Being cheated on by your spouse is one of the most painful and traumatic experiences someone can go through in a relationship. The betrayal, loss of trust, and emotional turmoil can leave you feeling devastated, angry, and heartbroken.
During this challenging time, inspiring quotes can offer comfort, wisdom, and strength to help you process your emotions and determine the best path forward.
Whether you decide to forgive and rebuild your marriage, separate, or ultimately divorce, these 31 quotes about a cheating spouse will resonate with you.
They come from authors, poets, philosophers, and other influential figures who have experienced or reflected deeply on infidelity and its profound impact on relationships.
31 Quotes on Infidelity for a Betrayed Spouse
1. “The worst thing that ever happened to me was waking up one morning and not being in love anymore.” – Thom Gunn
2. “Betrayal is the only truth that sticks.” – Arthur Miller
3. “The most tragic thing in the world is a sick couple.” – Tennessee Williams
4. “The saddest thing in the world is loving someone who used to love you.” – Unknown
5. “It is better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie.” – Russian Proverb
6. “If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth, only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.” – C.S. Lewis
7. “Sometimes the truth hurts worse than being lied to.” – Unknown
8. “Love alone could not stop the betrayals.” – Gabriel García Márquez
9. “I cannot forgive my friends for remaining silent; I can forgive my enemies for lying.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
10. “Dishonesty will stain the purest soul.” – Jacqueline Carey
11. “Deceit is the false road to happiness; and all the joys we travel through to vice, like fairy banquets, vanish when we touch them.” – John Dryden
12. “When you cheat in love, you get love in return.” – Proverb
13. “You don’t need strength to cheat; you need strength to be truthful.” – Shannon L. Alder
14. “As human beings, we have the ability to overcome adversity and transcend circumstances.” – Barbara De Angelis
15. “A wise woman puts a grain of sugar in to every truth she utters, so as to persuade without wounding.” – Socrates
16. “Pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.” – Kahlil Gibran
17. “There is a unique pain that comes from being hurt by someone you thought would never hurt you.” – Unknown
18. “Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable.” – L. Frank Baum
19. “I can forgive, but I cannot trust again.” – Nietzsche
20. “Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.” – Victoria Holt
21. “Betrayal seems to be the only truth that sticks.” – Arthur Miller
22. “The worst lies are the ones we tell ourselves.” – Richard Bach
23. “Withholding truth is the quickest road to violence.” – Ursula K. Le Guin
24. “Distance is what keeps you together, and truth is what keeps you distant.” – Jasleen Kaur Gumber
25. “With lies you may get ahead in the world – but you can never go back.” – Russian Proverb
26. “The cruelest lies are often told in silence.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
27. “There is no choosing to not go through the spiral: we go through it or it goes through us.” – Christina Baldwin
28. “The truth is, lust wears better than love.” – Ellen Wittlinger
29. “Time heals griefs and quarrels, for we change and are no longer the same persons.” – Pascal
30. “Cheating and lying aren’t struggles, they’re reasons to break up.” – Patti Callahan Henry
31. “It’s hard to tell who has your back, from who has it long enough just to stab you in it.” – Nicole Richie
These poignant quotes capture the intense emotions surrounding a spouse’s infidelity. They express the anguish of betrayal, the harsh realities of dishonesty, and the difficulties in rebuilding trust. Yet they also offer glimmers of hope – that with strength, wisdom, and perseverance, one can heal and move forward, even from the deepest wounds.
As you navigate this painful experience, allow these quotes to be a source of solace, reflection, and motivation. Remember that you have the courage to overcome adversity and emerge stronger on the other side, whatever path you ultimately choose.
Coping With a Cheating Spouse
Being cheated on shakes the very foundation of a marriage. The lying, deception, and breach of trust can make you question everything you thought you knew about your spouse and relationship.
It’s normal to experience a whirlwind of powerful emotions like anger, sadness, guilt, shame, and disbelief. You may struggle with obsessive thoughts about the details of the affair. You could find yourself vacillating between wanting to end the marriage and desperately hoping to save it.
During this tumultuous time, be gentle with yourself. Lean on close friends and family for support. Consider counseling to process the trauma in a healthy way. Most importantly, don’t make any rash permanent decisions until you’ve had time to work through the initial shock and pain.
Moving Forward
If you do decide to try rebuilding the marriage, it will likely be one of the greatest challenges you’ll ever face together. Regaining trust is extremely difficult after being deceived by the person you loved and believed in most.
Brutal honesty, consistent accountability, and doing the hard work of healing the root issues that enabled the betrayal are essential. Your spouse must be truly remorseful and committed to rebuilding in a transparent way for reconciliation to be possible.
You may never be able to fully recapture the blind trust and innocence of your relationship before infidelity. But with perseverance, you can potentially forge an even deeper bond and appreciation for each other through the shared struggle of overcoming something so devastating.
If reconciliation isn’t possible or desired, ending the marriage could ultimately be the healthiest path forward. Divorcing is another extraordinarily painful process, but it allows you to begin anew and eventually find happiness and trust in a future partner.
Whichever route you take, the wisdom captured in these 31 quotes can provide solace and strength as you navigate the anguish of your spouse’s unfaithfulness. May they be a source of insight and hope as you seek to heal and create a life of integrity for yourself.
