Looking for exciting loneliness quotes and inspirational sayings about being alone? Then you are absolutely right here! When someone is lonely and alone, it triggers great compassion in most of us, and rightly so. After all, lonely people, loners, and solitary people miss out on many valuable experiences that come from communicating with fellow human beings. The permanent, social distancing also causes psychological stress, which increases the likelihood of serious illnesses.
But of course, being alone is not a bad thing per se. For example, you can decide freely and spontaneously what to do. It's also easier to focus and concentrate on certain goals and ideas - not least, it's much easier to make peace with yourself or with certain trains of thought when you're alone.
In this article I would like to give you the most valuable quotes about loneliness, isolation and being alone as personal inspiration. Let's go!
My please: Keep in mind that many of the quotes about loneliness have been translated into English from other languages. I cannot guarantee that it is the original quote in each case. Therefore, double check them and feel free to leave a corrective comment. If you like and share any of the quotes in the internet, please link this elaborately created collection. Thank you for your support!
41 Quotes About Being Alone, Loneliness, Isolation And Seclusion
Personally, I quite like being alone, because it makes it easier for me to allow new ideas and trains of thought. The peace and quiet and switching off also play a role. But I also enjoy being in the company of my family and friends just as much. They make me laugh, get me thinking about other things - and give me support in difficult times.
So for me, it's a voluntary decision when I want to be alone for a certain amount of time and when I don't. But we must not forget that there are many people who are permanently and involuntarily on their own.
Some people wish they could be temporarily alone more often - but permanent loneliness is anything but a pipe dream. With the following quotes, wisdom and sayings I provide you with a combination of both states.
Loneliness Quotes 1 - 10
- "Having to be alone is the hardest, being able to be alone is the most beautiful thing." (Hans Krailsheimer)
- "When it's really dark around me, I have my best visits." (Friedrich Schiller)
- "There is such a great fire in one's soul, and yet nobody ever comes to warm themselves there, and passersby see nothing but a little smoke coming from the top of the chimney, and go on their way." (Vincent van Gogh)
- "That’s love: Two lonely persons keep each other safe and touch each other and talk to each other." (Rainer Maria Rilke)
- "I never said, 'I want to be alone.' I only said 'I want to be let alone!' There is all the difference." (Greta Garbo)
- „Das ganze Unglück der Menschen rührt allein daher, dass sie nicht ruhig in einem Zimmer zu bleiben vermögen.“ (Blaise Pascal)
- "If you are alone you belong entirely to yourself." (Leonardo da Vinci)
- "A man can be himself only so long as he is alone; and if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free." (Arthur Schopenhauer)
- "For though solitude may be the nurse of great spirits, it is the torment of small ones." (Samuel Smiles)
- "Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier." (Mother Teresa)
Tip: I have given you a big list of Questions to get to know compiled. Use them for more intensive and conversations with your friends and acquaintances.
Loneliness Quotes 11 - 20
- "Everyone will concede that man is a social being. We see it in his aversion to loneliness as well as his desire for companionship beyond the confines of his family." (Charles Darwin)
- "Loneliness is the familiar way to deal with yourself." (Robert Schumann)
- "I lived in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in maturity." (Albert Einstein)
- "Feeling solely responsible for his actions and bearing only their consequences, even the most serious ones, is what defines his personality." (Ricarda Huch)
- "If you're lonely when you're alone, you're in bad company." (Jean-Paul Sartre)
- "I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is ending up with people who make you feel alone." (Robin Williams)
- "I want to be with those who know secret things or else alone." (Rainer Maria Rilke)
- "It is sometimes a good way of ensuring the solitude you need, of concentrating more or less on whatever study you are immersed in." (Vincent van Gogh)
- "Be good and you will be lonesome." (Mark Twain)
- "We must take the soul back and withdraw it into itself; that is the real solitude, which may be enjoyed in the midst of cities and the courts of kings; but it is best enjoyed alone." (Michel de Montaigne)
Loneliness Quotes 21 - 30
- "It is sad to be an exception. But not to be one is even sadder." (Peter Altenberg)
- "Solitude is independence." (Hermann Hesse)
- "The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone." (Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe)
- "Help me to help myself." (Maria Montessori)
- "I have begun to be a friend to myself. That was indeed a great benefit; such a person can never be alone. You may be sure that such a man is a friend to all mankind." (Lucius Annaeus Seneca)
- "Anyone who has a cat may not be afraid of loneliness." (Daniel Defoe)
- "Be alone, that is the secret of invention; be alone, that is when ideas are born." (Nikola Tesla)
- "Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty." (Mother Teresa)
- "Only in being alone can we find ourselves. Being alone is not loneliness it is the greatest adventure." (Hermann Hesse)
- "It's terrible that our only choice is between marriage and loneliness." (Novalis)
Tip: Do you prefer to go on vacation alone or with your partner and friends? I have tried both and have written you both a detailed article on the Advantages of traveling alone as well as about the Advantages of traveling together as a couple written. Have a look!
