Betrayal is a tough experience that can leave us feeling hurt and confused. It happens when someone we trust goes against us in a way that breaks our trust.
This can be a friend, a family member, or anyone else close to us. Dealing with betrayal is not easy, and sometimes, words can help us understand and heal from the pain.
This article gathers 150 quotes about betrayal. These quotes come from famous people, writers, and some are written by us at Attraction Diary.
Each quote explores different aspects of betrayal, from the shock and sadness it brings to the wisdom and strength we might find after dealing with it.
Reading through these quotes can provide comfort and a sense of not being alone in your feelings.
They can also help you see things from different perspectives and maybe find a way to move forward.
[Also Read: 10 Ways A Virgo Man Will Test You (And What To Do)
Betrayal Quotes
- “Betrayal marks the end of an illusion.”
- “To me, the thing that is worse than death is betrayal. You see, I could conceive death, but I could not conceive betrayal.” — Malcolm X
- “Each betrayal begins with trust.” — Attraction Diary
- “It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.” — William Blake
- “Betrayal is never easy to handle and there is no right way to accept it.” — Attraction Diary
- “When you care about someone, you can’t just turn that off because you learn they betrayed you.” — Paula Stokes
- Silence is a true friend who never betrays.” — Confucius
- “The knife of betrayal cuts deep, but the silence afterward cuts deeper.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal is the only truth that sticks.” — Arthur Miller
- “Sometimes the people closest to you betray you, and your home isn’t a place you can be happy anymore.” — Kristin Cast
- “Betrayal is common for men with no conscience.” — Toba Beta
- “The cruelest lies are often told in silence.” — Robert Louis Stevenson
- “A good man or woman will be honest no matter how painful the truth is. A coward hides behind lies and deceit.” — Attraction Diary
- “All the betrayals you cause and all the lies you weave can neither stop the truth nor blind the deceived.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal does that — betrays the betrayer.” — Erica Jong
- “Trust, once lost, could not be easily found. Not in a year, perhaps not even in a lifetime.” — J.E.B. Spredemann
- “Nothing hurts more than being disappointed by the single person you thought would never hurt you.” — Attraction Diary
- “For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first.” — Suzanne Collins
- “Betrayal is beautiful only to those who cannot see the pain it births.” — Attraction Diary
- “I used to advertise my loyalty and I don’t believe there is a single person I loved that I didn’t eventually betray.” — Albert Camus
- “Loyalty is hard to find. Trust is easy to lose. Actions speak louder than words.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal annihilates trust, turning every past assurance into a blatant lie.” — Attraction Diary
- “When betrayal and deception come from someone we love, the pain is deep and difficult to heal.” — Attraction Diary
- “The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies.” — Unknown
- “It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.” — Confucius
- “The worst pain in the world goes beyond the physical. Even further beyond any other emotional pain one can feel. It is the betrayal of a friend.” — Heather Brewer
- “Betrayal could only happen if you love.” — John le Carré
- “It is better to have an enemy who honestly says they hate you than a friend who’s putting you down secretly.” — Attraction Diary
- “Forgiving betrayal is a hard lesson in learning to trust again.” — Attraction Diary
- “One should rather die than be betrayed. There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though… betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope.” — Steven Deitz
- “The betrayal of trust carries a heavy taboo.” — Aldrich Ames
- “Betrayal is the only truth that sticks.” — Arthur Miller
- “Betrayal does not only break your heart but also darkens your soul. You’ll never forget the pain like a fog that forever lingers in the depths of your mind.” — Attraction Diary
- “I could endure any pain as long as it has meaning.” — Haruki Murakami
- “A person who trusts no one can’t be betrayed.” — Attraction Diary
- “When someone betrays you, it is a reflection of their character, not yours.” — Attraction Diary
- “Every betrayal contains a perfect moment, a coin stamped heads or tails with salvation on the other side.” — Barbara Kingsolver
- “Betrayal is about learning not to idealize external sources.” — Linda Talley
- “Trust is built and maintained by many small actions over time. Betrayal can happen in a blink of an eye.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal and dishonor is usually an inside job. Keep it ‘strictly business’ and trust sparingly.” — Attraction Diary
- “Pain is inevitable. Betrayal is optional.” — Attraction Diary
- “The deepest wounds aren’t the ones we get from other people hurting us. They are the wounds we give ourselves when we hurt other people.” — Isobelle Carmody
- “He who trusts the world, the world betrays him.” — Ali ibn Abi Talib
- “Even loss and betrayal can bring us awakening.” — Buddha
- “The worst kind of hurt is betrayal, because it means someone was willing to hurt you just to make themselves feel better.” — Linda Poindexter
- “We have to distrust each other. It is our only defense against betrayal.” — Tennessee Williams
- “In every betrayal lies a reason and comes with a lesson.” — Attraction Diary
