Last Updated: March 17, 2023 by Quote.cc Team
Everyone deals with stress at some point in their life. No matter how easygoing you are, life can get stressful. Sometimes we have to deal with financial setbacks, health problems, workplace challenges and all sorts of difficulties. If you allow your stress to get out of hand, it can lead to a wide range of adverse physical and mental side effects. Chronic stress and a lack of coping resources available or used by an individual can often lead to psychological issues such as delusions, depression and anxiety.
Stress is accurate, but we always have a choice. We can let it consume us, or we learn to control it. To handle stress effectively, we have to accept that stress is part of life, accept that we cannot control everything and maintain a positive attitude. There are many things you can do to help keep your stress at controllable levels. Getting active through exercise or yoga is a great way to steer your mind away from anxiety and stress. Eating healthy, getting adequate sleep, and preparing for stressful situations will better manage your stress.
When stress takes over, it can be challenging to return to your happy state. To help you get back there, here are some of our favourite life quotes that are sure to comfort your mind and put you in a positive mood so you can quickly alleviate your stress and get on with your life. Hopefully, these stress quotes will help you cope with whatever stressful situation you might be facing.
200 Best Stress Quotes
Top 10 Stress Quotes
“If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it.” – George Burns
“Stress, anxiety, and depression are caused when we are living to please others.” – Paulo Coelho
“The components of anxiety, stress, fear, and anger do not exist independently of you in the world. They simply do not exist in the physical world, even though we talk about them as if they do.” – Wayne Dyer
“When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.” – Peter Marshall
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” – William James
“Times of stress are also times that are signals for growth, and if we use adversity properly, we can grow through adversity.” – Abraham Twerski
“Poverty entails fear and stress and sometimes depression. It meets a thousand petty humiliations and hardships. Climbing out of poverty by your own efforts that is something on which to pride yourself but poverty itself is romanticized by fools.” – J. K. Rowling
“The truth is that there is no actual stress or anxiety in the world; it’s your thoughts that create these false beliefs. You can’t package stress, touch it, or see it. There are only people engaged in stressful thinking.” – Wayne Dyer
“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.” – Winston Churchill
“In all human activities, particularly in all matters of business, times of stress and difficulty are seasons of opportunity when the seeds of progress are sown.” – Thomas F. Woodlock
What Is Stress?
“Stress is the trash of modern life we all generate it but if you don’t dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life.” – Danzae Pace
“Stress is the inability to tell the difference between what is happening and what you think is happening.”
“Stress is the gap between our expectation and reality. The bigger the gap, the more stress, so, expect nothing and just be.”
“Stress is something that we are not always conscious of; it can exist on a cellular level and hide, masked by our ingrained insensitivity.” – Garri Garripoli
“Stress is something that is sort of out of your control. You get stressed out over looking at the finish line. Stress is something that is an outside thing. Stress is an anxiety.” – Joe Torre
“Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness.” – Richard Carlson
“Stress is not what happens to us. It’s our response TO what happens. And RESPONSE is something we can choose.” – Maureen Killoran
“Stress is like spice – in the right proportion it enhances the flavor of a dish. Too little produces a bland, dull meal; too much may choke you.” – Donald Tubesing
“Stress is caused by being ‘here’ but wanting to be ‘there’.” – Eckhart Tolle
“Stress is an important dragon to slay–or at least tame–in your life.” – Marilu Henner
“Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency.” – Natalie Goldberg
“Stress is the body’s response to any demand, whether it is physical, emotional, or psychological.” – Dr. Cynthia Ackrill
“Stress is the trash of modern life – we all generate it but if you don’t dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life.” – Danzae Pace
“Stress is the psychological equivalent of toxins accumulating in your body.” – Dr. Karl Albrecht
“Stress is the body’s way of letting us know we need to take action.” – Dr. Heidi Hanna
“Stress is the spice of life, the adrenalin that brings excitement to our day. Stress is only bad when it overwhelms us.” – Marilu Henner
“Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. It can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous.” – Mayo Clinic
“Stress is not a badge of honor. It’s a warning sign.” – Dr. Janet Lapp
Don’t Stress Quotes
“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.” – Oprah Winfrey
“Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.” – Benjamin Franklin
“Don’t cry over the past, it’s gone. Don’t stress about the future, it hasn’t arrived. Live in the present and make it beautiful.”
