50+ Best Bittersweet Quotes To Appreciate Both Sides Of Life
Gallery
Life is a journey, and we are the travelers.
Something bittersweet is something that encompasses both good and bad, and life can, of course, be a combination of both. The truth about love quotes is that most of them carry the same essence.
For example you might describe parting from your best friend, who is off on an exciting trip, as a bittersweet experience. You are happy and excited for their adventure, but at the same time sad to see them go.
Life can be fast paced and crazy, with lots of ups and downs, but we have to find happiness in the madness.
To help , we have listed 50 bittersweet life quotes that will help you appreciate both sides of life. For more, check out our ["be true to yourself" quotes] and ["be real" quotes].
The Best Bittersweet Quotes
When we lose hope in life, we need support and encouragement. Read these bittersweet moment quotes, and take a moment to reflect on the bitter and sweet moments in your life. You will get the best bittersweet quotes here.
1. "Halfway down the aisle, Jamie suddenly seemed to tire, and they stopped while she caught her breath...It was, I remembered thinking, the most difficult walk anyone ever had to make. In every way, a walk to remember."
― Nicholas Sparks, ‘A Walk To Remember’.
2. “Happiness. Simple as a glass of chocolate or tortuous as the heart. Bitter. Sweet. Alive."
― Joanne Harris, ‘Chocolat’.
3. "Our sweetest songs are those of saddest thought."
― Percy Bysshe Shelley, ‘The Complete Poems’.
4. "Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing which to do is the worst kind of suffering.”
-Paulo Coelho.
5. "This is a good sign, having a broken heart. It means we have tried for something.”
-Elizabeth Gilbert, 'Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search For Everything Across Italy, India And Indonesia'.
6. "Sometimes it takes a heartbreak to shake us awake and help us see we are worth so much more than we're settling for.”
-Mandy Hale.
7. "Watch the sunset... Does it make you feel big or tiny? Because there's something good about feeling both."
— Amy Grant.
8. "In the end, people should be judged by their actions, since in the end, it was actions that defined everyone."
― Nicholas Sparks.
9. "We thought humble and proud at the same time, all at once in love again with this painful bittersweet lovely thing called flight.”
-Richard Bach.
10. "It's kind of bittersweet. The human spirit is not measured by the size of the act, but by the size of the heart.”
-Yakov Smirnoff.
11. "The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected."
-Nicholas Sparks, ‘The Notebook’.
12. "Without black, no color has any depth. But if you mix black with everything, suddenly there's shadow – no, not just shadow, but fullness. You've got to be willing to mix black into your palette if you want to create something that's real."
— Amy Grant.
13. "I will never be a politician or even think political. Me just deal with life and nature. That is the greatest thing to me."
-Bob Marley.
Famous Bittersweet Quotes
Here are some bittersweet goodbye quotes from famous people for you to see life in a different way.
14. "The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too."
― Ernest Hemingway.
15. "You can measure the happiness of a marriage by the number of scars that each partner carries on their tongues, earned from years of biting back angry words."
― Elizabeth Gilbert.
16. "Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for."
― Bob Marley.
17. "You don't love someone because they're perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they're not."
― Jodi Picoult.
18. "I want to be very close to someone I respect and admire, and have somebody who feels the same way about me."
―Richard Bach.
19. "If you're brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with another hello."
— Paulo Coelho.
20. "There’s always a bittersweet kind of thing, but I feel like everything had to work out the way it is. Everything that had to happen happened.”
– Bruno Mars.
21. “To me, human experience does involve a great deal of anguish. It’s joyful, but it’s bittersweet. I just think that’s life.”
– Amy Grant.
22. “If you begin to face your fears, something bittersweet is going to happen to you: You’ll grow up.” – Martha Beck.
23. “A guy and a girl can be just friends, but at one point or another, they will fall for each other. Maybe temporarily, maybe at the wrong time, maybe too late, or maybe forever.
-Dave Matthews Band, ‘The Girl Is You’.
24. “Youth offers the promise of happiness, but life offers the realities of grief.”
― Nicholas Sparks, ‘The Rescue’.
25. “More important than talent, strength, or knowledge is the ability to laugh at yourself and enjoy the pursuit of your dreams.”
— Amy Grant.
Shauna Niequist Quotes
Author of some great books like 'Bittersweet', 'Bread And Wine' and 'Cold Tangerines', Shauna has a lot to say about life. Here are a few of her most impactful relationship love quotes.
26. “When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.”
– Shauna Niequist.
27. “When things fall apart, the broken pieces allow all sorts of things to enter, and one of them is the presence of God.”
– Shauna Niequist.
28. “Life hands us opportunities at every turn to get over ourselves, to get outside ourselves, to wake up from our own bad dreams and realize that really lovely things are happening all the time.”