- “If you’re betrayed, release disappointment at once. By that way, the bitterness has no time to take root.” — Toba Beta
- “The fear really hits you. That’s what you feel first. And then it’s the anger and frustration. Part of the problem is how little we understand about the ultimate betrayal of the body when it rebels against itself.” — Charles Bronson
- “True friends are like diamonds, precious and rare. False friends are like leaves, found everywhere.” — Attraction Diary
- “Disappointment is inevitable; betrayal is optional.” — Attraction Diary
- “Trust, once lost, can rarely be fully recovered.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal is the deepest wound. Betrayal is what remains of love, when love has gone.” — Joyce Carol Oates
- “Sometimes, those who don’t socialize much aren’t actually anti-social. They just have no tolerance for drama and fake people.” — Attraction Diary
- “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. Suffering leads to betrayal.” — George Lucas
- “A friend’s betrayal can break your heart more surely than anything else.” — Attraction Diary
- “Some betrayals are like a slow poison, seeping through your veins, wretched and unforeseeable.” — Attraction Diary
- “I’m not crying because of you; you’re not worth it. I’m crying because my delusion of who you were was shattered by the truth of who you are.” — Steve Maraboli
- “Most betrayals must be avenged. Unless you thrive on pain and you’re a coward.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal is universal for people with no principle.” — Attraction Diary
- “Some people are willing to betray years of friendship just to get a little bit of the spotlight.” — Lauren Conrad
- “When you betray somebody else, you also betray yourself.” — Isaac Bashevis Singer
- “Betrayal is never easy to handle and there is no right way to accept it.” — Christine Feehan
- “Betrayal is the only truth that sticks.” — Attraction Diary
- “If you spend your time hoping someone will suffer the consequences for what they did to your heart, then you’re allowing them to hurt you a second time in your mind.” — Shannon L. Alder
- “The greatest enemy will hide in the last place you would ever look.” — Julius Caesar
- “Betrayal is the worst… and the key to moving past it is to identify what led up to it in the first place.” — Charles J. Orlando
- “Shattered legacies can be rebuilt, but restored trust is a masterpiece few can achieve.” — Attraction Diary
- “It takes years to build up trust, and just seconds to destroy it.” — Unknown
- “Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear.” — Albert Camus
- “The thorn from the bush one has planted, nourished and pruned pricks more deeply and draws more blood.” — Maya Angelou
- “Sometimes the person you’d take a bullet for ends up being the one behind the gun.” — Tupac Shakur
- “Wounded people are dangerous; they know they can survive.” — Josephine Hart
- “The biggest mistake I made was believing that if I cast a beautiful net, I’d catch only beautiful things.” — Brian Yorkey
- “Sometimes the hardest part isn’t letting go but rather learning to start over.” — Nicole Sobon
- “Every betrayal contains a perfect moment, a coin stamped heads or tails with salvation on the other side.” — Barbara Kingsolver
- “Betrayal reveals the heart’s shadows.” — Attraction Diary
- “The betrayal you can see is trivial. What is truly frightening and devastating is the betrayal that you don’t see.” — Attraction Diary
- “Beware the person who stabs you and then tells the world they’re the one who’s bleeding.” — Jill Blakeway
- “When trust is broken, the sorry words mean nothing.” — Attraction Diary
- “True betrayal is when those closest to you stab you in the back when you least expect it.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal’s greatest power lies in its ability to turn your own heart against you.” — Attraction Diary
- “Love and betrayal are not so distant from one another; both invite the heart into vulnerable places.” — Attraction Diary
- “There is nothing worse than betraying yourself.” — Leo Tolstoy
- “Time doesn’t heal the betrayal. Understanding the motivations and accepting reality does.” — Attraction Diary
- “No one can betray you if you are not expecting loyalty.” — Attraction Diary
- “It is not betrayal if it comes from an enemy.” — Attraction Diary
- “A stab from a friend cuts deeper than a stab from a foe.” — Amit Kalantri
- “The scars from betrayal never fully disappear; they linger, painful reminders of lessons learned.” — Attraction Diary
- “I was never one to patiently pick up broken fragments and glue them together again and tell myself that the mended whole was as good as new. What is broken is broken, and I’d rather remember it as it was at its best than mend it and see the broken places as long as I lived.” — Margaret Mitchell
- “One should rather die than be betrayed. There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though… betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope.” — Steven Deitz
- “Betrayal is about learning not to idealize external sources.” — Linda Talley
- “What hurts more than a friend’s betrayal is how we must deal with the memories that haunt us afterward.” — Attraction Diary
- “If betrayal strikes from where trust resides, fear becomes a friend and trust a foe.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal is the child of greed and deceit.” — Attraction Diary
- “To betray, you must first belong.” — Harold Pinter
- “Every betrayal contains a perfect moment, a coin stamped heads or tails with salvation on the other side.” — Barbara Kingsolver
- “Betrayal is never part of your plan, but being prepared for it should be.” — Attraction Diary
