50 Toxic Family Quotes For When “Family First” Just Doesn’t Work

“I’m skipping Thanksgiving with them this year! Every time, it’s the same cycle: one dinner leads to months of unpacking it all with my therapist.”

If you’ve ever thought like this, the following quotes about toxic family members might feel more relatable than you think.

Have you ever felt neglected, rejected, or unimportant, experiencing the need to deserve love in your family? If yes, they are most probably for you.

In this article, you’ll find quotes on toxic families that can make you feel understood and related. Some might push you to make the right decisions, while others can heal your soul. Keep reading and save the ones that speak to you most. 

Quotes for identifying when family is toxic

Have you ever thought, “I hate my family!” without even understanding why? 

Maybe your close ones have toxic patterns in their behavior. Check yourself to see if you’ve experienced something similar.

• “Unhealthy families discourage individual expression. Everyone must conform to the thoughts and actions of the toxic parents. They promote fusion, a blurring of personal boundaries, a welding together of family members.” ― Susan Forward

• “Dysfunctional families tend to cater to the most toxic person. The other family  members do everything in their power to keep the toxic person happy.” ― Laura K. Connell

• “Our family became a place where you screamed for help but no one heard, not ever.” ― Marceline Loridan-Ivens

• “Many toxic parents compare one sibling unfavorably with another to make the target child feel that he’s not doing enough to get parental affection.” ― Susan Forward

• “The most toxic relationships in life are defined by the way they make us feel about ourselves.” ― R.K. Lilley

Do you suppose you’ve grown up in a dysfunctional or toxic family? Then, you might live with emotional baggage and experience the echoes of childhood trauma. 

Take a quick & free test to discover how your past still influences your present.

Short toxic family quotes

They shouldn’t necessarily be long and complicated to have a deep meaning. These quotes about a “bad family” are short yet powerful enough to reach your heart in a few words.

• “Some of the most poisonous people come disguised as family.” — Steve Maraboli

• “Moment of Insight: Overexplaining is a trauma response.” ― Sherrie Campbell

• “Everyone needs a house to live in, but a supportive family is what builds a home.” ― Anthony Liccione

• “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” ― Mother Teresa

Quotes about negativity in toxic families 

Living in a constant atmosphere of negativity can leave a lasting wound on your mental health. Do these quotes about family being toxic resonate with your experiences and reveal truths that are hard to say out loud?

Dive in and see if they bring you clarity or strength. Additionally, check out these childhood trauma quotes to learn even more about your feelings.

• “Negative minds full of fear and doubt produce negative lives, which can ultimately destroy your life.” ― Joyce Meyer

• “Distance yourself from negativity. Be in friendships, relationships, colleagues ― know how to deal and stop being involved in toxic patterns no matter how close or nice they may seem.” ― The Smoking Words (Instagram account) 

• “Beware of a person who stabs you and then tells the world they’re the one who’s bleeding.” ― Jill Blakeway

• “Toxic people attach themselves like cinder blocks tied to your ankles, and then invite you for a swim in their poisoned waters.” ― John Mark Green

• “Unhappy people can be very dangerous, don’t forget that.” ― S.E. Lynes

Hannah Schlueter, MA, LAC, comments, “Many people may relate to quotes about toxic families because they were never given the space to share their experiences with those who hurt them. Toxic families may not have the awareness of the unhealthy patterns and the impact it has on one or more of its members.”

Quotes about toxic family members

People playing dysfunctional family roles can drain your energy, distort your sense of self, and make your home feel anything but safe. 

As a result of this negative family drama, you might have developed patterns that continue to shape the way you live. Some of the most common ones are:

• cold mother syndrome
• middle child syndrome
• golden child syndrome
• daddy issues, etc.

But why do you feel like the family ― that often becomes people’s main support ― weighs you down? These quotes about toxic & bad families might give you some insight.

