As we have seen over the past two years, nursing is a challenging profession, especially for PRN clinicians. Add a global pandemic and it has become that much more complicated with many healthcare professionals feeling burnt out.
It takes a special person to become a healthcare professional and although many have the tenacity to continually give and truly wear the badge of honor that comes with being a “frontline hero,” everyone needs a positive boost to remember why they got started in the first place!
As we understand motivation likely ebbs and flows with long hours and a demanding job, we put together a list of our favorite quotes to raise your spirits, ignite your passions and help you see the value you bring to the communities you serve. Enjoy!
50 Motivational Quotes for Nursing
- “Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation as any painter's or sculptor's work.” – Florence Nightingale
- "Nurse: just another word to describe a person strong enough to tolerate anything and soft enough to understand anyone." – Anonymous
- “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest accomplishment or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” – Leo Buscaglia
- “As a nurse, we have the opportunity to heal the mind, soul, heart, and body of our patients, their families, and ourselves. They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
- "The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." – Confucius
- When you’re a nurse you know that every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours.” – Unknown
- “Value what you do and add value by what you do.” – Unknown
- "Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars." – Khalil Gibran
- "There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither." -- Alan Cohen
- “Forgive yourself, you are not perfect. Show yourself grace; you are still learning. Show yourself patience; you are on a journey.” – Unknown
- “When someone is going through a storm, your silent presence is more powerful than a million empty words.” – Unknown
- “Nurses are always there, you care for us from the earliest years. You look after us in our happiest and saddest times. And for many, you look after us and our families at the end of our lives. Your dedication and professionalism are awe-inspiring.” – Duchess Kate Middleton
- To do what nobody else will do, in a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through…that is what it is to be a nurse.” – Rawsi Williams
- “I am among those who think that science has great beauty.” – Marie Curie
- “Constant attention by a good nurse may be just as important as a major operation by a surgeon.” – Dag Hammarskjöld
- “Nurses are the heart of healthcare.” – Donna Wilk Cardillo
- “It would not be possible to praise nurses too highly.” – Stephen Ambrose
- “Save one person, you’re a hero. Save hundreds, you’re a nurse.” – Unknown
- “A caress, a smile, is full of meaning for one who is sick. It is a simple gesture, but encouraging, he or she feels accompanied, feels closer to being healed, feels like a person, not a number.” – Pope Francis
- “You’ve done enough. It’s okay to be tired. You can take a break.” – Shauna Niequist
- “America’s nurses are the beating heart of our medical system.” – President Barack Obama
- "It's not happening to you; it's happening through you. Check your thoughts and your energetic output for the answers." – Sanjo Jendayi
- “A nurse is one who opens the eyes of a newborn and gently closes the eyes of a dying man. It is indeed a high blessing to be the first and last to witness the beginning and end of life.” – Unknown
- “Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.” – President Theodore Roosevelt
- “The trained nurse has become one of the great blessings of humanity, taking a place beside the physician and the priest.” – Dr. William Osler
- “Not all angels have wings … some have scrubs.” – Unknown
- “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Be the nurse you would want as a patient.” – Unknown
- “I don’t stop when I’m tired, I only stop when I’m done.” – Marilyn Monroe
- “Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” – Lucille Ball
- "Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer." – Denis Waitley
- “Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.” – Dean Karnazes
- "The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have." – Norman Vincent Peale
- “Constant attention by a good nurse may be just as important as a major operation by a surgeon.” – Dag Hammarskjold
- “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, American writer
- “It is not how much we do – it is how much love we put into the doing.” – Mother Teresa
- “To do what nobody else will do, a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through; that is to be a nurse.” – Rawsi Williams
- “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest accomplishment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” – Leo Buscaglia
- “Nurses are the hospitality of the hospital.” – Anonymous
- “Remember: nurses are like icebergs. At any one time, you are only seeing what they are actually doing.” – Ian Miller
- “They may forget your name but they will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
- "When you help others feel important, you help yourself feel important too." – David J. Schwartz
- "To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity." – Don Alden Adams
- “Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don't.” – Steve Maraboli,
- "Men are rich only as they give. He who gives great service gets great rewards." – Elbert Hubbard
- "Words of comfort, skillfully administered, are the oldest therapy known to man." – Lous Nizer
- “The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.” – Morrie Schwartz
- "To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own." – Abraham Lincoln
- “The two things in life you are in total control over are your attitude and your effort.” – Billy Cox
- “Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.” – Benjamin Spock
Feeling inspired? Good! We hope this list is one you will continually come back to when you need it! Feel free to also share with your teams at the hospital!
Want more? Nursa offers a variety of impactful resources for nursing and healthcare professionals looking to build a better work-life balance! Be sure to check out our library of resources including our cutting edge app that allows nurses more flexibility in their job!
Which quote was your favorite and why? Share your thoughts in our growing nurse community.
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