As someone who’s chronically ill, a good quote – be it inspirational, sad, funny, even morbid (maybe especially morbid!) – can inspire me to carry on for another day. Words are magical. String them in a sequence, and they can generate so much hope. Rearrange them again, and they can serve to inspire, then stir up fury, before instilling calm once more. I have put together some chronic illness quotes on this page, in hope that it helps you through your day.
I personally believe that the best way to deal with chronic pain is through acceptance of our emotions, circumstances, limitations and strengths. I admit that this isn’t easy to do, and I still struggle with it. I’ve arranged the chronic illness quotes below into categories that I feel suits them best to make for easy viewing. Take what you need today.
It is also my hope that this chronic illness quotes page becomes a community hub. If you have a good quote that you’d like to share, be it from a book, movie, or even your own, please click on ‘Contribute a Quote’ button below. I plan on updating this page with more chronic illness quotes every now and then, so do come back to browse if you enjoy a good quote. Don’t forget to pin your favourite quotes here to share and refer to as well. Thank you and happy browsing!
*Note: This page is meant for sharing and educational purposes, and is based on the author’s personal experiences and perspectives. It is not to be substituted for medical advice. Please consult your own doctor before changing or adding any new treatment protocols.
New Quotes Added: 07 July 2023
Table of Contents
Inspirational Quotes for the Chronically Ill
“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” – Confucius
“Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” – Francis of Assisi
“And now you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” – John Steinback
“The best place to succeed is where you are with what you have.” – Charles Schwab
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden
“There are victories of the soul and spirit. Sometimes, even if you lose, you win.” – Eliezer Wiesel
“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something I can do.” – Edward Everett Hale
“Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.” – Albert Camus
“Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.” – John Wooden
“When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“There are plenty of difficult obstacles in your path. Don’t allow yourself to become one of them.” – Ralph Marston
“Insight is sudden. It is a flash of understanding. It’s what we do with our insights that can take a lifetime.” ― Eloise Ristad
“What is necessary is never unwise.” – Sarek (Star Trek)
“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott
Thank you to @serenebutterfly of brainlesionandme.com for the contribution!
Quotes on Time & Patience
“Patience is also a form of action.” – Auguste Rodin
“Breathe. What else in life could be more important than that?” – Sheryl Chan, A Chronic Voice
“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to.” – Unknown (Various sources attributed)
“Be patient. Everything comes to you in the right moment.” – Buddha
“If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves.” – Maria Edgeworth
“Never give up on a dream because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” – Earl Nightingale
Quotes on Love, Joy & Happiness
“Stop looking for happiness in the same place you lost it.” – Anonymous
“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” – Mother Teresa
“Our idea of happiness is our main obstacle to happiness.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“So you know all about me?”, asked the boy.
“Yes”, said the horse.
“And you still love me?”
“We love you all the more.” ― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention.” – Kahlil Gibran
Affirmations & Self-Love Chronic Illness Quotes
“Be your own best friend. Never ever, put yourself down.” – Paulo Coelho
“Don’t set sail on someone else’s star.” – African Proverb
“Character is what you know you are, not what others think you have.” – Marva Collins
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” – Alice Walker
“There is only one me amongst the billions of us on this planet, and we are all worth something in that regard.” – Sheryl Chan, A Chronic Voice
“My body is a bloody mess, but I love it just the same.” – Sheryl Chan, A Chronic Voice
“Certain things lose their power the moment you accept them to be true, because they can no longer prey on your thoughts. Take your self-confidence back.” – Sheryl Chan, A Chronic Voice
“My vulnerability may symbolise weakness, yet becomes a strength when used like a knife. I don’t have to put the broken pieces back together, because what would I cut and mark with, then?” – Sheryl Chan, A Chronic Voice
“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear.” – Rosa Parks
“Be you, love you. All ways, always.” – Alexandra Elle
“A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because its trust is not on the branch but on its own wings.” – Charlie Wardle
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that there was something wrong with me.” – Glennon Doyle
“When you need something to believe in, start with yourself.” – Ella Wright
“Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.” – Known as “Gates’ Law”; original author unknown
Productivity & Motivational Quotes
“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” – Anonymous
“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” – Stephen Covey
“Done is better than perfect.” – Sheryl Sandberg
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James
“Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.” – Unknown
“Failure is success in progress.” – Albert Einstein
“Don’t be pushed by your problems, be led by your dreams.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller
“When we give ourselves permission to fail, we, at the same time, give ourselves permission to excel.” – Eloise Ristad
“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” ~ Confucius
“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Face your fears voluntarily: that’s the cure.” – Jordan Peterson
Quotes on Life & Hope
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” – Robert Frost
“The meaning of life differs from man to man, and from moment to moment.” – Viktor Frankl
“Clay is fashioned into vessels; but it is on their empty hollowness that their use depends.” – Lao Tzu
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” – Annie Dillard
‘”To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” – Oscar Wilde
“If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavour.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“Every next level of your life will demand a different you.” – Leonardo Di Caprio
“Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege.” – John D. Rockefeller Jr.
“Civilisations should be measured by the degree of diversity attained and the degree of unity retained.” – W. H. Auden
“Maybe life isn’t about avoiding the bruises. Maybe it’s about collecting the scars to prove that we showed up for it.” — Hannah Brencher
“Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” – Will Rogers
“Let the waves carry you where the light can not.” – Mohit Kaushik Yenugwar
“Live to the point of tears.” – Albert Camus
Quotes on Change
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” -Maya Angelou
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank
“Change before you have to.” – Jack Welch
“A bend in the road is not the end of the road…Unless you fail to make the turn.” – Helen Keller
“If it costs you your peace, it’s too expensive.” – Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Funny Chronic Illness Quotes
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” – Will Rogers
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar
“Life gave me so many lemons I don’t know what to do with all the spares. Would you like one?” – Sheryl Chan, A Chronic Voice
“If at first you don’t succeed, have some cake.” “I see. Does it work?” “Every time.” ― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
Quotes on Grief, Loss & Sorrow
“Grief, like chronic pain, comes and goes. It is the ocean, and I am the shore. I will be broken, but there I remain.” – Sheryl Chan, A Chronic Voice
“For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: ‘It might have been.’” – John Greenleaf Whittier
Quotes from Poems
“You are human being.
So called for a reason.
Not human doing.
Just you being
Is wonder enough to make heaven fall still.
You are miracle.” – Thuli Zuma
“Instead of asking yourself,
‘What can I know?’
ask yourself,
‘What, at this moment, am I meant to know?’” – W. H. Auden
Quotes from Books & Stories
“What is the bravest thing you’ve ever said?”, asked the boy.
“Help”, said the horse. “Asking for help isn’t giving up. It’s refusing to give up.” ― Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
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