40 Goodbye Quotes to Say ‘Farewell’

A lady wishing goodbye to a loved one on a tablet

Goodbyes are a natural occurrence that you will experience multiple times in your life. But no matter how many times we do it, it never gets easier. With these goodbye quotes, find the right words to say goodbye. 

For Friends

  1. “We laughed until we had to cry, we loved right down to our last goodbye, we were the best.” – St. Elmo’s Fire
  2. “Don’t be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.” -Richard Bach
  3. Yesterday brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the end, though somewhere in the middle we became the best of friends. – Unknown
  4. “No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other’s worth.” – Robert Southey
  5. “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” -A.A. Milne (Winnie-the-Pooh)
  6. Good friends never say goodbye, they simply say – see you soon Buddy. – Unknown
  7. “Can miles truly separate you from friends? If you want to be with someone you love, aren’t you already there?” – Richard Bach
  8. “Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.” -J.M. Barrie (Peter Pan)
  9. The world will come to an end, as I say goodbye to my Dear Lovely friend. But I know I’ll pull through this pain because We know we’ll surely meet again. – Confucius
  10. “May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand.” – Irish Blessing
  11. “You and I will meet again, When we’re least expecting it, One day in some far off place, I will recognize your face, I won’t say goodbye my friend, For you and I, will meet again.” -Tom Petty
  12. “You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing.” – E.B. White
  13. Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes. – Henry David Thoreau
  14. When best friends say goodbye to each other, what they are really saying is ‘Hold that thought, I will be back soon’ So I will hold my thought until you return to hear the rest. – Anonymous
  15. True friends don’t say goodbye, they just take extended leaves of absence from each other. – Anonymous

For Co-workers and Acquaintances

  1. “Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
  2. “Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory.” -Mahatma Gandhi
  3. “Life is a journey, not a destination.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
  4.  “If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” —Paulo Coelho
  5. “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.” – Garrison Keillor
  6. “Having awesome colleagues is a bad habit because it’ll be impossible to work with someone else now that you’re leaving. Goodbye.” – Unknown
  7. “So, old friends, now it’s time to start growing up, taking charge, seeing things as they are, facing facts, not escaping them, still with dreams, just reshaping them, growing up.” – Stephen Sondheim
  8. “Thank you for everything that you’ve accomplished so far, and good luck to everything you will in the future.” —Unknown
  9. “This is the beginning of anything you want.” -Unknown
  10. “See You Later, Alligator.” —Bill Haley and the Comets

For Seniors and Dying Loved One

  1. “The magic thing about home is that it feels good to leave, and it feels even better to come back.” – Wendy Wunder
  2. “It’s time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I’d much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure.” -Ernie Harwell
  3. Each beginning has an end and it is always after the end. So don’t be sad, you’re stepping into a new beginning. – Anonymous
  4. “Goodbyes make you think. They make you realize what you’ve had, what you’ve lost, and what you’ve taken for granted.” -Ritu Ghatourey
  5. On your last day, I don’t want to say goodbye and don’t want to be sad. Because someday I will be meeting you. Best wishes to you. – Anonymous
  6. Don’t confuse the beginning with the end, as each end is always before the beginning. – Anonymous
  7. “Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.” – Rumi
  8. “Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending”. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
  9. “It’s sad, but sometimes moving on with the rest of your life, starts with goodbye.” -Carrie Underwood
  10. “The story of life is quicker than the wink of an eye, the story of love is hello and goodbye until we meet again.” – Jimi Hendrix
  11. “I can’t remember all the times I told myself to hold on to these moments as they pass.” -Counting Crows
  12. “Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.” -Flavia Weedn
  13. “I can’t say and explain how much painful this goodbye will be”. – Unknown
  14. “Man’s feelings are always purest and most glowing in the hour of meeting and of farewell.” —Jean Paul Richter
  15. 8. “We’ll meet again. Don’t know where, don’t know when, but I know we’ll meet again, some sunny day.” —Vera Lynn

We never do want to say goodbye, yet here we are. Whether it is the final goodbye or you have just drifted away, the emotion feels similar, losing the ones you love. 

Here are some ways to find words if someone has lost a loved one.