---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes loving someone means letting…"
description: "\"“Sometimes loving someone means letting them go”\" — Ellen Hopkins"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/ellen-hopkins-475_letting_sometimes-loving-someone-means-letting-t_2910221.png"
---

#  Sometimes loving someone means letting them go

![“Sometimes loving someone means letting them go” quote by Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/ellen-hopkins-475_letting_sometimes-loving-someone-means-letting-t_2910221.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/ellen-hopkins-475_letting_sometimes-loving-someone-means-letting-t_2910221.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/ellen-hopkins-475_letting_sometimes-loving-someone-means-letting-t_2910221.png)

> ““Sometimes loving someone means letting them go””

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

True love sometimes means releasing the other person to grow, even if painful.

**In simple terms:** Loving can require letting go.

Key Takeaway

Accept that love may involve separation for growth.

Themes

love letting go growth pain acceptance

Mood

sad reflective

Type

philosophical emotional

When to use this quote

- relationship endings
- personal healing
- self‑reflection
- supportive friendships

Key Concepts

attachment theory emotional maturity

Questions to Reflect On

- When have you held on too tightly?
- What does freedom mean in love?

A Different Perspective

Letting go can feel like failure rather than care.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Letting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting/) [Loving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving/) [Loving Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving-means/) [Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/means/) [Means Letting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/means-letting-731792/)

## Related quotes

> [As the old saying goes, "sometimes loving someone means letting them go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/as-the-old-saying-goes-sometimes-loving-someone-means-letting-them-go/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [Loving someone means letting go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/loving-someone-means-letting-go/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Sometimes loving someone means letting them go. Every”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-patrick/sometimes-loving-someone-means-letting-them-go-every/)

[Amy Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-patrick/)

> [“It doesn't always make sense, how you go about loving someone. Sometimes loving means gathering them back, sometimes it means sending them away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramona-ausubel/it-doesn-t-always-make-sense-how-you-go-about-loving-someone/)

[Ramona Ausubel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramona-ausubel/)

> [Loving ourselves means loving our community. When we are capable of loving ourselves, nourishing ourselves properly, not intoxicating ourselves, we are already protecting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/loving-ourselves-means-loving-our-community-when-we-are-capable-of/)

[Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/)

> [“Loving means losing control of our schedule, our money, and our time. When we love we cease to be the master and become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-miller/loving-means-losing-control-of-our-schedule-our-money-and-our-time/)

[Paul Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-miller/)

> [Loving someone means helping them to be more themselves, which can be different from being what you’d like them to be, although often they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/loving-someone-means-helping-them-to-be-more-themselves-which-can-be/)

[Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/)

> [“Here was the secret of this house, the thing it took bravery to face -- that to go on loving someone means to over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-stewart/here-was-the-secret-of-this-house-the-thing-it-took-bravery-to-face/)

[Leah Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-stewart/)

> [“Be careful not to hold onto relationships that no longer work simply because you have history with folks. Sometimes loving yourself means removing yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stalina-goodwin/be-careful-not-to-hold-onto-relationships-that-no-longer-work-simply/)

[Stalina Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stalina-goodwin/)

> [“Maybe that means "letting them get away with it" -- but maybe it also means letting \*you\* get away \*from\* it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-freeman/maybe-that-means-letting-them-get-away-with-it-but-maybe-it-also/)

[Arthur Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-freeman/)

> [Moving on doesn't mean you no longer care, it just means letting go of the issues that were once there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/moving-on-doesn-t-mean-you-no-longer-care-it-just-means-letting-go-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Forgiveness means letting go of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-jampolsky/forgiveness-means-letting-go-of-the-past/)

[Gerald Jampolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-jampolsky/)

> [If my desire is possible, it means the system is already letting something else through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/if-my-desire-is-possible-it-means-the-system-is-already-letting/)

[Helene Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [ \[D\]etachment means letting go and nonattachment means simply letting be. (95) ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-levine/d-etachment-means-letting-go-and-nonattachment-means-simply-letting/)

[Stephen Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-levine/)

> [“What about my parents?" "What about your parents?" "I can't let them down." "Even if it means letting yourself down? Which I doubt they'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/what-about-my-parents-what-about-your-parents-i-can-t-let-them-down/)

[Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/)

