Inspiring Quotes from Hospice Nurses: A Collection of Wisdom

"No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted."

- Aesop

"America’s nurses are the beating heart of our medical system."

- Barack Obama

"From caring comes courage."

- Lao Tzu

"It would not be possible to praise nurses too highly."

- Stephen Ambrose

"A nurse will always give us hope, an angel with a stethoscope."

- Carrie Latet

"The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away."

- Pablo Picasso

"Being a nurse means to hold all your own tears and start drawing smiles on people’s faces."

- Dana Basem

"For the sick, it is important to have the best."

- Florence Nightingale

"If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else."

- Booker T. Washington

"I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse."

- Florence Nightingale

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."

- Dalai Lama

"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

"Just so you know, doctors are here to diagnose, not heal. We heal."

- Edie Falco in Nurse Jackie

"People may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel."

- Maya Angelou

"Let us never consider ourselves finished, nurses. We must be learning all of our lives."

- Florence Nightingale

"The very first requirement in a hospital is that it should do the sick no harm."

- Florence Nightingale

"Every nurse was drawn to nursing because of a desire to care, to serve, or to help."

- Christina Feist-Heilmeier, RN

"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel."

- Maya Angelou

"Our fingerprints don’t fade from the lives we touch."

- Judy Blume

"The character of the nurse is as important as the knowledge she possesses."

- Carolyn Jarvis

"It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into what you do that counts."

- Mother Teresa

"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

"Nurses are the heart of healthcare."

- Donna Wilk Cardillo, MA, RN, CSP

"Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, a touch that never hurts."

- Charles Dickens

"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier."

- Mother Teresa

"Your customer doesn’t care how much you know until they know how much you care."

- Damon Richards

"What you do makes a difference. And you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."

- Jane Goodall

"What angels are to the sad, nurses are to the sick."

- Amit Kalantri

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

- Mahatma Gandhi

"A nurse is compassion in scrubs."

- Lexie Saige

"Nursing is one of the fine arts: I had almost said ‘the finest of fine arts.’"

- Florence Nightingale

"Bound by paperwork, short on hands, sleep, and energy…nurses are rarely short on caring."

- Sharon Hudacek

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, 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."

- Carrie Latet

"Caring is the essence of nursing."

- Jean Watson

"It is not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing."

- Mother Teresa

"Remember, nurses are like icebergs. At any one time, you are only seeing what they are actually doing."

- Ian Miller

"Constant attention by a good nurse may be just as important as a major operation by a surgeon."

- Dag Hammarskjold

"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

"Nurses are a unique kind. They have this insatiable need to care for others, which is both their biggest strength and fatal flaw."

- Dr. Jean Watson

"I never dreamed about success—I worked for it."

- Estée Lauder

"It is not enough to be compassionate—you must act."

- The Dalai Lama

"To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides."

- David Viscott

"Hardships often prepare people for an extraordinary destiny."

- C.S. Lewis

"I believe that the only courage anybody ever needs is the courage to follow your own dreams."

- Oprah Winfrey

"If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

- African Proverb

"Strength is the product of struggle. You must do what others don’t to achieve what others won’t."

- Henry Rollins

"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them."

- Walt Disney

"To care for anyone else enough to make their problems one’s own, is ever the beginning of one’s real ethical orientation."

- Aldous Huxley

"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul."

- Emily Dickinson

"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional."

- M. Kathleen Casey

"The most important thing is to enjoy your life—to be happy—it's all that matters."

- Audrey Hepburn

"Love is how we stay alive, even after we are gone."

- Mitch Albom

"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

"Caring for others is an expression of what it means to be fully human."

- Elizabeth McGowan

"Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths."

- Etty Hillesum

"Your calm mind is the ultimate weapon against your challenges."

- Bryant McGill

"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, that is to have succeeded."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

- Confucius

"Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship."

- Buddha

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."

- Aesop

"To care for anyone else enough to make their problems one’s own, is ever the beginning of one’s real humanity."

- Judith Wright

"We don't heal in isolation, but in community."

- S. Kelley Harrell

"It's not what we have in life, but who we have in our life that matters."

- J.C. Penny

"Always remember, you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

- A.A. Milne

"Even the smallest act of caring for another person is like a drop of water — it will make ripples throughout the entire pond."

- Jessie Carr

"It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy that makes happiness."

- Charles Spurgeon

"The best way to predict your future is to create it."

- Peter Drucker

"There is no greater power than a community discovering what it cares about."

- Margaret J. Wheatley

"Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."

- Mark Twain

"The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said."

- Peter Drucker

"Every patient carries her or his own doctor inside."

- Albert Schweitzer

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

- Oliver Goldsmith

"Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it."

- Buddha

"The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it."

- Hubert H. Humphrey

"Compassion brings us to a stop, and for a moment we rise above ourselves."

- Mason D. Wescott

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

- Maya Angelou

"What we have once enjoyed we can never lose; all that we love deeply becomes a part of us."

- Helen Keller

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"To care for anyone else enough to make their problems one’s own, is ever the beginning of one’s real life."