- “The worst part about being betrayed by your favorite person is that you have to stop saying they are your favorite person.” — Attraction Diary
- “In betrayal, sometimes the worst pain comes from doing nothing. Silence can be as deadly as a dagger.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal is the darkest act in any relationship.” — Attraction Diary
- “Some people are in such utter darkness that they will burn you just to see a light. Try not to take it personally.” — Kamand Kojouri
- “Never trust someone who lies to you. Never lie to someone who trusts you.” — Mandy
- “An honest enemy is always better than a friend who lies. Pay less attention to what people say, and more attention to what they do. Their actions will show you the truth.” — Attraction Diary
- “A betrayal in a close relationship is like a hot knife through the heart; it severs the trust that was the lifeblood of the relationship.” — Attraction Diary
- “The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from enemies, it comes from those you trust the most.” — XXxTentacion
- “Some betrayals are like a hairline fracture on a rock—they might shatter everything when you least expect it.” — Attraction Diary
- “When you betray somebody else, you also betray yourself.” — Isaac Bashevis Singer
- “Trusting is hard. Knowing who to trust, even harder.” — Maria V. Snyder
- “A betrayer looks for your vulnerability but shows you their weakness.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal answers the mystery, revealing that behind the affection was deception.” — Attraction Diary
- “Not everyone who smiles at you is your friend.” — Attraction Diary
- “The irony of betrayal is that when you learn to trust no one, you only betray yourself.” — Attraction Diary
- “Sometimes the only person you can trust is yourself.” — Attraction Diary
- “Healing from a betrayal is a heavy burden—do not carry it alone. Let those who never left your side help bear the weight.” — Attraction Diary
- “The heart that betrays itself finds no home in a land of loyal hearts.” — Attraction Diary
- “To forgive a betrayal is an act of kindness to yourself, more than to those who have wronged you.” — Attraction Diary
- “When you betray someone, you betray yourself the most. The stain of disloyalty discolors your conscience.” — Attraction Diary
- “When someone shows you their true colors, don’t try to repaint them.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal is the secret that lies heavy at the heart.” — Attraction Diary
- “Sometimes, your biggest betrayal comes from your own indecision rather than someone else’s lies.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal is the result of self-serving choices made in moments of weakness.” — Attraction Diary
- “A single betrayal can rob a thousand loyalties.” — Attraction Diary
- “There are knives that only leave scars on the skin, and there are knives that carve deep into the soul.” — Richard Paul Evans
- “Where there is no trust, there is betrayal.” — Attraction Diary
- “In every betrayal lies a kernel of truth.” — Haruki Murakami
- “Being betrayed is one of the most valuable lessons life can teach.” — Shania Twain
- “The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, lies in its loyalty to each other.” — Mario Puzo
- “Betrayal is an ironic thing. He or she betrays with a kiss.” — Bob Dylan
- “Betrayal is like a mirror; it shows who truly stood with you and who stood against.” — Attraction Diary
- “The sting of betrayal is not the act itself, but the unexpectedness of it.” — Attraction Diary
- “Sometimes the people you’re willing to burn for are the ones holding the matches.” — Attraction Diary
- “Trust is the hardest thing to find and the easiest to lose.” — Attraction Diary
- “Every betrayal always burns. Even when you saw the fire coming.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal is often an attempt to hide something we are ashamed of.” — Attraction Diary
- “To understand betrayal, you must know the promise that was broken.” — Attraction Diary
- “The most dangerous lies are the ones you never notice.” — Attraction Diary
- “When trust is broken, how do we piece together the remnants of our certainty?” — Attraction Diary
- “The real betrayal is forgetting yourself in the process of valuing someone too much.” — Attraction Diary
- “Surviving betrayal gives you the strength to face any challenge.” — Attraction Diary
- “A betrayer thinks they are building their future, but they are actually dismantling their past.” — Attraction Diary
- “Every act of betrayal plants a seed of wisdom in your soul.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal can only happen if you love.” — John le Carré
- “Betrayal is the deepest wound. Betrayal is what remains of love, when love has gone.” — Joyce Carol Oates
- “The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies.” — Unknown
- “Betrayal changes everything. Time and truth will collaborate or contend to rebuild trust.” — Attraction Diary
- “True colors are beautiful, like a rainbow. Except when they are black and white of betrayal.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal unveils truths we’d rather ignore and promises we wish we’d never made.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal does not only break your heart but also darkens your soul. You’ll never forget the pain like a fog that forever lingers in the depths of your mind.” — Attraction Diary
- “Learning from betrayal is about finding the bridge between forgiveness and caution.” — Attraction Diary
- “Betrayal is the deepest wound, and forgiving is the greatest healing.” — Attraction Diary
- “Trust, like the soul, never returns once it is gone.” — Publilius Syrus
