100+ Inspirational Quotes to Empower Your Fight Against Cancer

"Once you choose hope, anything’s possible."

- Christopher Reeve

"Nothing is impossible. The word itself says I’m possible!"

- Audrey Hepburn

"Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul."

- Jim Valvano

"Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

- Winston Churchill

"We have two options, medically and emotionally: give in or fight like hell."

- Lance Armstrong

"Even with the best possible scans, my cancer is still considered incurable—although I live with tremendous hope that may change one day. The word ‘incurable’ initially petrified me because we are often led to believe cancer patients are either curable or terminal. But incurable disease can still be treatable, and there exists a third lane in between cured and terminal that is full of hope, meaning, and purpose. That’s the lane I’m in, one in which I’m thriving and living my best life—not only in spite of metastatic breast cancer, but also because of it."

- Sally Joy Wolf

"Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

- A.A. Milne

"Cancer didn’t bring me to my knees; it brought me to my feet."

- Michael Douglas

"I couldn’t change my metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, but I could control my mindset. There might not be a cure (yet!), but there is always hope. Today, tomorrow, and every day after. I trust in research and new treatments, and I trust in the timing of my life."

- Paige Stables

"Cancer survivors are blessed with two lives. There is your life before cancer, and your life after. I am here to tell you your second life is going to be so much better than the first."

- Hoda Kotb

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"Believe you can, and you’re halfway there."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"You can be a victim of cancer or a survivor of cancer. It’s a mindset."

- Dave Pelzer

"Don’t count the days. Make the days count."

- Muhammad Ali

"I have cancer. Cancer doesn’t have me."

- Marco Calderon

"When you die, that does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and in the manner in which you live."

- Stuart Scott

"Believe you can, and you are halfway there."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"You define your own life. Don’t let other people or your circumstances write your script."

- Oprah Winfrey

"You’re stronger than you ever realized, without a doubt."

- Theresa Gougeon

"You must DO the things YOU THINK you cannot do."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"A positive attitude is at least as important as everything that’s thrown at you during treatment."

- Scott Ward

"You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live."

- Stuart Scott

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"HOPE is living with COURAGE and CONFIDENCE, not FEAR."

- Penny Boldrey, Cancer Survivor

"Whether you think you can or you can't, you're probably right."

- Henry Ford

"Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well."

- Robert Louis Stevenson

"Cancer is a journey, but you walk the road alone. There are many places to stop along the way and get nourishment - you just have to be willing to take it."

- Emily Hollenberg

"I am not this hair, I am not this skin, I am the soul that lives within."

- Rummi

"Cure sometimes, treat often, comfort always."

- Hippocrates

"You have to be willing to give up the life you planned, and instead, greet the life that is waiting for you."

- Joseph Campbell

"Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us."

- Samuel Smiles

"Hope is the ability to hear the music of the future. Faith is the courage to dance to it today."

- Peter Kuzmic

"If you can, find a purpose - something to do that occupies your time and your mind so you're not always concentrating on the cancer."

- Diane Detter

"If there’s an experience you want to have, go for it. Try not to put things off. Do what you can to not let cancer be your whole life."

- Darlene Nichols

"We all know what that isolation of a cancer diagnosis feels like. Hearing other people’s stories and the dimensions that happen on their paths can make you feel less alone and remain positive."

- Wendy Passer

"Don't let pain define you, let it refine you."

- Tim Fargo

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."

- Maya Angelou

"You have to figure out your own way to deal with this diagnosis. You learn about yourself, what you are made of. This can be extraordinary and you want to share this, help others who go through the same thing."

- 2012 Cancer Survivors Day attendee

"Cancer changes your life, often for the better. You learn what's important, you learn to prioritize, and you learn not to waste your time. You tell people you love them."

- Joel Siegel

"When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: You haven't."

- Thomas Edison

"I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."

- Galileo

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift – that’s why it’s called ‘the present.'"

