"Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."
- John Wayne
Courage
"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."
- Thomas A. Edison
Perseverance
"There is no higher honor than to be given the responsibility to care for another human being."
- Richard K. Schachern
Responsibility
"Next to creating a life, the finest thing a man can do is save one."
- Abraham Lincoln
Service
"Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light."
- Norman B. Rice
Courage
"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
Compassion
"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal."
- Albert Pike
Contribution
"If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For passion will lead you right into your purpose."
- Bishop T.D. Jakes
Aspirations
"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Success
"I didn’t become an EMT to get a front-row seat to other people’s tragedies. I did it because I knew the world was bleeding and so was I, and somewhere inside I knew the only way to stop my own bleeding was to learn how to stop someone else’s."
- Daniel José Older
Compassion
"So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable."
- Christopher Reeve
Aspirations
"Police officers, firefighters, EMTs—they are all out there every single day—literally just a phone call away for anyone who needs them."
- Doreen Cronin
Service
"You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction."
- George Lorimer
Determination
"If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe."
- Abraham Lincoln
Education
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
- Nelson Mandela
Education
"When you give joy to other people, you get more joy in return. You should give a good thought to happiness that you can give out."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Compassion
"EMTs are privileged to play in life’s great game. Too many unlucky people watch the action thunder by, stuck at a desk, or watching it on television at home."
- Kelly Grayson
Connection to Earth
"For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you."
- Neil deGrasse Tyson
Compassion
"Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."
- Warren Buffet
Generosity
"Try to save the lives that can be saved… and accept those that can’t."
- Paramedics
Compassion
"My role as a paramedic isn’t always to save a life… sometimes it is to simply make their transition comfortable."
- Australian Paramedic
Compassion
"Being a good paramedic means being able to do as much as you possibly can to save a life… and knowing how to accept it, when this is just not enough."
- Paramedic – Ambulance Service of NSW
Compassion
"Never complain that a patient wasn’t having an emergency (when they genuinely felt that they were) just because you knew how to deal with their medical problem… this may appear like a routine case for you, but to them, it may have been the greatest emergency they have ever faced in their lives."
- Paramedic – Metropolitan Ambulance Service Victoria
Empathy
"If you think you can’t achieve something… you probably can’t… if you believe you can achieve something… you probably will…"
- Unknown Paramedic
Belief in Self
"I don’t need to save everyone’s life… just so long as I can save someone’s."
- Paramedic of 36 years
Service
"You can only fix one thing at a time… so don’t try and solve everything at once."
- Unknown Paramedic
Focus
"Don’t just look at the patient’s machine observations… look at the patient… and then determine the treatment."
- Unknown Paramedic
Insight
"Let perfusion determine treatment."
- Intensive Care Paramedic (QLD)
Insight
"Rule number 1 patients die... Rule number 2, Medics can't always change rule number 1."
- FTO
Adversity
"Death is not my enemy, he is part of the QC department."
- me
Facing Fears
"Never kill a patient the same way twice!"
- ER attending
Learning from Mistakes
"We the willing led by the unknowing are doing the impossible for the ungrateful, you have done so much for so long with so little that you are now qualified to do anything with nothing."
Determination
"Never run on scene, unless you see me running then follow as fast as you can!"
- Unknown
Bravery
"Do your best. One day, you will be someone’s hero."
Motivation
"All bleeding eventually stops."
Contentment
"Two rules in life: Don't sweat the petty stuff. Don't pet the sweaty stuff."
Philosophy