70+ Quotes About Setting Boundaries For Recovering People-Pleasers

Nowadays, the term “boundaries” is more than just a buzzword. It’s a vital aspect of a healthy and balanced life. Setting and upholding boundaries can profoundly impact every area of your life, providing clarity and empowerment.

If you’re uncertain about what this entails, these quotes about setting boundaries will guide you in standing up for yourself and abandoning self-neglecting habits.

For lifelong people-pleasers, establishing boundaries might trigger feelings of guilt or shame.

Rather than reverting to old patterns, work through these difficult emotions to prevent them from controlling you. (EFT tapping can be a helpful tool in this process!)

By integrating your boundaries, you’ll discover a new, confident, and powerful version of yourself.

Quotes About Setting Boundaries

Setting boundaries nurtures healthy relationships and protects your well-being.

These quotes about setting healthy boundaries will inspire you to protect your personal space, both physically and emotionally.

1. “The boundary to what we can accept is the boundary to our freedom.” – Tara Brach

2. “When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated.” – Brené Brown

3. “It is necessary, and even vital, to set standards for your life and the people you allow in it.” – Mandy Hale

4. “Whatever you are willing to put up with, is exactly what you will have.” – Anonymous

5. “You best teach others about healthy boundaries by enforcing yours.” – Bryant McGill

6. “Compassionate people ask for what they need. They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, they mean it. They’re compassionate because their boundaries keep them out of resentment.” – Brené Brown

7. “Accept that setting boundaries with other people is not going to make you popular. Once you set a boundary, stand by it. Remain strong in the truth that by setting boundaries against mistreatment, you are aligning with the higher, positive, and loving way of living.” – Unknown

8. “When you say ‘yes’ to others, make sure you’re not saying ‘no’ to yourself.” – Paulo Coelho

9. “Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious and you get to decide how you use them. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and won’t accept.” – Anna Taylor

10. “Boundary setting helps you prioritize your needs over other people’s wants.” – Lauren Kenson

11. “People will learn to show up for you, the way you show up for you.” – Unknown

12. “Individuals set boundaries to feel safe, respected, and heard.”- Pamela Cummins

13. “Boundaries need to be communicated first verbally and then with actions.”- Henry Cloud

14. “Boundaries represent awareness, knowing what the limits are and then respecting those limits.”- David W. Earle

15. “Saying NO can be the most empowering word if you struggle with codependency, abusive relationships or low self-esteem.” – Unknown

16. “Setting boundaries is your responsibility. People will continue to do what you allow. You get to decide what is and what isn’t allowed in your life.” – Unknown

17. “Boundaries protect the things that are of value to you. They keep you in alignment with what you have decided you want in life. That means the key to good boundaries is knowing what you want.” – Adelyn Birch

18. “If you live your life to please everyone else, you will continue to feel frustrated and powerless. This is because what others want may not be good for you. You are not being mean when you say NO to unreasonable demands or when you express your ideas, feelings, and opinions, even if they differ from those of others.” – Beverly Engel

Inspirational Quotes About Setting Boundaries

1. “Boundaries define us. They define what is me and what is not me. A boundary shows me where I end and someone else begins, leading me to a sense of ownership. Knowing what I am to own and take responsibility for gives me freedom.” – Henry Cloud

2. “We can say what we need to say. We can gently, but assertively, speak our mind. We do not need to be judgmental, tactless, blaming or cruel when we speak our truths.” – Melody Beattie

3. “Only the truth of who you are, if realized, will set you free.” – Eckhart Tolle

4. “We change our behavior when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing. Consequences give us the pain that motivates us to change.” – Henry Cloud

5. “Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves even when we risk disappointing others.” – Brené Brown

6. “If someone gets mad at you for creating a boundary, consider that a good sign that the boundary was necessary.” – Jenna Korf

7. “Much of the time, the things we feel guilty about are not our issues. Another person behaves inappropriately or in some way violates our boundaries. We challenge the behavior, and the person gets angry and defensive. Then we feel guilty.” – Melody Beattie

8. “Your personal boundaries protect the inner core of your identity and your right to choices.” – Gerard Manley Hopkins

9. “Being accommodating can be nice. Auto-accommodating is just exhausting.” – Terri Cole

10. “A broken soul doesn’t invest in boundaries because the world has crossed them, without mercy.”- Shannon L. Alder

11. “The more severe the dysfunction you experienced growing up, the more difficult boundaries are for you.”- David W. Earle

12. “Setting boundaries inevitably involves taking responsibility for your choices. You are the one who makes them. You are the one who must live with their consequences. And you are the one who may be keeping yourself from making the choices you could be happy with.” – Henry Cloud

13. “If you want to live an authentic, meaningful life, you need to master the art of disappointing and upsetting others, hurting feelings, and living with the reality that some people just won’t like you. It may not be easy, but it’s essential if you want your life to reflect your deepest desires, values, and needs.” – Cheryl Richardson

14. “Whether they’re family or friends, manipulators are difficult to escape from. Give in to their demands and they’ll be happy enough, but if you develop a spine and start saying no, it will inevitably bring a fresh round of head games and emotional blackmail. You’ll notice that breaking free from someone else’s dominance will often result in them accusing you of being selfish. Yes, you’re selfish, because you’ve stopped doing what they want you to do for them. Wow. Can these people hear themselves?!” – Rosie Blythe

Setting Boundaries Quotes

1. “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say ‘No’ to almost everything.” – Warren Buffett

2. “Your personal boundaries protect the inner core of your identity and your right to choices.” – Gerard Manley Hopkins

3. “Boundaries are a part of self-care. They are healthy, normal, and necessary.” – Doreen Virtue