“Don’t stress. Do your best. Forget the rest.”
“Happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy. There’s going to be stress in life, but it’s your choice whether you let it affect you or not.” – Valerie Bertinelli
“If the problem can be solved, why worry? If the problem cannot be solved, worrying will do you no good.” – Buddha
“Live in the moment, day by day, and don’t stress about the future. People are so caught up in looking into the future that they kind of lose what’s in front of them.” – Jenna Ushkowitz
“Take life day by day and be grateful for the little things. Don’t get stressed over what you can’t control.”
“The truth is that there is no actual stress or anxiety in the world; it’s your thoughts that create these false beliefs. You can’t package stress, touch it, or see it. There are only people engaged in stressful thinking.” – Wayne Dyer
“It seems that we have it backward in our society. We tend to look up to people who are under a great deal of stress, who can handle loads of stress, and those who are under a great deal of pressure.” – Richard Carlson
“When you’re dealing with stress, the problem may not be the stressful situation, as much as the effort to avoid that situation and the feelings it arouses.” – Ted A. Grossbart
“Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.” – Hans Selye
“Faced with stress, too many people feel they have nowhere to turn to, that they don’t have access to the kind of friendships or communities where they can easily and openly share their problems and worries.” – Daisaku Ikeda
“Getting stress out of your life takes more than prayer alone. You must take action to make changes and stop doing whatever is causing the stress. You can learn to calm down in the way you handle things.” – Joyce Meyer
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the blue sky, is by no means waste of time.” – John Lubbock
“Some people are so used to experiencing stress that they don’t remember what life was like without it.” – Andrew J. Bernstein
“Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answers.” – William S. Burroughs
“Stop focusing on how stressed you are an remember how blessed you are.”
“Eliminate the people, things, beliefs, environments, and memories that cause you stress, and you will live a more happy and peaceful life.” – ATGW
Stress Free Quotes
“Don’t let your mind bully your body into believing it must carry the burden of its worries.” – Astrid Alauda
“Make jokes. No stress. Love. Live life. Proceed. Progress.” – Lil Wayne
“Be like a little kid, with no stress, no worries, or a care in the world.”
“It’s a good idea always to do something relaxing prior to making an important decision in your life.” – Paulo Coelho
“You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway.” – Steve Maraboli
“For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.” – Lily Tomlin
“Creating something I can use is the best stress reliever.” – Blake Lively
“Everyone is struggling under stress and fear. Only with right attitude we can avoid regrets.” – Kishore Bansal
“I enjoy an evening stroll. It helps me to reflect and eases stress.” – Blac Chyna
“I think one of the biggest things that sleep does is help with emotional stress.” – Joe Zeller
“One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren’t enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with much less stress.” – Viggo Mortensen
“One of the best ways to reduce stress is to accept the things that you cannot control.” – M. P. Neary
“Releasing the pressure, it’s good for the teapot and the water. Try it sometime.” – Jeb Dickerson
“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” – Etty Hillesum
“Taking time out each day to relax and renew is essential to living well.” – Judith Hanson Lasater
“Taking time to contemplate what you’re grateful for isn’t merely the “right” thing to do. It also improves your mood because it reduces the stress hormone cortisol by 23 percent.” – Travis Bradberry
“There are thousands of causes for stress, and one antidote to stress is self-expression. That’s what happens to me every day. My thoughts get off my chest, down my sleeves and onto my pad.” – Garson Kanin
“Where there is a lack of rest, there is an abundance of stress.” – Lysa TerKeurst
“I think extreme sports are really good for relieving stress.” – Dave Chappelle
“Gratitude can reduce your stress and anxiety.” – Bree Miller
“Doing something that is productive is a great way to alleviate emotional stress. Get your mind doing something that is productive.” – Ziggy Marley
“A good way to overcome stress is to help others out of theirs.” – Dada J. P. Vaswani
“I crowded far too many tasks into Yesterday. Today is now demanding music, chocolate truffles, and sporadic dancing, as compensation.” – Dr.SunWolf
“God will never give you anything you can’t handle, don’t stress.” – Kelly Clarkson
“God doesn’t give us what we can handle. God helps us handle what we are given.”
“God didn’t do it all in one day. What makes me think I can.”
