Mental health quotes: 80 real quotes for work and wellbeing
Quotes for hard days, rest and asking for help, each with a copy button. Every one checked against its source.
KraftyLab TeamUpdated 12 min read
Most mental health quotes online are either misattributed or a little too cheerful for someone having a genuinely hard month. These 80 were checked one by one against the speaker's own book, letter, essay, talk or interview, or the sourced section of their Wikiquote page, and we kept their published wording. None of them tells anyone to just think positive. They're sorted by what you need one for: a hard day, rest, asking for help, an awareness post, and lines from athletes, artists and scientists who have talked openly about their own mental health. After the quotes you'll find ways to use them at work and check-in messages we wrote ourselves.
Inspirational mental health quotes for hard days
For the week that won't end and the morning that starts badly. Hope, from people who had good reason to know.
For a hard day
Not advice, just company. Two come from letters written to someone who was struggling.
1
You can not now realize that you will ever feel better. Is not this so? And yet it is a mistake. You are sure to be happy again.
Abraham Lincoln, 16th US president
2
In the middle of winter I at last discovered that there was in me an invincible summer.
Albert Camus, novelist and philosopher
3
It's the great mystery of human life that old grief passes gradually into quiet tender joy.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, novelist
4
The game of life is hard, and a lot of us are playing hurt.
Anne Lamott, author
5
Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.
Rainer Maria Rilke, poet
6
There are more things, Lucilius, likely to frighten us than there are to crush us; we suffer more often in imagination than in reality.
Seneca, Stoic philosopher
7
But what we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope.
George Eliot, novelist
8
It will be sunny one day.
Stephen Fry, writer and broadcaster
9
However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.
Stephen Hawking, physicist
10
Once we choose hope, everything is possible.
Christopher Reeve, actor and advocate
On resilience
Motivational mental health quotes without the pep talk. Resilience as the people who had it describe it: slow, unglamorous and usually helped by somebody else.
11
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms, to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.
Viktor Frankl, psychiatrist
12
Just as man cannot live without dreams, he cannot live without hope. If dreams reflect the past, hope summons the future.
Elie Wiesel, author and Nobel laureate
13
Blessed are the hearts that can bend; they shall never be broken.
Albert Camus, novelist and philosopher
14
But failure is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign that you are alive and growing.
Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 astronaut
15
To be like the rock that the waves keep crashing over. It stands unmoved and the raging of the sea falls still around it.
Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor
16
The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.
Ernest Hemingway, novelist
17
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.
J. R. R. Tolkien, author
18
Life is a good teacher and a good friend. Things are always in transition, if we could only realize it.
Pema Chödrön, Buddhist teacher and author
19
Discomfort is the price of admission to a meaningful life.
Susan David, psychologist
20
I began battling depression when I was eight, and decades later, to my surprise, I started winning.
Bill Bernat, comedian and storyteller
Mental wellness quotes: rest and self-compassion
Positive quotes on mental health that don't ask anyone to try harder. For the stress side of the work week, our stress management activities go further.
On rest and recovery
Rest is not a reward for finishing. For the team that hasn't stopped since the last launch.
21
For nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom from trouble does a man retire than into his own soul.
Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor
22
Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.
Hermann Hesse, novelist
23
Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths...
Etty Hillesum, diarist
24
My big idea is a very, very small idea that can unlock billions of big ideas that are at the moment dormant inside us. And my little idea that will do that is sleep.
Arianna Huffington, media executive
25
Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.
Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen teacher
26
Human freedom involves our capacity to pause, to choose the one response toward which we wish to throw our weight.
Rollo May, psychologist
27
Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.
Rachel Carson, marine biologist
28
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.
John Muir, naturalist
29
Meditation is just gently coming back again and again to what's right here.
Pema Chödrön, Buddhist teacher and author
30
Give yourself permission to allow this moment to be exactly as it is, and allow yourself to be exactly as you are.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, mindfulness teacher
On self-compassion
For anyone who talks to themselves more harshly than they would ever talk to a colleague.
31
The curious paradox is that when I accept myself as I am, then I change.
Carl Rogers, psychologist
32
Self-compassion simply involves doing a U-turn and giving yourself the same compassion you'd naturally show a friend when you're struggling or feeling badly about yourself.