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"Our way is not soft grass; it’s a mountain path with lots of rocks. But it goes upwards, forward, toward the sun."

- Ruth Westheimer

"When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds, and diamonds are made under pressure."

- Peter Marshall

"Yesterday is gone, tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today, let us begin."

- Mother Teresa

"Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark."

- Rabindranath Tagore

"You can be sad. You can go there. But you can’t stay there. Try to set your intention to get through the day and be as present as you can be."

- Heather Jose

"In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

- Albert Camus

"Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what will be."

- Sonia Ricotti

"Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher."

- Oprah

"Cancer is a word, not a sentence."

- John Diamond

"You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."

- Marcus Aurelius

"Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear the hardship today."

- Thich Nhat Hanh

"Hope is living with courage and confidence, not fear."

- Penny Boldrey

"I am not this hair; I am not this skin; I am the soul that lives within."

- Rumi

"To have courage for whatever comes in life — everything lies in that."

- Teresa of Ávila

"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"Sometimes it’s like the scariest thing in the world becomes the thing that makes you fearless."

- Hoda Kotb

"Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a different way to stand."

- Oprah Winfrey

"Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient."

- Steve Maraboli

"The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory."

- Les Brown

"Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you."

- Misty Copeland

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

- Albert Camus

"It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit."

- J.R.R. Tolkien

"The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it."

- C.C. Scott

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain."

- Vivian Greene

"Sometimes even to live is an act of courage."

- Lucius Annaeus Seneca

"A positive attitude is a good medicine."

- Cancer survivor

"No matter what the statistics say, there is always a way."

- Bernie Siegel

"Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you."

- Walt Whitman

"What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside of you."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"For I will restore health unto you, and I will heal you of your wounds, says the Lord."

- Jeremiah 30:17a

"It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light."

- Aristotle

"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts today."

- Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"Cancer is only going to be a chapter in your life, not the whole story."

- Joe Wasser

"Be Strong – Stay Strong."

- Steve

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."

- Winston Churchill

"Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass… It’s about learning to dance in the rain."

- Vivian Greene

"Each day is a gift. That is why they call it “present.”"

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God: I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."

- Isaiah 41:10

"Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start."

- Nibo Qubein

"Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future."

- Robert H. Schuller

"There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as the expectation of something better tomorrow."

- Orison Swett Marden

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."

- Mahatma Gandhi

"The only disability in life is a bad attitude."

- Scott Hamilton

"Above all, cancer is a spiritual practice that teaches me about faith and resilience."

- Kris Carr

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

- Ambrose Redmoon

"You need to spend time crawling alone through shadows to truly appreciate what it is to stand in the sun."

- Shaun Hick

"Today we fight. Tomorrow we fight. The day after, we fight. And if this disease plans on whipping us, it better bring a lunch, ’cause it’s gonna have a long day doing it."

- Jim Beaver

"Only in the darkness can you see the stars."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"All we’ve got is hope, and we hang on to that every single day."

- Caleb Scott

"You have to fight, because if you don’t, you let the opponent win. And if your opponent is cancer, the results can be deadly."

- Lawrence Wray

"To the question of your life, you are the only answer. To the problems of your life, you are the only solution."

- Jo Coudert

"Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts. It's what you do with what you have left."

- Hubert Humphrey

"If fear is cultivated it will become stronger, if faith is cultivated it will achieve mastery."

- John Paul Jones

"It's not the load that breaks you down: it's the way you carry it."

- Lena Horne

"Cancer gave me a reason to be the best version of myself, and that’s what I’ve done. You realize that fear can either cripple you or it can motivate you, and it had been crippling me. And I decided to change it, and let that fear be motivating."

- Amy Robach

"My cancer diagnosis was the permission slip I never needed to start being more intentional with my life and time. I have softened into my hard edges. I spent so many years shaming and picking apart my body, trying to improve and perfect it. Now I stand in awe of what my body is capable of—its resilience, and everything else I had taken for granted."