- Marc surely

"Grief is the price we pay for love."

- Queen Elizabeth II

"In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years."

- Abraham Lincoln

"Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day."

- Alice Morse Earle

"No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear."

- C.S. Lewis

"You matter because you are you, and you matter to the last moment of your life."

- Dame Cicely Saunders

"Wherever you are, be all there."

- Jim Elliot

"Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness."

- Desmond Tutu

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

- Oscar Wilde

"Life is a dance between making it happen and letting it happen."

- Arianna Huffington

"Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it."

- Haruki Murakami

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him."

- David Brinkley

"Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny."

- Steve Maraboli

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."

- Maya Angelou

"The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease."

- Voltaire

"Death is nature's way of telling you to slow down."

- Dick Sharples

"A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything."

- Irish Proverb

"The measure of intelligence is the ability to change."

- Albert Einstein

"If you can’t change your fate, change your attitude."

- Amy Tan

"Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans."

- Allen Saunders

"We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails."

- Dolly Parton

"Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."

- Winnie the Pooh

"Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day."

- Alice Morse Earle

"Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring without even a prescription."

"Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine."

"It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness."

"I’m a nurse because miracle worker isn’t an official title."

"The skill of being a hospice nurse is answering the call of a patient in their last moments with love and compassion."

"The nurse’s job is to take care of the person, by putting the patient at ease, guiding them and their families toward peace."

"Sometimes I inspire my patients; more often, they inspire me."

- Unknown

"Be the nurse you would want as a patient."

"Dying is a natural part of life; it's not something to be feared, but something to be accepted."

"We are all a little broken. But last time I checked, broken crayons still color."

"The medicine of life is in the suffering and overcoming of our struggles."

"We are designed to make a difference in someone's life, and sometimes that difference is simply being there."

"The art of nursing is to be present with thoughtful listening, sometimes more than touch."

"The aim of life is not to be on the ladder, but to be truly present with those we love."

"In nursing, you can give a hug or hold a hand and know that you’ve made a difference."

"No matter how difficult the days may get, don't forget the reason you became a nurse."

"Nurse: just another word to describe a person strong enough to tolerate everything and soft enough to understand everyone."

"Every nurse has that one patient that they'll remember forever."

"Every life is worth living, and every life has its purpose."

"When you are a nurse, you know that every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours."

"Nurses are the heart of health care."

"The measure of a nurse is whether she brings her heart to work, not her skill."

"Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is rest and let your body heal."

"Caring for the dying is one of the greatest gifts we are ever given."

"Nursing is not for everyone. It takes a special person with a unique blend of compassion, resilience, and dedication."

"Every day is a gift, even if it’s one wrapped in pain."

"You can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first."

"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

"The best medicine is the one that’s delivered with a touch of compassion."

"Nurses embody the spirit of care, compassion, dedication, and resilience."

"Taking care of yourself is part of taking care of others."

"Sometimes, the strongest people in the morning are the people who cried all night."

"Nursing is not just an art, it is also a science; but it is the heart of the nurse that makes the difference."

"The role of a nurse is to see the soul of another and to put themselves in that person's shoes."

"When you are in a moment of grief, know you are not alone. In this, we are all connected."

"We are all meant to be here for each other."

"In the face of death, we realize the importance of life itself and the connections we share."

"The greatest gift of life is the gift of giving. The greatest gift in life is love."

"Caring for these patients exposed me to the most profound moments of my life."

"The goal is not to prolong life, but to enhance it."

"Caring for the dying is a privilege, not a burden."

"Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is rest and let the patient know you are there for them."

"Save one life, you're a hero. Save a hundred lives, you're a nurse."

"It's not about adding days to your life, but adding life to your days."

"A nurse is not what you do, but who you are."

"The patient is more important than the procedure."

"A nurse is not what you do. It is what you are…. I am a nurse. It’s not what I do, it’s what I am."

- Unknown

"Treat the patient as a whole, not just the hole in the patient."

- Unknown

"To be a nurse is to be a part of something very beautiful."

"Just because you are not in control of the situation does not mean you should not care."

"The body can die, but the spirit can live forever."

"Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is rest and let the world know you’re still here."

"Being in a hospice is not about dying; it's about living the last moments to the fullest."

"The best care in life is the care we give to one another."

"Every sunrise is an invitation to rise and shine."

"Be the nurse you want to work with."

"We don't just provide care; we provide compassion."

"Every day, I go to work, knowing that I will make a difference in someone’s life, even if it’s just holding a hand."

"The greatest thing is to be at peace with oneself. We strive to provide that peace to our patients as they transition."

"It is not what we have that will make us a great nation; it is the way in which we care for those who need us."

"Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is rest and wait."

"Caring for the dying is one of the noblest professions, bringing comfort and love at a time of need."

"Caring for the dying is a gift, a privilege that so few are given."

"I think the hardest part is that you rarely get to say goodbye. You are there for the end of life, but often you must leave it behind."

"Nurses are angels in comfortable shoes."

- Unknown