These Motivational Quotes for Nurses Show Them How Much You Appreciate Them

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Inspirational nurse quotes Funny nurse quotes Motivational nurse quotes Nurse appreciation quotes

May is National Nurses Month, but every day, month, and year presents an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate those in the profession. But, it’s always a good time to share a motivational quote for nurses to let them know how much you appreciate what they do. The dutiful caregivers and knowledge sharers of the medical field are vital to all kinds of spaces—from hospitals to long-term rehabilitation facilities to home care and more.

Nurses are special because they, somehow, manage to find and deliver the perfect balance of professional advice, treatment, and tender affection to the patients and families who need it. That’s why they deserve a month of recognition, and then some. Because they do so much, though, it can be difficult to put proper appreciation into words. It can feel like there’s too much to thank them for.

Luckily, nurses, thinkers, and educators of the past and present have provided plenty of wisdom in the category, as have plenty of anonymous authors. There are so many poignant, motivational, inspirational, and even funny quotes for nurses to show them some love or share with fellow crew members. Share the below with a nurse in your life; or if you are a nurse, bookmark these to read when you need a pick-me-up.

Inspirational nurse quotes

“Nurse: just another word to describe a person strong enough to tolerate everything and soft enough to understand everyone.” —Unknown
“When you are a nurse, you know that every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours.” —Unknown
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” —William Shakespeare
“Not all angels have wings… some have scrubs.” —Unknown
“When I think about all the patients and their loved ones I have worked with over the years, I know most of them don’t remember me, nor I them. But I do know that I gave a little piece of myself to each of them, and they to me, and those threads make up the tapestry that is my career in nursing.” —Donna Wilk Cardillo, M.A., R.N., C.S.P.
“Let us never consider ourselves finished, nurses. We must be learning all of our lives.” —Florence Nightingale
“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Save one life, you’re a hero. Save a hundred lives, you’re a nurse.” —Unknown
“Nurses—one of the few blessings of being ill.” —Sara Moss-Wolfe
“Sometimes I inspire my patients; more often, they inspire me.” —Unknown
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” —Mahatma Gandhi
“Be the nurse you would want as a patient.” —Unknown
“Nurses are the heart of healthcare.” —Donna Wilk Cardillo, MA, RN, CSP, FAAN
“The character of the nurse is as important as the knowledge she possesses.” —Carolyn Jarvis
“A nurse will always give us hope, an angel with a stethoscope.” —Carrie Latet
“As a nurse, we have the opportunity to heal the mind, soul, heart, and body of our patients. They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” —Maya Angelou
“Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, a touch that never hurts.” —Charles Dickens
“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
“Our job as nurses is to cushion the sorrow and celebrate the job, every day, while we are ‘just doing our jobs.’” —Christine Belle
“When you feel like quitting, remember why you started.” —Unknown
“Value what you do and add value by what you do.” —Unknown
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle.” —Plato
“Nursing is not for the empty of heart…nor the faint of heart.” —Unknown
“What angels are to the sad, nurses are to the sick.” —Amit Kalantri
“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.” —Henry David Thoreau
“It’s a beautiful thing when a career and a passion come together.” —Unknown
“Panic plays no part in the training of a nurse.” —Elizabeth Kenny

Funny nurse quotes

“May your cup runneth over, unless it’s that urine specimen cup you’re trying to hand me.” —Unknown
“May your scrubs be comfy, your coffee be strong, and your Monday be short.” —Unknown
“I’ve come to the realization that I’ll touch anything as long as I have gloves on.” —Unknown
“Yes, I am a nurse. No, I don’t want to look at it.” —Unknown
“Shift change is my favorite time of day.” —Unknown
“Nurses can’t fix stupid… but we can sedate it.” —Unknown
“I love being a nurse, but I mostly love wearing scrubs. They’re basically professional pajamas.” —Unknown
“I came, I cared, I charted.” —Unknown
“You think Mondays are bad? Try working weekends, holidays, and 12-hour nights.” —Unknown
“You know you work in healthcare when you can discuss puke and bowel movements at the lunch table and no one flinches.” —Unknown
“I’m a nurse because ‘miracle worker’ isn’t an official title.” —Unknown
“I’m a nurse. What’s your superpower?” —Unknown
“If you walk a mile in a nurse’s shoes, you’ll walk a whole lot farther than a mile, and your back will kill you at the end.” —Unknown
“Why yes, I do marathons. It’s called 12.5-plus hour nurse shift run three times a week.” —Unknown

Motivational nurse quotes

“I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” —Art Williams
“You treat a disease: you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you win…no matter the outcome.” —Robin Williams, Patch Adams
“Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen every day.” —H. Jackson Brown Jr.
“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
“Knowing is better than wondering, waking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beats the hell out of never trying.” —Grey’s Anatomy
“It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into doing”. —Mother Teresa
“There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.” —Rosalyn Carter
“What you do makes a difference. And you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” —Jane Goodall
“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.” —Mother Teresa
“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
“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this something, at whatever cost, must be attained.” —Marie Curie
“Work for a cause, not for applause. Live life to express, not to impress. Don’t strive to make your presence noticed, just make your presence felt.” —Grace Lichtenstein
“Fill your mind with truth. Fill your heart with love. Fill your life with service.” —Vaughn J. Featherstone
“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.” —Earl Shoaf
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” —Steve Jobs
“No matter how difficult the days may get, don’t forget the reason you became a nurse.” —Unknown
“I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” —Art Williams
“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Happiness…consists of giving, and in serving others.” —Henry Drummond
“Work for a cause, not for applause. Live life to express, not to impress. Don’t strive to make your presence noticed, just make your presence felt.” —Grace Lichtenstein
“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” —Maya Angelou
“I think one’s feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results.” —Florence Nightingale
“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 Bascaglia
“When someone is going through a storm, your silent presence is more powerful than a million empty words.” —Mahatma Ghandi
“If you wait to do everything until you’re sure it’s right, you’ll probably never do much of anything.” —Win Borden
“Confidence is not: ‘They will like me.’ Confidence is: ‘I’ll be fine if they don’t.’ Successful people have fear, successful people have doubts, and successful people have worries. They just don’t let these feelings stop them.” —T. Harv Eker
“I am among those who think that science has great beauty.” —Marie Curie
“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
“The definition of a nurse: To go above and beyond the call of duty. The first to work and the last to leave. The heart and soul of caring. Who will pass through your life for a minute and impact it for an eternity? An empowered individual whom you may meet for only a 12-hour period, but who will put you and yours above theirs.” —Unknown
“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” —Anthony J. D’Angelo
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” —Nelson Mandela
“Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen every day.” —H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Nurse appreciation quotes

“It would not be possible to praise nurses too highly.” —Stephen Ambrose
“Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring without even a prescription.” —Val Saintsbury
“Nurses are a unique kind. They have this insatiable need to care for others, which is both their biggest strength and fatal flaw.” —Jean Watson
“A nurse will always give us hope, an angel with a stethoscope.” —Carrie Latet
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead
“Constant attention by a good nurse may be just as important as a major operation by a surgeon.” —Dag Hammarskjold
“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
“Nurses are the hospitality of the hospital.” —Carrie Latet
“Bound by paperwork, short on hands, sleep, and energy…nurses are rarely short on caring.” —Sharon Hudacek
“You didn’t even know me, yet you treated me like family…I’ll never forget that. Thank you.” —Unknown
“The doctors may be mapping out the war games, but it is the nurses who make the conflict bearable.” —Jodi Picoult
“The world gives you so much pain and here you are, making gold out of it—there is nothing purer than that.” —Rupi Kaur