125 One-Sided Effort Relationship Quotes to Help You Move On

There is no heartbreak quite like being in a one-sided relationship. As you can do everything in your power to make a relationship work, but your loved one’s feelings simply don’t match your own. 

To ease your heartache, we’ve put together a number of one-sided effort relationship quotes to help you through this difficult situation. 

With the aid of these inspirational one-sided love quotes, we hope you can recognize your self-worth and realize that you deserve someone who loves you as much as you love them. 

Your fairytale ending is still within reach. 

Can a relationship work if it’s one-sided? 

When you’re in this situation, it’s very unlikely that you will be able to change your partner’s mind. 

Even with the power of a love potion, you can’t make someone love you the way you love them. This may be a very harsh and sad reality to accept, but you deserve someone who reciprocates your feelings. 

The bottom line is, one-sided relationships do not work, and no matter what your insecurities are telling you, you deserve better. 

125 one-sided relationship quotes to help you move on 

1. “If you allow people to make more withdrawals than deposits in your life, you will be out of balance & in the negative! Know when to close the account.” — Christie Williams
2. “We are afraid to care too much, for fear that the other person does not care at all.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
3. “No relationship in this world ever remains warm and close unless good effort is made on both sides to keep it so.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
4. “It takes courage to love, but pain through love is the purifying fire which those who love generously know. We all know people who are so much afraid of pain that they shut themselves up like clams in a shell and, giving out nothing, receive nothing and therefore shrink until life is a mere living death.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
5. “Relationships are worth fighting for, but sometimes you can’t be the only one fighting.” — Emily Christine
6. “For so long, I’ve only had one-sided feelings for other people. I’ve completely forgotten how good it feels to be loved.” — Hinako Takanaga
7. “A relationship is nothing if all the feelings, sacrifices, contributions, and hard work are only coming from one end.” — Kisstopher
8. “Nobody’s home but me I’m the only one hangin’ on one-sided love.” – Brooke Hogan
9. “Dignity will only happen when you realize that having someone in your life doesn’t validate your worth.” — Shannon L. Alder
10. “Never fall in love with someone that won’t fight for you because when the real battles begin they won’t pull your heart to safety, but they will their own.” — Shannon L. Alder
11. “The only person that deserves a special place in your life is someone that never made you feel like you were an option in theirs.” — Shannon L. Alder
12. “There comes a time in your life when you have to choose to turn the page, write another book or simply close it.” — Shannon L. Alder
13. “Perhaps unrequited love was a specter in the house, a presence that brushed at the edge of senses, a heat in the dark, and a shadow under the sun.” — Sherry Thomas
14. “I wonder what it’s like to be loved by you.” — Shawn Mendes
15. “If you’re constantly having to wonder where you stand with someone, maybe it’s time to stop standing and start walking.” — Unknown
16. “I sometimes wonder if I have I fell in love with you because to me you have become a kind of dream which is never going to happen in my real life.” — Unknown
17. “She wrote you letters every day. She sang your name in the wind. She smiled only for you. And yet, all of this meant nothing to you. Now that she has gone into the arms of someone else, you are left haunted by the pieces she left you with. All you can do now is wonder into the abyss of what-ifs and regret.” — Unknown 
18. “Cupid is nothing without harmony, and you made me understand why.” — Unknown 
19. “The moment that you start to wonder if you deserve better, you do.” — Unknown 
20. “Having someone wonder where you are when you don't come home at night is a very old human need.” — Unknown 
21. “Unrequited love is the infinite curse of a lonely heart.” ― Christina Westover
22. “If you wanna be hugged. Well, you’ve gotta hug me, too. Yeah, ’cause I ain’t for no one-sided love affair.” — Aldo
23. “Dear Cupid, next time, hit both.” — Unknown 
