51 Quotes of Strength and Courage for Chronic Warriors

This is not your everyday list of encouraging quotes about bravery, courage, and strength.

You see, a lot of inspirational quotes are what I call-fluff. They are nice to hear if you are in a temporary struggle. But living with a chronic illness or mental illness means a permanent struggle or hardship.

So we need quotes that offer us more than just fluffy happy feelings. We need encouraging quotes that can keep us going during the hardest times. Times that are not always temporary.

I want a good quote about bravery, courage, or strength to encourage me that there is something good and desired from going through the constant hardships we go through.

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✅ Encouraging quotes about bravery

Bravery through adversity for chronic illness warriors

You can’t be brave if you’ve only had wonderful things happen to you. — Mary Tyler Moore
Bravery is believing in yourself, and that thing nobody can teach you. –El Cordobes
Gold is tried by fire, brave men by adversity. –Seneca
It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog. –Mark Twain
The ideal man bears the accidents of life with dignity and grace, making the best of circumstances. –Aristotle
Turn your wounds into wisdom. —Oprah Winfrey
Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are. —Arthur Golden
We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey. —Kenji Miyazawa

✅ Quotes about Courage That are Inspirational

The Best courage quotes for someone living with a chronic illness

You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give. –Eleanor Roosevelt
Courage conquers all things: it even gives strength to the body. –Ovid
“There is no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bear witness that a man has the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer.” –Viktor Frankl
A strong person is not the one who doesn’t cry. A strong person is one who is quiet and sheds tears for a moment, and then picks up her sword and fights again. –Unknown
The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling,but in rising every time we fall. –Nelson Mandela
One step back doesn’t mean you are defeated, it only means that you are going to take the same step forward again, but this time wiser. –Unknown
Often the test of courage is not to die but to live. -Vittorio Alfieri

✅ Quotes about Strength To Leave You Inspired

Encouraging strength quotes for the chronically ill

The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places –Ernest Hemingway
That which does not kill us makes us stronger. –Friedrich Nietzsche
“There are two ways of exerting one’s strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.” –Booker T. Washington
“Nothing is more beautiful than the smile that has struggled through the tears.” –Demi Lovato
“Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when the ‘hero’ within us is revealed.” –Bob Riley
Gather strength from life’s storms. –Jonathan Lockwood Huie
I’m not afraid of storms for I’m learning how to sail my ship. –Louisa May Alcott
With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. – Eleanor Roosevelt
Choose rather to be strong of soul than strong of body.-Pythagoras
A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. –Christopher Reeve
Where there is no struggle, there is no strength. –Oprah Winfrey
Honor your being, Release each and every struggle, Gather strength from life’s storms, Relax into the arms of spirit. –Jonathan Lockwood Huie
Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. –Mohandas Gandhi
Never be ashamed of a scar. It simply means that you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you. –Unknown
An oak is not felled at one stroke.

✅ My favorite bravery, courage, and strength quotes

Sometimes you don’t realize your own strength until you come face to face with your greatest weakness. –Susan Gale
You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. –Unknown
Strength isn’t about how much you can handle before you break, it’s about how much you can handle after you break. –Unknown
My strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9
Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.” –Mary Anne Radmacher
When it is dark enough, you can see the stars. —Ralph Waldo Emerson

✅ Favorite Inspirational Quotes Shared by Our CIWL Community

“Isn’t that the act of bravery when you find (a) thousand reasons to crash and give up, yet you stand up and try again.” (original poem)–Sonia Motwani
“Don’t stop until you’re proud.” (chocolate wrapper)–Hannah J G
“No matter how far you fall there will always be a way back up.” (personal quote) —Hannah J G
“Believe in yourself, never give up.” (personal quote) —Rachel Larrigan
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift which is why it’s called the present.” (from a movie) —Loren Howard
“Even your worst day has only 24 hours.” (found on Pinterest)–Tara J.
“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” (found on Pinterest)–Tara J.
“The sun will rise and we will try again.” (found on Pinterest)–Tara J.
“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf.” (book) —C. Hungate
“Today matters more than yesterday.” (book) —C. Hungate
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” (Vivan Greene, author) —Laura D.
“We’re going to need a bigger boat.” (Jaws, movie) —NancyO
“If u love me please pray for me.” (Mother) —Shedellc
“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” (Harry Potter) —Ellen. H
“You can’t handle the truth.” (A Few Good Men, movie) —Heather
“I’ve never met a strong person with an easy past.” (from workplace) —LindaK
“Take life one day at a time.” “Enjoy everyday as it is a new start.” (program at Homewood) —Nancy HW
“If can’t love yourself how the hell are you gonna love someone else. Can I get an amen up in here?” (RuPaul’s Drag Race, TV series) —Kimberly King
“Am I mad? Yes, I’m afraid your completely bonkers. But, all the best people are.” (Alice in Wonderland) —Z. Singletary
“Most people live and die with their music unplayed. They never dared to try.” (Mary Kay Ash) —Roberta M
“When life gives you lemons, make lemons.” (Dale Carnegie) —Yolanda C
“Make a wish and place it in your heart. Anything you want, everything you want. Do you have it? Good. Now believe it can come true. You never know where the next miracle is going to come from. The next smile, the next wish come true. But if you believe that it’s right around the corner, and you open up your heart and mind to the possibility of it, to the certainty of it, you just might get the thing you’re wishing for. The world is full of magic. You just have to believe in it. So make your wish. Do you have it? Good. Now believe in it, with all of your heart.” (One Tree Hill, TV series) —Stephanie Kaleto
“You are okay, i am okay, together we are perfect.” (from a friend) —Marianne H
“Nobody ever becomes an addict to ruin his or her life. Addiction always begins with a desire to be better, stronger, smarter, richer, loved/wanted–just more. The promise is always of less pain and greater fulfillment of joy and the life you have always dreamed of and to be good enough for those you love. Not feel like dirt–trampled underneath their rushing feet. But you only realise once it’s far too late to turn back that it was and is all a lie. All you did was open the one door of a deserted desert into an eternal, living, breathing screaming hell.” (personal quote) —LW
“May the fleas of a thousand camels invade your armpits.” *Don’t take life so seriously (Hawkeye Pierce in M*A*S*H, TV series) —Paul J
“Everyday may not be good, but there’s something good in everyday.” (Kenneth G. Ortiz) —Carol Priddy
“You can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.” (Wonder, movie, book) —AS
“Don’t try to be perfect, just try to be better than you were yesterday.” (former coach) —AS

I believe that we are chronic illness warriors. We don’t have a choice to opt out of this battle. Each day we wake up and push through. We need to arm ourselves with encouraging quotes about bravery, courage, and strength for the days that pushing through does not look pretty. But, we strive to make the most out of life and not just survive.

Living with a chronic illness can leave us in tears some days. But if you listen through the tears, you might just hear a quiet roar. That’s the warrior’s cry.

“I am a warrior. Some days I cry, but mostly I roar.”
-Ali Chovanec

Find More Quotes to Help You Feel Strong . . .

P.S. Pin this for the next time you need some mental health inspiration!

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