Becoming a nurse is one of the most selfless acts a person can undertake. In a society of so many different races, cultures, customs, and beliefs, nurses are a universal gift to all, and the dedicated work that they do and kindness they deliver on a daily basis should serve as a reminder of the fundamental humanity inside us all.
In honor of National NP Week, here are 25 beautiful quotes about what it means to be a nurse.
"Sometimes I inspire my patients; more often they inspire me." —Unknown
"Hardships often prepare people for an extraordinary destiny." —C.S. Lewis
"Nurse: just another word to describe a person strong enough to tolerate anything and soft enough to understand anyone."
"I attribute my success to this; I never gave nor took any excuse." —Florence Nightingale
"Every nurse was drawn to nursing because of a desire to care, to serve, or to help." —Christina Feist-Heilmeier, RN
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." —Mahatma Ghandi
"When someone is going through a storm, your silent presence is more powerful than a million empty words."
"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
"Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring without even a prescription."
"When you feel like quitting, remember why you started."
"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
"Care for one...that's love. Care for hundreds...that's nursing."
"May your scrubs be comfy, your coffee be strong, and your Monday be short."
"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 bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists." —Japanese proverb
"Every day may not be wonderful, but there is something wonderful in every day."
"The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away." —William Shakespeare
"Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, a touch that never hurts." —Charles Dickens
"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
"It is not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing." —Mother Teresa
"The character of the nurse is as important as the knowledge she possesses." —Carolyn Jarvis
"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; that is to have succeeded." —Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Be the nurse you would want as a patient."
"Not all angels have wings...some have scrubs."
"It's a beautiful thing when a career and a passion come together."
Aptly named, Enclothed Cognition is the official Medelita blog for medical professionals interested in topics relevant to a discerning and inquisitive audience. Medelita was founded by a licensed clinician who felt strongly about the connection between focus, poise and appearance.