• “Perfectionist parents seem to operate under the illusion that if they can just get their children to be perfect, they will be a perfect family. They put the burden of stability on the child to avoid facing the fact that they, as parents, cannot provide it. The child fails and becomes the scapegoat for family problems. Once again, the child is saddled with the blame.” ― Susan Forward

• “What the toxic family unit has lost sight of is the positive traits of the innocent person who was manipulated into being the scapegoat. The scapegoat can feel the acute injustice that leaves a psychological scar. Although nobody would willingly choose to be a scapegoat, this person has countless wonderful strengths, characteristics, and accomplishments.” ― Dana Arcuri

• “Along with the trust issues, one of the hardest parts to deal with is the feeling of not being believed or supported, especially by your own grandparents and extended family.” — Erin Merryn

• “The scapegoat is the family punching bag. On a daily basis, you are singled out for all of the collective ridicule, made into the butt of every joke, and excluded from family events, holidays, and important legal matters. It doesn’t take long for outsiders or other relatives to take note of your role and to be drawn into the destructive dynamics. Family scapegoats are belittled, humiliated, battered, rejected, betrayed, and treated poorly. It’s a clear case of psychological abuse, manipulation, and harassment.” ― Dana Arcuri 

Quotes about siblings in a toxic family

While children most often mirror their parents’ behavior, sometimes brothers and sisters can become the main source of struggle. 

Navigating toxic sibling relationships can be one of the most challenging experiences. So, these quotes reveal the emotional turmoil, rivalry, and hurt that often go unnoticed.

• “Love is close to hate when it comes to sisters. You’re as close as two humans can be. You came from the same womb. The same background. Even if you’re poles apart, mentally. That’s why it hurts so much when your sister is unkind. It’s as though part of you is turning against yourself.” — Jane Corry

• “Sibling rivalry is normal; toxic competition is not.” — Alyshia Valiyon

• “Brother or sister has no meaning if they treat each other like worst enemies.” — Samuel Zulu

• “As a survivor of sibling abuse, the toxic shame is not for the survivor to carry. You didn’t do anything wrong. You were not the one to commit atrocious acts of violence.” — Dana Arcuri

• “Did you know that the kids who grow up as the ‘favorites’ in families are usually more screwed up than the kids who aren’t the favorites? The first lesson we learn is that our parents’ love is conditional and that failure to perform means that they can take all that love away. We see it with our siblings, so we do everything we can to make sure that never happens to us. Fun, right? I learned that in therapy.” — Meg Shaffer

Quotes about jealousy in toxic families

It might feel tough when siblings get jealous because of toys, sweets, or even parents’ love because someone gets more than the other.

Or when parents feel jealous and you don’t know why. It may lead to an argument you will definitely remember.

Jealousy in any toxic family is extremely common. Check these favoritism quotes to understand how deeply it can affect relationships. 

• “Cruelty has a human heart,

And Jealousy a human face;” ― William Blake

• “Any love that is followed by jealousy is certainly not true love, it is a biological instinct.” ― Osho

• “A lot of people get so hung up on what they can’t have that they don’t think for a second about whether they really want it.” ― Lionel Shriver

• “Insecure people only eclipse your sun because they’re jealous of your daylight and tired of their dark, starless nights.” ― Shannon L. Alder

Quotes about feeling unloved by family

Well, it may hit the hardest. If the pain from past wounds is still fresh and poisonous, please think about reaching out to a therapist. 

Yet, if you need to reflect on your feelings alone, here are some quotes about bad family relationships to think about.

• “Most adult children of toxic parents grow up feeling tremendous confusion about what love means and how it’s supposed to feel. Their parents did extremely unloving things to them in the name of love.” ― Susan Forward 

• “Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.” ― Mother Teresa

• “The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.” ― Ernest Hemingway

• “To be lonely is to feel unwanted and unloved, and therefore unloveable. Loneliness is a taste of death. No wonder some people who are desperately lonely lose themselves in mental illness or violence to forget the inner pain.” ― Jean Vanier

• “The moment you feel like you have to prove your worth to someone is the moment to absolutely and utterly walk away.” ― Alysia Harris

Quotes about family rejection & toxic families

Thinking something like, “I hate my dad.” or “I’m angry at my mum” without even understanding why? It might happen because you felt rejected in childhood. 

Whether you remember it or not, these powerful quotes might remind you of some experiences and resonate with your soul.