24. “Dear crush, please just smile at me as I smile inside every time I see you. And you’ll know how much power you hold over me.” — Unknown
25. “There's nothing quite as sad as a one-sided love. When one doesn't care at all and the other cares too much.” — Dolly Parton
26. “In a relationship, no amount of extra effort on your part can make up for lack of effort on theirs.” — John Mark Green
27. “You like someone who can’t like you back because unrequited love can survive in a way that once-requited love cannot.” — John Mark Green
28. “Watering artificial flowers will never make them grow. Stop pouring your energy into one-sided relationships.” — John Mark Green
29. “One-sided love is never gonna work. So let me tell you something that I’m sure you’ve never heard of tender love and care in case you’re unaware.” — Mandy Moore
30. “The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are left unsaid and never explained.” — Jonathan Harnisch
31. “If you don’t receive love from the ones who are meant to love you, you will never stop looking for it.” — Robert Goolrick
32. “A person doesn’t know true hurt and suffering until they’ve felt the pain of falling in love with someone whose affections lie elsewhere.” — Rose Gordon
33. “One-sided relationship is no relationship at all. The relationship blossoms when there is trust love and affection between all concerned.” — Sandeep Ravidutt Sharma
34. “Because, if you could love someone, and keep loving them, without being loved back then that love had to be real. It hurt too much to be anything else.” — Sarah Cross
35. “It’s a one-way street headed in one direction nowhere. Cultivation requires input from willing participants.” — T.F. Hodge
36. “Well, you know that I love you more than anyone can, but a one-sided love I just don’t understand.” — The Beatles
37. “Waiting for you is like waiting for rain in the drought which was useless and disappointing.” — Himanshu Chate
38. “Our time is up. Trying to make this work, it ain’t enough one-sided love.” — Blackbear
39. “Maybe I was destined to forever fall in love with people I couldn’t have. Maybe there’s a whole assortment of impossible people waiting for me to find them. Waiting to make me feel the same impossibility over and over again.” — Carol Rifka Brunt
40. “If you know you can’t take it, then baby, why try to give it? Cause I ain’t for no one-sided love affair.” — Elvis Presley
41. “It takes both sides to build a bridge.” — Fredrik Nael
42. “I cannot fathom congratulating you on finding love when I’m not the giver of that love.” — Unknown
43. “I really do not want for a day to come when you will love me back but I badly wish for the day when God will give me enough power so that I can stop having a love for you.” — Unknown
44. “You loved the fact that I would drop anything for you. You did not love me, but god, did I love you.” — Unknown 
45. “One-sided.. everything about your love was one-sided.” — Kelsea Ballerini
46. “Sometimes no matter how many eyelashes or dandelion seeds you blow, no matter how much of your heart you tear out and slap on your sleeve, it just ain’t gonna happen.” — Melissa Jensen
47. “The pain of one-sided love, of knowing that I had loved her more than she had loved me.” — Sierra Simone
48. “Getting out of a one-sided love affair starts with you. With what you think you are worth and changing your self-esteem for the better.” — Unknown
49. “I refuse to please others at the expense of my emotional well-being. Even if it means saying. no” to people who are used to hearing ‘yes’.” — Unknown 
50. “With a love that’s so one-sided, there’s no chance at all. The walls have got to fall.” — Sonny & Cher
51. “Problems can be fixed. But unrequited love is a tragedy.” — Suzanne Harper
52. “In my dreams, I felt complete and true love, only to wake up with sadness and loneliness.” — Unknown
53. “Love and meaningful relationships are vital to physical and emotional well-being.” — Deepak Chopra
54. “One-sided heartbreak hurt as much as two side heartbreak, what matters the most side of the equation love comes from.” — Unknown
55. “Did you love him?” “Yes.” “Did he love you back? “ “Sometimes.” — E.Grin
56. “Her saying no is a punch in the gut. But her saying no and saying yes to someone else is a stab through the heart.” — Unknown 
57. “You say you're madly in love with me. Yes, I can see the madness but no love. You don't love me. You're madly attached to a fantasized version of me that you've created in your head. You don't talk to me. You talk to your fantasies.” — Shunya 
