113 Best Forbidden Love Quotes (with Commentary)

Forbidden love, often seen as the embodiment of tragic romance, has been a captivating theme in literature, film, and real-life stories.

Quotes about forbidden love explore the soul of relationships that defy social, cultural, or familial boundaries.

Whether it’s the thrill of secret meetings or the heartache of love that cannot be publicly accepted, forbidden love quotes capture the poignant and deep experiences of lovers caught in the throes of passion that the society deems unacceptable or improper.

Top Forbidden Love Quotes

Forbidden love often carries with it a poignant beauty steeped in desire and longing. These quotes capture the intense emotions and moral conflicts that such relationships bring, providing a window into the complexity of the human heart.

“The sweetness of forbidden fruit is the forbidden itself.” Oscar Wilde

“To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves.” – Federico García Lorca

“Love that we cannot have is the one that lasts the longest, hurts the deepest, and feels the strongest.” – P.C. Cast

“In the presence of eternity, the mountains are as transient as the clouds.” – Robert Green Ingersoll

“It is the things we cannot have that destroy us.” – Mark Lawrence

“Forbidden to remember, terrified to forget; it was a hard line to walk.” – Stephenie Meyer

“When love is not madness, it is not love.” – Pedro Calderón de la Barca

“You are my temple. You are my priest. You are my prayer. You are my release.” – Sabaa Tahir

“There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable.” – Mark Twain

“The most dangerous loves are those that are forbidden.” – Leo Tolstoy

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Heartbreaking Forbidden Love Quotes

The agony of love that must hide in the shadows is uniquely poignant. These heartbreaking forbidden love quotes delve into the depths of secret affections and the sorrow that comes from loving someone you cannot have openly.

“Loving you was never in my control, it was destiny, and perhaps the only thing forbidden that felt right.” – Kiera Cass

“Perhaps the most painful of all human emotions is to be in love with someone that is out of reach.” – Jodi Picoult

“The heart wants what it wants, or else it does not care.” – Emily Dickinson

“Forbidden love provides happiness when there is no happiness.” – George Sand

“We could have been happy. I know that, and it is perhaps the hardest thing to know.” – Alyson Richman

“Every night I cut out my heart. But in the morning it was full again.” – Salman Rushdie

“It was the ecstasy and agony of forbidden love.” – E. L. James

“Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes.” – Henry David Thoreau

“To love purely is to consent to distance, it is to adore the distance between ourselves and that which we love.” – Simone Weil

“The most painful goodbyes are the ones that are never said and never explained.” – Bilal Zahoor

Forbidden Love Quotes on Power of Love

Forbidden love, while often fraught with barriers, also speaks to the indomitable human spirit that yearns to transcend limitations. These quotes inspire the belief in the power of love to overcome all obstacles, shining a light on the beauty found in the most unexpected places.

“Even if love is forbidden, it is no less powerful. It is the light through our prisons.” – Paulo Coelho

“Where there is love, laws are unnecessary.” – Balzac

“Forbidden love is like a tarnished jewel; forbidden, yet irresistibly beautiful.” – Lisa Kleypas

“Love grows more tremendously full, swift, poignant, as the years multiply.” – Zane Grey

“In a forbidden love story, every moment is an eternity and every glance is a lifetime.” – Hafez

“True love cannot be contained by borders; it penetrates miles, zip codes, and state lines.” – Meghan Markle

“Sometimes the love that is forbidden is the one that holds the keys to your soul.” – Shakieb Orgunwall

“When love is not madness, it is not love.” – Pedro Calderon de la Barca

“If love is the answer, could you rephrase the question?” – Lily Tomlin

“Love that is not madness is not love.” – Pedro Calderón de la Barca

Historical Forbidden Love Quotes

The annals of history are rich with tales of forbidden love, where passion defies the mandates of era and culture. These quotes reflect on historical accounts and the timeless, often tragic, echoes of lovers who dared to defy the norms of their times.

