50+ Inspiring Nurse Quotes to Motivate and Celebrate the Heart of Healthcare

""As a nurse, we have the opportunity to heal the heart, mind, soul and body of our patients, their families and ourselves. They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel.""

- Maya Angelou

""You may forget my name, but you will never forget how I made you feel.""

- Maya Angelou

""I attribute my success to this; I never gave nor took any excuse.""

- Florence Nightingale

""Nurses are the heart of healthcare.""

- Donna Wilk Cardillo

""Nurses are there when the last breath is taken, and nurses are there when the first breath is taken. Although it is more enjoyable to celebrate the birth, it is just as important to comfort in death.""

- Christine Bell

""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

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

- Mahatma Gandhi

""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

"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

"As a nurse, we have the opportunity to heal the heart, mind, soul, and body of our patients, their families, and ourselves. They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel."

- Maya Angelou

"The nurse is temporarily the consciousness of the unconscious, the love of life of the suicidal, the leg of the amputee, the eyes of the newly blind, a means of locomotion for the newborn, knowledge, and confidence for the young mother, a voice for those too weak to speak, and so on."

- Virginia Henderson, RN

""Kindness can transform someone’s dark moment with a blaze of light. You’ll never know how much your caring matters. Make a difference for another today.""

- Amy Leigh Mercree

"We often think of nursing as giving meds on time, checking an X-ray to see if the doctor needs to be called, or taking an admission at 2:00 a.m. with a smile on our faces. Too often, we forget all the other things that make our job what it truly is — caring and having a desire to make a difference."

- Erin Pettengill, RN

"I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them."

- Clara Barton

"And what nursing has to do in either case is to put the patient in the best condition for nature to act upon him."

- Florence Nightingale

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

- Sharon Hudacek

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

- Christina Feist-Heilmeier, RN

"Nurses are there when the last breath is taken, and nurses are there when the first breath is taken. Although it is more enjoyable to celebrate the birth, it is just as important to comfort in death."

- Christine Bell

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

- Barack Obama

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

- Florence Nightingale

"You treat a disease: you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you win—no matter the outcome."

- Robin Williams in Patch Adams

"I am only one, but still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

- E.E. Hale

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

- Stephen Ambrose

"Whether a person is a male or female, a nurse is a nurse."

- Gary Veale, RN

"Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this something, at whatever cost, must be attained."

- Marie Curie

"Nurses are the heart of healthcare."

- Donna Wilk Cardillo, MA, RN, CSP

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

- Carolyn Jarvis

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

- Carrie Latet

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

- Jean Watson

"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

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

- Charles Dickens

"I attribute my success to this; I never gave nor took any excuse."

- Florence Nightingale

"We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated."

- Maya Angelou

"How very little can be done under the spirit of fear."

- Florence Nightingale

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

- Dag Hammarskjold

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

- Florence Nightingale

"Apprehension, uncertainty, waiting, expectation, fear of surprise, do a patient more harm than any exertion."

- Florence Nightingale

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

- Florence Nightingale

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

- Nelson Mandela

"Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen every day."

- H. Jackson Brown Jr.

"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

"Where the needs of the world and your talents cross, there lies your vocation."

- Aristotle

"Forgive yourself, you are not perfect. Show yourself grace; you are still learning. Show yourself patience; you are on a journey."

- Shannon Yvette Tanner

"Nurses are always there, you care for us from the earliest years. You look after us in our happiest and saddest times. And for many, you look after us and our families at the end of our lives. Your dedication and professionalism are awe-inspiring."

- Duchess Kate Middleton

"The nurse is temporarily the consciousness of the unconscious, the love of life of the suicidal, the leg of the amputee, the eyes of the newly blind, a means of locomotion for the newborn, knowledge and confidence for the young mother, a voice for those too weak to speak, and so on."

- Virginia Henderson, RN

"You treat a disease, you win, you lose. You treat a person, I’ll guarantee you’ll win."

- Patch Adams

"Caring is the essence of nursing."

