Inspiring Police Quotes: A Collection of Wisdom and Courage

"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"Bravery is not the absence of fear, but action (the mastery of it) in the face of fear."

- John Berridge

"Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid."

- President Ronald Reagan

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."

- Winston Churchill

"Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, and who is neither tarnished nor afraid."

- Raymond Chandler

"People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

- George Orwell

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust, sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end triumph of high achievement; and at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth."

- Muhammad Ali

"There is no greater gift than the dedication to service."

- Maya Angelou

"Bravery is not the absence of fear, but action in the face of fear."

- Mark Messier

"The wicked flee when no man pursueth; but the righteous are bold as a lion."

- Proverbs 28:1

"No man is worth his salt, who is not ready at all times to risk his body, to risk his well-being, to risk his life in a great cause."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"Don’t foul, don’t flinch — hit the line hard!"

- Theodore Roosevelt

"Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit."

- Napoleon Hill

"It is really wonderful how much resilience there is in human nature."

- Bram Stoker

"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it."

- Henry Ford

"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to make the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

- Michael Jordan

"In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."

- J.K. Rowling

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

- Oliver Goldsmith

"Fall seven times, stand up eight."

- Japanese Proverb

"Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems."

- Gever Tulley

"They had always been brave in dealing with riotous and violent criminals."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"Speak softly and carry a big stick — you will go far."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"I have not the slightest sympathy with any policy which tends to put the policeman at the mercy of a tough, or which deprives him of efficient weapons."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"The best executive, is the one, who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"The police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence."

- Robert Peel

"Each day, millions of police officers do the selfless work of putting their lives on the line to protect civilians, frequently responding to or preventing crises completely with no recognition."

- Letitia James

"The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived."

- Robert Jordan

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it."

- Helen Keller

"Tough times never last, but tough people do."

- Robert Schuller

"The human capacity for burden is like bamboo—far more flexible than you’d ever believe at first glance."

- Jodi Picoult

"Without trust we don’t truly collaborate; we merely coordinate or, at best, cooperate."

- Stephen M.R. Covey

"Blessed are the peacekeepers, for they shall be called the children of God."

- Matthew 5:9

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

- Maya Angelou

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear."

- Ambrose Redmoon

"Wisdom is knowing the right path to take. Integrity is taking it."

- M.H. McKee

"Be the type of person that when your feet touch the floor in the morning, the devil says ‘Oh crap … they’re up!’"

- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

"No man is above the law and no man is below the law."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"Obedience of the law is demanded not asked as a favor."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"No man is justified in doing evil on the ground of expediency."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"We humans need to reboot and learn to have gratitude for our doctors, police officers, or those providing essential services, otherwise they would feel that it's a thankless job. They risk their lives for others and don't even get time for their own family. We need to be more compassionate, caring towards them instead of misbehaving."

- Jaideep Ahlawat

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."

- Joseph Campbell

"The police are the public and the public are the police."

- Sir Robert Peel

"In service, we find ourselves."

- Mahatma Gandhi

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it."

- John Ruskin

"At the end of the day, the goals are simple: safety and security."

- Jodi Rell

"The duties of an officer are the safety of the community and the integrity of the law."

- Samuel Jones

"A man’s true wealth is the good he does in this world."

- Muhammad

"The purpose of our lives is to be happy."

- Dalai Lama

"The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service."

- Billy Graham

"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others."

- Dalai Lama

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

- Mahatma Gandhi

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn, or consumed. It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."

- Denis Waitley

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."

- William James

"The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense."

- Thomas Edison

"Trust is built with consistency."

- Lincoln Chafee

"Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships."

- Stephen R. Covey

"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them."

- Ernest Hemingway

"Trust is earned when actions meet words."

- Chris Butler

"To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved."

- George MacDonald

"Trust starts with truth and ends with truth."

- Santosh Kalwar

"Trust involves being vulnerable and open to disappointment."

- Brené Brown

"Trust is built step by step, commitment by commitment, on every level."

- Robert C. Solomon

"To earn trust, you have to show some competence and honesty."

- Michael Geke

"The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment."

- Drake

"Fearless isn't the absence of fear. It's the mastery of fear."

- Arianna Huffington

"Duty, honor, country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be."

- Douglas MacArthur

"Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

- George Orwell

"The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example."

- Benjamin Disraeli

"Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm."

- Publilius Syrus

"Hire character. Train skill."

- Peter Schutz

"I think we take for granted police officers and detectives that walk into some pretty heinous situations, and they really have to be very brave. So I love playing a character that's very brave - someone that kind of dives in the fire to figure out what's happened."

- George Eads

"The willingness of America’s veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude."

- Jeff Miller

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."

- E.E. Cummings

"The duties of an officer are the safety, honor and welfare of your country first; the honor, welfare and comfort of the men in your command second; and the officer’s own ease, comfort and safety last."

- George S. Patton

"The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

- Steve Jobs

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"A true hero isn’t measured by the size of their strength, but by the strength of their heart."

- Zeus, Hercules

"It is one thing to train officers on fighting crime. It is a whole other thing to train them to build friendships and relationships, which are integral to fighting crime. This takes time, effort, and patience on the part of police officers."

- Rahm Emanuel

"The reason I like the criminal justice system is there aren't Republican or Democrat victims or police officers or prosecutors. It's about respect for the rule of law!"

- Trey Gowdy

"Instead of speaking about defunding the police, we should be advocating ways to create partnerships and promoting connectivity between communities and police officers."

- Angela Stanton-King

"I know a lot of police officers who are on the force to do the right thing to protect people. But how can you deny this pattern, this disturbing pattern, Alton Sterling, Mr. Castile in my own community, Philando Castile, but then Tamir Rice, Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland?"

- Keith Ellison

"I love race car drivers, I love gymnastics, I love UFC, I love police officers, I love firefighters. I just try to give them the same enjoyment they give me."

- Shaquille O'Neal

"Whether it's police officers, firefighters, first responders, or 911 dispatchers, many dedicated Americans work long hours, and often in difficult conditions, to make sure that when someone's in need, they can help."

- Ajit Pai

"Mindfulness isn’t difficult. We just need to remember to do it."

- Sharon Salzberg

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"It doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like, so long as somebody loves you."

- Roald Dahl

"Life isn’t about getting and having, it’s about giving and being."

- Kevin Kruse

"A good society is characterised not just by liberty but by mutual respect and responsibility. When this breaks down it takes a lot more than police officers to put things right."

- David Lammy

"Police officers see everything, and they experience everything, and they don't always act correctly."

- Cheo Hodari Coker

"When you need to innovate, you need collaboration."

- Marissa Mayer

"It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up."

"Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair."

"I don’t have to draw a line in the sand. I already have one. It’s thin. It’s blue. It’s mine and if you cross it, I will protect it."

"When you think about quitting, remember why you started."

"No matter how much it hurts now, someday you will look back and realize your struggles changed your life for the better."

"Success isn’t just about what you accomplish in your life, it’s about what you inspire others to do."

"If something happens to one of us, it’s felt by all of us."

"Trust is like a paper. Once it’s crumpled, it can’t be perfect again."

"The badge. It doesn’t weigh much until you put it on."