Survivor quotes capture the nature of strength and the human spirit’s capacity to overcome hardship.
These powerful expressions come from people who have faced substantial challenges—be it sickness, trauma, or personal loss—and have come up stronger.
By sharing their experiences and insights, survivors offer you priceless lessons on endurance, hope, and the strength found in vulnerability.
Top Survivor Quotes
“Surviving is important. Thriving is elegant.” – Maya Angelou
“The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it.” – C.C. Scott
“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” – Carl Jung
“Survival can be summed up in three words—never give up. That’s the heart of it really. Just keep trying.” – Bear Grylls
“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” – Margaret Thatcher
“It’s not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Khalil Gibran
“You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.” – Bob Marley
“Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” – J.K. Rowling
“Being a survivor means standing up for yourself and fighting like hell to have the life you deserve.” – Anonymous
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Inspirational Survivor Quotes
“Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” – Nelson Mandela
“Survival was my only hope, success my only revenge.” – Patricia Cornwell
“A survivor is a triumphant person who lives life with a depth of insight that can teach us all about being human.” – Tena Desae
“Survivors aren’t always the strongest; sometimes they’re the smartest, but more often simply the luckiest.” – Carrie Ryan
“Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” – Buddha
“I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.” – Joshua Graham
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” – Albert Camus
“You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius
“Surviving means being born over and over again.” – Erica Jong
“The only thing a person can ever really do is keep moving forward. Take that big leap forward without hesitation, without once looking back. Simply forget the past and forge toward the future.” – Alyson Noel
Survivor Quotes on Overcoming Adversity
“Turn your wounds into wisdom.” – Oprah Winfrey
“The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it.” – C.C. Scott
“It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.” – Malcolm X
“Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant.” – Horace
“You’ll never find a better sparring partner than adversity.” – Golda Meir
“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy
“Adversity introduces a man to himself.” – Albert Einstein
“We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.” – Barbara De Angelis
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” – Henry Ford
Survivor Quotes from Cancer Fighters
“You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and in the manner in which you live.” – Stuart Scott
“Cancer is a word, not a sentence.” – John Diamond
“The most important thing in illness is never to lose heart.” – Nikolai Lenin
“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.” – Christopher Reeve
“Cancer can take away all of my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, and it cannot touch my soul.” – Jim Valvano
“Now I’ve thought of another: Never give up. Never surrender.” – Jason Nesmith from Galaxy Quest
“The only courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one moment to the next.” – Mignon McLaughlin
“I am not thankful for cancer but I am thankful for what cancer has taught me.” – Brent Stirton
“Surviving cancer is not the end of a gruesome story, it’s the beginning of a beautiful one.” – Unknown
“Each day comes bearing its gifts. Untie the ribbons.” – Ruth Ann Schabacker
Survivor Quotes on Mental Health Recovery
“Recovery is not a race. You don’t have to feel guilty if it takes you longer than you thought it would.” – Demi Lovato
“Healing takes time, and asking for help is a courageous step.” – Mariska Hargitay
“There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.” – John Green
“I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott
“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation.” – Glenn Close
“Your illness is not your identity. Your chemistry is not your character.” – Rick Warren
“Sometimes the people around you won’t understand your journey. They don’t need to; it’s not for them.” – Joubert Botha
“The bravest thing I ever did was continuing my life when I wanted to die.” – Juliette Lewis
“Getting better from depression demands a lifelong commitment. I’ve made that commitment for my life’s sake and for the sake of those who love me.” – Susan Polis Schutz
“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” – Albus Dumbledore (J.K. Rowling)
Survivor Quotes from Historical Figures
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein
“Never, never, never give in!” – Winston Churchill
“The human capacity for burden is like bamboo – far more flexible than you’d ever believe at first glance.” – Jodi Picoult
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Khalil Gibran
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill
“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” – Mother Teresa
“I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.” – Joshua Graham
Survivor Quotes on Resilience
“Resilience is knowing that you are the only one that has the power and the responsibility to pick yourself up.” – Mary Holloway