- Jean Watson

"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

"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

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

- Florence Nightingale

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

- Mother Teresa

"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

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

- Florence Nightingale

"To do what nobody else will do, in a way that nobody else can, in spite of all we go through, is to be a nurse."

- Rawsi Williams

"Nothing will work unless you do."

- Maya Angelou

"I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it."

- Art Williams

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

- Mother Teresa

"Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny."

- Mahatma Ghandi

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

- Mahatma Gandhi

""Who inspires me to be a nurse? Every nurse who doesn’t turn their back on nursing students, or graduate nurses, every nurse who acknowledges it’s okay and simply human to make foolish mistakes, every nurse who takes a moment of their time to help when you’re scared, and every nurse who remembers what it’s like to be a beginner.""

- Anonymous Nurse

"The most important practical lesson that can be given to nurses is to teach them what to observe."

- Florence Nightingale

"Nursing is a progressive art such that to stand still is to go backwards."

- Florence Nightingale

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

- Florence Nightingale

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

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"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

"Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a battle."

- Plato

"You treat a disease: you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you win...no matter the outcome."

- Robin Williams, Patch Adams

"To do what nobody else will do, a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through; that is to be a nurse."

- Rawsi Williams

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

- Mother Teresa

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

- Jane Goodall

"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

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

- Florence Nightingale

"From caring comes courage."

- Lao Tzu

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

- Aesop

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

- The Dalai Lama

"A nurse is compassion in scrubs"

- Lexie Saige

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

- Amit Kalantri

"When a person decides to become a nurse, they make the most important decision of their lives. They choose to dedicate themselves to the care of others."

- Margaret Harvey

"You treat a disease: You win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you win—no matter the outcome."

- Hunter Doherty “Patch” Adams

""We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.""

- Maya Angelou

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

- Barack Obama

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

- Charles Dickens

""Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this something, at whatever cost, must be attained.""

- Marie Curie

"To do what nobody else will do, in a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through, is to be a nurse."

- Rawsi Williams, JD, BSN, RN, PhD

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

- Oprah Winfrey

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

- Nelson Mandela

"Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do."

- Benjamin Spock

""Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.""

- Dale Carnegie

""In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.""

- Albert Einstein

""Hardships often prepare people for an extraordinary destiny.""

- C.S. Lewis

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

- Judy Blume

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

- Dana Basem

"There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver."

- Rosalyn Carter

"Knowing is better than wondering, waking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beats the hell out of never trying."

- Grey’s Anatomy

"If we’re growing, we’re always going to be out of our comfort zone."

- John Maxwell

"Although your educational journey may be difficult at times, you will reap the reward of utmost satisfaction when holding your nursing diploma for the first time—and nothing will ever compare to the fulfillment that improving and saving the lives of others will bring!"

- Mikhail Shneyder

"It’s okay to learn from every experience, and it’s okay to make mistakes."

- Louise Hay

""Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.""

- Mahatma Gandhi

"Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom."

- Earl Shoaf

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

- Ian Miller

"Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere."

- Chinese proverb

"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

"Some days there won’t be a song in your heart. Sing anyway."

- Emory Austin

"Live life when you have it. Life is a splendid gift-there is nothing small about it."

- Florence Nightingale

"Our job as nurses is to cushion the sorrow and celebrate the job, every day, while we are ‘just doing our jobs.’"

- Christine Belle

"The trained nurse has become one of the great blessings of humanity, taking a place beside the physician and the priest."

- William Osler

"Nurses are the hospitality of the hospital."

- Carrie Latet

"The doctors may be mapping out the war games, but it is the nurses who make the conflict bearable."

- Jodi Picoult

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway."

- Earl Nightingale

"So never lose an opportunity of urging a practical beginning, however small, for it is wonderful how often in such matters the mustard-seed germinates and roots itself."

- Florence Nightingale

"Hardships often prepare people for an extraordinary destiny."

- C.S. Lewis

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

- Estée Lauder

"I think one’s feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results."

- Florence Nightingale

"Confidence is not ‘they will like me,’ confidence is “I’ll be fine if they don’t.” Successful people have fear, successful people have doubts, and successful people have worries. They just don’t let these feelings stop them."

