In December 2024, internet users shared a quote about accepting the ends of relationships, attributing the words to actor Julia Roberts. In full, the quote read: "When people leave you, let them go. Your destiny is never tied to anyone who leaves you, and it doesn't mean they're bad people. It just means their role in your story is over."
Examples of the quote's attribution to Roberts appeared on social media platforms including X (archived), Facebook (archived), and Threads (archived). One Facebook post (archived), dated Dec. 11, 2024, had amassed around 96,000 reactions and 34,000 shares at the time of this writing.
(Facebook page EMOTIONS)
Many commenters appeared to take the quote's attribution as fact. For instance, one Facebook commenter called it a "marvelous input from a shining movie Star." Another wrote: "Wow, very well said! I like her mind set."
However, there was no demonstrable evidence that Roberts ever said these words. A Google search for the quote returned only social media posts, none of which contained any information about when or in what context Roberts allegedly delivered the quote. We were unable to track down any primary sources — such as an interview or a social media post from an account officially associated with Roberts — to back up assertions that the actor was the quote's originator.
We've reached out to representatives for Roberts to ask about the authenticity of the quote, and will update this story if and when we hear back.
We've previously investigated other rumors related to Roberts, such as the claim that Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King covered the hospital bill for her birth in 1967.