4. “You have the right to say ‘No’ without feeling guilty.” – Manuel J. Smith

5. “I set boundaries not to offend you but to respect myself.” – Unknown

6. “Walls keep everybody out. Boundaries teach them where the door is.” – Mark Groves

7. “Choose to be proactive, assertive and self-defining.”- Bryant McGill

8. “Boundary setting is really a huge part of time management.”- Jim Loehr

9. “Each time you set a healthy boundary, you say ‘yes’ to more freedom.”- Nancy Levin

10. “Honoring your own boundaries is the clearest message to others to honor them, too.”- Gina Greenlee

11. “Do not justify, apologize for, or rationalize the healthy boundary you are setting. Do not argue. Just set the boundary calmly, firmly, clearly, and respectfully.”- Crystal Andrus

12. “I allow myself to set healthy boundaries. To say no to what does not align with my values, to say yes to what does. Boundaries assist me to remain healthy, honest and living a life that is true to me.” – Lee Horbachewski

13. “If someone thinks you’re being dramatic or selfish, then they obviously haven’t walked a mile in your shoes. It’s not important for you to explain yourself. You get a pass here. Don’t let anyone else try to saddle you with guilt or shame. If you need your space, take it.” – Unknown

14. “At first, you will probably feel selfish, guilty, or embarrassed when you set a boundary. Do it anyway and tell yourself you have a right to self-care. Setting boundaries takes practice and determination, don’t let anxiety or low self-esteem prevent you from taking care of yourself.” – Terri Cole

15. “Boundaries are, in simple terms, the recognition of personal space.” – Asa Don Brown

Quotes On Boundaries In Relationships

1. “Poisonous relationships cloud your vision. I wasted a lot of time adjusting my personal boundaries and justifying disrespect when it would have been so much easier (and a lot less painful) to simply adjust my life to their absence.” – Steve Maraboli

2. “Lack of boundaries invites lack of respect.” – Anonymous

3. “Boundaries were necessary for a successful relationship. Most relationships aborted in the boundary defining stage. Not because people demanded what they needed. But because they didn’t, then got resentful about it.” – Karen Marie Moning

4. “No is a complete sentence.” – Anne Lamont

5. “No one will listen to us until we listen to ourselves.” – Marianne Williamson

6. “You get what you tolerate.” – Henry Cloud

7. “You are not required to set yourself on fire to keep others warm.” – Unknown

8. “The only people who get upset about you setting boundaries are the ones who were benefiting from you having none.” – Unknown

9. “When someone oversteps your boundaries, they’re letting you know that what you want doesn’t matter.” – Phil Good

10. “Stop asking why they keep doing it and start asking why you keep allowing it.” – Unknown

11. “Letting go helps us to live in a more peaceful state of mind and helps restore our balance. It allows others to be responsible for themselves and for us to take our hands off situations that do not belong to us. This frees us from unnecessary stress.” – Melody Beattie

12. “Being able to say ‘No’ is a necessary ingredient in a healthy lifestyle.” – David W. Earle

13. “People who violate your boundaries are thieves. They steal time that doesn’t belong to them.” – Elizabeth Grace Saunders

14. “Personal boundaries, if you feel comfortable saying something about yourself and you say it, and someone doesn’t like it, that’s their problem. Don’t let who you are be up for debate.” – Jenna Ryan

15. “People who violate or cross your boundaries by being cruel, insensitive, thoughtless, abusive, rude or disrespectful should not be a part of your life. You deserve love, dignity and respect. People who willingly and knowingly cross boundaries have mental issues that need to be dealt with.” – Unknown

16. “When you notice someone does something toxic the first time, don’t wait for the second time before you address it or cut them off. Many survivors are used to the ‘wait and see’ tactic which only leaves them vulnerable to a second attack. As your boundaries get stronger, the wait time gets shorter. You never have to justify your intuition.” – Shahida Arabi

17. “Evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of any relationship is your responsibility. You do not have to passively accept what is brought to you. You can choose.” – Deborah Day

18. “The most important distinction anyone can ever make in their life is between who they are as an individual and their connection with others.” – Anné Linden

19. “If you have trouble withholding personal information from nosy questioners, you need to get over this. This is how abusers take advantage of you in relationships and in life.” – Christy Piper

20. “If you have to ask to be treated right, you are around the wrong people. On the other hand, if you allow this behavior to enter into the relationship from the start, it can and will continue, and will be very difficult to change up later. Set your boundaries sooner than later.” – Christine E. Szymanski

Quotes About Setting Boundaries With Family

1.“Living a connected life ultimately is about setting boundaries, spending less time and energy hustling and winning over people who don’t matter, and seeing the value of working on cultivating connection with family and close friends.” – Brené Brown

2. “Setting boundaries is not a betrayal of your family, friends, partner, work, or anyone or anything else.” – Nedra Glover Tawwab

3. “In a healthy family, you know how love is defined: It’s clear, has boundaries, and is attainable. Unfortunately, in a shame-bound family, love is a moving target; one day it’s this and one day it’s that, and just when you’re sure you’ve got it figured out, you discover you don’t.” – Brennan Manning

4. “Families living in dysfunction seldom have healthy boundaries. Dysfunctional families have trouble knowing where they stop and others begin.” – David W. Earle

5. “Unhealthy families discourage individual expression. Everyone must conform to the thoughts and actions of the toxic parents. They promote fusion, a blurring of personal boundaries, a welding together of family members. On an unconscious level, it is hard for family members to know where one ends and another begins. In their efforts to be close, they often suffocate one another’s individuality.” – Susan Forward

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