“The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” – Robert Jordan
“Resilience is not what happens to you. It’s how you react to, respond to, and recover from what happens to you.” – Jeffrey Gitomer
“She stood in the storm, and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails.” – Elizabeth Edwards
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb
“Resilience is the ability to attack while running away.” – Wes Fessler
“Survival can be summed up in three words – never give up. That’s the heart of it really. Just keep trying.” – Bear Grylls
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” – Christopher Reeve
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” – Angela Duckworth
Motivational Survivor Quotes for Athletes
“The only way to prove that you’re a good sport is to lose.” – Ernie Banks
“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan
“You have to believe in yourself when no one else does – that makes you a winner right there.” – Venus Williams
“Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.” – Mike Singletary
“It is not the size of a man but the size of his heart that matters.” – Evander Holyfield
“Never say never because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.” – Michael Jordan
“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.” – Lance Armstrong
“To uncover your true potential you must first find your own limits and then you have to have the courage to blow past them.” – Picabo Street
“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” – Tommy Lasorda
“You’re never a loser until you quit trying.” – Mike Ditka
Survivor Quotes from Disaster Survivors
“After the storm, we gather the pieces and rebuild stronger than before.” – Haruki Murakami
“The human spirit is not measured by the size of the act, but by the size of the heart.” – Joseph Campbell
“Surviving a disaster is the beginning of the next challenge: living with the memory.” – Alice Hoffman
“We may have survived the storm, but we continue to weather the recovery.” – Rebecca Solnit
“The aftermath of a disaster is more than just cleaning up; it’s a test of our resilience.” – Judith Rodin
“In the face of disaster, we’ve learned that unity is strength, knowledge is power, and attitude is everything.” – Fred Rogers
“The scars you can’t see are the hardest to heal.” – Astrid Alauda
“When you go through a disaster, you learn what’s really important—you learn to appreciate.” – Mitch Albom
“Survival isn’t just about living through something; it’s about living on after it.” – Lori Gottlieb
“A disaster teaches us how little we need, not how much we’ve lost.” – Charles Eisenstein
Survivor Quotes on Emotional Strength
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Confucius
“The depth of our struggle will determine the height of our success.” – Robert Tew
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Emotional strength doesn’t come from what you can carry; it comes from what you can endure.” – Robert Jordan
“Being deeply loved gives you strength; loving deeply gives you courage.” – Lao Tzu
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” – Bob Marley
“Emotional resilience is not about winning the battle. It’s about moving forward after the war.” – Selena Gomez
“Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it.” – Ann Landers
“The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity.” – Seneca
Survivor Quotes from Military Veterans
“The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” – Douglas MacArthur
“We sleep peaceably in our beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on our behalf.” – George Orwell
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“The nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten.” – Calvin Coolidge
“This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” – Elmer Davis
“War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” – George S. Patton
“The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” – G.K. Chesterton
“No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” – James Allen
“Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world, but the Marines don’t have that problem.” – Ronald Reagan
Philosophical Survivor Quotes
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Khalil Gibran
“What does not kill me, makes me stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
“Life is very interesting… in the end, some of your greatest pains, become your greatest strengths.” – Drew Barrymore
“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” – Carl Jung
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” – Albert Camus
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou
“Man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit.” – Bernard Williams
“The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” – Rumi
“He who overcomes others is strong; he who overcomes himself is mighty.” – Lao Tzu
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Final Thoughts
Contemplating survivor quotes serves as a touching reminder of your strength.
These narratives not only commemorate the triumph over hardship but also emphasize the significance of support and understanding in recovery.
As you draw inspiration from the words of survivors, you are reminded of the deep strength inherent in you, capable of climbing even the most difficult obstacles. Survivor quotes inspire you to face life’s challenges with boldness and to extend kindness to others who are in the throes of their own battles.