“The history of forbidden love is written in the sighs of the heart.” – Madame de Staël

“Love knows no laws; a historical truth as old as time.” – Dante Alighieri

“Throughout history, forbidden love has been the muse of poets and the bane of rulers.” – Anne Boleyn

“Cleopatra and Antony, wrapped not in conquest but in the defeat of their hearts.” – Plutarch

“No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

“The echoes of forbidden love have always been the loudest in quiet rooms.” – Queen Victoria

“History is littered with the scars of our passion.” – Winston Churchill

“Wherever love is forbidden, passion blossoms.” – Marie Antoinette

“The most dangerous love is that which transcends the laws set against it.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

“In every age, in every place, the deeds of men remain the same.” – Euripides

Forbidden Love Quotes from Movies

Movies often explore the theme of forbidden love, presenting it in ways that tug at the heartstrings and challenge societal norms. These quotes capture the essence of such narratives, revealing the pain, passion, and poignancy of love that society deems off-limits.

“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” – Moulin Rouge

“I wish I knew how to quit you.” – Brokeback Mountain

“We could have had such a damned good time together.” – Casablanca

“If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.” – The Notebook

“I will return. I will find you. Love you. Marry you. And live without shame.” – Atonement

“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” – Wuthering Heights

“You have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love… I love… I love you.” – Pride and Prejudice

“So it’s not gonna be easy. It’s going to be really hard; we’re gonna have to work at this every day.” – The Notebook

“It was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were supposed to be together.” – Sleepless in Seattle

“Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air.” – Romeo + Juliet

Philosophical Forbidden Love Quotes

Philosophical insights into forbidden love often challenge us to think about why such passions are deemed unacceptable and the nature of love itself. These quotes offer deep reflections on the complexities of love that transcends boundaries.

“Love does not follow the rules, and most often it laughs at the notion of forbidden.” – Plato

“The beauty of love is that you can fall into it with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time.” – Rumi

“Forbidden love is something to savor, if only in the mind.” – Aristotle

“Love that is not madness is not love.” – Pedro Calderón de la Barca

“Where there is love, there is pain.” – Spanish Proverb

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken.” – C.S. Lewis

“Love, having no geography, knows no boundaries.” – Truman Capote

“If love is the answer, could you rephrase the question?” – Lily Tomlin

“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.” – Paulo Coelho

“In the arithmetic of love, one plus one equals everything, and two minus one equals nothing.” – Mignon McLaughlin

Forbidden Love Quotes in Poetry

Poetry often explores the depths of emotion, and forbidden love has been a poignant theme throughout literary history. These quotes reflect the intensity, longing, and sometimes the despair of love that defies the bounds of convention.

“Love that is forbidden can only be savored in the stolen moments.” Pablo Neruda

“In secret we met — In silence I grieve, That thy heart could forget, Thy spirit deceive.” – Lord Byron

“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you, I could walk in my garden forever.” – Alfred Tennyson

“The course of true love never did run smooth.” – William Shakespeare

“Two souls with but a single thought, Two hearts that beat as one.” – Friedrich Halm

“He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.” – Leo Tolstoy

“And I would be the moon spoken over your heart, communing with your skin in my solitude.” – Pablo Neruda

“Her love was entire as a child’s, and though warm as summer it was fresh as spring.” – Thomas Hardy

“We loved with a love that was more than love.” – Edgar Allan Poe

“Oh, love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee.” – George Matheson

Humorous Forbidden Love Quotes

Even amidst the seriousness of forbidden love, there’s room for laughter. These quotes bring a light-hearted touch to the theme, poking fun at the absurdities and complications that such entanglements often bring.

“Forbidden fruit tastes sweet, but its calories are killer.” – Mae West

“They say all love is forbidden, and that’s what makes it so exciting.” – Woody Allen

“If love is the answer, can we rephrase the question?” – Lily Tomlin

“I told my wife the truth. I told her I was seeing a psychiatrist. Then she told me the truth: that she was seeing a psychiatrist, two plumbers, and a bartender.” – Rodney Dangerfield

“It is not love that is blind, but jealousy.” – Lawrence Durrell

“Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop.” – H. L. Mencken

“I love being married. It’s so great to find one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.” – Rita Rudner

“Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.” – Jim Carrey

“My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.” – Rodney Dangerfield

“The four most beautiful words in our common language: I told you so.” – Gore Vidal

Forbidden Love Quotes on Sacrifice and Compromise

Forbidden love often demands more sacrifice and compromise than other kinds of love. These quotes reflect the depth of emotion and the pain of the sacrifices made in the name of love that must hide from the light.

