Empowering Quotes for Overcoming OCD: A Collection of Inspiration

"OCD is like having a bully stuck inside your head and nobody else can see it."

- Krissy McDermott

"It’s like being controlled by a puppeteer. Every time you try and just walk away he pulls you back."

- Toni Neville

"It can look like still waters on the outside while a hurricane is swirling in your mind."

- Marcie Barber Phares

"It’s like a broken machine. Thoughts go in your head, get stuck and keep going around and around."

- Megan Flynn

"Just know that there is help, and your life could be better if you go out and seek the help."

- Howie Mandel

"You do not have to live the life that OCD wants you to live – you can live the life that you want to live."

- Patrick B. McGrath, Ph.D.

"Imagine all your worst thoughts as a soundtrack running through your mind 24/7, day after day."

- Adam Walker Cleveland

"You lose time. You lose entire blocks of your day to obsessive thoughts or actions."

- Kelly Hill

"Don’t let OCD control your life. You are in charge, not the disorder."

- Charlize Theron

"A physical sensation crawls up my arm as I avoid compulsions. But if I complete it, the world resets itself for a moment like everything will be just fine. But only for a moment."

- Mardy M. Berlinger

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear not absence of fear."

- Mark Twain

"For me, it’s like someone else has control of your brain. Like you’re being forced to do an endless number of completely random, pointless tasks you don’t want to do."

- Clarissa Chay

"Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The basic principle behind behavioral therapy for OCD is that you cannot be bored and scared at the same time."

- Fred Penzel

"The only courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one moment to the next."

- Mignon McLaughlin

"You really never lose until you stop trying."

- Mike Ditka

"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?"

- Vincent van Gogh

"Compulsions are a lousy solution to the problem of having obsessions."

- Fred Penzel

"Refuse to act on an obsession, and it will die of inaction."

- Recovery Inc.

"It is impossible to get out of a problem by using the same kind of thinking that it took to get into it."

- Albert Einstein

"I have not ceased being fearful, but I have ceased to let fear control me."

- Erica Jong

"You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

- A.A. Milne

"The issue is not that you get symptoms it's what you do with the symptoms that you get."

- Fred Penzel

"Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle."

- Christian D. Larson

"Getting well is 50 percent of the job, staying well is the other 50 percent."

- Fred Penzel

"You are not your illness. You have an individual story to tell. You have a name, a history, a personality. Staying yourself is part of the battle."

- Julian Seifter

"Suffering begins to dissolve when we can question the belief or hope that there's anywhere to hide."

- Pema Chodron

"Do not judge me by my successes; judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again."

- Nelson Mandela

"If you wait for the perfect moment when all is safe and assured, it may never arrive."

- Maurice Chevalier

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

- E.E. Cummings

"Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment."

- Stephen Covey

"Life is tough, my darling, but so are you."

- Stephanie Bennett Henry

"If you want to think about it less, think about it more."

- Fred Penzel

"Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart."

- Roy T. Bennett

"Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow."

- Mary Anne Radmacher

"The more you try to avoid suffering, the more you suffer because smaller things begin to torture you in proportion to your fear of suffering."

- Thomas Merton

"You cannot find peace by avoiding life."

- Michael Cunningham

"People with OCD drag a mental sea anchor around. Obsession is a brake, a source of drag, not a badge of creativity."

- David Adam

"What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step."

- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"We fear things in proportion to our ignorance of them."

- Titus Livius

"The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it."

- General Norman Schwarzkopf

"Worrying about dying will hardly help you live."

- Albert Ellis

"Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful."

- Annette Funicello

"There are some things one can only achieve by a deliberate leap in the opposite direction."

- Franz Kafka

"Doubts are more cruel than the worst of truths."

- Moliere

"The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us."

- Voltaire

"You should treat all disasters as if they were trivialities but never treat a triviality as if it were a disaster."

- Quentin Crisp

"I could think of nothing but the loneliness of being stuck in that glass room with only OCD for company."

- Ben Gander

"A man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a shortcut to meet it."

- J.R.R. Tolkien

"If you tried / and didn’t end up / where you wanted to go / that’s still progress."

- Rupi Kaur

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

- Alice Morse Earle

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."

