"If you ever want something badly, let it go. If it comes back to you, then it's yours forever. If it doesn't, then it was never yours to begin with"
About this Quote
What makes the quote work is its clean, conditional structure. Two if-then clauses turn an emotional mess into a binary, the kind of clarity people crave when they’re spiraling. It also absolves you of the most exhausting job in modern relationships: decoding mixed signals. Either it returns, or it doesn’t. Either there’s mutual pull, or there isn’t. That bluntness has the flavor of self-protection dressed up as destiny.
The subtext is a quiet critique of anxious attachment in an era that monetizes it. Social media teaches us to monitor, interpret, and optimize other people’s attention. Lively’s sentiment pushes back: stop auditioning for commitment; give space and watch what someone does without being managed.
As an actress and public figure, Lively’s context matters. Celebrity life is built on being wanted, pursued, claimed by headlines. This quote flips that script: what’s real is what can survive distance, silence, and the absence of performance. It’s not a guarantee you’ll get what you want; it’s permission to stop bargaining for it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Letting Go |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Featured | This quote was our Quote of the Day on October 27, 2023 |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Lively, Blake. (2026, January 11). If you ever want something badly, let it go. If it comes back to you, then it's yours forever. If it doesn't, then it was never yours to begin with. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-you-ever-want-something-badly-let-it-go-if-it-48363/
Chicago Style
Lively, Blake. "If you ever want something badly, let it go. If it comes back to you, then it's yours forever. If it doesn't, then it was never yours to begin with." FixQuotes. January 11, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-you-ever-want-something-badly-let-it-go-if-it-48363/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"If you ever want something badly, let it go. If it comes back to you, then it's yours forever. If it doesn't, then it was never yours to begin with." FixQuotes, 11 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-you-ever-want-something-badly-let-it-go-if-it-48363/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.









