Health

51 inspirational quotes to help you stay strong, healthy and motivated in tough times

Published

1 year ago

September 15, 2024

51 inspirational quotes to help you stay strong, healthy and motivated in tough times

There’s a reason quotes and inspirational sayings from people of all walks of life (and many periods of history) have staying power.

Words of wisdom and reflection can offer solace, comfort and inspiration when times are hard.

They can do this at any time, really.

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Here, in no particular order, are 51 memorable quotes that offer strong reminders of the importance of self-care and of the power of positive thinking — and more.

51 memorable quotes for staying strong, healthy and motivated

1. “Love yourself first and everything else falls in line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” — Lucille Ball

“Love yourself first and everything else falls in line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” — Lucille Ball (CBS via Getty Images)

2. “When you let fear make your decisions, you relinquish your belief in yourself or in another person.” — Admiral Bob Harward

3. “Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the face.” — Helen Keller

4. “We must be our own before we can be another’s.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

5. “Keep good company, read good books, love good things, and cultivate soul and body as faithfully as you can.” — Louisa May Alcott

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6. “I remain an incorrigible optimist. America has overcome daunting odds time and again … I would never bet against the American people.” — Neil Gorsuch

7. “The most important investment you can make is in yourself. Very few people get anything like their potential horsepower translated into the actual horsepower of their output in life. Potential exceeds realization for many people … The best asset is your own self. You can become to an enormous degree the person you want to be.” — Warren Buffett

8. “We have to be intentional with the life that we have.” — Amy Grant

“We have to be intentional with the life that we have.” — Amy Grant (Allison Dinner/Getty Images)

9. “Our bodies are our gardens, to which our wills are gardeners.” — William Shakepeare

10. “Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future.” — Alice Walker

11. “I might tell a story, but usually I try to remind people that they should be happy.” — Don McLean

12. “If you’re facing a problem, don’t tell yourself that you can’t do it. Convince yourself that you have the strength to deal with almost anything … And you do! Recognizing your core strengths is an important step toward having joie de vivre. You can count on better days to come because of the good days that came before. And you can find joy in the moment because you have the resiliency to overcome the problems that may be hanging over you.” — Ruth K. Westheimer

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13. “The most important thing in life is to stop saying ‘I wish’ and start saying ‘I will.’ Consider nothing impossible, then treat possibilities as probabilities.” — Charles Dickens

14. “Faith is the very first thing you should pack in a hope chest.” — Sarah Ban Breathnach

15. “You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.” — Bob Marley

16. “Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.” — Carol Burnett

“Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.” — Carol Burnett (Getty Images)

17. “The secret to a happy life is to accept change gracefully.” — Jimmy Stewart

18. “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.” — Melody Beattie

19. “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” — C.S. Lewis

20. “A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” — Phyllis Diller

21. “Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment.” — Stephen Covey

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22. “I really built myself up, darn it, to be very strong.” — Barbara Bush

23. “My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose — somehow we win out.” — Ronald Reagan

24. “Reinforce yourself by remembering that you have been resilient and have persevered to overcome challenging and troublesome situations in the past.” — Jennifer Guttman

25. “I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk.” — Tony Robbins

“I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk.” — Tony Robbins (FOX)

26. “When I am constantly running there is no time for being. When there is no time for being there is no time for listening.” — Madeleine L’Engle

27. “If you’re peaceful at home, then you extend that to your family, extend that to your community. And I hope that if we extend that to a critical mass, we can have a more peaceful, just, sustainable, healthier and joyful world. That’s the ultimate dream.” — Deepak Chopra

28. “If you want to live an authentic, meaningful life, you need to master the art of disappointing and upsetting others, hurting feelings, and living with the reality that some people just won’t like you. It may not be easy, but it’s essential if you want your life to reflect your deepest desires, values, and needs.” — Cheryl Richardson

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29. “Make the mental commitment that, God willing, nothing will stop you from ‘going the distance.’” — Alex McFarland

30. “If you aren’t good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone, since you’ll resent the time and energy you give another person that you aren’t even giving to yourself.” — Barbara De Angelis

31. “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

32. “A balanced life doesn’t come from being a know-it-all about every nuance of Ashtanga yoga. It comes instead from knowing what you need so that you can keep learning and evolving for months and years to come.” — Mariel Hemingway

“A balanced life doesn’t come from being a know-it-all about every nuance of Ashtanga yoga. It comes instead from knowing what you need so that you can keep learning and evolving for months and years to come.” — Mariel Hemingway (Getty Images)

33. “I’m just thankful for everything, all the blessings in my life, trying to stay that way. I think that’s the best way to start your day and finish your day. It keeps everything in perspective.” — Tim Tebow

34. “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

35. “Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” — A. A. Milne

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36. “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves.” — Marie Curie

37. “Life shrinks or expands according to one’s courage.” — Anaïs Nin

38. “Self-care should include the cold shower as well as the scented tub.” — Mary Catherine Bateson

39. “Relax. Look around. Make a call.” — Jocko Willink

“Relax. Look around. Make a call.” — Jocko Willink (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

40. “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” — Virginia Woolf

41. “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” — Mahatma Gandhi

42. “Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” — Nora Ephron

43. “Just as self-respect and pride bring out the best in an individual, pride in family, pride in teammates, pride in hometown bring out the best in groups of people.” — Andy Rooney

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44. “The only bad workout is the one that didn’t happen.” — Unknown

45. “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come without leaving happier.” — Mother Teresa

46. “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” — Albert Einstein

“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” — Albert Einstein (iStock)

47. “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” — Babe Ruth

48. “We turn not older with years but newer every day.” — Emily Dickinson

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49. “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” — Dale Carnegie

50. “It takes courage to live in this world. It takes courage to speak truth, and it takes even more courage to live according to the highest ideals of your heart.” — Joan Gattuso

51. “A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.” — Irish proverb

Maureen Mackey is managing editor of lifestyle for Fox News Digital.