## More by Ellen Hopkins

> [“I've been alone since my mom met Scott. He sucked the nectar from her heart like a famished butterfly. No nurture, no nourishment left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/i-ve-been-alone-since-my-mom-met-scott-he-sucked-the-nectar-from-her/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [I wonder how long it would take him to realize I'm right as sin - it's the rest of the world that's wrong. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/i-wonder-how-long-it-would-take-him-to-realize-i-m-right-as-sin-it-s/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [Do you know how beautiful you are?' I shook my head 'I'm not. But you make me fell like I am.' I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/do-you-know-how-beautiful-you-are-i-shook-my-head-i-m-not-but-you/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [That's what I'll be. A silhouette, rarely seen, and yet believed in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/that-s-what-i-ll-be-a-silhouette-rarely-seen-and-yet-believed-in/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [One foot in front of the other, counting tiles on the floor so I don't have to focus the blur of painted smiles, fake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/one-foot-in-front-of-the-other-counting-tiles-on-the-floor-so-i-don-t/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [...life is all about chances. You might be safer not taking any. But playing it totally safe means you're only existing. Not living. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/life-is-all-about-chances-you-might-be-safer-not-taking-any-but/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [The truth is, I don't have a real clue what love is - how to find it, how to give it. Once upon a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/the-truth-is-i-don-t-have-a-real-clue-what-love-is-how-to-find-it-how/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [But death doesn't scare me. To know exactly when I might expect it, up close and in my face, would actually be a comfort.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/but-death-doesn-t-scare-me-to-know-exactly-when-i-might-expect-it-up/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [So You Want to Know All about her. Who she really is. (Was?) Why she swerved off the high road. Hard left to nowhere,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/so-you-want-to-know-all-about-her-who-she-really-is-was-why-she/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [“I don’t belong here. I know that. But I don’t belong anywhere else, either. And that is at the heart of the black depression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/i-don-t-belong-here-i-know-that-but-i-don-t-belong-anywhere-else/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [Six months since we met up again we are inseparable, an intricate weave. No longer do I believe this is a temporary fling. More…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/six-months-since-we-met-up-again-we-are-inseparable-an-intricate/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [“But who ever said the easiest path is the one you should choose?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/but-who-ever-said-the-easiest-path-is-the-one-you-should-choose/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [Afraid to Die Loveless Because I think if you die without knowing love in this life, that's how you'll spend eternity. Alone. Frozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/afraid-to-die-loveless-because-i-think-if-you-die-without-knowing/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [Every high has an equal, measurable low.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/every-high-has-an-equal-measurable-low/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [Don't Stop ...down, ...Down there ...down where ...monsters, ...Run!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/don-t-stop-down-down-there-down-where-monsters-run/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

[Explore all 534 Ellen Hopkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

## More Letting quotes

> [I feel as though I've fooled the world into thinking I'm an adult and now they're letting me procreate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-feel-as-though-i-ve-fooled-the-world-into-thinking-i-m-an-adult-and/)

[George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/)

> [Some of the things that we hold onto the most, are the things that we need to let go of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryaj-ablando-catayas/some-of-the-things-that-we-hold-onto-the-most-are-the-things-that-we/)

[Ryaj Ablando Catayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryaj-ablando-catayas/)

> [Letting go of someone you love , is so hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/letting-go-of-someone-you-love-is-so-hard/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In the last few years in particular, I've found that it's okay to let go of culture rather than hold on to it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/in-the-last-few-years-in-particular-i-ve-found-that-it-s-okay-to-let/)

[Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/)

> [I don't know why we all hang on to something we know were better off letting go. Its like were scared to lose what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/i-don-t-know-why-we-all-hang-on-to-something-we-know-were-better-off/)

[Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/)

> [Letting go a little brings a little peace. Letting go a lot brings a lot of peace. Letting go completely brings complete peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/letting-go-a-little-brings-a-little-peace-letting-go-a-lot-brings-a/)

[Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/)

> [Hold tenderly that which you cherish, for it is precious and a tight grip may crush it. Do not let the fear of dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-alberti/hold-tenderly-that-which-you-cherish-for-it-is-precious-and-a-tight/)

[Bob Alberti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-alberti/)

> [Wise and purposeful letting alone is the best part of education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/wise-and-purposeful-letting-alone-is-the-best-part-of-education/)

[Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/)

> [Negotiation is often described as the art of letting the other side have your way. You have to give the other side a chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-voss/negotiation-is-often-described-as-the-art-of-letting-the-other-side/)

[Christopher Voss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-voss/)

> [“You’re not quitting a job, you’re letting go of it to seek new opportunities for further growth.   When”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-king/you-re-not-quitting-a-job-you-re-letting-go-of-it-to-seek-new/)

[Patrick King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-king/)

> [Sometimes you have to let go of the one you love to find out if there is really something there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-you-have-to-let-go-of-the-one-you-love-to-find-out-if-there/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When I letting you go not because I am not loving you again it because for you and his happiness .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-letting-you-go-not-because-i-am-not-loving-you-again-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [One of the HARDEST things in life is LETTING GO of what you were USED TO and MOVING ON with something YOU'RE NOT](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mega/one-of-the-hardest-things-in-life-is-letting-go-of-what-you-were-used/)

[Mega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mega/)

> [There's nothing wrong with crying and letting it out, sometimes it is the best way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-bridge/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-crying-and-letting-it-out-sometimes-it-is/)

[Wayne Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-bridge/)

> [By letting go, you allow everything to find it's rightful place. Once free, everything finds its way home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-brown/by-letting-go-you-allow-everything-to-find-it-s-rightful-place-once/)

[Leon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-brown/)

[Browse all 1,172 Letting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Sometimes loving someone means letting them go”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ellen Hopkins"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/sometimes-loving-someone-means-letting-them-go/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Letting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/sometimes-loving-someone-means-letting-them-go/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/ellen-hopkins-475_letting_sometimes-loving-someone-means-letting-t_2910221.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/ellen-hopkins-475_letting_sometimes-loving-someone-means-letting-t_2910221.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/061/ellen-hopkins-475_letting_sometimes-loving-someone-means-letting-t_2910221.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Sometimes loving someone means letting them go” — Ellen Hopkins",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Ellen Hopkins",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Sometimes loving someone means letting them...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/sometimes-loving-someone-means-letting-them-go/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/sometimes-loving-someone-means-letting-them-go/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