“True love is selfless. It is prepared to sacrifice.” – Sadhu Vaswani

“Sometimes you have to give up on someone not because you don’t care, but because they don’t.” – Jonathan Carroll

“Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell.” – Joan Crawford

“In the arithmetic of love, one plus one equals everything, and two minus one equals nothing.” – Mignon McLaughlin

“The mark of true love is not when loving is easy but when it isn’t.” – Tarryn Fisher

“Love means that you are willing to sustain another person.” – Susan Sontag

“The course of true love never did run smooth, but her sacrifice was as profound as the ocean.” – William Shakespeare (adapted)

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken.” – C.S. Lewis

“Sacrifice is at the heart of repentance. Without deeds, your apology is worthless.” – Bryan Davis

“When love is strong, a man and a woman are ready to go to the end of the world for each other.” – Maxim Gorky

Forbidden Love Quotes on Secrecy and Concealment

The shroud of secrecy in forbidden love adds layers of complexity to the relationship. These quotes delve into the shadows where such loves linger, revealing the pain and passion of hidden desires.

“And we hide ourselves in our own darkness.” – Richard Siken

“A love that is forbidden can only be carried out in secret.” – Debasish Mridha

“The most intense conflicts, if overcome, leave behind a sense of security and calm that is not easily disturbed.” – Carl Jung

“For my part, I prefer my heart to be broken. It is so lovely, dawn-kaleidoscopic within the crack.” – D.H. Lawrence

“What is done in the dark will be brought to the light.” – Johnny Cash

“Secrecy is the element of all goodness; even virtue, even beauty is mysterious.” – Thomas Carlyle

“The secret of love is greater than the secret of death.” – Oscar Wilde

“They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

“The beauty of love hidden in shadows, born from the impossible.” – John Mark Green

“In the shadow of love, we learn the depth of our desires.” – Anais Nin

Modern Forbidden Love Quotes

In the digital age, forbidden love continues to captivate the imagination, expressed through contemporary narratives that resonate with today’s lovers. These quotes encapsulate the essence of modern forbidden romances, reflecting on the challenges and allure of such love in the modern world.

“In an age of texts and tweets, our forbidden love lives in bytes and bits.” – John Green

“Modern love is complex; when it’s forbidden, it becomes a story of hearts against the world.” – Jennifer Niven

“Our love is the secret password in a digital age of fleeting connections.” – Lauren Oliver

“Even in the modern world, there are tales of love that society still insists on writing in whispers.” – Nicola Yoon

“We hide behind screens, typing our deepest feelings we cannot voice.” – Rainbow Rowell

“In the city lights, our forbidden love finds the shadows to dance in.” – Lang Leav

“Our love is the modern Romeo and Juliet, tragically beautiful and digitally cursed.” – Jay Asher

“This digital world is vast, but still not vast enough to openly map the geography of our forbidden love.” – Tahereh Mafi

“They say modern love is complicated, but nothing is more complex than loving someone you shouldn’t.” – Colleen Hoover

“In our hyper-connected world, our forbidden love remains the most elusive connection.” – David Levithan

Empowering Forbidden Love Quotes

Forbidden love, while often fraught with challenges, can also be a profound source of empowerment. These quotes celebrate the strength, resilience, and growth that come from embracing love that defies boundaries.

“The strength of our love defies the rules imposed on it.” – Maya Angelou

“Loving you was never a choice, it was a necessity for my soul, and it made me stronger.” – Rupi Kaur

“From the ashes of our secrecy, I rose, empowered by the love we dared to embrace.” – Warsan Shire

“In every whispered meeting, I find the courage to be more of who I am.” – James Baldwin

“Our forbidden love taught me that the right to love is the ultimate human right.” – Malala Yousafzai

“This love, hidden from the world, is the flame that warms my most authentic self.” – Audre Lorde

“Out of restrictions comes creativity, and from our love came my greatest strength.” – Angela Davis

“Each stolen moment with you empowers me to defy the world.” – Gloria Steinem

“In loving what is forbidden, I’ve learned the power of confronting what is unjust.” – Nelson Mandela

“Our love may be forbidden, but in it, I have found my freedom and my rebellion.” – Che Guevara

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Final Thoughts

Forbidden love quotes will strike deeply with you because they speak to the universal struggles of desire, heartbreak, and yearning.

They reflect the pain and beauty of loving a person against the odds, providing both comfort and understanding to those who have encountered similar obstacles.

These quotes remind you of the lasting power of love, even in the face of hard obstacles, and celebrate the human spirit’s ability to love deeply and passionately, regardless of the restraints imposed by the external world.