Chronic illnesses are like uninvited guests who never seem to leave. They stick around, sometimes for a lifetime, reshaping the way our bodies function. Conditions like pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, and diabetes are just a few examples of these unrelenting companions.
In this blog post, we dive into 35 chronic illness quotes that capture the full spectrum of emotions that chronic illnesses bring – from those that inspire inner strength, to those that provide a much-needed laugh.
Chronic illness doesn’t just play tricks on our bodies; it can also mess with our minds. Living with a chronic illness can make you feel down, isolated, angry, and downright sad. But, chronic illness can also be a chance to find strength, grace, and even humor amid its challenges.
Chronic Illness Quotes for Inner Strength
“Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day. Focus on the good, no matter how small.”
Alice Morse Earle
“The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.”
Fa Zhou, Mulan
“Some days there won’t be a song in your heart. Sing anyways.”
Emory Austin
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
“Promise me you’ll always remember: you’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
A.A. Milne
“Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it.”
Tori Amos
“When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”
Theodore Roosevelt
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will.”
Mahatma Gandhi
“Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.”
Suzanne Collins
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
Dale Carnegie
“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.”
Bernice Johnson Reagon
“The strongest people are not those who show strength in front of the world but those who fight and win battles that others do not know anything about.”
Jonathan Harnisch
“Sometimes asking for help is the most meaningful example of self-reliance.”
From the poem “Sometimes” by Cory Booker
Chronic Illness Reflections for Caregivers
“The disease might hide the person underneath, but there’s still a person in there who needs your love and attention.”
Jamie Calandriello
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
Lao Tzu
“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.”
Margaret Mead
“Kindness can transform someone’s dark moment with a blaze of light. You’ll never know how much your caring matters. Make a difference for another today.”
Amy Leigh Mercree
“Compassion brings us to a stop, and for a moment we rise above ourselves.”
Mason Cooley
Chronic Illness Quotes for Courage and Hope
“Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tiptoe if you must, but take a step.”
Naeem Callaway
“It’s not the situation that’s causing your stress, it’s your thoughts, and you can change that right here and now. You can choose to be peaceful right here and now. Peace is a choice, and it has nothing to do with what other people do or think.”
Gerald G. Jampolsky, MD
“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.”
Maya Angelou
“Go easy on yourself. Whatever you do today, let it be enough.”
Unknown
“I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.”
Amy March, from Little Women
"Sometimes you climb out of bed in the morning and you think, I’m not going to make it, but you laugh inside — remembering all the times you’ve felt that way."
Charles Bukowski
“Take a shower, wash off the day. Drink a glass of water. Make the room dark. Lie down and close your eyes. Notice the silence. Notice your heart. Still beating. Still fighting. You made it, after all. You made it, another day. And you can make it one more. You’re doing just fine."
Charlotte Eriksson
Funny Chronic Illness Quotes for A Much-Needed Laugh
“Can I order a replacement body, please? This one is constantly malfunctioning.”
Unknown
“My brain says let’s do something exciting today and my body says don’t listen to that fool.”
Unknown
“Being sick can feel like all fun and games until you no longer live with your mom.”
Unknown
“Being sick is just your body’s way of saying you’re way too awesome and you need to slow down so everyone else can catch up.”
Unknown
“I am just going to put an ‘out of order’ sticker on my forehead and call it a day.”
Unknown
Chronic Illness Quotes for Inner Peace
“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work; you don’t give up.”
Anne Lamott
“Courage isn't only fighting your circumstances; sometimes making peace with your circumstances requires more courage.”
Sonali Dev
“You don’t have to be positive all the time. It’s perfectly okay to feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated, scared, and anxious. Having feelings doesn’t make you a negative person. It makes you human.”
Lori Deschene
“You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously.”
J. Donald Walters
“Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.”
John F. Kennedy
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