- T. Harv Eker

"The wound is the place where the light enters you."

- Rumi

"Work for a cause, not for applause. Live life to express, not to impress. Don’t strive to make your presence noticed, just make your presence felt."

- Grace Lichtenstein

"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

"Nurses—one of the few blessings of being ill."

- Sara Moss-Wolfe

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

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence."

- Henry David Thoreau

"Your heart is the size of an ocean. Go find yourself in its hidden depths."

- Rumi

"Panic plays no part in the training of a nurse."

- Elizabeth Kenny

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle."

- Plato

"Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck. Your profession is what you were put on Earth to do with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling."

- Vincent Van Gogh

"Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow."

- Anthony J. D’Angelo

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

- Steve Jobs

"A caress, a smile, is full of meaning for one who is sick. It is a simple gesture, but encouraging, he or she feels accompanied, feels closer to being healed, feels like a person, not a number."

- Pope Francis

"To do what nobody else will do, in a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through…that is what it is to be a nurse."

- Rawsi Williams, RN

"Happiness … consists of giving, and in serving others."

- Henry Drummond

"A nurse is compassion in scrubs."

- Lexie Saige

"Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts."

- Winston Churchill

"Happiness…consists of giving, and in serving others."

- Henry Drummond

"Fill your mind with truth. Fill your heart with love. Fill your life with service."

- Vaughn J. Featherstone

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

- Edie Falco in Nurse Jackie

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose."

- Dr. Seuss

"Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings."

- Salvador Dali

"If you wait to do everything until you’re sure it’s right, you’ll probably never do much of anything."

- Win Borden

""Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.""

- Margaret Mead

""Nurses—one of the few blessings of being ill.""

- Sara Moss-Wolfe

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

- David Viscott

"No man, not even a doctor, ever gives any other definition of what a nurse should be than this – ‘devoted and obedient.’ This definition would do just as well for a porter. It might even do for a horse. It would not do for a policeman."

- Florence Nightingale

""Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax.""

- Mark Black

"I am among those who think that science has great beauty."

- Marie Curie

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

- Ian Miller

"Success comes to those who are too busy to look for it."

- Henry David Thoreau

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

- Pablo Picasso

""Once a nurse, always a nurse. No matter where you go or what you do, you can never truly get out of nursing. It’s like the Mafia… you know too much.""

- Deb Gaudlin, RN

"Always thank your nurse! Sometimes they’re the only one between you and a hearse."

- Warren Beatty

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."

- Confucius

"How can anybody hate nurses? Nobody hates nurses. The only time you hate a nurse is when they’re giving you an enema."

- Warren Beatty

"Nursing would be a dream job if there were no doctors."

- Gerhard Kocher

"I like keeping my metabolism on its toes. Like what’s it going to be today – starvation or 6,000 calories?"

- Anonymous

"The nurse that can smile when things go wrong…is probably going off duty."

- Anonymous

"People who ask me what I’m doing tomorrow probably assume I even know what day of the week it is."

- Anonymous

"You can’t fix crazy, all you can do is document it."

- Anonymous

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

"Save one person, you’re a hero. Save hundreds, you’re a nurse."

- Unknown

"Nursing: The toughest job you’ll ever love."

- Unknown

"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 every patient like they are family."

"Be the nurse you want to work with."

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

- Unknown

"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

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

"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

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

"The definition of a nurse: To go above and beyond the call of duty. The first to work and the last to leave. The heart and soul of caring. who will pass through your life for a minute and impact it for an eternity. An empowered individual whom you may meet for only a 12-hour period, but who will put you and yours above theirs."

"Nursing is not for the empty of heart...nor the faint of heart."

- Unknown

"I’m a nurse—nothing scares me."

"If you walk a mile in a nurses shoes, you’ll walk a whole lot farther than a mile, and your back will kill you at the end."

"Save one life, you’re a hero. Save 100 lives, you’re a nurse."

- Unknown

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

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

- Unknown

"Doctors save lives; nurses save doctors."

- Unknown

""Your work is a reflection of your heart. Keep it full, and you’ll find joy in every shift.""

