If you’re one of the millions of book lovers who have fallen for It Ends With Us, you already know that Colleen Hoover’s writing has a way of packing an emotional punch. Her words bring out the joy, the heartbreak, and the complicated, messy reality of love, trauma, and healing. It Ends With Us isn’t just a romance; it’s a story of resilience, boundaries, and finding strength in unexpected places. And through Lily Bloom, Atlas Corrigan and Ryle Kincaid, Hoover has given us some unforgettable quotes that hit bookworms right in the feels.
So whether you’re here for some nostalgia or looking for the perfect It Ends With Us line to caption your next BookTok post, here are 30 of the most famous quotes from the novel.
Trigger Warning: This article, much like the book itself discusses themes of domestic abuse and violence.
What Are Some Iconic Colleen Hoover Quotes?
“You’re only human. And as humans, we can’t expect to shoulder all of our pain. Sometimes we have to share it with the people who love us so we don’t come crashing down from the weight of it all”
“Our eyes, locked together, speak more naked truths than our mouths ever have.”
“Sometimes even grown women need their mother’s comfort so we can just take a break from having to be strong all the time.”
“You are my wife. I’m supposed to be the one who protects you from the monsters. I’m not supposed to be one.”
“I hope you defy the odds of most dreams and actually accomplish yours.”
“I love it when the night sky makes me feel insignificant".”
“Lily, Atlas says just keep swimming. —Ellen DeGeneres”
“Preventing your heart from forgiving someone you love is actually a hell of a lot harder than simply forgiving them.”
“I think that’s one of the biggest signs a person has matured—knowing how to appreciate things that matter to others, even if they don’t matter very much to you.”
“No one is exclusively bad, nor is anyone exclusively good. Some are just forced to work harder at suppressing the bad.”
“Life is a funny thing. We only get so many years to live it, so we have to do everything we can to make sure those years are as full as they can be. We shouldn't waste time on things that might happen someday, or maybe even never.”
“Cycles exist because they are excruciating to break. It takes an astronomical amount of pain and courage to disrupt a familiar pattern. Sometimes it seems easier to just keep running in the same familiar circles, rather than facing the fear of jumping and possibly not landing on your feet.
“Imagine all the people you meet in your life. There are so many. They come in like waves, trickling in and out with the tide. Some waves are much bigger and make more of an impact than others. Sometimes the waves bring with them things from deep in the bottom of the sea and they leave those things tossed onto the shore. Imprints against the grains of sand that prove the waves had once been there, long after the tide recedes. That was what Atlas was telling me when he said “I love you.” He was letting me know that I was the biggest wave he’d ever come across. And I brought so much with me that my impressions would always be there, even when the tide rolled out.”
“I feel like everyone fakes who they really are, when deep down we're all equal amounts of screwed up. Some of us are just better at hiding it than others.”
“And as hard as this choice is, we break the pattern before the pattern breaks us.”
“In the future... if by some miracle you ever find yourself in the position to fall in love again... fall in love with me.” He presses his lips against my forehead. “You’re still my favorite person, Lily. Always will be.”
“Fifteen seconds. That’s all it takes to completely change everything about a person. Fifteen.”
“It stops here. With me and you. It ends with us.”
“Every incident chips away at your limit. Every time you choose to stay, it makes the next time that much harder to leave. Eventually, you lose sight of your limit altogether, because you start to think, ‘I’ve lasted five years now. What’s five more?”
“It’s easy when we’re outside of a situation to believe that we would walk away without a second thought if a person mistreated us. It’s easy to say we couldn’t continue to love someone who mistreats us when we aren’t the ones feeling the love of that person. When you experience it firsthand, it isn’t so easy to hate the person who mistreats you when most of the time they’re your godsend. Ryle”
“But sometimes you can’t control where your mind goes. You just have to train it not to go there anymore.”
“I love him. I still do and I always will. He was a huge wave that left a lot of imprints on my life, and I’ll feel the weight of that love until I die. I’ve accepted that.”
“Until he comes back for me, I’m just going to keep pretending to be okay. I’ll keep pretending to swim, when really all I’m doing is floating. Barely keeping my head above water.”
“You’re the most important part of my life, Lily. I want to be what brings you happiness. Not what causes you to hurt.”
“The last thing you want to do is lose sight of your limit. Please don’t allow that to happen..... We all have a limit. What we’re willing to put up with before we break.”
“I know that you believe he loves you,and i'm sure he does. But he's not loving you the right way. He doesn't love you the way you deserve to be loved. If Ryle truly loves you,he wouldn't allow you to take him back. He would make the decision to leave you himself so that he knows for a fact he can never hurt you again. That's the kind of love a woman deserves,Lily”
“There is no such thing as bad people. We’re all just people who sometimes do bad things.”
