“He made me feel like I wasn’t allowed joy, basically. That’s what it boils down to: I wasn’t allowed joy unless it directly revolved around him.”— FKA Twigs, elle.com
“Normal conflict involves accountability, resolution and a vow to improve or omit the behavior. For it to be emotional abuse, it will keep violating normal boundaries, and it will keep happening. The abuser will never admit what they’re doing, because it’s 'your fault,' not theirs.”— Tracy Moore, melmagazine.com
“'It's hard to believe Chloe would try for months to get back with him if she was being emotionally and sexually abused.' Hard disagree from me! I once begged my abuser to stay because he convinced me he was the only one who'd love me. Just sayin'!”— Allie Goertz, twitter.com
“Because no matter how much you want to get clean, withdrawals are powerful. Abusive relationships are no different. When your identity is taken from you, it’s hard to exist without the person who holds it hostage.”— From Canvas to Ship, twitter.com
“I was blacklisted. With the assistance of a woman who'd gained my trust and my heart over the past year, he steamrolled my career.”— Chloe Dykstra, medium.com
“I believed that, to borrow an analogy from a friend, if I kept digging I would find water.”— Chloe Dykstra, medium.com
“She’ll leave when she realizes the life that awaits her is more promising than any life you could’ve given her. That any addiction she had to you isn’t worth another hit that might kill her.”— Shahida Arabi, thoughtcatalog.com
“A lot of pastors have to encourage women to stay with abusive husbands because if they taught women how to recognize abuse and leave it, women would be leaving their churches too.”— Mandy Nicole, twitter.com
“In threatening and survival situations, we look for evidence of hope – a small sign that the situation may improve. When an abuser/controller shows the victim some small kindness, even though it is to the abusers benefit as well, the victim interprets that small kindness as a positive trait of the c…”— Dr. Joe Carver, drjoecarver.makeswebsites.com
“The erasure of the abuse was worse than the abuse. One of the most insidious things about gaslighting is the denial of reality. Being denied what you have seen. Being denied what you have experienced and know to be true. It can make you feel like you are crazy. But you are not crazy.”— Ariel Leve, theguardian.com
“It’s okay to leave someone who doesn’t see the light that you see in yourself.”— R.H. Sin, rhsin.tumblr.com
“Random tip: Beware of the controlling boyfriend that tells you how to speak, how to dress, etc. You don't wanna be married to that.”— Lea Salonga, twitter.com
“If you walked away from a toxic, negative, abusive, one-sided, dead-end low vibrational relationship or friendship — you won.”— Lalah Delia, twitter.com
“I used to be really into Rihanna, that pop star, and then it's like—again, I don't want to ever throw stones from my glass house—but I follow her on Instagram and I just think about how many little girls beyond what I could even comprehend are obsessed with Rihanna. Like, you know, she left Barbados…”— Lena Dunham, jezebel.com
“Ultimately, it is not your ability to beat the narcissist at his or her own game that frightens them. Playing games with someone with no remorse or empathy is sure to fail. Rather, it is your ability to seek your own validation and move forward into your success, channeling the experiences that were…”— Shahida Arabi, amazon.com
“Emotionally abusive relationships thrive on being power hungry. Maybe there are parts of their life they can't control and take it out on you. But don't ever think, 'if I didn't mess up, we'd be together.' He's telling you that to control you. Give your best to someone who deserves it.”— Kirsten Corley, facebook.com
“If someone is not treating you with love and respect, it is a gift if they walk away from you. If that person doesn’t walk away, you will surely endure many years of suffering with him or her. Walking away may hurt for a while, but your heart will eventually heal. Then you can choose what you really…”— Don Miguel Ruiz, amazon.com