“Don’t try to force anything. Let life be a deep let-go. God opens millions of flowers every day without forcing their buds.” – Osho
Stress Management Quotes
“You need to be able to manage stress because hard times will come, and a positive outlook is what gets you through.” – Marie Osmond
“When we commit to action, to actually doing something rather than feeling trapped by events, the stress in our life becomes manageable.” – Greg Anderson
“We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday’s burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it.” – John Newton
“There are an enormous number of managers who have retired on the job.” – Peter Drucker
“Stress can actually help you focus better and can be positive. Having small amounts of stress can stimulate you to think. Being able to manage your stress is key.” – Frank Long
“Being in control of your life and having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a happy, healthy and rewarding life.” – Marilu Henner
“How we perceive a situation and how we react to it is the basis of our stress. If you focus on the negative in any situation, you can expect high stress levels. However, if you try and see the good in the situation, your stress levels will greatly diminish.” – Catherine Pulsifer
“If you don’t think your anxiety, depression, sadness and stress impact your physical health, think again. All of these emotions trigger chemical reactions in your body, which can lead to inflammation and a weakened immune system. Learn how to cope, sweet friend.” – Kris Carr
“In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.” – Lee Iacocca
“In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.” – Fred Rogers
“Remember that stress doesn’t come from what’s going on in your life. It comes from your thoughts about what’s going on in your life.” – Andrew J. Bernstein
“Remember, most of your stress comes from the way you respond, not the way life is. Adjust your attitude, and all that extra stress is gone.”
“Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it.” – Brian Tracy
“Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax.” – Mark Black
“Stress happens when you try to control your life experiences. Relax and remember the only real control you have is over yourself.”
“The stresses and strains of life mould us into our mature selves. The key to life is to accept the wisdom of our later years while maintaining our youthful enthusiasm and curiosity for the world.” – Stewart Stafford
“The truth is that stress doesn’t come from your boss, your kids, your spouse, traffic jams, health challenges, or other circumstances. It comes from your thoughts about your circumstances.” – Andrew Bernstein
“Trying to be a perfectionist brings increased stress and hinders performance.” – T. Whitmore
“When stress sets in, and pressure, I focus.” – David Hallberg
“Your mindset matters. It affects everything–from the business and investment decisions you make, to the way you raise your children, to your stress levels and overall well-being.” – Peter Diamandis
“Sometimes when people are under stress, they hate to think, and it’s the time when they most need to think.” – Bill Clinton
Work Stress Quotes
“Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion.”
“Work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness.” – George MacDonald
“We can boost our immune systems by strengthening our social networks and decreasing stress.” – Jane McGonigal
“There is precious little hope to be got out of whatever keeps us industrious, but there is a chance for us whenever we cease work and become stargazers.” – H.M. Tomlinson
“The only liberty an inferior man really cherishes is the liberty to quit work, stretch out in the sun, and scratch himself.” – H.L. Mencken
“Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess. Just breath, and have faith that everything will work out for the best.”
“Sometimes it’s important to work for that pot of gold. But other times it’s essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow.” – Douglas Pagels
“One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important.” – Bertrand Russell
“It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do.” – Jerome K. Jerome
“Forget about all the reasons why something may not work. You only need to find one good reason why it will.” – Dr. Robert Anthony
“Some stress is necessary in our lives when we want to stimulate creativity, or to promote learning.” – Christian J. Borg
“Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they’ve started.” – David Allen
“When there is no job related stress, you are more aware of your mate and children, if you are a parent.” – Zig Ziglar
Funny Stress Quotes
“A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety.” – Aesop
“A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.”
“I don’t like the word ‘stress.” It’s a Madison Avenue word. It’s something that can be cured with flavored coffee and bath bubbles.” – Aaron Sorkin
“Just when you feel you have no time to relax, know that this is the moment you most need to make time to relax.” – Matt Haig
“Much of the stress people encounter is derived from dishonesty. People first lie to themselves and then to others.” – David DeNotaris
“Pressure and stress is the common cold of the psyche.” – Andrew Denton
“When I’m under stress, I do yoga. It’s when I’m happiest that I have a problem with junk food.” – Britney Spears
“Take-it-easy and Live-long are brothers.” – German proverb
“Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.” – Chinese Proverb
“We live longer than our forefathers; but we suffer more from a thousand artificial anxieties and cares. They fatigued only the muscles, we exhaust the finer strength of the nerves.” – Edward George Bulwer-Lytton
“I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once.” – Jennifer Yane
“Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not.”
