30+ Caregiver Quotes And Poems Sure To Buoy Your Spirits

Being a caregiver is not often something we choose but something that chooses us. Millions of people care for aged or chronically ill family members every day. The role comes with sometimes daily peaks and valleys — acknowledged in the diverse caregiver quotes and poems below. On a good day, you may see your prima ballerina Alzheimer’s patient recall her greatest passion. On a bad day, Mom’s dementia means she might not be able to remember you at all anymore. Those tough times can leave you utterly drained.

Being a caregiver is a lot like walking through a wilderness full of unforeseen twists and turns. Whether a caregiver by profession or duty to a loved one, your care and attention make a vast difference in the daily life of the recipient. We hear you. We see you. We support you. Check out these caregiver quotes for inspiration, a laugh, or to just feel seen.

Inspirational Caregiver Quotes

1. “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” — John Bunyan
2. “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” — Charles Dickens
3. “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure despite overwhelming obstacles.” — Christopher Reeve
4. “It is so important as a caregiver not to become so enmeshed in the role that you lose yourself. It’s neither good for you nor your loved one.” — Dana Reeve
5. “Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.” — Oprah Winfrey
6. “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” — Maya Angelou
7. “What matters most is how well you walk through the fire.” — Charles Bukowski
8. “One person caring about another represents life’s greatest value.” — Jim Rohn
9. “There are only four kinds of people in the world: Those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.” — Rosalynn Carter
10. “Some caregivers want to reciprocate the care they themselves received as children.” — Ariel Gore
11. “Compassion brings us to a stop, and for a moment we rise above ourselves.” — Mason Cooley
12. “Behold, I do not give lectures or a little charity. When I give, I give myself.” — Walt Whitman
13. “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” — Mahatma Gandhi
14. “Sometimes our work as caregivers is not for the faint of heart. But, you will never know what you’re made of until you step into the fire. Step bravely.” — Deborah A. Beasley
15. “I have a theory that selflessness and bravery aren’t all that different.” — Veronica Roth
16. “I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self-indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival.” — Audre Lorde
17. “The closest thing to being cared for is to care for someone else.” — Carson McCullers
18. “Hope is sweet.

Hope is illumining. Hope is fulfilling. Hope can be everlasting. Therefore, do not give up hope. Even in the sunset of your life.” — Sri Chinmoy

1. “Caring about people, about things, about life — is an act of maturity.” — Tracy McMillan
2. “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the things which you think you cannot do.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
3. “To the world, you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.” — Dr. Seuss
4. “When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
5. “There are so many stories, more beautiful than answers.” — Mary Oliver
6. “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
7. “To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors.” — Tia Walker
8. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” — Lao Tzu
9. “Caregivers attract caregivers and live in a community of love. They are energized by their caring, fulfilled, and they love life.” — Gary Zukav

Funny Caregiver Quotes

1. “Whatever you do, always give 100 percent. Unless you’re donating blood.” — Bill Murray
2. “By the time you’re 80 years old, you’ve learned everything. You only have to remember it.” — George Burns
3. “Always laugh when you can. It’s cheap medicine.” — Lord Byron
4. “One rage every three months is permitted. Try not to hurt anyone who doesn’t deserve it.” — Ron Swanson, Parks and Recreation
5. “Never explain what you do. It speaks for itself. You only muddle it by talking about it.” — Shel Silverstein
6. “Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.” — Kurt Vonnegut
7. “I get most of my exercise these days by shaking my head in disbelief.” — Anonymous

Caregiver Poems

1. “8 Bs for Caregivers” by Ron Cooper

Be positive.

Be uplifting. Be patient. Be inspirational. Be humble. Be proactive. Be genuine. Be loving. To yourself, And the precious one, In your capable care.

2. “Too Personal” by Pauletta Hansel

Like the underside,

Of a cat’s tongue, like Someone else’s bathwater, Like bedsheets still warm, like A spit-wet thumb flicking sleep From the corner of your mother’s Eye, like an old hymn hummed Beneath curdled breath, like Ragged stitches pulled from a wound. These poems are too personal.

3. “The Care Worker” by Zoe Porter

I wake them up; I get them dressed,

I brush their hair so they look their best. I make their bed and wash their clothes. The little things that no one knows. I hold their hand when they are scared, I talk to them when no one’s there. I give them a friend when they are alone. I treat them like family, one of my own. And when it’s time to save a life, I keep my heart strong and hold my head high. I wait till it’s over, when everything’s done. When the house has gone quiet, the emptiness comes. So please don’t judge me when you think I don’t care. I look after your family when you are not there.

4. “Hope” by Emily Dickinson

“Hope” is the thing with feathers —

That perches in the soul — And sings the tune without the words — And never stops — at all — And sweetest — in the Gale — is heard — And sore must be the storm — That could abash the little bird That kept so many warm _ I’ve heard it in the chillest land And on the strangest Sea — Yet — never — in Extremity, It asked a crumb — of me.

5. “Caregiver” by Lee McCurley

I am the caregiver, the watcher, the guide

I walk down the hall with you by my side a smile, a laugh, a hug, or embrace I watch the worry fall away from your face I am the caregiver, the watcher, the guide I walk down the hall with you by my side I am your compass, your shining North Star I try to remind you just who you are I am the caregiver, the watcher, the guide I walk down the hall with you by my side Pictures and letters, music of old keep your mind warm and away from the cold I am the caregiver, the watcher, the guide I walk down the hall with you by my side the routine of night shows no wear and tear the light of the morning soon will be here.