58. “One-sided love is not even love. It’s a bad investment that puts your emotional well-being in debt.” — Unknown
59. “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
60. 60. “It doesn’t matter if it was a relationship or a friendship. When it ends, your heart breaks.” — Unknown
61. "You can't force someone to love you. The best you can do is strive to be someone worthy of loving." — Dipa Sanatani
62. "A one-sided love is like a dream; as soon as you wake up, it's over." — John Mark Green
63. "There is no point in watering a dead flower. The same applies to a relationship where only one person does all the loving." — Julia Roberts
64. "When you love someone who doesn't love you back, it's like hugging a cactus. The tighter you hold on, the more it hurts." — Steve Maraboli
65. "Never chase love, affection, or attention. If it isn't given freely by another person, it isn't worth having." — Asha Tyson
66. "You have to learn to get up from the table when love is no longer being served." — Nina Simone
67. "One of the cruelest things love can do is make you believe it exists when it doesn't." — Olivia Cunning
68. "Letting go of something that means everything to you is painful, but holding on to something that doesn't feel the same way about you is even more painful." — Ritu Ghatourey
69. "You deserve someone who loves you with every single beat of his heart." — Cecelia Ahern
70. "One day, someone will walk into your life and make you see why it never worked out with anyone else." — Julia Roberts
71. "Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious." — Anna Taylor
72. 72. "Your value doesn't decrease based on someone's inability to see your worth." — Zig Ziglar
73. "When you realize you're worthy of more, leaving behind what isn't enough becomes easier." — Mandy Hale
74. "Never lose yourself while trying to hold on to someone who doesn't care about losing you." — Lalah Delia
75. "The right person will never get tired of you. No matter how difficult you are to handle." — Beau Taplin
76. "Equal efforts are required to make a relationship work. A one-sided relationship can never run smoothly." — Chetan Bhagat
77. "You cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved." — Derek Gamba
78. 78. "The wrong person makes you beg for attention, affection, love, and commitment. The right person gives you these things because they love you." — Steve Maraboli
79. "If they miss you, they'll call. If they want you, they'll say it. If they care, they'll show it. And if not, they aren't worth your time." — L.J. Smith
80. "Don't allow someone to treat you poorly just because you love them." — Leonardo DiCaprio
81. "Walking away is not about being cowardly. It's about understanding that something better is waiting for you." — Karen A. Baquiran
82. "The biggest mistake is loving someone more than they deserve and expecting them to give the same in return." — Meera Lee Patel
83. "Sometimes walking away has nothing to do with weakness and everything to do with strength." — Robert Tew
84. "You cannot be lonely if you like the person you're alone with." — Wayne Dyer
85. "Sometimes, the only way to find yourself is to lose yourself in someone else, realize their loss, and then find your way back to you." — Alfa Holden
86. “One-sided love leaves you with a shadow of the person you once were. Reclaim yourself by realizing your worth.” — Unknown
87. “The agony of loving someone in the shadows, knowing all along that they will never feel the same, is a torment best left in poetry.” — Olivia Rose
88. “You can't force someone to care about you. Love is a choice, and if it's not reciprocated, it's time to move on.” — Sarah D. Smith
89. “The heart's insistence on loving without return is a cruel master. It is better to nurse the wounds than to pretend they don't exist.” — Mason Fowler
90. “In a world filled with connections and bonds, a one-sided relationship stands as a bleak reminder of what could have been.” — Lily Preston
91. “A heart unloved is like a flower unbloomed. Don't let your love waste away on someone who doesn't appreciate it.” — Elizabeth Sinclair
92. “The echoes of a one-sided love can be heard in the lonely nights and seen in the empty days. Don't let yourself become a shadow; find the love that echoes back.” — Aria Winters
93. “I whispered 'I love you' to the wind, hoping it would carry my message to you. But all I got back was the silence of unrequited love.” — Emily Parker
94. “Why water a garden that refuses to grow? One-sided affection only leads to a barren heart.” — Thomas Kendrick
