77 Self-Care Quotes to Love Yourself More

Self-care. It's an important topic that most people don't spend enough time thinking about because they feel like they don't have enough time.

You might be a successful, hard-driving person, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to focus on self-care. Instead, it has been found that focusing on your needs occasionally is a proven strategy for increasing your productivity.

So in this article, we have a collected a variety of quotes about self-care that is meant to inspire you to go out and actually care for yourself.

These quotes on self-care are designed to show you a thing or two about what is meant by self-care in general, and also to show you some of the nuances surrounding emotional self-care, spiritual self-care, physical self-care, and pampering self-care.

If you'd like to learn more about the concept of self care, I recommend checking out these 274 self-care ideas and activities.

7 Health Benefits of Self-Care

When we practice self-care, we are not only helping ourselves, but we are also helping others as well. A variety of studies have found that self-care provides these benefits:

1. Increased productivity because we learn to “say no” to the unimportant items and focus on what truly matters
2. Decrease in stress and anxiety since you're not working as hard. Regular self care go a long way in preventing burnout, especially in women.
3. Improvement in your immunity and overall health (due to this reduction stress.)
4. Better understanding of what makes you “tick” because you're taking time to try different things
5. Increased positive thinking and gratitude for what you have in life.
6. Enhanced self esteem due to the fact that you get to focus on your core values and your why.
7. Better physical health because you'll have more time to spend building positive exercise habits.

Now that you know why self-care is important, let's talk about how to make it happen and then we'll dive into the 77 quotes on caring for yourself.

Why Self-Care Should Be Your #1 Priority

Self-care should always come first, so you should never think that you're being selfish when you take time for yourself.

Self-care is like that old adage about being in an airplane emergency. When something happens, a mask drops from the ceiling, you are supposed to help yourself first and then proceed to help others put on their masks.

The idea is that if you help others first, and fail, then both people suffer. However, if you take the time for a bit of self-care first (in the case of the plane — putting on your own mask first), then you will be okay and in a better position to help others more effectively.

Well, enough talking about self-care for now. Let’s jump right in by looking about the best quotes on this topic…

Emotional Self-Care Quotes

1. “Allow yourself to enjoy each happy moment in your life.”– Steve Maraboli
2. “And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”– John Steinbeck
3. “Lighten up on yourself. No one is perfect. Gently accept your humanness.”–Deborah Day
4. “No more martyring myself.”– Sharon E. Rainey
5. “The only person who can pull me down is myself, and I’m not going to let myself pull me down anymore.”– C. JoyBell

6. “Of all the judgments we pass in life, none is more important than the judgment we pass on ourselves.”– Nathaniel Branden
7. “Self-care is how you take your power back.”– Lalah Delia
8. “Take time to do what makes your soul happy.”– Unknown
9. “Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”– Unknown
10. “When we self-regulate well, we are better able to control the trajectory of our emotional lives and resulting actions based on our values and sense of purpose.”– Amy Leigh Mercree
11. “When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life.”– Jean Shinoda Bolen
12. “Being extremely honest with oneself is a good exercise.” – Sigmund Freud

Understanding Our Negative Emotions

Negative emotions can eat a hole in our souls. If your body and mind have been taking an emotional beating, you will certainly need a bit of self-care to get over it and promote a greater sense of well-being in yourself.

The term “self-care” seems a bit indulgent to some, however. It reminds them that part of self-care can be relaxing — things like getting a massage, pedicures, relaxing in a hot tub and activities you typically do when bored. But this is not the full extent of how self-care can help you!

Invigorating morning routines, for example, are just a series of self-care ideas done at a specific time every day to try and get the most of your self-care routine and have it form the largest possible positive impact on your body, mind, soul, and your day.

Quotes About Taking Care of Your Body

You might think that self-care means you're focusing on your mental state. In truth: This concept is even more important when it comes to your physical health.

When we are hurt, or our muscles are strained to the point of exhaustion, we need a bit of extra car to get them back into shape. This form of self-care, as you can see from this collection of quotes about taking care of our body, often comes in the form of preventative self-care.

That's why I encourage you to check out the following articles that are related to health side of self-care.

