This post contains some of the best betrayal trauma quotes that will make you feel less alone.
What Is Betrayal Trauma?
Betrayal trauma typically refers to the lingering emotional distress experienced after betrayal by:
- A parent or other primary caregiver
- A romantic partner
Because of how close these people are and how much you may rely on them, you may find yourself with no choice but to accept their betrayal and sometimes the possibility of future betrayals.
This can negatively affect your self-esteem and emotional well-being.
Related: Betrayal Trauma Test: Do I Have Betrayal Trauma?
Forms Of Betrayal
Betrayal can take two forms:
- Behaviors that intentionally hurt, such as emotional abuse, verbal aggression, and domestic violence.
- Failure to care about your well-being, such as infidelity, deceit, misuse of communal resources, stonewalling, criticism, lack of support, etc.
Related: Betrayal Blindness – What Is It & How To Overcome It?
Betrayal Trauma Quotes
1. “Betrayal can be extremely painful, but it’s up to you how much that pain damages you permanently.” – Emily V. Gordon
2. “Betrayal is never easy to handle, and there is no right way to accept it.” – Christine Feehan
3. “Betrayal is so emotionally charged because the act of betrayal violates a couple’s core agreement- the promise to care for each other and keep each other safe.” ― Unknown
4. “Betrayal leaves us at a fork in the road. We can become stuck in a bad moment forever or we can put it behind us for good. We decide our path.” – Carmen Harra
Related: The Narcissist’s Prayer Explained
5. “Better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie.” ― Unknown

6. “Beware the person who stabs you and then tells the world they’re the one who’s bleeding.” – Jill Blakeway
7. “Breaking someone’s trust is like crumpling up a perfect piece of paper. You can smooth it over, but it’s never going to be the same again.” ― Unknown
8. “Cheating is directly linked to lack of intelligence, insecurity, low self-esteem, and an overall sense of unhappiness with one’s own life.” ― Unknown
9. “Forgive yourself for the blindness that let others betray you. Sometimes a good heart doesn’t see the bad.” ― Unknown
10. “I trusted you, but now your words mean nothing because your actions spoke the truth.” ― Unknown
11. “I’m not mad, I’m hurt. There’s a difference.” ― Unknown
12. “It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.” – William Blake
13. “It’s funny how sometimes the people you’d take a bullet for are the ones behind the trigger.” ― Unknown
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Protect Yourself From a Narcissist
14. “It’s hard to tell who has your back, from who has it long enough just to stab you in it.” ― Nicole Richie
15. “Life has taught me that you can’t control someone’s loyalty. No matter how good you are to them, it doesn’t mean that they will treat you the same. No matter how much they mean to you, it doesn’t mean that they’ll value you the same. Sometimes the people you love the most turn out to be the people you can trust the least.” – Trent Shalton
16. “Nothing hurts more than being disappointed by the single person you thought would never hurt you.” ― Unknown
17. “One of the hardest lessons in life is letting go. Whether it’s guilt, anger, love, loss or betrayal. Change is never easy. We fight to hold on and we fight to let go. If you’ve been hurt until it breaks your soul into pieces, your perspective in life will definitely change, and no one and nothing in this world could ever hurt you again.” – Mareez Reyes
18. “So this was a betrayal. It was like being left alone in the desert at dusk without water or warmth. It left your mouth dry and [your]will broken. It sapped your tears and made you hollow.” – Anna Godbersen
19. “The knives of betrayal and drama cut deep and hurt… but they also trim away the nonsense and reveal your true friends.” – Steve Maraboli

20. “The real betrayal is forgetting yourself.” ― Unknown
21. “The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies.” ― Unknown
22. “The worst pain in the world goes beyond the physical. Even further beyond any other emotional pain, one can feel. It is the betrayal of a friend.” – Heather Brewer
23. “There is no greater blessing than a family hand that lifts you from a fall, but there is no lower curse than a family hand that strikes you when you’re down.” – Wes Fessler
24. “To me, the thing that is worse than death is betrayal. You see, I could conceive death, but I could not conceive betrayal.” – Malcolm X
25. “Tragedy in life normally comes with betrayal and compromise, and trading on your integrity and not having dignity in life. That’s really where failure comes.” – Tom Cochrane
Related: 7 Stages Of Betrayal Trauma (+7 Tips For Overcoming Betrayal Trauma)
26. “Trust is earned, respect is given, and loyalty is demonstrated. Betrayal of any one of those is to lose all three.” – Ziad K. Abdelnour
27. “What is more important, that Caesar is assassinated or that he is assassinated by his intimate friends? … That,’ Frederick said, ‘is where the tragedy is.” ― M.L. Rio
28. “When in doubt, pay more attention to what people do and less to what they say. Actions not only speak louder than words, they are more difficult to fake.” – Zero Dean
29. “You don’t lose friends, you just learn who your real friends are.” ― Unknown
30. “An enemy cannot betray you, as you already expect your enemy to try to bring you down. Only a trusted “friend,” acquaintance, or family member can betray you, and that is what truly makes betrayal so hurtful and sad.” ― Bohdi Sanders
Related: How To Emotionally Detach From A Narcissist?
31. “Betrayal does not only break your heart but also darkens your soul. You will never forget the pain like a fog that forever lingers in the depths of your mind.” – Unknown
32. “Betrayal was the ultimate weapon, for it left emotional destruction in its wake. And questions. Thousands of questions.” ― Allison Lane
33. “If people could step inside a person who has been betrayed by the love of their life and feel the agony it causes, no one who is human would have it in their heart to cause someone that much pain and heartache.” – Unknown
34. “In the way that you need to clear the way to make a road, those who betray and abandon you expose things you need to remove from your life. They reveal the mistakes you made in trusting them and how you can avoid them in the future, and move on.” — Innocent Mwatsikesimbe
35. “No pain can ever be compared to the pain of being betrayed by someone special to your heart.” – Unknown
36. “One of the hardest journeys you make is the one you take from the bus you were thrown under.” ― Joyce Rachelle
37. “The most damaging aspect of abuse is the trauma to our hearts and souls, from being betrayed by the people that we love and trust.” – Unknown
38. “The worst feeling in the worst is knowing you’ve been used and lied to by someone you trusted.” – Unknown

