Mental health is essential to our well-being, yet it’s often misunderstood. In a world where strength is frequently measured by physical resilience, the quiet battles of the mind can go unnoticed, leaving many to struggle in silence. But mental health deserves the same compassion, care, and attention as any physical ailment. It’s a journey, not a destination, and recognising the importance of this journey is the first step toward healing and growth.
This collection of thought-provoking quotes is a gentle reminder that everyone faces challenges, and no one has to face them alone. These words of wisdom inspire hope, resilience, and self-compassion, encouraging us to break the stigma and embrace the beauty of vulnerability. Whether you’re looking for a boost of courage or a way to support someone you care about, these quotes will resonate deeply, offering strength for everyday struggles.
Quotes About Mental Health to Share
- "We would never tell someone with a broken leg that they should stop wallowing and get it together. We don’t consider taking medication for an ear infection something to be ashamed of. We shouldn’t treat mental health conditions any differently.” — Michelle Obama
- "Our wounds are often the openings into the best and most beautiful part of us.” — David Richo
- "Emotional pain is not something that should be hidden away and never spoken about. There is truth in your pain, there is growth in your pain, but only if it’s first brought out into the open.” — Steven Aitchison
- “We all have mental health in the same way that we all have physical health. It’s OK to have depression, it’s OK to have anxiety, it’s OK to have an adjustment disorder.” — Prince Harry
- “I’ve learned what I can control is whether I am going to live a day in fear and depression and panic, or whether I am going to attack the day and make it as good a day, as wonderful a day, as I can.” — Gilda Radner
- “Maybe we have to break everything to make something better out of ourselves.” — Chuck Palahniuk
- I want to talk about it and not feel any embarrassment or shame because I think it’s important for people to hear from adults who have good, fulfilling lives and manage chronic mental illness as part of those good, fulfilling lives. — John Green
- Whether an illness affects your heart, arm, or brain, it’s still an illness, and there shouldn’t be any distinction … We don’t consider taking medication for an ear infection something to be ashamed of. We shouldn’t treat mental health conditions any differently. — Michelle Obama
- I well knew that one could break one’s arms and legs before and that then afterward that could get better, but I didn’t know that one could break one’s brain and that afterward that got better too. — Vincent Van Gogh
- “One small crack does not mean that you are broken, it means that you were put to the test and you didn’t fall apart.” — Linda Poindexter
- “Sometimes you climb out of bed in the morning and you think, I’m not going to make it, but you laugh inside — remembering all the times you’ve felt that way.” — Charles Bukowski
- “There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.” — John Green
- “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” — Kahlil Gibran
- "One small crack does not mean that you are broken, it means that you were put to the test and you didn’t fall apart.” — Linda Poindexter
- "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
- "Your present circumstances don’t determine where you go; they merely determine where you start." — Nido Qubein
- "Slow breathing is like an anchor in the midst of an emotional storm: the anchor won't make the storm go away, but it will hold you steady until it passes." — Russ Harris
- "I think it’s really important to take the stigma away from mental health… My brain and my heart are really important to me. I don’t know why I wouldn’t seek help to have those things be as healthy as my teeth." —Kerry Washington, from HuffPost
- "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
- “The advice I’d give to somebody that’s silently struggling is: You don’t have to live that way. You don’t have to struggle in silence. You can be un-silent. You can live well with a mental health condition, as long as you open up to somebody about it, because it’s really important you share your experience with people so that you can get the help that you need.” — Demi Lovato
- “You don’t have to be positive all the time. It’s perfectly okay to feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated, scared and anxious. Having feelings doesn’t make you a negative person. It makes you human.” — Lori Deschene
- “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in” ― Leonard Cohen
- “There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.” — John Green
- “I keep moving ahead, as always, knowing deep down inside that I am a good person and that I am worthy of a good life.” — Jonathan Harnisch
- “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
- “I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.” — Amy March, from Little Women
- “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” — Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” — Aristotle
- “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in” ― Leonard Cohen
- “Increasing the strength of our minds is the only way to reduce the difficulty of life.” ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana
- “Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves” ― Henry David Thoreau
- “I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.” — Amy March, from Little Women
- “Sometimes you climb out of bed in the morning and you think, I’m not going to make it, but you laugh inside — remembering all the times you’ve felt that way.” — Charles Bukowski
- “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
- “Depression can be usefully seen, from one point of view, as the inability to see or construct a future.” — Rollo May
- “You don’t have to do anything especially worthy to create or deserve self-esteem; all you have to do is turn off that critical, haranguing, inner voice.” — David D. Burns
- “For the wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching has become a regular habit, until he is able to admit and accept what he finds, and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong.” — Bill W.
- "Mental health…is not a destination, but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going." — Noam Shpancer, PhD
- "Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves." ― Henry David Thoreau
- "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
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