Okay, now, let's dive into the self-care quotes related to your health…

13. “When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.”– Benjamin Franklin
14. “Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.”– Edward Stanley
15. “It’s good to do uncomfortable things. It’s weight training for life.”– Anne LaMott
16. “An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly.”– Unknown
17. “Everybody is different, and every body is different.” – Beverly Diehl
18. “How do you define ‘taking care of yourself’? Create a new self-care practice today. Observe your comfort level when it comes to being good to yourself. Discomfort is a wise teacher.”– Caroline Myss and Peter Occhiogrosso

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”– Anne Lamott

19. “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”– Anne Lamott
20. “Your breathing is your greatest friend. Return to it in all your troubles, and you will find comfort and guidance.”– Unknown
21. “Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.”– Etty Hillesum
22. “Our bodies are our gardens to which our wills are gardeners.” – William Shakespeare

Inspirational Quotes About Self-Care

Want some self-care quotes that are also inspirational? If so, here 20 sayings that emphasize the importance of taking care of yourself.

23. “Nourishing yourself in a way that helps you blossom in the direction you want to go is attainable, and you are worth the effort.”– Deborah Day
24. “Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others.”– Christopher Germer
25. “Learning to love yourself is like learning to walk—essential, life-changing, and the only way to stand tall.”– Vironika Tugaleva

Learning to love yourself is like learning to walk—essential, life-changing, and the only way to stand tall.”– Vironika Tugaleva

26. “When you are compassionate with yourself, you trust in your soul, which you let guide your life. Your soul knows the geography of your destiny better than you do.”– John O’Donohue
27. “If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”– Jack Kornfield
28. “People who love themselves come across as very loving, generous, and kind; they express their self-confidence through humility, forgiveness, and inclusiveness.”– Sanaya Roman
29. “You owe yourself the love you so freely give to others.” – Unknown

30. “Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it. You teach people how to treat you by deciding what you will and won’t accept.”– Anna Taylor
31. “Accept yourself. Love yourself as you are. Your finest work, your best movements, your joy, peace, and healing come when you love yourself. You give a great gift to the world when you do that. You give others permission to do the same: to love themselves. Revel in self-love. Roll in it. Bask in it as you would sunshine.”– Melodie Beattie
32. “Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.”– Bell Hooks
33. “You must love yourself before you love another. By accepting yourself and fully being what you are, your simple presence can make others happy.”– Unknown
34. “Self-love is asking yourself what you need – every day – and then making sure you receive it.”– Unknown
35. “The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself.”– Steve Maraboli

The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself.”– Steve Maraboli

36. “Acknowledge, accept, and honor that you deserve your own deepest compassion and love.”– Nanette Mathews
37. “There are days I drop words of comfort on myself like falling leaves and remember that it is enough to be taken care of by myself.”– Brian Andreas
38. “Whatever you are doing, love yourself for doing it. Whatever you are feeling, love yourself for feeling it.”– Thaddeus Golas
39. “Learning to treat ourselves lovingly may at first feel like a dangerous experiment.”– Sharon Salzberg
40. “When we give ourselves compassion, we are opening our hearts in a way that can transform our lives.”– Kristin Neff
41. “You are a VIP, a very important person so take care with self-care. If not you, who? If not now, when?”– Toni Hawkins
42. “Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.” – Brene Brown

Taking Time for Yourself Quotes

Now we have another series of important quotes. These are quotes about taking time for yourself. This is a biggie in self-care.

To prosper and thrive, we all need a little bit of “me time” to recharge our batteries; literally and figuratively. So let's see what the experts say about taking time for yourself…

43. “Caring for your body, mind, and spirit is your greatest and grandest responsibility. It's about listening to the needs of your soul and then honoring them.”– Kristi Ling
44. “There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.”– Aldous Huxley
45. “Invent your world. Surround yourself with people, color, sounds, and work that nourish you.”– Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy
46. “My mother always says people should be able to take care of themselves, even if they’re rich and important.”– Frances Hodgson Burnett

How we care for ourselves gives our brain messages that shape our self-worth so we must care for ourselves in every way, every day.”– Sam Owen

47. “How we care for ourselves gives our brain messages that shape our self-worth so we must care for ourselves in every way, every day.”– Sam Owen
48. “The love and attention you always thought you wanted from someone else, is the love and attention you first need to give to yourself.”– Bryant McGillns
49. “We need to replace your vicious stress cycle with a vicious cycle of self-care.”– Dr. Sara Gottfried
50. “Self-discipline is self-caring.”– M. Scott Peck
51. “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”– Audre Lorde

52. “Taking care of yourself doesn't mean me first; it means me too.”– L.R. Knost
53. “I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self-indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival.”– Audre Lorde
54. “It's not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and to make your happiness a priority. It's necessary.”– Mandy Hale
55. “When I loved myself enough, I began leaving whatever wasn’t healthy. This meant people, jobs, my own beliefs, and habits – anything that kept me small. My judgment called it disloyal. Now I see it as self-loving.”– Kim McMilllen
56. “Put yourself at the top of your to-do list every single day, and the rest will fall into place.”– Unknown

