150 Inspirational Quotes to Boost Your Spirits and Overcome Anxiety and Depression

Whether you’ve been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, noticed an increase in anxiety recently—something many of us have experienced—or are simply navigating a stressful time, everyone can use a bit of motivation now and then.

Throughout history, from ancient philosophers to everyday individuals, people have shared encouraging words and wisdom to help soothe the mind, dispel negative thoughts, and gain perspective. While it's crucial to consult a mental health professional for severe anxiety, these uplifting quotes can offer inspiration and strength to persevere during challenging times.
 

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20 Uplifting Quotes on Depression: Finding Hope and Inspiration in Dark Times

1. 138. "The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another." - William James
2. “You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you.” - Dan Millman
3. “Mental health…is not a destination, but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going.” - Noam Shpancer
4. “Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” - Buddha
5. “Depression is not generalized pessimism, but pessimism specific to the effects of one’s own skilled action.” - Robert M. Sapolsky
6. “But if you’re broken, you don’t have to stay broken.” - Selena Gomez
7. “Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression. No man is free who cannot control himself.” - Pythagoras
8. “You’re like a grey sky. You’re beautiful, even though you don’t want to be.” - Jasmine Warga
9. “Do not brood over your past mistakes and failures as this will only fill your mind with grief, regret, and depression. Do not repeat them in the future.” - Swami Sivananda
10. “Nothing is permanent in this wicked world – not even our troubles.” - Charlie Chaplin
11. “The walls we build around us to keep sadness out also keeps out the joy.” - Jim Rohn
12. “You can close your eyes to things you don’t want to see, but you can’t close your heart to things you don’t want to feel.” - Johnny Depp
13. “I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy because they know what it’s like to feel absolutely worthless and they don’t want anyone else to feel like that.” - Robin Williams
14. “Nothing is permanent in this wicked world — not even our troubles.” - Charlie Chaplin
15. “Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” - Saint Francis of Assisi
16. “Tears come from the heart and not from the brain.” - Leonardo da Vinci
17. “Life is ten percent what you experience and ninety percent how you respond to it.” - Dorothy M. Neddermeyer
18. “We must be willing to let go of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” - Joseph Campbell
19. “The difference between hope and despair is the ability to believe in tomorrow.” - Jerry Grillo
20. “I’m not grateful for depression, but it honestly made me work harder and gave me the drive that I have to succeed and to make it work.” - Lili Reinhart
21. “If you’re going through hell keep going.” - Winston Churchill
22. “The pupil dilates in darkness and in the end, finds the light, just as the soul dilates in misfortune and in the end finds God.” - Victor Hugo
23. “The lotus is the most beautiful flower, whose petals open one by one. But it will only grow in the mud. In order to grow and gain wisdom, first, you must have the mud – the obstacles of life and its suffering… “ - Goldie Hawn

30 Uplifting Quotes to Inspire Mental Health and Well-Being

1. "Self-care is how you take your power back." - Lalah Delia
2. "Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they're never weakness." - Brené Brown
3. "This feeling will pass. The fear is real but the danger is not." - Cammie McGovern
4. "You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you." - Dan Millman
5. "Mental health…is not a destination, but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going." - Noam Shpancer
6. "You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." - Buddha
7. "Even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there." - Stephen Chbosky
8. "Mental health problems don’t define who you are. They are something you experience. You walk in the rain and you feel the rain, but you are not the rain." - Matt Haig
9. "Positive vibes only’ isn’t a thing. Humans have a wide range of emotions and that’s OK." - Molly Bahr
10. "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." - Albus Dumbledore
11. "Your mental health is everything – prioritize it. Make the time like your life depends on it, because it does." - Mel Robbins
12. "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
13. "There is no normal life that is free of pain. It's the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth." - Fred Rogers
14. "Deep breathing is our nervous system’s love language." - Dr. Lauren Fogel Mersy
15. "Nothing can dim the light that shines from within." - Maya Angelou
16. "Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean it isn’t so." - Lemony Snicket
17. "You are valuable just because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are." - Max Lucado
18. "Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves." - Henry David Thoreau
19. "Just because no one else can heal or do your inner work for you doesn’t mean you can, should, or need to do it alone." - Lisa Olivera
20. "Being able to be your true self is one of the strongest components of good mental health." - Dr. Lauren Fogel Mersy
21. "There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in." - Leonard Cohen
22. "Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor." - Thich Nhat Hanh
23. "Sometimes the people around you won’t understand your journey. They don’t need to, it’s not for them." - Joubert Botha
24. "If we start being honest about our pain, our anger, and our shortcomings instead of pretending they don’t exist, then maybe we’ll leave the world a better place than we found it." - Russell Wilson
25. "Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - Christopher Robin from Winnie the Pooh
26. "There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t." - John Green
27. "What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation." - Glenn Close
28. "We are not our trauma. We are not our brain chemistry. That’s part of who we are, but we’re so much more than that." - Sam J. Miller
29. "It is not the bruises on the body that hurt. It is the wounds of the heart and the scars on the mind." - Aisha Mirza
30. "I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship." - Louisa May Alcott
31. "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." - Robert Louis Stevenson