95. “Your love is a precious gift. Don't waste it on those who won't cherish it. A one-sided relationship only ends in heartache.” — Karen O'Malley
96. “Sometimes, the most painful realization is accepting that you care more than they do. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but it's the medicine for growth.” — Jacob Tremaine
97. “Love should be a melody sung in a duet, not a solo. If your heart is singing alone, perhaps it's time to change the tune.” — Felicity Wells
98. “The road to self-discovery often begins at the end of a one-sided love affair. Embrace the journey, and don't look back.” — Peter McAllister
99. “One-sided love teaches us that even when our love is strong and pure, it cannot make someone love us. It's a lesson in humility, acceptance, and the importance of moving on.” — Rebecca Thornton
100. “The silence of unrequited love is deafening. Listen to your heart, but don't ignore the wisdom of your mind. You deserve a love that shouts back, not silence.” — Victoria Leigh
101. "One-sided love can cripple us, or it can make us grow stronger. The choice to rise above it is always ours." — Miranda Jameson
102. "A heart that loves without being loved in return loses not its capacity to feel, but its trust in love." — Samuel Thompson
103. "Loving without expectation is a virtue, but loving without reciprocation is a tragedy." — Leslie Harper
104. "A relationship should be a dance of love between two people, not a lonely waltz performed by one." — Olivia Harris
105. "In the silence of unrequited love, you will find the whispers of self-worth, telling you to move on." — Ethan Tremaine
106. "To cling to a love unreturned is like trying to catch the wind with your bare hands. Let go and find your freedom." — Grace Bentley
107. "Unrequited love is like singing a duet and realizing you've been singing alone the entire time." — James Patterson
108. "When your heart yearns for someone who doesn't feel the same, it's time to turn that yearning inward and love yourself." — Chloe Martin
109. "A mirror reflects a man's face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses." — Colin Powell
110. "The journey from one-sided love to self-love is a path filled with pain, discovery, and, ultimately, empowerment." — Katherine Nelson
111. "Love must never be a one-way street; otherwise, it becomes a dead-end road leading nowhere." — Robert Gallagher
112. "It's the cruel irony of love that it is often most generous where it is not returned." — Alison Campbell
113. "When you find yourself in a one-sided relationship, remember that you can't be the hero in someone else's story if they won't let you." — Michael Dawson
114. "The emptiness of one-sided love is a void that can only be filled by loving oneself." — Tina Fey
115. "Falling in love with someone who can't love you back is like waiting for a ship at the airport. You must understand that you are waiting in the wrong place." — Alexander Turner
116. "The ache of one-sided love is deep, but it is the soil from which personal growth can bloom." — Laura Simmons
117. "One-sided love is like an open door that leads nowhere. You may step through it, but it will leave you stranded and alone." — Oscar Wells
118. "The tragedy of unreturned love is not in loving, but in not being loved as fiercely in return." — Jenna Lewis
119. "Loving someone who doesn't love you back is like holding a candle to the sun. You may shine brightly, but you'll never outshine what doesn't see you." — Patrick Henley
120. "The beauty of one-sided love is its ability to teach us resilience, understanding, and the importance of self-care." — Lydia Manning
121. "One-sided love is a road that leads to a cliff's edge; if you continue to walk, you may find yourself falling with no one to catch you." — Harold Wilson
122. "Never let the echoes of unreciprocated love define your worth. You are more than someone's inability to see your value." — Elizabeth Monroe
123. "A one-sided love is a lonely place to be, but it's also an opportunity to discover what you want, what you deserve, and what you are capable of." — Brian King
124. "One-sided love is a painful lesson in patience, acceptance, and the cruel reality of what love sometimes is. But from its pain, we can emerge stronger, wiser, and more compassionate." — Cynthia Roberts
125. "Unrequited love might feel like a lonely path, but it's a road many have traveled before. It's a passage to a new beginning, not an end." — Vanessa Wright

Make sure not to miss our list of the best relationship quotes.