• “The recurring theme which predisposes people to depression is rejection and lack of self-esteem.” — Richard Winters

• “Just because you are different does not mean that you have to be rejected.” — Eartha Kitt

• “Remember, the pain of rejection is nothing compared to the pain of regret.” — Matthew Hussey

• “Whenever you have truth it must be given with love, or the message and the messenger will be rejected.” — Mahatma Gandhi

• “If somebody rejects you or your choices, you are still real, and you are still worth every bit as much as you would be if you had not been rejected.” — Melody Beattie

• “Never settle with anyone whose family does not accept you. If his/her family rejects you and the rejection is unresolveable, don’t force it. Just hope for the best and walk away.” ― @silvaybrown (TikTok account)

Quotes about cutting off toxic family

Please note that we don’t urge you to stop communicating with your family or limit your connections. This is the decision only you can make and follow.

Still, if you’ve decided to cut off because of family problems, toxic behavior, or other reasons, here are some quotes you might need to read.

• “Those who said family mattered above all else were wrong. People you love, who love you back, matter above all. Crap people you happen to be related to: you need to stop thinking you owe them a limitless number of chances to hurt you.” — Mhairi McFarlane

• “I also believe that forgiveness is appropriate only when parents do something to earn it.” ― Susan Forward

• “A newspaper article that I read recently concluded that people are dying because of what they are eating. This article was talking about diets. Some inner voice inside me said even more people are dying because of what is eating them – the toxic relationships that they are keeping and the family problems that they are not resolving.” ― Itayi Garande

• “Family or not, I will cut you off. That saying “but that’s family” means nothing if a family is toxic and means you no good.” — Morgan Sharee

• “If you walked away from a toxic, negative, abusive, one-sided, dead-end low vibrational relationship or friendship — you won.” ― Lalah Delia

Quotes around healing from toxic family drama

Living in an unsafe household can affect your mental well-being long after the drama ends. Sometimes, all we need is a few words that truly resonate to begin the process of healing. 

Below, we’ve gathered some powerful toxic household quotes to help you understand, process, and eventually heal from the wounds left by a dysfunctional family.

• “There is healing in telling. There is healing in exposing abuse. There is healing in being truthful. There is healing in knowing you are not to blame. There is healing in standing up for yourself. There is healing in setting boundaries. There is healing in self-love. Hold onto hope that you will recover.” — Dana Arcuri

• “You cannot heal in the same environment that is poisoning you.” ― Sherrie Campbell

• “May you reach that level within, where you no longer allow your past or people with toxic intentions to negatively affect or condition you.” ― Lalah Delia

• “This toxic pattern within the broken family system will continue from one generation to the next, until one brave survivor finally ends the cycle of abuse. The dysfunction, bullying, and abuse didn’t start with you, but it most certainly can end with you.” — Dana Arcuri

• “How you choose to feel today should not be dependent on others.”— Anthon St. Maarten

• “Complete separation and time away allow us to recover and to remember — perhaps even finally establish — how to express who we really are.” ― Sherrie Campbell

• “As you remove toxic people from your life, you free up space and emotional energy for positive, healthy relationships.” ― John Mark Green

Quotes about toxic family. FAQ

“I’ve got a dysfunctional family or a toxic family. What quotes and phrases can help me protect myself?”

First, you can pick any from the quotes above that make you feel empowered and turn to them anytime things go wrong.

Second, you may use the affirmations below to repeat them in challenging moments. They can help ground you and remind you of your worth:

• “I deserve peace and emotional well-being, and I will protect my boundaries.”
• “It’s okay to prioritize my mental health, even if it means distancing myself.”
• “I am not responsible for their actions, only my reactions.”
• “My feelings are valid, and I deserve to be heard.”
• “It’s okay to say no, even if it disappoints others.”
• “I am worthy of healthy, supportive relationships.”
• “I cannot change them, but I can control how I respond.”

“I’m trying to let go of negativity. What else, except for toxic family quotes, can help me find the right direction?”

Taking care of your well-being is a complex yet interesting task. We’ve got some ideas on how you can leave negative experiences in the past and start paving your way to a better future.

• Establish clear boundaries and enforce them as needed
• Focus on self-care
• Surround yourself with positive people
• Learn to embrace your emotions
• Forgive, not for them, but for you
• Contact a support group
• Seek professional guidance 

“I’ve grown up with bad family relatives. How can I avoid repeating this scenario in my family?”