“I’m not arguing, I’m just explaining why I’m right.”
“I have a stressful job. I’m a professional multitasker.”
“I’m not sure if I have free time or if I’m forgetting something.”
“Stress does not go with my outfit.”
“I have a feeling my guardian angel drinks.”
“I’m not arguing, I’m simply explaining why I’m right.”
“I don’t have a problem with caffeine. I have a problem without it.”
“I can’t adult today. Please don’t make me adult.”
“I have a degree in stressing out.”
“I’m not procrastinating. I’m prioritizing my tasks in a way that maximizes stress.”
“I’m not sure if I need a hug, a large coffee, or two weeks of sleep.”
“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” – Douglas Adams
“I’m not lazy. I’m just on energy-saving mode.”
“I’m not sure if I’m depressed or just really good at being sad.”
“I’m not great at the advice. Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment?”
“I have a fear of speed bumps. I call it ‘gomphophobia.’ I’m slowly getting over it.”
“I’m not arguing. I’m just explaining why I’m right.”
“I’m not sure if I’m getting better or just used to the pain.”
Exam Stress Quotes
“Don’t let these puny exams get in the way of your big dreams. Save all the stress for bigger things in life.”
“Stress is not what happens to us. It’s our response to what happens. And response is something we can choose.” – Maureen Killoran
“Stress is an alarm clock that lets you know you’re attached to something not true for you.” – Byron Katie
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.” – Corrie Ten Boom
“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” – Amit Ray
“It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” – Hans Selye
“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.” – Elbert Hubbard
“Stress is an admission of weakness, a cry of defeat to the world that you cannot handle everything thrown at you.”
“The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you.” – Dan Millman
“If you can’t change your stress, change your attitude.”
“Relaxation means releasing all concern and tension and letting the natural order of life flow through one’s being.” – Donald Curtis
“If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” – Dale Carnegie
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
“Stress is an opportunity to transform our perception of the world.” – Amit Ray
Relationship Stress Quotes
“Our stresses, anxieties, pains, and problems arise because we do not see the world, others, or even ourselves as worthy of love.” – Prem Prakash
“Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it.” – Jane Wagner
“The greatest gift you can give someone is your time. Because when you give your time, you are giving a portion of your life that you will never get back.”
“Relationships are like glass. Sometimes it’s better to leave them broken than try to hurt yourself putting it back together.”
“The best relationship is when you can act like lovers and best friends at the same time.”
“In a relationship, when communication starts to fade, everything else follows.”
“A healthy relationship will never require you to sacrifice your happiness, your dreams, or your dignity.” – Mandy Hale
“Relationships are like a garden. You have to put in the work if you want to see the results.”
“The wrong person will never give you what you want, but they’ll make sure they get what they want from you.”
“When you start to ignore someone, that’s when they start to feel invisible.”
“If someone truly loves you, they won’t make you feel like you need to constantly fight for their attention.”
“Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation.”
“The greatest relationships are the ones you never expected to be in.”
“It’s not about finding someone who completes you. It’s about finding someone who accepts you completely.”
“The best relationships are the ones where you don’t have to pretend to be someone else, just to be loved for who you are.”
“In a relationship, it’s not just about love, it’s about respect, trust, and communication.”
“A relationship is like a book. If it’s good, it can last a lifetime, but if it’s not, it can be forgotten in a chapter.”
“In any relationship, the most important thing is trust.”
“A true relationship is two unperfect people refusing to give up on each other.”
“Relationships are like a dance. Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow, but always keep moving forward.”
“A relationship without trust is like a car without gas. You can stay in it all you want, but it won’t go anywhere.”
“Relationships take work. They don’t just happen. You have to invest time and effort into them.”
Final Thoughts
If stress is threatening to overwhelm your life in a way that debilitates you and prevents you from doing regular daily tasks, it would be a good idea to get professional help.
Many of us struggle with stress. at work and in our personal life. No matter what stress and challenges life throws at us, we have to be mentally strong in order to be successful. Those stress quotes will teach you tips to better manage yours. What to do about that stress so that you can live a healthier, more focused and confident and at the same time more relaxing life.
What is your favourite quote about stress and how to overcome it? Feel free to share the best quotes on the stress you have found. If it is not here, please feel free to share it below in the comments section.