"Nurses are angels in comfortable shoes."

- Unknown

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

"You didn't even know me, yet you treated me like family…I'll never forget that. Thank you."

""Nursing is not for the faint of heart; it requires strength, endurance, and an unwavering spirit.""

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

"Nursing school. One syllabus at a time. One class at a time. One exam at a time. One clinical at a time. Keep going…"

- Unknown

"Not all angels have wings… some have scrubs."

- Unknown

"I’m a nurse. What’s your superpower?"

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

- Unknown

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

"Value what you do and add value by what you do."

- Unknown

"When you feel like quitting, remember why you started."

"Forgive yourself; you are not perfect. Show yourself grace; you are still learning. Show yourself patience; you are on a journey."

- Unknown

"It’s a beautiful thing when a career and a passion come together."

"Sometimes I have to remind myself around my non-nurse friends not to talk about bodily functions."

"The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow; do good anyway!"

- Unknown

"No, RN does not stand for ‘Refreshments and Narcotics.’"

- Unknown

"When someone is going through a storm, your silent presence is more powerful than a million empty words."

"Remember, I’m a nurse. You’re going to have to say a lot to gross me out."

"You know you’re a nurse when your finger has gone places you never thought possible."

"You know you work in healthcare when you can discuss puke and bowel movements at the lunch table and no one flinches."

"May your scrubs be comfy, your coffee be strong, and your Monday be short."

"I’ve come to the realization that I’ll touch anything as long as I have gloves on."

"I love being a nurse, but I mostly love wearing scrubs. They’re basically professional pajamas."

"Hand sanitizer has started to become your best friend."

"I came, I cared, I charted"

"You think Mondays are bad? Try working weekends, holidays, and 12 hour nights"

""Save one life and you’re a hero, save one hundred lives and you’re a nurse.""

"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."

"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

"Not all angels have wings…some have scrubs."

- Unknown

"Not all angels have wings … some have scrubs."

"Nursing: when you're not sure if it’s Saturday or Tuesday."

- Unknown

"Nursing friendships are a different kind of love; like, 'I'll hold the butt cheeks while you clean the butt crack' kind of love!"

- Unknown

"Nurse: the first person you see after saying, ‘Hold my beer and watch this!’"

"No, I will not rub your feet. I am a nurse, not a masseur."

"Why yes I do marathons. It’s called 12.5+ hour nurse shift run 3 times a week."

"Don’t let anyone treat you like an expired 24 butterfly gauge. You are a #16 in the left forearm with excellent venous return!"

"When I heard 2020 was going to be the year of the nurse, this is not what I expected…"

"The 3 words most people want to hear: ‘I love you.’ The 3 words nurses want to hear: ‘Alert, Oriented, and Ambulatory."

"Being a nurse is weird: I can keep a poker face through trauma, but have a mental breakdown over losing my favorite pen."

"3 AM: the time when you remember you forgot to chart that thing, bring that lady her water, or pass that med."

"A new nurse gets scared when a doctor yells. An old nurse yells back."

"Nursing is not a career … it’s a post-apocalyptic survival skill."

"Don’t mess with me—I get paid to stab people with sharp objects."

"If I collapse at work, here is a list of doctors that I don’t want working on me!"

"How many nurses does it take to screw in a lightbulb? None, it’s delegated to the nursing students."

- Unknown

"Yes, I am a nurse. No, I don’t want to look at it."

"Every nurse has a best friend, Pam: LorazePAM, DiazePAM, and ClonazePAM…"

- Unknown

"Don’t piss off nurses. They’re like the mafia. Piss off one and you piss off the rest."

- Unknown

"A nurse’s blood type? Coffee."

- Unknown

"Nurses can’t fix stupid… but we can sedate it."

"Shift change is my favorite time of day."

"Be nice to your nurse. They’re the person who chooses your catheter size."

"May your cup runneth over, unless it's that urine specimen cup you're trying to hand me."

"Be nice to me…I may be your nurse someday and remember…catheters and needles come in sizes that I choose!"

"Don't mess with me, I get paid to stab people with sharp objects."