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20 Empowering Quotes to Lift Your Spirits When You’re Feeling Low

1. 87. "Forgive those who insult you, attack you, belittle you or take you for granted. But more than this… forgive yourself for allowing them to hurt you.” - Unknown
2. “Your hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of your life. Keep going. Tough situations build strong people in the end.” - Roy T. Bennett
3. “Until you’re broken you don’t know what you’re made of. It gives you the ability to build yourself all over again, but stronger than ever…” - Melissa Molomo
4. “Every day may not be good, but there is some good in every day.” - Alice Morse Earle
5. “I am thankful for my struggle because without it I wouldn’t have come across my strength.” - Alex Elle
6. “Stop focusing on how stressed you are and remember how blessed you are.” - Unknown
7. “The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow. Don’t give up.” - Robert Tew
8. “Once you choose hope, anything is possible.” - Christopher Reeve
9. “You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.” - Michael McMillan
10. “There is a difference between giving up and knowing when you’ve had enough.” - Unknown
11. “One of the happiest moments in life is when you find the courage to let go of what you cannot change.” - Unknown
12. “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” - C.S. Lewis
13. “As I look back on my life, I realize that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being re-directed to something better.” - Dr. Steve Maraboli
14. “Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.” - Confucius
15. “Owning your story is the bravest thing you’ll ever do.” - Brené Brownn
16. “I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.” - Joshua Graham
17. “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” - Buddha
18. “One has to understand that braveness is not the absence of fear but rather the strength to keep on going forward despite the fear.” - Paulo Coelho
19. “Never be ashamed of a scar. It means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.” - Unknown
20. “Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” - Les Misérables
21. “Respect yourself enough to say ‘I deserve peace‘ and walk away from people or things that prevent you from attaining it.” - Jericho Silvers
22. “Every experience, no matter how bad it seems, holds within it a blessing of some kind. The goal is to find it.” - Buddha

40 Uplifting Quotes to Inspire Hope for Those Battling Depression

1. “You say you’re ‘depressed’ – all I see is resilience. You are allowed to feel messed up and inside out. It doesn’t mean you’re defective – it just means you’re human.” - David Mitchell
2. “When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.” - Helen Keller
3. “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” - African Proverb
4. “The pupil dilates in darkness and in the end finds light, just as the soul dilates in misfortune and in the end finds God.” - Victor Hugo
5. “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” - John Wooden
6. “You become what you think about.” - Earl Nightingale
7. “So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key.” - The Eagles
8. “Don’t be afraid if things seem difficult in the beginning. That’s only the initial impression. The important thing is not to retreat; you have to master yourself.” - Olga Korbut
9. “Experience is not what happens to you, it is what you do with what happens to you.” - Aldous Huxley
10. “You become what you think about.” - Earl Nightingale
11. “Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
12. “We will find only what we look for, nothing more and nothing less.” - Anonymous
13. “Positive thoughts and prayer have been the best means available, since the beginning of time, to transform darkness to light.” - Cate Stevens
14. “In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” - Albert Camus
15. “A positive attitude gives you power over your circumstances instead of your circumstances having power over you.” - Joyce Meyer
16. “Even in the midst of devastation, something within us always points the way to freedom.” - Sharon Salzberg
17. “Truly, it is in the darkness that one finds the light, so when we are in sorrow, then this light is nearest of all to us.” - Meister Eckhart
18. “Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.” - Alan Cohen
19. “When people don’t know exactly what depression is, they can be judgmental.” - Marion Cotillard
20. “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” - Helen Keller
21. “You don’t have to live a lie. Living a lie will mess you up. It will send you into depression. It will warp your values.” - Gilbert Baker
22. “It is never too late to live happily ever after.” - Anonymous
23. “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” - Helen Keller
24. “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
25. “The power is in you. The answer is in you. And you are the answer to all your searches: you are the goal. You are the answer. It’s never outside.” - Eckhart Tolle
26. “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” - Author Unknown
27. “Maybe we all have darkness inside of us and some of us are better at dealing with it than others.” - Jasmine Warga
28. “Our greatest glory is not in never failing but in rising up every time we fail.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
29. “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” - Henry Ford
30. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
31. “It is often in the darkest skies that we see the brightest stars.” - Richard Evans
32. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” - Theodore Roosevelt
33. “No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible.” - George Chakiris
34. “I saw the world in black and white instead of the vibrant colours and shades I knew existed.” - Katie McGarry
35. “When you adopt a positive mindset, you are harnessing the power of choice.” - Victor Schueller
36. “You shall be free indeed when your days are not without a care nor your nights without want and a grief. But rather when these things girdle your life and yet you rise above them naked and unbound.” - Khalil Gibran
37. “The best way out is always through.” - Robert Frost
38. “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” - Lao Tzu
39. “When we calm our mind, our thoughts, our complete being, we create in and around us a beautiful glow of positivity and peace.” - Zeenat Merchant Syal
40. “Depression taught me the importance of compassion and hard work, and that you can overcome enormous obstacles.” - Rob Delaney
41. “If all you can do is crawl, start crawling.” - Rumi
42. “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