― Shauna Niequist, ‘Bittersweet: Thoughts On Change, Grace, And Learning The Hard Way’.
29. "Sometimes the happiest ending isn’t the one you keep longing for, but something you absolutely cannot see from where you are.”
– Shauna Niequist.
30. “Life sneaks up on us every once in a while and gives us something we didn't ever know we wanted, and lights within us a love we didn't even know existed.”
― Shauna Niequist, ‘Cold Tangerines: Celebrating The Extraordinary Nature Of Everyday Life’.
31. “We sometimes choose the most locked up, dark versions of the story, but what a good friend does is turn on the lights, open the window, and remind us that there are a whole lot of ways to tell the same story.”
– Shauna Niequist.
32. “It's not hard to decide what you want your life to be about. What's hard, she said, is figuring out what you're willing to give up in order to do the things you really care about.”
― Shauna Niequist, ‘Bittersweet: Thoughts On Change, Grace, And Learning The Hard Way’.
33. “I've spent most of my life and most of my friendships holding my breath and hoping that when people get close enough, they won't leave, and fearing that it's a matter of time before they figure me out and go.”
― Shauna Niequist, ‘Bittersweet: Thoughts On Change, Grace, And Learning The Hard Way’.
34. “There are times when the actual experience of leaving something makes you wish desperately that you could stay, and then there are times when the leaving reminds you a hundred times over why exactly you had to leave in the first place.”
― Shauna Niequist, ‘Bittersweet: Thoughts On Change, Grace, And Learning The Hard Way’.
35. “[It is a] myth that doing everything better gets us where we want to be. It gets us somewhere, certainly, but not anywhere worth being.”
― Shauna Niequist, ‘Bittersweet: Thoughts On Change, Grace, And Learning The Hard Way’.
Ernest Hemingway Quotes
Who can speak better on life, soul and relationships than a good novelist? Ernest Hemingway is one of the most famous novelists from the 20th century. Here are some of his best bittersweet sayings on life.
36. “There is no friend as loyal as a book.”
37. “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
― Ernest Hemingway.
38. “The world breaks everyone, and afterwards, many are strong at the broken places.”
― Ernest Hemingway.
39. “It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes, you are ready.”
― Ernest Hemingway, ‘The Old Man And The Sea’.
40. “Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.”
― Ernest Hemingway.
Friedrich Nietzsche Quotes
Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher, read these sayings to find out his ideas about life and the heart, in his own words.
41. “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process, he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche.
42. “The snake which cannot cast its skin has to die. As well the minds which are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be mind.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche.
43. “No one can construct for you the bridge upon which precisely you must cross the stream of life, no one but you yourself alone.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche.
44. “You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche.
45. “It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche.
Dave Matthews Band Quotes
A musician, singer, songwriter, actor and a guitarist, Dave Matthews Band was born in South Africa and is a record label owner. From the bitter to the sweet, his lyrics encompass a range of emotions. Read some of his bittersweet love quotes about life to get inspired.
46. “Turns out, not where, but who you're with that really matters.”
― Dave Matthews Band, ‘The Best Of What’s Around’.
47. “Troubles, they may come and go, but good times, they're the gold.”
― Dave Matthews Band, ‘Steady As We Go’.
48. “Celebrate we will, because life is short but sweet for certain.”
― Dave Matthews Band, ‘Two Step’.
49. “The future is no place to place your better days.”
― Dave Matthews, ‘Cry Freedom’.
50. “See you and me have a better time than most can dream of, better than the best, so we can pull on through, whatever tears at us, whatever holds us down, and if nothing can be done, we'll make the best of what's around.”
― Dave Matthews Band, ‘The Best Of What’s Around’.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for bittersweet quotes then why not take a look at these [be present quotes], or [be humble quotes] for more?
We Want Your Photos!
More for You
See All
Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration specializing in Marketing
Supriya JainBachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration specializing in Marketing
As a skilled member of the Kidadl team, Shruti brings extensive experience and expertise in professional content writing. With a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from Punjab University and an MBA in Business Administration from IMT Nagpur, Shruti has worked in diverse roles such as sales intern, content writer, executive trainee, and business development consultant. Her exceptional writing skills cover a wide range of areas, including SOP, SEO, B2B/B2C, and academic content.
Disclaimer
1) Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the Buy Now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published but we cannot guarantee that on the time of reading. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
2) At Kidadl, we strive to recommend the very best activities and events. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability. Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
3) Because we are an educational resource, we have quotes and facts about a range of historical and modern figures. We do not endorse the actions of or rhetoric of all the people included in these collections, but we think they are important for growing minds to learn about under the guidance of parents or guardians.
