50+ Boundaries Quotes, Because Saying “No” Is Healthy, Normal, & Necessary

As Shonda Rhimes once said, "No is a complete sentence." Though, she left out the part about "no" being hard to say when you're trying to set boundaries. For instance, if spending quality time together is your love language, you may find it particularly difficult to turn down plans with friends. People who express love through words may have a tough time putting down the phone or knowing when to draw the line during a friend's vent-sesh. But at some point, you have to ask yourself: Is this person reciprocating? Do they pick up the phone when you need advice? Do they respect your me-time and personal space? If not, it may be time to set some boundaries — and boundaries quotes can help you get a sense of why that's so important.

Juggling the kids' schedule, making time for date night, balancing a career… it's A LOT. You don't have time for people who will drain your energy. Learning how to set boundaries is one of the best life skills you can learn. In fact, it can even make your relationships stronger. Saying "no" isn't easy, but the following words of wisdom will guide you. After all, sometimes we need a little inspiration and tough love to nudge us in the right direction.

Quotes About Boundaries to Internalize

1. "When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated." — Brené Brown
2. “Boundaries: If someone throws a fit because you set boundaries, it’s just more evidence the boundary is needed.” — Unknown
3. “You best teach others about healthy boundaries by enforcing yours.” — Bryant McGill
4. “Healthy boundaries are not walls. They are gates and fences that allow you to enjoy the beauty of your own garden.” — Lydia Hall
5. “Just as we expect others to value our boundaries, it’s equally important for us to respect the boundaries of others.” — Laurie Buchanan
6. “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“Every time I have to set a boundary, it stresses me out. But I do it for the same I’ve been building blanket forts since I was a little kid. To create a safe place for myself.” — Nanea Hoffman
7. “Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how to use it. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and won’t accept.” — Anna Taylor
8. "Power for me is 'no.' That's when you know your worth, when you know your value. And that's power for me." — Taraji P. Henson
9. "The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say 'no' to almost everything." — Warren Buffett
10. "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
11. “You are not too nice. You are just too afraid to say no and honor your boundaries.” — Xavier Dagba
12. "In order to thrive and be successful, you have to be able to set boundaries." — Oprah Winfrey
13. "Every woman that finally figured out her worth has picked up her suitcases of pride and boarded a flight to freedom, which landed in the valley of change." — Shannon L. Alder
14. "If you spend your life sparing people's feelings and feeding their vanity, you get so you can't distinguish what should be respected in them." — F. Scott Fitzgerald
15. "We need to have a talk on the subject of what's yours and what's mine." — Stieg Larsson
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." — Shahida Arabi
17. "Once you see the boundaries of your environment, they are no longer the boundaries of your environment." — Marshall McLuhan
18. "No boundary or barrier surrounds the heart of a person that loves their self and others." — Shannon L. Alder
19. "To me, self-care does not mean going to the spa. It's learning to say no." — Tracee Ellis Ross
20. "When you say 'yes' to others, make sure you're not saying 'no' to yourself." — Paul Coelho
21. “You get what you tolerate.” — Henry Cloud
22. "The hardest part about setting boundaries with people, no matter who they are, is not feeling confident in our authority to do so. As long as you realize that setting boundaries is necessary for healthy relationships, you will feel better defining and keeping them." — Tamera Mowry-Housley
23. "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
24. "No is a complete sentence." — Shonda Rhimes
25. "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
26. "It feels great to be connected to people, but having boundaries is so important." — Selena Gomez
27. "I swear to God, the second I learned how to say 'no,' I felt that was the best anti-aging I could do for myself." — Gabrielle Union
28. “Boundary-setting is really a huge part of time management.” — Jim Loehr
29. "Givers need to set limits because takers rarely do." — Rachel Wolchin
30. "Boundaries are a part of self-care. They are healthy, normal, and necessary." — Doreen Virtue
31. "Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves even when we risk disappointing others." — Brené Brown
32. "Your personal boundaries protect the inner core of your identity and your right to choices." — Gerard Manley Hopkins
33. "When someone oversteps your boundaries, they're letting you know that what you want doesn't matter." — Phil Good
34. "Walls keep everybody out. Boundaries teach them where the door is." — Mark Groves
35. “Boundaries are to protect life, not to limit pleasures.” — Edwin Louis Cole
36. “The boundaries in your life are merely a creation of the self.” — Robin Sharma
37. “Stop asking why they keep doing it and start asking why you keep allowing it.” — Unknown
38. “Each time you set a healthy boundary, you say ‘yes’ to more freedom.” — Nancy Levin
39. “Boundary-setting helps you prioritize your needs over other people’s wants.” — Lauren Kenson
40. “Honoring your own boundaries is the clearest message to others to honor them, too.” — Gina Greenlee
41. “It is necessary, and even vital, to set standards for your life and the people you allow in it.” — Mandy Hale
42. “A boundary is not that at which something stops, but that from which something begins.” — Martin Heidegger
43. “Setting boundaries is an act of love towards yourself and an act of respect towards others.” — Lisa Oliver Therapy
44. “Pay attention when people react with anger and hostility to your boundaries. You have found the edge where their respect for you ends.” — Nanea Hoffman
45. “Some of the bravest things you can do are to say ‘no’ and to set boundaries when you spent a lifetime convinced that you needed to please others in order to be loved.” — Xavier Dagba
46. “‘No’ might make them angry, but it will make you free ... if no one has ever told you, your freedom is more important than their anger.” — Nayyirah Waheed
47. “When setting boundaries with people feels really wrong, it’s probably really right for you. Stay committed anyway. Later, it will feel different.” — Jody Lamb
48. “Value yourself enough to walk away from people, situations, and places that make it their duty to disempower you. If they can’t respect who you are, they don’t deserve to be in your presence.” — Ash Alves
49. “If people love me, then they will understand and celebrate my need for boundaries.” — Lucy Bekker
50. “Sometimes, you have to let people know it’s not a grudge you’re holding onto; they’re boundaries you’re holding onto.” — Unknown
51. “You can be a good person with a kind heart and still say no to people.” — Tracy A. Malone
52. “Boundaries are your responsibility. You decide what is and isn’t allowed in your life.” — Brittney Moses
53. “Have a heart soft enough to give love and mercy, but that is wise enough to know boundaries.” — Kayil Crow
54. “The boundary to what we can accept is the boundary to our freedom.” — Tara Brach
55. “The only people who get upset about you setting boundaries are the ones who were benefiting from you having none.” — Unknown
56. “The more severe the dysfunction you experienced growing up, the more difficult boundaries are for you.” — David W. Earle
57. “Setting boundaries in a relationship implies your attempt to continue the relationship in a healthy way. It’s not an attempt to hurt the other person.” — Shilpa
58. "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
59. "Setting boundaries is a way of caring for myself. It doesn't make me mean, selfish, or uncaring (just) because I don't do things your way. I care about me, too." — Christine Morgan