35 Heartfelt Depression Quotes on Love and Relationships

1. "Maybe we all have darkness inside of us and some of us are better at dealing with it than others.” - Jasmine Warga
2. “The sun stopped shining for me is all. The whole story is: I am sad. I am sad all the time and the sadness is so heavy that I can’t get away from it. Not ever.” - Nina LaCour
3. “Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also harder to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say “My tooth is aching” than to say “My heart is broken.” - C.S. Lewis
4. “Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not, and oftentimes we call a man cold when he is only sad.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
5. “Some friends don’t understand this. They don’t understand how desperate I am to have someone say, I love you and I support you just the way you are because you’re wonderful just the way you are. They don’t understand that I can’t remember anyone ever saying that to me.” - Elizabeth Wurtzel
6. “Some people are going to leave, but that’s not the end of your story. That’s the end of their part in your story.” - Faraaz Kazi
7. “When you’re surrounded by all these people, it can be lonelier than when you’re by yourself. You can be in a huge crowd, but if you don’t feel like you can trust anyone or talk to anybody, you feel like you’re really alone.” - Fiona Apple
8. “Love is an untamed force. When we try to control it, it destroys us. When we try to imprison it, it enslaves us. When we try to understand it, it leaves us feeling lost and confused.” - Paulo Coelho
9. “If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” - Amit Ray
10. “How do you know when it’s over? Maybe when you feel more in love with your memories than with the person standing in front of you.” - Gunnar Ardelius
11. "There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.” - Laurell K. Hamilton
12. “Pleasure of love lasts but a moment. The pain of love lasts a lifetime.” - Bette Davis
13. "All depression has its roots in self-pity, and all self-pity is rooted in people taking themselves too seriously.” - Tom Robbins
14. “No amount of anxiety can change the future. No amount of regret can change the past.” - Karen Salmansohn
15. “Just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean it isn’t so.” - Lemony Snicket
16. "Just because I can’t explain the feelings causing my anxiety, doesn’t make them less valid.” - Lauren Elizabeth
17. “Love lies in those unsent drafts in your mailbox. Sometimes you wonder whether things would have been different if you’d clicked ‘Send’.” - Faraaz Kazi
18. “To love is to burn, to be on fire.” - Jane Austen
19. “You don’t have to live a lie. Living a lie will mess you up. It will send you into depression. It will warp your values.” - Gilbert Baker
20. “Anger, resentment, and jealousy don’t change the heart of others– it only changes yours.” - Shannon L. Alder
21. “Anxiety is love’s greatest killer. It makes others feel as you might when a drowning man holds on to you. You want to save him, but you know he will strangle you with his panic.” - Anaïs Nin
22. “It’s hard to part the curtains when the dark holds such familiarity.” - Donna Lynn Hope
23. “That’s the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it’s impossible to ever see the end.” - Elizabeth Wurtzel
24. “It is sad not to love, but it is much sadder not to be able to love." - Miguel de Unamuno
25. "That very deadened feeling, which is so very different from feeling sad. Sad hurts but it’s a healthy feeling. It is a necessary thing to feel. Depression is very different.” - J.K. Rowling
26. “Healing is an inside job.” - Dr. B.J. Palmer
27. “Sometimes all you can do is lie in bed, and hope to fall asleep before you fall apart.” - William C. Hannan
28. “Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.” - Charles Spurgeon
29. "Sometimes, I don’t know what haunts me more… The memories of you… Or the happy person I used to be.” - Ranata Suzuki
30. “It’s amazing how someone can break your heart and you can still love them with all the little pieces.” - Ella Harper
31. “It’s like being in a glass elevator in the middle of a crowded mall; you see everything and would love to join in, but the door won’t open so you can’t.” - Lisa Moore Sherman
32. “I didn’t want to wake up. I was having a much better time asleep. And that’s really sad. It was almost like a reverse nightmare, like when you wake up from a nightmare you’re so relieved. I woke up into a nightmare.” - Ned Vizzini
33. “When people don’t know exactly what depression is, they can be judgmental.” - Marion Cotillard
34. “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” - Samuel Butler
35. “We must understand that sadness is an ocean, and sometimes we drown, while other days we are forced to swim.” - R.M. Drake
36. "I always knew looking back on the tears would make me laugh, but I never knew looking back on the laughs would make me cry." - Dr. Seuss
37. "There is one pain, I often feel, which you will never know. It’s caused by the absence of you." - Ashleigh Brilliant