Kristin Neff, self-compassion researcher
33
Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do.
Brené Brown, shame researcher
34
We begin by befriending ourselves.
Sharon Salzberg, meditation teacher
35
Compassion for ourselves gives rise to the power to transform resentment into forgiveness, hatred into friendliness, and fear into respect for all beings.
Jack Kornfield, psychologist and author
36
There's no person in the whole world like you; and I like you just the way you are.
Fred Rogers, children's TV host
37
Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.
Rainer Maria Rilke, poet
38
Compassion isn't a zero-sum game. The more compassion that flows inward, the more resources we have available to be there for others.
Kristin Neff, self-compassion researcher
39
So Rita and I decided that the most subversive, revolutionary thing I could do was to show up for my life and not be ashamed.
Anne Lamott, author
40
Being honest about how we feel does not make us weak; it makes us human.
Sangu Delle, investor and TED Fellow
Mental health awareness quotes: asking for help and talking openly
For a Mental Health Awareness Month post or a World Mental Health Day slide. Planning the whole month? See our mental health awareness ideas.
On asking for help
The hardest part is often saying it out loud. These are for the person deciding whether to.
41
“What is the bravest thing you've ever said?” asked the boy. “Help,” said the horse.
Charlie Mackesy, author and illustrator
42
Asking for help with shame says: You have the power over me. ... But asking for help with gratitude says: We have the power to help each other.
Amanda Palmer, musician and author
43
Just as healing physical pain requires describing it, talking about it, and sometimes getting professional help, we need to do the same thing with emotional pain.
Brené Brown, shame researcher
44
Compassionate people ask for what they need. They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, they mean it.
Brené Brown, shame researcher
45
It took me a while to get to that point where it's OK to ask somebody for help.
Michael Phelps, Olympic swimmer
46
No one's invisible pain should go unnoticed.
Lady Gaga, singer and songwriter
47
It's only when we talk to each other that we find it is possible to live a life with mental illness, that there are people who are doing it.
Jane Pauley, TV journalist
48
I do hope that people can relate and understand it's O.K. to not be O.K., and it's O.K. to talk about it.
Naomi Osaka, tennis champion
49
Anything that's human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable.
Fred Rogers, children's TV host
50
Addressing your mental health is strength. Talking about your mental health is strength.
Mardy Fish, tennis player
On talking about mental health
Quotes about mental health awareness: why naming it matters, from doctors, writers and advocates.
51
If we in public television can only make it clear that feelings are mentionable and manageable, we will have done a great service for mental health.
Fred Rogers, children's TV host
52
We have allowed stigma and a now unwarranted sense of hopelessness about the opportunities for recovery from mental illness to erect these barriers. It is time to take them down.
David Satcher, US Surgeon General
53
Now I know that depression is the family secret that everyone has.
Andrew Solomon, author
54
What you do for a living doesn't have to define who you are. This is an everyone thing.
Kevin Love, NBA champion
55
How is it that we spend more time taking care of our teeth than we do our minds?
Guy Winch, psychologist
56
How come every other organ in your body can get sick and you get sympathy, except the brain?
Ruby Wax, comedian and advocate
57
His struggles are all that the world sees and it usually misunderstands them. It is hard for a free fish to understand what is happening to a hooked one.
Karl Menninger, psychiatrist
58
Depression is not the soul's annihilation; men and women who have recovered from the disease, and they are countless, bear witness to what is probably its only saving grace: it is conquerable.
William Styron, novelist
59
I approach you with confidence as the advocate of those who, alas, cannot plead their own cause.
Dorothea Dix, mental health reformer
60
Depression doesn't diminish a person's desire to connect with other people, just their ability.
Bill Bernat, comedian and storyteller
Men's mental health quotes
Men are less likely to ask for help, which makes these worth sharing. Athletes, actors, writers, a journalist and a president, in their own words.
61
Everyone is going through something that we can't see.
Kevin Love, NBA champion
62
It's one of them things that no matter how indestructible we look like we are, we're all human at the end of the day.
DeMar DeRozan, NBA All-Star
63
I understand it's OK to not be OK and the things that I'm going through make me a human being.
Michael Phelps, Olympic swimmer
64
Took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in.