Recovery After Betrayal Quotes
39. “Don’t chase people. Be yourself, do your own thing, and work hard. The right people – the ones who really belong in your life – will come to you. And stay.” – Will Smith
40. “Don’t waste words on people who deserve your silence. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all.” ― Unknown
41. “Even loss and betrayal can bring us awakening.” — Buddha
Related: Am I Being Gaslighted Quiz (& How To Recover From Gaslighting In 10 Steps)
42. “Everyone suffers at least one bad betrayal in their lifetime. It’s what unites us. The trick is not to let it destroy your trust in others when that happens. Don’t let them take that from you.” – Sherrilyn Kenyon
43. “Give yourself time to heal from a challenge you’ve been dealt. Letting go of hurt doesn’t happen overnight. It happens in slow, small steps forward (Plus a few steps backward at times). Be gentle and patient with yourself.” ― Unknown
44. “Healing doesn’t mean the pain never existed. It means the damage no longer controls our lives.” ― Unknown

45. “I am grateful to those who have betrayed me… They thought they were just stabbing me in the back, but they were also cutting me free from their poisonous life.” – Steve Maraboli
46. “I have been stabbed in the back by those I needed the most. I’ve been lied to by those I love. And I have felt alone when I couldn’t afford to be. But at the end of the day, I had to learn to be my own best friend, because there’s going to be days where no one is going to be there for me, but myself.” ― Unknown
47. “If you spend your time hoping someone will suffer the consequences for what they did to your heart, then you’re allowing them to hurt you a second time in your mind.”― Shannon L. Alder
48. “I’m mature enough to forgive you, but I’m not dumb enough to trust you again.” ― Unknown
49. “Life will knock us down, but we can choose whether or not to stand back up.” – Jackie Chan
50. “Nobody will protect you from your suffering. You can’t cry it away or eat it away or starve it away or walk it away or punch it away or even therapy it away. It’s just there, and you have to survive it. You have to endure it. You have to live through it and love and move on and be better for it. And run as far as you can in the direction of your best and happiest dreams across the bridge that was built by your own desire to heal.” – Cheryl Strayed
Related: How To Heal From Narcissistic Abuse By A Parent? 7 Practical Strategies
51. “Often people that say they “don’t care” actually do. The moment they discuss you with their friends and family, compete with you, bad mouth you to others, or react to anything you do or say is when they give themselves away. You can either be saddened or flattered that you affected someone so much. The perspective is yours to determine.” ― Shannon L. Alder
52. “Some people are in such utter darkness that they will burn you just to see a light. Try not to take it personally.” ― Kamand Kojouri
53. “Sometimes, instead of being hurt, you should look at betrayal as a gift. It makes it that much easier to sweep it up and toss it out with the rest of the trash. And why is that you ask? Because trash starts to stink…and when it does, it has no more value in your life.” – Donna Schoenrock
54. “They can betray me, but I choose not to betray my peace of mind.” – Dodinsky
55. “When someone betrays you, it is a reflection of their character, not yours.” ― Unknown

Conclusion
Significant relationships in our lives are held together by deep emotional bonds.
This makes betrayal within those relationships so harshly painful and so hard to overcome.
It’s important to validate your pain and give yourself space to feel it and heal it.
References
- Betrayal trauma – Wikipedia
- Betrayal Trauma: Signs, Recovery & Getting Help (choosingtherapy.com)
- Betrayal Trauma: Signs and How to Start Healing (healthline.com)
- Betrayal Trauma – an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
- Definition of Betrayal Trauma Theory (uoregon.edu)
- (PDF) The Impact of Betrayal Trauma on the Tendency to Trust (researchgate.net)
- Betrayal trauma: relationship to physical health, psychological distress, and a written disclosure intervention – PubMed (nih.gov)