I can attest, as a writer, that sometimes books and words themselves, help me to feel better and understand myself better. Words are also a way for me to relax. When I am away from my partner or my parents and need a comforting touch, I find myself turning to my favorite books to hold me in a way that I cannot hold myself.

Some of the quotes listed below are those that have helped me through some of my most stressful times. They’ve also helped me through those things that scare me. I hope that these quotes will be able to help you through something as well.

1. “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in one drop.” - Rumi

2. “But that’s the way my love is going to be. A little bit messy, completely confused. But it’s real.” - Lauren Layne

3. “He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” - Emily Bronte

4. “A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear [that results] from the injury of the oyster. The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life. If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we will not produce the pearl." - Stephan Hoeller

5. “One by one, I drowned all the people I’d been.” - Conor Oberst

6. “The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before.” - Albert Einstein

7. “I give up freely what is no longer serving me. I release it to create space for what inspires me.” - Unknown

8. “A library is a good place to go when you feel unhappy, for there, in a book, you may find encouragement and comfort. A library is a good place to go when you feel bewildered or undecided, for there, in a book, you may have your question answered. Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people - people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book." - E.B. White

9. “There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” - C.S. Lewis

10. “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on.” - Robert Frost

11. “To succeed, you have to do something and be very bad at it for awhile. You have to look bad before you can look really good.” - Barbara DeAngelis

12. “I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.” - Og Mandino

13. “I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders.” - Jewish proverb

14. “It doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you don’t stop.” - Confucius

15. “Whatever you do in life will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it because no one else will” - Gandhi

16. “The best way to get rid of the pain is to feel the pain. And when you feel the pain and go beyond it, you’ll see there’s a very intense love that is wanting to awaken itself.” -Deepak Chopra

17. “Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it.” -Jacques Prevert

18. “Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.” - William James

19. “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’’ - Mary Anne Radmacher

20. “It is only in our darkest hours that we may discover the true strength of the brilliant light within ourselves that can never, ever, be dimmed.” - Doe Zantamata

21. “Just as despair can come to one only from other beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings.” - Elie Wiesel

22. “Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.” - John F. Kennedy

23. "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

24. "I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." -Douglas Adams

25. "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, she became a butterfly." -Barbara Haines Howett

Quotes are often a way for us to get away from those hard times in life. They are a refuge, in a sense. This is especially true because words can inspire us and comfort us when we need them. They will continue to do this even when you and I are no longer here, as quotes are eternal.

I hope that the quotes that are listed above ignited something in you, put a smile on your face, and comforted you in different ways. Although these are my favorite quotes for hard times, don’t forget those quotes that are near and dear to you. Keep them close to your heart in tough times. They will always be here for you.