Health

Matt Damon’s Gluten-Free Diet Helped Him Lose 18 Pounds

Published

9 hours ago

January 8, 2026

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Matt Damon’s Gluten-Free Diet Helped Him Lose 18 Pounds

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Health

Deadly cancer risk could drop with single 10-minute workout, study suggests

Published

10 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Deadly cancer risk could drop with single 10-minute workout, study suggests

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A single 10-minute workout may trigger blood changes that help fight colon cancer.

That’s according to new research from scientists at Newcastle University, who found that exercise quickly changes the blood in ways that affect colon cancer cells in the lab.

In the study, the U.K. researchers exposed colon cancer cells to human blood serum collected immediately after exercise, finding that the cells repaired DNA damage faster and showed gene activity patterns linked to slower growth.

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The blood samples came from 30 adults who had just completed a short, high-intensity cycling workout that lasted about 10 to 12 minutes, according to a press release.

Even a 10-minute burst of intense exercise may send protective signals through the blood that affect colon cancer cells, researchers say. (iStock)

Samuel T. Orange, an associate professor at Newcastle University and one of the study’s authors, spoke with Fox News Digital about the findings.

“Our findings show that exercise rapidly triggers molecular changes in the bloodstream that can act directly on colon cancer cells, reshaping gene activity and supporting DNA damage repair,” he said.

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The results suggest that even brief activity can make a difference. “Every movement matters. Exercise doesn’t need to last hours or happen in a gym,” Orange added.

The research suggests that exercise quickly triggers changes in the blood that affect colon cancer cells and helps support DNA repair. (iStock)

One of the most surprising findings, according to the researcher, was how strong the biological response was after even a single workout.

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“Exercise altered the activity of more than 1,000 genes in colon cancer cells,” he shared.

Even brief bouts of activity can make a difference, the researcher said. (iStock)

The study findings suggest that the effect is driven by exercise-triggered molecules released into the bloodstream, sometimes referred to as “exerkines,” which act like chemical messengers and send signals throughout the body.

“Each time you exercise, you trigger biological signals that support health and resilience to diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease,” Orange said.

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The researchers cautioned that the study was conducted using cancer cells grown in the laboratory, not in patients.

The findings are based on experiments using colon cancer cells grown in the lab, not studies conducted in people, the researchers noted. (iStock)

The study involved 30 healthy male and female volunteers between the ages of 50 and 78. Their blood samples were used to carry exercise-triggered signals to cancer cells grown in the lab.

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“These findings now need to be replicated in people with cancer,” Orange said. “We also need to better understand the longer-term effects of repeated exercise signals over time.”

Despite the limitations, the researcher said the findings strengthen the case for exercise as an important part of colon cancer prevention.

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“Each time you move your body and get a little breathless, you’re contributing to better health and may help influence biological processes linked to bowel cancer,” he added.

Kelly McGreal is a production assistant with the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital.

Health

Brain Health Challenge: Try a Brain Teaser

Published

21 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Brain Health Challenge: Try a Brain Teaser

Welcome back! For Day 4 of the challenge, let’s do a short and fun activity based around a concept called cognitive reserve.

Decades of research show that people who have more years of education, more cognitively demanding jobs or more mentally stimulating hobbies all tend to have a reduced risk of cognitive impairment as they get older.

Experts think this is partly thanks to cognitive reserve: Basically, the more brain power you’ve built up over the years, the more you can stand to lose before you experience impairment. Researchers still don’t agree on how to measure cognitive reserve, but one theory is that better connections between different brain regions corresponds with more cognitive reserve.

To build up these connections, you need to stimulate your brain, said Dr. Joel Salinas, a neurologist at NYU Langone Health and the founder and chief medical officer of the telehealth platform Isaac Health. To do that, try an activity that is “challenging enough that it requires some effort but not so challenging that you don’t want to do it anymore,” he said.

Speaking a second language has been shown to be good for cognition, as has playing a musical instrument, visiting a museum and doing handicrafts like knitting or quilting. Reading is considered a mentally stimulating hobby, and experts say you’ll get an even bigger benefit if you join a book club to make it social. Listen to a podcast to learn something new, or, better yet, attend a lecture in person at a local college or community center, said Dr. Zaldy Tan, the director of the Memory and Healthy Aging Program at Cedars-Sinai. That adds a social component, plus the extra challenge of having to navigate your way there, he said.

A few studies have found that playing board games like chess can be good for your brain; the same goes for doing crossword puzzles. It’s possible that other types of puzzles, like those you find in brain teaser books or from New York Times Games, can also offer a cognitive benefit.

But there’s a catch: To get the best brain workout, the activity should not only be challenging but also new. If you do “Wordle every day, it’s like well, then you’re very, very good at Wordle, and the Wordle part of your brain has grown to be fantastic,” said Dr. Linda Selwa, a clinical professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School. “But the rest of your mind might still need work.”

So play a game you’re not used to playing, Dr. Selwa said. “The novelty seems to be what’s driving brain remodeling and growth.”

Today, we want you to push yourself out of your cognitive comfort zone. Check out an online lecture or visit a museum with your challenge partner. Or try your hand at a new game, below. Share what novel thing you did today in the comments, and I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 5.