Dwayne Johnson, actor
65
Unfortunately, there's a word out there called 'depression' and a lot of people battle it. I masked it pretty well.
Jerry West, basketball Hall of Famer
66
I have anxiety, I've always had anxiety.
Ryan Reynolds, actor
67
I've found that it's of some help to think of one's moods and feelings about the world as being similar to weather.
Stephen Fry, writer and broadcaster
68
I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth.
Abraham Lincoln, 16th US president
69
The opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality.
Andrew Solomon, author
70
In a nutshell, mindfulness is the ability to recognize what is happening in your mind right now (anger, jealousy, sadness, the pain of a stubbed toe, whatever) without getting carried away by it.
Dan Harris, ABC News journalist
In their own words: athletes, artists and scientists
Inspiring quotes about mental health from people who have spoken openly about their own, in essays, interviews and memoirs.
71
We have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do.
Simone Biles, Olympic gymnast
72
We're not just athletes or entertainment, we're human, too, and we have real emotions.
Simone Biles, Olympic gymnast
73
It has become apparent to me that literally everyone either suffers from issues related to their mental health or knows someone who does.
Naomi Osaka, tennis champion
74
But there's nothing weak about struggling with mental illness. You're just having a harder time living in your brain than other people.
Kristen Bell, actor
75
What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, more unashamed conversation about illnesses that affect not only individuals, but their families as well.
Glenn Close, actor and advocate
76
There is a lot of shame attached to mental illness, but it's important that you know that there is hope and a chance for recovery.
Lady Gaga, singer and songwriter
77
But, normal or manic, I have run faster, thought faster, and loved faster than most I know.
Kay Redfield Jamison, clinical psychologist
78
There are not 'schizophrenics.' There are people with schizophrenia, and these people may be your spouse, they may be your child, they may be your neighbor, they may be your friend, they may be your coworker.
Elyn Saks, law professor
79
The secret seemed worse than the diagnosis.
Jane Pauley, TV journalist
80
We in the African American community, we don't deal with mental health issues. We don't even talk about it.
Taraji P. Henson, actor and foundation founder
How to use mental health quotes at work
Pair the quote with one honest sentence of your own and one practical next step, and people remember it. Four places wellness quotes for work do their job, with wording you can borrow.
In May, for Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental Health America has led the month every May since 1949. One quote a week works better than one a day: pair each with something practical, like how to reach your EAP, a no-meeting afternoon or a session on the calendar.“It's Mental Health Awareness Month. In 1969 Fred Rogers told the US Senate that feelings are mentionable and manageable. This week's practical part: our EAP is free and confidential, and here's how to reach it: [link].”
On October 10, World Mental Health Day. Keep it short and specific. A quote, one sentence on what the company offers, and nothing that asks people to share more than they want to.“Today is World Mental Health Day. Abraham Lincoln wrote to a grieving young friend: ‘You are sure to be happy again.’ If today is a hard one, [support option] is here, and so is your manager.”
In a one-to-one check-in message. Lead with the person, not the quote. If you add a quote, add it after you've asked how they are, and make clear there's no right answer. The check-in messages below are ready to adapt.“Hi [name], checking in properly, not about [project]. Anne Lamott wrote that a lot of us are playing hurt, and it's been on my mind. If anything at work needs to move, tell me and we'll move it.”
In a wellness channel post. A weekly quote with one small question gives the channel a rhythm, and it wears better than posting mental health quotes of the day. Keep the question light enough that anyone can answer, and let people simply react instead.“Quote of the week, from Rainer Maria Rilke: ‘No feeling is final.’ Small question: what's one thing that helped you reset this week? Reply, or just react.”
For a manager's direct message, a one-on-one or a team channel. We wrote these, so they carry no name. Change the wording until it sounds like you.
1
How are you doing, really? No need for a polished answer.
2
You've had a heavy few weeks. Want to grab 15 minutes, no agenda?
3
Just checking in. If a deadline needs to move, tell me and we'll sort it out together.
4
A reminder that our EAP is free and confidential. Here's how to reach it: [link].
5
You don't have to be okay all the time to be good at your job.
6
Thanks for telling me. That took courage, and it doesn't change how I see your work.
7
If you need a day for your health, take it. You don't owe anyone the details.
8
No reply needed. I just wanted you to know I'm in your corner.
