari Manuel

43. “The best revenge is creating your own happiness despite a person’s wish to take you down.” ― Melinda Longtin

44. “You are not the darkness you endured. You are the light that refused to surrender.” ― John Mark Green

45. “Don’t let someone who doesn’t know your value tell you how much you’re worth.” ― Unknown

46. “I have the power to change my physical and emotional experience.” ― Patricia Dsouza

47. “Survivors of abuse show us the strength of their personal spirit every time they smile.” ― Jeanne McElvaney

48. “Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.” —Rikki Rogers

49. “To be rendered powerless doesn’t destroy your humanity. Your resilience is your humanity. The only people who lose their humanity are those who believe they have the right to render another human being powerless. They are the weak. To yield and not break, that is incredible strength.” — Hannah Gadsby

50. “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” — Carl Jung

51. “I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.” – Mahatma Gandhi

52. “You survived the abuse. You’re going to survive the recovery.” – Unknown

53. “All violence consists of some people forcing others, under threat of suffering or death, to do what they do not want to do.”– Leo Tolstoy

54. “Domestic violence is frequently excused when alcohol and other substances are involved.” – Asa Don Brown

55. “Never let a man put his hands on you without your permission.” – Melda Beaty

Powerful domestic violence quotes

56. “Every woman who thinks she is the only victim of violence has to know that there are many more.” – Salma Hayek

57. “Sexual assault and domestic violence are difficult things to talk about. Talk about them anyway.” — Mariska Hargitay

58. “All marriages are sacred, but not all are safe.” — Rob Jackson

59. “Domestic violence is the front line of the war against women.” — Pearl Cleage

60. “The COVID-19 crisis has fueled the rise of domestic violence.”― Asa Don Brown

61. “I want to tell people that family violence happens to anybody, no matter how nice your house is, no matter how intelligent you are.” — Rosie Batty

62. “The effects of abuse are devastating and far-reaching. Domestic violence speaks many languages, has many colours and lives in many different communities.” — Sandra Pupatello

63. “[Domestic violence is] a carefully laid physical, financial and psychological trap.” — Leslie Morgan Steiner

64. “Domestic violence and sexual assault go hand in hand.” — Georgia Taylor

65. “Domestic violence is an epidemic, and yet we don’t address it. Until it happens to celebrities.” — Nelsan Ellis

More domestic violence quotes

66. “The time when domestic violence is the most lethal is when the person is trying to leave the situation.” — Julie Johnston

67. “Men have an important role to play in sending out the message that real men do not hurt or abuse their partners.” — Ian Somerhalder

68. “Pregnant women are more likely to die from homicide by domestic violence than any other cause of death.” — Lois Capps

69. “The best protection against rape, stalking, and domestic violence is to raise men who both understand that women are different, and would never dare take advantage of this difference.”— Wendy Shalit

70. “Domestic violence can occur at any socioeconomic level.”― Asa Don Brown

71. “One of the most basic things we can do is let the men in our lives know it’s not okay to mistreat a woman.” — Tim McGraw

72. “In violence, we forget who we are” — Mary McCarthy

73. “It’s not enough for women to speak out on the issue – for the message to be strong and consistent, women’s voices must be backed up by men’s.” — John Conyers

74. “Men must teach each other that real men do not violate or oppress women – and that a woman’s place is not just in the home or the field, but in schools and offices and boardrooms.”— Ban Ki-moon

75. “Domestic violence was a way of life in my home growing up, my brother and I watched helplessly numerous times as my mother was beaten and knocked unconscious while we dialed 911.” — Troy Vincent

What are you doing to prevent domestic violence?

If you have experienced domestic violence or know someone who has, these domestic violence quotes can help provide the type of help and support you may need right now – even if what you’re going through cannot be fixed by words.

Asking for help is just one of the first of many steps towards recovery. This type of situation is not easy to deal with, but you don’t need to go through it alone.

Overcoming a domestic violence situation can push a person to their limits. But, if you are a victim, then know that within you, there is the strength to continue on the fight for survival and live a happy, safe life.

What’s your biggest takeaway from these domestic violence quotes and sayings? Do you have any other helpful quotes to add? Let us know in the comment section below.