“I don't like that I was never fully able to let go of him, no matter how hard I tried.”
“Don’t tempt the scorpion if you don’t want to get stung.”
“You can stop swimming now, Lily. We finally reached the shore.”
How Do Colleen Hoover’s Quotes Reflect Her Writing Style?
Colleen Hoover’s best quotes reflect her writing style by capturing the intense emotions and relatable struggles of her characters in a simple, direct way. She doesn’t shy away from tough subjects or complex feelings, but instead, she puts them into words that feel honest and easy to connect with. Her quotes often touch on universal themes like love, pain, resilience, and forgiveness—things that many readers understand on a personal level.
For example, quotes like “It stops here. With me and you. It ends with us,” show her ability to convey strength and determination in just a few words. And then there’s the line “Just because someone hurts you doesn’t mean you can simply stop loving them,” which captures the messy, complicated nature of relationships in a straightforward way. Hoover’s writing is all about making you feel—whether it’s the thrill of first love or the heartbreak of betrayal. Her quotes mirror her overall style: they’re emotional, raw, and relatable, often packing a punch without needing a lot of words.
Are There Any Specific Themes in Colleen Hoover's Quotes?
Yes, Colleen Hoover’s quotes capture a few big themes. The main ones? Love, resilience, forgiveness, and breaking painful cycles.
Love and Heartbreak
A lot of Hoover’s quotes dig into the messy, complicated side of love. She doesn’t just focus on the fairy-tale parts but also the hard moments. Quotes like “Just because someone hurts you doesn’t mean you can simply stop loving them” capture how love can be painful and complicated, especially when it’s tied to past hurt or unresolved feelings.
Resilience and Inner Strength
Hoover often writes about finding strength during tough times. Take this line: “It stops here. With me and you. It ends with us.” It’s all about breaking cycles and standing up for a better future. Her characters go through a lot, but they find ways to keep going—and her words inspire readers to do the same.
Forgiveness and Healing
Forgiveness, especially forgiving yourself, is another big theme in Hoover’s work. She explores how healing isn’t always easy but is necessary for growth. In “All humans make mistakes. What determines a person’s character aren’t the mistakes we make. It’s how we take those mistakes and turn them into lessons,” she talks about learning from our past instead of letting it hold us back.
Cycles of Trauma and Breaking Free
In It Ends With Us, Hoover dives into the hard subject of breaking free from abusive cycles. Her quotes capture the struggle of leaving a harmful relationship, while also offering hope and courage. A line like, “And as hard as this choice is, we break the pattern before the pattern breaks us,” is all about finding the strength to make a change, even when it’s difficult.
Conclusion
Through her words, Hoover reminds readers that while life isn't always easy, there’s strength in vulnerability and beauty in growth. Whether it’s about breaking cycles or embracing forgiveness, Hoover’s quotes stay with us long after we close the book for the first time.
For more Colleen Hoover content, join our world, and for more bookish deep dives and posts like this one, join our crewfiction and subscribe to our Tea & Cakes Newsletter!
Frequently Asked Questions
Was the iconic quote "Just keep swimming" included in the movie adaptation?
Not exactly. While the phrase “Just keep swimming” from Finding Nemo was a big part of Lily (Blake Lively) and Atlas’s (Brandon Sklenar) bond in the book, it’s not directly quoted in the movie. However, director Justin Baldoni (who portrays Ryle) included subtle nods to it with small Easter eggs—like a clownfish plushie and a hidden poster in Lily's room as a tribute to the original line.
Is the line "It stops here. With me and you. It ends with us." in the movie?
Yes! This powerful line, which is central to the book’s message about breaking cycles of abuse, made it into the movie. It’s a pivotal moment for Lily’s character, and the filmmakers kept it to emphasize her growth and determination to create a better future for herself and her daughter.
Does the movie hint at a sequel like It Starts With Us?
While the movie adaptation of It Ends With Us doesn’t explicitly set up a sequel, it does end on a hopeful note with Lily reconnecting with Atlas. Fans of the book will recognize this as the lead-in to It Starts With Us, Colleen Hoover's sequel that dives deeper into Lily and Atlas’s relationship. So while there’s no official confirmation of a sequel movie yet, the ending leaves the door open for one.
First and foremost, Nina is a reader; she devours literature with gusto, from classic novels to contemporary poetry to graphic novels and everything in between. She believes that within each story, there's a universe waiting to be explored, and loves exploring with company. She's often found sharing her perspective on characters, plot twists, and literary themes with friends. When her friends get tired of listening to her ranting, she writes blog posts sharing her explorations with the other bookworms of the internet.
In recent years she has developed an inexplicable addiction to matcha lattes, but has asked us not to talk about that.