Self-care is never selfish, but it may feel that way when you live a frenzied life.”– Arthur P. Ciaramicoli

57. “Self-care is never selfish, but it may feel that way when you live a frenzied life.”– Arthur P. Ciaramicoli
58. “With every act of self-care, your authentic self gets stronger, and the critical, fearful mind gets weaker. Every act of self-care is a powerful declaration: I am on my side; I am on my side; each day I am more and more on my own side.”– Susan Weiss Berry
59. “One of the best ways you can fight discrimination is by taking good care of yourself. Your survival is not just important; it's an act of revolution.”– DaShanne Stokes
60. “The only person you shouldn't be able to live without is you.”– Chris McGeown
61. “Take the time today to love yourself. You deserve it.”– Avina Celeste
62. “Carve out and claim time to care for yourself and kindle your own fire.” – Amy Ippoliti

Self-Care Quotes for Caregivers

Finally, let's talk about something that strictly isn’t self-care — instead, its about taking time to help others.

A case could be made that this is not truly self-care; it is just caring. I acknowledge that argument because semantically speaking, it is true. But there are many people out there that may be able to help.

Who are the caregivers? When you think of self-care and caregivers, your mind probably jumps to an old age home and someone in their final years needing a lot of help. While this is part of self-care and caregivers, I would argue it is only a small part.

The biggest self-care caregivers are parents. They start doing everything for you, then slowly educate and teach you to find what you need and perform your own self-care.

Then there are teachers, doctors, psychologists, drill instructors, bosses, HR people, massage therapists, hair stylists, payroll people — the list goes on of people who do things for you (and teach you things) that could or should become part of a self-care routine.

(If you want a job as a care-giver, then here are the 21 best jobs that help people in need.)

So now that you are on to the wider meaning of “caregivers” in the sense of self-help, let’s take a look at some of the self-care quotes for caregivers shared in the final section below.

63. “Anytime we can listen to true self and give the care it requires, we do it not only for ourselves but for the many others whose lives we touch.”– Parker J. Palmer
64. “Self-care is not a waste of time. Self-care makes your use of time more sustainable.”– Jackie Viramontez
65. “Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.”– Eleanor Brownn

In dealing with those who are undergoing great suffering, if you feel “burnout” setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself. The point is to have a long-term perspective.”– Dalai Lama

66. “In dealing with those who are undergoing great suffering, if you feel “burnout” setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself. The point is to have a long-term perspective.”– Dalai Lama
67. “The perfect man of old looked after himself first before looking to help others.”– Chuang Tzu
68. “Self-Care is the secret ingredient to Soldier care in a recipe that yields many servings of effective leadership.”– Donavan Nelson Butler

69. “You can't pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first.” – Unknown
70. “Self-care is a deliberate choice to gift yourself with people, places, things, events, and opportunities that recharge our personal battery and promote whole health—body, mind, and spirit.”– Laurie Buchanan, PhD
71. “Self-care is not selfish. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.”– Eleanor Brownn
72. “Don’t sacrifice yourself too much, because if you sacrifice too much there’s nothing else you can give, and nobody will care for you.”– Karl Lagerfeld
73. “A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.” – Irish proverb
74. “My caregiver mantra is to remember: the only control you have is over the changes you choose to make.” – Nancy L. Kriseman
75. “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” – Buddha
76. “Sometimes asking for help is the most meaningful example of self-reliance.” — Cory Booker
77. “Lighten up on yourself. No one is perfect. Gently accept your humanness.” — Deborah Day

Final Thoughts on Self-Care Quotes

Do you like these self-care quotes?

Hopefully they gave you the inspiration to take time for yourself. Remember, it's not selfish. Instead, you're helping yourself first, so you can be more present in both your personal and professional life.

If you like to journal, here are several self-care journal ideas and templates you can use.

If you're a fan of podcasts that matter, these self help podcasts can help you in your self care journey.

If you want to read up more of self care, these self care blogs provides plenty of self care ideas.

And if you're looking for more self-care inspiration, check out these blog posts:

• 63 Self Confidence Quotes to Help You Conquer Any Challenge
• 43 Sleep Quotes About the Importance of Getting Enough Rest
• 173 Uplifting Quotes for Difficult Times in Your Life

Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then watch this free video that details the 7-minute habit for planning your day to focus on what's truly important to you..