Photo: YourTango
There’s beauty in the battle.
By Chinyere Ibeh — Written on Oct 13, 2021
October 13 is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, established "in an effort to drive awareness that more research needs to be done to find a cure."
Inspirational breast cancer survivor quotes can uplift the spirits of those who fought against the disease.
Breast cancer is common among women, with the average risk of a woman in the United States getting breast cancer being about 13 percent. In other words, women have a one-in-eight chance of getting breast cancer.
Even men are at risk of the disease, with 1 in 100 breast cancers diagnosed in men.
Fighting cancer can take a lot out of someone and it can be physically, mentally, and emotionally draining.
These quotes serve as a reminder that you are a fighter, you are strong, and you are not alone.
Inspiring Quotes From Cancer Survivors
1. “Once I overcame breast cancer, I wasn’t afraid of anything anymore.” — Melissa Etheridge
2. “You beat cancer by how you live, why you live and in the manner in which you live. Live our life by your own terms, not cancer’s.” — Stuart Scott
3. “Cancer didn’t bring me to my knees, it brought me to my feet.” — Michael Douglas
4. “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
5. “I had cancer, cancer did not have me!” — Micha
6. “My diagnosis flung me into despair until it hit me: I’m alive.” — Sheryl Crow
7. “Breast cancer changes you, and the change can be beautiful.” — Jane Cook
8. “Cancer is only going to be a chapter in your life, not the whole story.” — Joe Wasser
9. “You know, once you’ve stood up to cancer, everything else feels like a pretty easy fight.” — David H. Koch
10. "I found that even though I was blind-sided and sidelined, I didn't let the cancer devour me. Instead, it ignited something so powerful in me that it compelled me to find out how to live a much healthier life and share it with others." — Samantha Harris
11. "When it comes to breast cancer you're not alone, and scary though it is, there's a network of amazing women to help you through it." — Judy Blume
12. "Having cancer does make you try to be better at everything you do and enjoy every moment. It changes you forever. But it can be a positive change." — Jaclyn Smith
13. While you may not have chosen to have breast cancer, you can choose how you want to be treated and how you will treat yourself moving forward." — Melanie Young
14. "Don't let breast cancer take away the motivation to achieve your dreams." — Dianna Cohen
Inspirational Quotes For Breast Cancer Patients
15. “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says ‘I’ll try again tomorrow.’” — Mary Anne Radmacher
16. “The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it.” — C.C. Scott
17. “Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be.” — Rick Warren
18. “Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.” — Voltaire
19. “If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.” — HG wells
20. “The potential within you is greater than the obstacles around you.” — Matshona Dhiwayo
21. “Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” — Joshua J. Marine
22. “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do keep moving forward.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
23. “There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, and mostly live. “ — Dalai Lama
24. “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, and how you can still come out of it.” — Maya Angelou
25. “The battle of life is, in most cases, fought uphill; and to win it without a struggle were to perhaps win it without honor. If there were no difficulties there would be no success; if there were nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing achieved.” — Samuel Smiles
26. “A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.” — Jim Watkins
27. “Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles.” — Alex Karras
28. “With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
29. “Some days there won’t be a song in your heart. Sing anyway.” — Emory Austin
30. “Optimism is the foundation of courage.” — Nicholas Murray Butler
31. “Life’s not about how hard of a hit you can give...it’s about how many you can take, and still keep moving forward.” — Sylvester Stallone
32. “A woman is like a teabag, you cannot tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” — Nancy Reagan
33. “You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it.” — Ain Eineziz
34. “Seeds of faith are always within us; sometimes it takes a crisis to nourish and encourage their growth.” — Susan Taylor
35. “Fearless does not mean you aren’t afraid; it means you accept the fear and move forward anyway.” — Brianne Joseph
36. “When we embrace uncertainty, it can be very liberating. If you can accept the uncertainty, it allows you to live life every day.” — Victor Gospodinoff
37. “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” — Henry Ford
38. “Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons.” — Ruth Ann Schabacker
39. “It’s ok to not be ok all the time.” — Shauna Kirby
40. “Yesterday, I dared to struggle. Today, I dare to win.” — Bernadette Devlin
41. “My will, my faith, and my body have been challenged. But make no mistake, my heart is strong, and my resolve to fight will never be broken.” — Anastacia
42. “There is no hope unmingled with fear; no fear unmingled with hope.” — Baruch Spinoza
43. "Darkness exists so that stars can shine.” — Gemma
44. “You were assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved.” — Mel Robbins
45. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein
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Chinyere (pronounced sha-near-ruh) Ibeh is a writer who covers entertainment and pop culture news, quotes, and zodiac signs.