If someone is in crisis. A quote can't take the place of real support. In the US, anyone can call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and confidential, any time of day or night. If your company has an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), share how to reach it often, not only when something goes wrong. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Famous mental health quotes we left out
Most lists of the best mental health quotes include these. The name under each one is wrong, so they aren't on ours.
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” (usually credited to Plato or Philo of Alexandria)
Wikiquote lists it as misattributed to both. It is a variant of a Christmas message by the Scottish preacher Ian Maclaren in The British Weekly in 1897: “Be pitiful, for every man is fighting a hard battle.”
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” (usually credited to Kahlil Gibran)
Wikiquote lists it under Gibran's misattributed lines. An 1895 quotation dictionary credits it to the American preacher Edwin Hubbell Chapin, years before Gibran published anything.
“You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” (usually credited to A. A. Milne)
It isn't in Milne's Pooh books. It comes from Disney's 1997 video Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin, written by Carter Crocker and Karl Geurs.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” (usually credited to Theodore Roosevelt)
Wikiquote lists it under disputed. The only source it gives is a 2013 book about schools, published nearly a century after his death.
Looking for quotes about rest and logging off? Our work-life balance quotes are checked the same way.
Bring the conversation to your team
A quote can open the conversation. An hour with an expert gives people something to take home. New Approach to Mental Health and How To Avoid Burnout are 60-minute talks by Dr. Ellen Vora, a board-certified psychiatrist, live on your video call: the first covers how inflammation, exercise, stress and nutrition relate to mental wellbeing, the second the signs of burnout and strategies to prevent it. For something quieter, Sound Meditation is an hour of vibrational sound meditation with a live instructor. The talks run on Zoom by default (Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request); Sound Meditation runs on Zoom only, for the audio. Teams split across time zones can book two sessions, and we ask for about 2 weeks' notice.
More options, from stress management to journaling, are on our mental health workshops page.
Three hosted hours for a wellbeing month, with today's prices. Get a free quote with your date and headcount.
Rainer Maria Rilke's “Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” is hard to beat for a bad week. For grief or a long low stretch, Abraham Lincoln's 1862 letter to a grieving young friend promises: “You are sure to be happy again.” Every quote on this page was checked against the book, letter or interview it comes from.
What are some short mental health quotes?
Try “It will be sunny one day.” (Stephen Fry), “We begin by befriending ourselves.” (Sharon Salzberg), “Once we choose hope, everything is possible.” (Christopher Reeve) or “The secret seemed worse than the diagnosis.” (Jane Pauley). Each fits a slide, a card or a chat message.
What are good mental health quotes for work?
Kevin Love's “What you do for a living doesn't have to define who you are” comes from his essay about having a panic attack during an NBA game, and Anne Lamott's “a lot of us are playing hurt” fits a team after a hard quarter. With workplace stress quotes, pair the line with something practical, like a deadline that moves. For more ways to support people at work, see our stress management activities.
Did Plato say “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle”?
No. Wikiquote lists it as misattributed to Plato and to Philo of Alexandria. The line grew out of a Christmas message by the Scottish preacher Ian Maclaren in The British Weekly in 1897: “Be pitiful, for every man is fighting a hard battle.” If you want a sourced line with the same idea, Kevin Love wrote: “Everyone is going through something that we can't see.”
When is Mental Health Awareness Month?
May, in the US. Mental Health America has led it every year since 1949. World Mental Health Day is a separate date, October 10, set by the World Federation for Mental Health and marked by the WHO. For ideas beyond quotes, see our guides to World Mental Health Day and mental health awareness at work.
Is it OK to share mental health quotes at work?
Yes, with care. Share quotes in a team channel or a monthly note, not as a reply to someone who just told you they're struggling. Pair each quote with something real, like how to reach your EAP or a no-meeting afternoon, and never ask people to share more than they want to.
How do you check in on a coworker's mental health?
Message them privately, keep it short and make it clear there's no right answer. “How are you doing, really?” works better than a quote. Our eight check-in messages are ready to adapt. If someone in the US is in crisis, they can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time.
Give your team an hour for their mental health
Psychiatrist Dr. Ellen Vora gives a live talk to your team on your video call. Send your date and headcount for a plan within 24 hours.