- Danielle Doby

"Surviving breast cancer redefined who and how I am, although I’m not sure I’d recommend it. Until then, I’d spent a lifetime being a caretaker for everyone around me. From then, I started to put myself first. I had voices at the back of my head telling me whatever I did wasn’t good enough. Now, finally, I’ve silenced them."

- Sheryl Crow

"Many, many years ago, I was on a boat with my husband. I was swimming in the water. He came to the bow of the boat and he said, ‘Jules, I don’t want you to panic, but there’s a shark in the water, so you need to come back.’ And I was far away from the boat. And so, I just saw the ladder and I started swimming toward it, and I made the decision not to look around me at all. I was just going to stay looking at the ladder. And that very much applied to how I got through my cancer adventure—was sort of looking at the ladder. Just let’s get this done, let’s get there."

- Julia Louis-Dreyfus

"I wish I could say I’m fearless, that each time I have a scan or blood draw I’m not anxious or stressed. But I’m getting brave. Once you’re faced with the fear of death, or not knowing what tomorrow brings, you’re like, ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ I’m working on not allowing fear to be my primary driving factor and living by the lessons I’ve learned so far: Keep breathing. Being mindful. Being grateful. Believing that the universe has a plan for me that is better than the one I could ever imagine."

- Sheetal Dewan

"I’m now 59 with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. I still don’t have a partner, but I’ve fallen desperately in love with life. Exquisite beauty emerges everywhere: my cat on my lap, a cashier extending an unexpected smile, sunlight skipping across a lake. I use each day to soak up the world’s splendor. ‘Not yet,’ I whisper to the heavens. ‘I love it here.'"

- Clare Cory

"Your life is your story. Write well. Edit often."

- Susan Statham

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."

- Proverb

"It’s about focusing on the fight and not the fright."

- Robin Roberts

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

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

- Dolly Parton

"Cancer can touch you, but not your soul; neither your thoughts nor your heart."

- Vikrmn, Guru with Guitar

"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

"When it rains look for rainbows, when it's dark look for stars."

- Oscar Wilde

"Time is shortening. But every day that I challenge this cancer and survive is a victory for me."

- Ingrid Bergman

"The most important thing in illness is never to lose heart."

- Nikolai Lenin

"Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."

- Sarah Williams

"Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, ‘I’m possible!’"

- Audrey Hepburn

"We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up or fight like hell."

- Lance Armstrong

"Remember how far you’ve come, not just how far you have to go. You may not be where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be."

- Rick Warren

"Cancer is not a death sentence, but rather it is a life sentence; it pushes one to live."

- Marcia Smith

"Cancer is a journey, but you walk the road alone. There are many places to stop along the way and get nourishment — you just have to be willing to take it."

- Emily Hollenberg

"Don’t let pain define you. Let it refine you."

- Tim Fargo

"Cancer is only going to be a chapter in your life, not the whole story"

- Joe Wasser

"Strength is born in the deep silence of long-suffering hearts; not amidst joy."

- Felicia Hemans

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you can never see the shadow."

- Helen Keller

"Difficult roads can lead to beautiful destinations."

- Kia Wynn

"If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude."

- Maya Angelou

"Cancer is messy and scary. You throw everything at it, but don’t forget to throw love at it. It turns out that might be the best weapon of all."

- Regina Brett

"For every wound, there is a scar, and every scar tells a story.  A story that says, ‘I survived!’"

- Fr. Craig Scott

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

- Jon Kabat-Zinn

"When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: You haven’t."

- Thomas Edison

"Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances that we know to be desperate."

- G. K. Chesterton

"You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have."

- Cayla Mills

"Take one day at a time. Today, after all, is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday."

- Billy Graham

"One day at a time, one step at a time. Do what you can, do your best. Let God handle the rest."

- Michelle Jones

"I will say of the Lord; he is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust."

- Psalm 91:1,2

"Love and laughter are two of the most important universal cancer treatments on the planet. Overdose on them."

