65 Health Quotes to Inspire, Motivate & Empower You (2024)

Contents

1. "To ensure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life." William London

2. "Health is not valued until sickness comes." Thomas Fuller

3. "There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither." Alan Cohen

4. "Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have." Winston Churchill

The Netherlands is considered to have the fittest population according to the latest exercise statistics.

Citizens of The Netherlands spend, on average, more than 12 hours each week exercising or playing sport, compared to the people of Brazil who spend just three hours.

5. "Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day." Matthew Walker

Sleep expert Matthew Walker is passionate about how getting the right amount of sleep can improve your mood, regulate your hormones and even help to prevent chronic illness.

There are ways you can get a better night’s rest including drinking herbal tea, keeping your bedroom cool and practicing yoga before bed.

6. "A sad soul can be just as lethal as a germ." John Steinbeck

7. "Self-care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what’s left of you." Katie Reed

8. "Health and wellness does mean different things to different people." Denise Morrison

It’s important to remember that your outlook and approach to health and wellness will be different to others.

Facts about health show there are so many different aspects to maintaining your wellbeing — it’s more than just hitting the gym!

The World Health Organisation report that there are a number of determinants of health.

Where we live, our genetics, income and education level all have considerable impacts on our overall health.

9. "The elimination diet: Remove anger, regret, resentment, guilt, blame, and worry. Then watch your health, and life, improve." Charles F. Glassman

10. "Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths." Etty Hillesum

1. "A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book." Irish Proverb

2. "One cannot think, love, sleep well if one has not dined well." Virginia Woolf

Eating a balanced diet is key to maintaining good health.

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans it isn’t about having a list of things that you should and shouldn’t eat.

Instead you should customize a diet of nutrient-rich food to your own taste, cultural traditions and budget.

3. "The only bad workout is the one that didn’t happen." Unknown

4. "Change before you have to." Jack Welch

5. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Benjamin Franklin

6. "Looking after my health today gives me a better hope for tomorrow." Anne Wilson Schaef

7. "Sleep is the best meditation." Dalai Lama

Making time for meditation can have a wealth of benefits for your overall wellbeing.

It’s proven to improve your memory, reduce anxiety and make you feel more grateful.

1. "What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation." Glenn Close

2. "The mind and body are not separate. What affects one, affects the other." Anonymous

3. "Scared is what you're feeling. Brave is what you're doing." Emma Donoghue

4. "It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light." Aristotle

Exploring your own mental health can help you better understand how to improve it.

Writing in a journal is one way to start that exploration.

Plus we’ve put together a list of mental health journal prompts that you can use to start reflecting on your current state of mind.

5. "When I was five years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life." John Lennon

6. "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

7. "Inhale the future. Exhale the past." Unknown

8. "My dark days made me stronger. Or maybe I already was strong, and they made me prove it." Emery Lord

9. "Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary." Fred Rogers

10. "I found that with depression, one of the most important things you can realize is that you’re not alone. You’re not the first to go through it, you’re not gonna be the last to go through it." Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is right! The National Institute of Mental Health report that an estimated 21 million adults in the US have had at least one major depressive episode.

Women are more prone to the condition, as are those aged between 18 and 25 years old.

1. "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

Finding the motivation to establish healthy habits can be challenging, particularly the enthusiasm to exercise when life is busy.

Setting small goals, choosing a buddy and following inspiring people online are just a few things that can help.

2. "You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf." Jon Kabat-Zinn

3. "You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice." Bob Marley

4. "If you’re going through hell, keep going." Winston Churchill

5. "Never lose hope. Storms make people stronger and never last forever." Roy T. Bennett

The link between hope and mental health is strong.

Academics describe it as the catalyst for change, just as important in recovery from mental illness as it is for a physical illness.

The only barrier, they explain, is making the patient realise that their mental state is not fixed and part of their nature, but a state of mind that can be changed.

6. "When times are hard, do something. If it works, do it some more. If it does not work, do something else. But keep going." Audre Lorde

7. "You're never a loser until you quit trying." Mike Ditka

8. "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into abutterfly." Proverb

1. "Remember that any exercise is better than no exercise." Unknown

2. "Healthy is an outfit that looks different on everybody." Unknown

Many of us are guilty of thinking of weight as the most important factor of our health.

Professionals report that poor nutrition is one factor, but a lack of physical activity, tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption are just as important.

3. "If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you." Fred DeVito

4. "It doesn’t matter how fast or how far you’re going. If you’re putting on your shoes and going out for a run, you are a runner, you are in that club." Kara Goucher

5. "Act as if what you do makes a difference, it does." William James

6. "Physical wellnessis all about how your body functions. To function optimally, your body needs proper nourishment, exercise, andhealthy habits." Robyn L. Gobin

Practicing good posture is an often overlooked way to improve your physical health.

It has so benefits including relieving chronic pain, boosting your self-confidence and easing stress.

7. "A year from now you will wish you had started today." Unknown

1. "Good things come to those who sweat." Unknown

2. "Believe me; the reward is not so great without the struggle." Wilma Rudolph

3. "Exercise to stimulate, not to annihilate. The world wasn’t formed in a day, and neither were we. Set small goals and build upon them." Lee Haney

Though we’re always taught to think big, the secret to achieving our goals might actually be to think small!

It’s not just a case of breaking your large goal into smaller steps, it’s about simply setting a smaller goal.

For example if your goal is to “establish a regular fitness routine”, try changing it to “attend one workout class this week”.

4. "It hurts now, but one day it will be your warm up." Unknown

5. "Fitness needs to be perceived as fun and games or we subconsciously avoid it." Alan Thicke

6. "It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop." Confucius

Have you considered trying yoga?

The latest statistics show that more and more people are taking up the practice!

It encourages you to slow down while still working on your strength, flexibility and balance.

7. "Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going." Sam Levenson

8. "You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do." Henry Ford

1. "A healthy attitude is contagious but don’t wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier." Tom Stoppard

We know that positive thinking is powerful!

Surrounding yourself with uplifting people, identifying areas that are causing negativity and practicing positive self-talk can be good places to start.

2. "All things are difficult before they are easy." Thomas Fuller

3. "The mind is definitely something that can be transformed, and meditation is a means to transform it." Dalai Lama

4. "The difference between try and triumph is a little umph." Marvin Phillips

5. "For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness." Ralph Waldo

6. "Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude." Zig Ziglar

Healthcare providers promote a “good-health attitude”, this means focusing on your strengths instead of your weaknesses.

Developing ways to minimize stress and balancing rest with activity are also considered to be important in honing a healthier outlook.

7. "Acknowledge all of your small victories. They will eventually add up to something great." Kara Gouche

8. "Every day may not be good… but there’s something good in every day." Alice Morse Earle

9. "Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart." Roy T. Bennett

1. "Rest when you’re weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work." Ralph Marston

2. "Your health account, your bank account, they’re the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take out." Jack LaLanne

Lying on a bed of spikes might not seem like a great way to invest in your wellbeing.

However the therapy, known as acupressure, has many benefits including improving your sleep and boosting your circulation.

All you need is an acupressure mat to get started — we’ve done a roundup of the best ones on the market for you to choose from.

3. "In the end, just three things matter: How well we have lived. How well we have loved. How well we have learned to let go." Jack Kornfield

4. "True friendshipis like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it is lost." Charles Caleb Colton

5. "Your health is an investment, not an expense." Unknown

6. "Change your life today. Don’t gamble on the future, act now, without delay." Simone de Beauvoir

Author

Laura Smith

Associate Editorial Manager

Specialist health & wellbeing writer, passionate about discovering new technologies & sharing the latest research.