- John Wooden

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."

- Arthur Ashe

"You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf."

- Jon Kabat-Zinn

"You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop."

- Rumi

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."

- Oscar Wilde

"My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened."

- Michel de Montaigne

"OCD is not how it’s stereotyped… it made me feel like my mind was playing a cruel trick on me…"

- Camila Cabello

"This only is certain, that there is nothing certain."

- Pliny the Elder

"My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened."

- Michel de Montaigne

"OCD is a thief of time and energy, but I am reclaiming my life, one moment at a time."

"I have OCD, and I am on a journey of self-discovery. I am learning to love and accept myself, flaws and all."

"I have OCD, but I also have a fierce spirit. I will not let it break me."

"The intrusive thoughts may be loud, but my voice is louder. I will not be silenced."

"My OCD may be a part of me, but it will not define me. I am more than my diagnosis."

"I have OCD, but I refuse to let it control my happiness. I choose joy."

"My OCD has taught me the importance of self-compassion and acceptance. I am learning to love myself, flaws and all."

"Living with OCD is like walking through a minefield, but I'm learning to navigate it with caution and courage."

"The compulsions may offer temporary comfort, but I am seeking lasting peace."

"My OCD journey has taught me resilience. I am stronger than I ever thought possible."

"With support and determination, I am overcoming my OCD and embracing a life filled with possibilities."

"My OCD may make life more challenging, but it also makes me more resilient."

"I have OCD, but I am not giving up. I will fight for my freedom, one day at a time."

"Love is a choice I make every day, despite my OCD's attempts to undermine it."

"My worth isn't determined by the 'perfection' of my relationship."

"I have OCD, but I am stronger than my fears. I will not surrender."

"I have OCD, but I also have hope. I believe in a brighter future."

"Behind my compulsions lies a deep well of anxiety, but I am learning to navigate its depths."

"I trust my partner's words and actions, not my OCD's interpretations."

"I'm tired of fighting, tired of resisting, tired of being consumed by this disorder."

"OCD is a thief, stealing my time, my energy, and my joy."

"The intrusive thoughts are like a broken record, playing the same tune of fear and doubt on repeat."

"I am not alone. There is a community of support, understanding, and strength waiting to embrace me."

"Every day is a battle, but every day I choose to fight."

"Nothing is more powerful than habit."

"Your mind is a powerful tool. Use it to challenge negative thoughts, cultivate self-compassion, and create a life you love."

"You are more than your OCD. You are a unique, wonderful individual with so much to offer the world."

"It's okay not to be okay. Give yourself permission to feel, to struggle, and to heal."

"Perfection is an illusion. Embrace your flaws, they make you beautifully human."

"Every time you challenge an OCD compulsion, you are taking back control. Keep going, warrior."

"Don't let OCD steal your joy. Fight back with laughter, love, and a relentless pursuit of your dreams."

"Recovery from OCD is a journey, not a destination. Celebrate every step, no matter how small."

"OCD may try to define you, but don't let it. You are stronger than your intrusive thoughts."

"You are stronger than you think, braver than you believe, and more capable than you imagine."

"Don't let fear hold you back. Face your anxieties and reclaim your life."

"Progress, not perfection, is the goal. Celebrate every small victory along the way."

"It's okay not to be okay. It's also okay to seek help and find support."

"Every challenge faced is an opportunity for growth. OCD is no exception."

"OCD is not a life sentence. It is a challenge that, with time and effort, you can overcome."

"Turn your struggles into strengths. Use your experiences to inspire and uplift others."

"You are a warrior. Keep fighting, keep growing, and never lose sight of your inner light."

"Don't let OCD dim your light. Shine bright and illuminate the world."

"The bravest thing you can do is continue your life when you don’t know how."

"OCD may try to control you, but you have the power to break free."

"Living with OCD is like carrying a heavy weight, a burden that never seems to lighten."

"The fear of contamination haunts my every move, turning ordinary tasks into a battleground."

"I am more than my OCD, but sometimes it feels like it's all that defines me."

"OCD is a constant battle, a war waged against my own mind."

"Behind my smile lies a hidden struggle, a silent scream for help."