- Tanya Masse

"The experience of a cancer diagnosis will live in me. It was difficult. It was also amazing. Amazing in that you are very aware of your body, of the love that’s around you, of your capability, all sorts of things."

- Kylie Minogue

"Cancer opens many doors. One of the most important is your heart."

- Greg Anderson

"I’m a tough cookie. Except for the cancer, I’m fine."

- Lisa Scottoline

"Control what you can control, your mind and attitude."

- Cancer survivor

"Surround yourself only with people who are going to lift you higher."

- Oprah Winfrey

"When I first was diagnosed, my gut reaction was, ‘This is a terrible thing.’ But as my journey has progressed, I feel so blessed because I’ve experienced the most incredible outpouring of love you can imagine."

- Victoria Lavine

"Faith doesn’t always mean that God changes your situation, sometimes it means he changes you."

- Steven Furtick

"When you go through deep waters, I will be with you."

- Isaiah 43:2

"If you think things are going to go right, you’re probably right. If you think things are going to go wrong, you’re probably right."

- John Schaeffer

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."

- Psalm 46:1

"Don’t play the “What If” game."

- Cancer survivor

"Remove negative things and people from your life and seek out the positive."

- Cancer survivor

"We are really making a lot of progress in research, and treatment is very different today than it was even 10 years ago. It’s hard to predict where it will be 10 years from now, but I think breast cancer is going to be one of the first cancers where we’re going to be able to say that we’ve virtually eliminated mortality."

- Dr. Eric Winer

"When I think about where we were with breast cancer 30 years ago and where we are now, the advances have just been remarkable: better diagnostics, better medical therapy, better surgical therapy, better radiation therapy, and most important, a better understanding of the disease. The vast majority if not all of these significant advances have involved one or more BCRF investigators."

- Dr. Larry Norton

"I had cancer, cancer never had me."

"I can and I will. There's no other option."

"You don’t know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have."

- Unknown

"Never give up. Never give in. Never, ever, ever give up."

"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and twice as beautiful as you'd ever imagined."

"Don't lose hope. When the sun goes down, the stars come out."

- Unknown

"Remember: you're not dying from cancer . . . You're LIVING with it."

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over it became a butterfly."

"Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go. You may not be where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be."

"Your life is your story. Write well. Edit Often."

"Be thankful for this day. You are here, breathing and living life. Even if it's not the life you want or hoped for, it's life. There's always something to be thankful for."

"Small steps every day. Every small step counts. You might not reach your goal today but that is okay."

"When it rains, look for rainbows. When it's dark, look for stars."

"Good thoughts only. The bad thoughts will try and sneak in, but don't let them. Focus only on the good thoughts."

"Don't look back. You're not going that way."

"Today will never come again. Be a blessing. Be a friend. Encourage someone. Take time to care. Let your words heal, and not wound."

"Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart."

"Broken crayons still color."

"It is often in the darkest skies that we see the brightest stars."

"One day at a time, one step at a time. Do what you can; do your best. Let God handle"

"Cancer may have started the fight, but I will finish it."

"You have been assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved."

"At any given moment you have the power to say this is not how the story is going to end."

"Sometimes you have to get knocked down lower than you've ever been, to stand up taller than you ever were."

"Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord."

"Cancer cannot cripple love, it cannot shatter hope, it cannot conquer the spirit."

"God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, or sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way."

"Never be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you."

"Faith is daring to go beyond what the eyes can see."

"Feed your faith, and your fears will starve to death."

"What Cancer Cannot Do Cancer is so limited...It cannot cripple love. It cannot shatter hope. It cannot corrode faith. It cannot eat away peace. It cannot destroy confidence. It cannot kill friendship. It cannot shut out memories. It cannot silence courage. It cannot reduce eternal life. It cannot quench the Spirit."

"Don’t lose hope. When the sun goes down, the stars come out."

- Unknown