Loneliness Quotes 31 - 40
- "It’s easy to stand in the crowd but it takes courage to stand alone." (Mahatma Gandhi)
- "Solitude is fine but you need someone to tell that solitude is fine." (Honoré de Balzac)
- "Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty." (Mother Teresa)
- "Experience is not inherited, everyone has to do it alone." (Kurt Tucholsky)
- "Solitude, seclusion from people, external calm around me and internal occupation are the only state in which I still thrive." (Friedrich von Schiller)
- "The more powerful and original a mind, the more it will incline towards the religion of solitude." (Aldous Huxley)
- "Friendship needs no words - it is solitude, free from the fear of loneliness." (Dag Hammarskjöld)
- "In solitude, they will learn that saying 'No' does not always show a lack of generosity and that saying ‘Yes’ is not always a virtue." (Paulo Coelho)
- "Whosoever is delighted in solitude, is either a wild beast or a god." (Aristotle)
- "While you experience joy together, you are on your own in suffering." (Robert Merle)
- "Solitude vivifies; isolation kills." (Joseph Roux)
Can you think of any other sayings about being lonely and alone that I've left out here? Then always come up with your suggestions in the comments!
Wie fühlt sich Einsamkeit an?
Einsamkeit ist oft ein tiefes Gefühl des Alleinseins and the Isolation – auch des Kummers, der Leere, des Entfremdens und der Verlassenheit. Es kann sogar in Momenten auftreten, die man mit anderen Menschen verbringt.
Wer länger wirklich einsam ist, kann unter Umständen auch sehr traurig und depressiv werden oder sogar unter Angstzuständen bis hin zu Panikattacken leiden.
Warum isolieren sich Menschen?
Es gibt viele unterschiedliche Gründe dafür, dass wir Menschen uns immer weiter von der Außenwelt isolieren. Hier habe ich einige der häufigsten Ursachen für dich zusammengetragen:
- Psychische Gesundheitsprobleme (z.B Depressionen oder Angststörungen)
- Traumatische Erlebnisse (z.B erfahrene Misshandlung)
- Selbstwertprobleme (z.B. eine innere Unsicherheit aufgrund bestimmter Erfahrungen)
- Persönlichkeitsmerkmale (z.B. Introvertiertheit)
- Soziale Phobien (z.B. die Angst, auf ein körperliches Merkmal reduziert zu werden)
- Lebensumstände (z.B. Verlust des Freundeskreises aufgrund eines Umzugs)
- Technologien (z.B. durch digitale aber nicht persönliche Interaktionen mit anderen Menschen über soziale Netzwerke. (mehr unter Social media dangers))
Was kann man tun wenn man einsam ist?
Es gibt viele Dinge, die man gegen echte Einsamkeit unternehmen kann. Wer einsam ist, sollte zum Beispiel unbedingt soziale Aktivitäten planen, Volunteer leisten, häufiger das Gespräch mit Freunden und der Familie suchen – und die eigenen Sorgen auch ruhig in der ein oder anderen Therapie-Sitzung mit erfahrenen Psycholog:innen teilen.
Wichtig ist, dass du mit anderen Menschen sprichst – ob über deine konkreten Herausforderungen mit der Einsamkeit, oder auch über allgemeine Themen.
Tip: Nutze für Letzteres auch gerne these questions to get to know. Sie helfen dir dabei, tiefergehende Gespräche zu führen – und sorgen dafür, dass euch niemals der Gesprächsstoff ausgeht. 🙂
Use sayings about being alone and loneliness as a source of personal inspiration!
Most people associate loneliness with sadness, depression and abandonment - and equate it with exclusion and social isolation. But seclusion and time to oneself can just as easily be an enriching experience. The prerequisite for this? That this state is not permanent.
I hope that I could give you some valuable and inspiring quotes about loneliness and being alone. Do you have any questions, tips or other exciting sayings? Then I look forward to your comment!
Stay yourself,
PS: "I alone can't change anything anyway" - Have you ever heard this saying before? In the linked article, I explain why it's absolute nonsense, especially in terms of sustainability and environmental protection.
References:
₁ A. Kupferberg: Psychological consequences of social distancing (as of 06.04.2020), available at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/psychische-folgen-der-sozialen-distanzierung-kupferberg. [11.08.2022].