How Can Reading Quotes for Depression Help You?

Reading quotes for depression can be a powerful tool in managing and alleviating symptoms of depression. Here’s how:

1. Inspiration

Depression can often feel isolating and demotivating. Reading quotes from others who have faced similar struggles can provide a much-needed sense of inspiration and connection. The words of someone who has experienced depression can make you feel less alone, offering comfort and motivation to keep going.

2. Perspective

Quotes can offer a new perspective on depression and its challenges. They can help you reframe negative thoughts and feelings, providing a fresh outlook on your struggles. By seeing things from a different angle, you might find new ways to cope with your emotions.

3. Encouragement

Depression can be a long and difficult battle. Reading quotes from those who have successfully overcome their struggles can provide encouragement and remind you that it’s possible to find your way through. These words can serve as a powerful reminder of your inner strength and resilience.

4. Validation

Depression can often make you feel like your thoughts and feelings are invalid. Reading quotes from others who have experienced similar emotions can provide a sense of validation and understanding, reassuring you that your feelings are real and shared by others.

5. Mindfulness

Some quotes encourage mindfulness, helping you focus on the present moment. This can be especially useful in managing the overwhelming emotions and negative thoughts that often accompany depression. Mindful quotes can serve as gentle reminders to stay grounded and present.

Next Steps

Incorporating quotes for depression into your daily routine can be a valuable way to cope with symptoms and manage your emotions. Here are some practical ways to make quotes a part of your life:

1. Create a Collection

Start by gathering a collection of quotes that resonate with you. You can write them down in a notebook or journal, or save them digitally in a document or through a quote app. Having a collection of meaningful quotes can provide a source of comfort and inspiration whenever you need it.

2. Display Them

Once you’ve curated your collection, display the quotes where you can see them regularly. You might create a wall of quotes in your room, place one on your desk at work, or set a quote as your phone or computer background. Seeing these quotes throughout the day can serve as constant reminders of positivity and strength.

3. Use Them as Affirmations

Select a few quotes that particularly inspire you and use them as daily affirmations. Repeat them to yourself in the morning, before bed, or whenever you need a boost of confidence and resilience. Affirmations can help reinforce positive thinking patterns.

4. Share Them with Others

If you find a quote especially helpful or inspiring, share it with friends or family members who might benefit as well. You can also share quotes on social media to reach others who may be struggling with depression. Your shared words might provide comfort and support to someone else.

5. Journal with Them

Use quotes as prompts for journaling. Reflect on how a particular quote makes you feel or how it relates to your life. Writing about your thoughts and emotions can help you process your feelings and gain new insights into your experiences.

Incorporating quotes into your daily life can be a simple yet effective way to support your mental health journey.