55 Inspiring Self-Care Quotes That’ll Fill Your Cup

“I’ll audibly say, ‘Good job, Katie!’ as I get each task done. It reminds me of how my parents would encourage me as a child and helps me manage those long, stressful days.” —Peloton instructor Katie Wang

“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

“Extreme self-care is serious business—so much more than taking warm baths, getting a massage, saying no, or setting new priorities. It’s about building self-esteem, becoming emotionally strong and empowered, and developing the kind of character that makes you decisive, clear, and honest about who you are and what you want.” —Cheryl Richardson

“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.” ―Oprah Winfrey

“Taking care of myself doesn’t mean ‘me first.’ It means ‘me, too.’” ―L.R. Knost

“Enduring means accepting. Accepting things as they are and not as you would wish them to be, and then looking ahead, not behind.” —Rafael Nadal

“Keep good company, read good books, love good things and cultivate soul and body as faithfully as you can.” ―Louisa May Alcott

“Talk to yourself like you would talk to someone you love.” ―Brené Brown 

“Every one of us needs to show how much we care for each other and, in the process, care for ourselves.” ―Princess Diana

“Believe in yourself, and you’re halfway there.” —Peloton instructor Callie Gullickson

“It’s okay to do nothing if you can once in a while. It’s okay to not be perfect, to not get it all done... take care of yourself. Do what recharges you.” ―Leah Remini

“Exercise helps make my body strong enough to do what I set my heart and mind to. I carry myself differently when I feel strong. I’ve always worked out and been active, and it’s one of the ways I care for myself: along with meditation, baths, eating beautiful things that make me happy, being silent, and being with friends and family. Self-care is one of the active ways that I love myself. When you can and as you can, in ways that feel loving, make time and space for yourself.” —Tracee Ellis Ross 

“We have so much to rush for, so many things to fix and problems to solve, with all of that happening I’m trying to remind myself of self-care every day…” —Jonathan Van Ness

“I indulge in my coffee ritual. In between waiting for it to drip down, I stretch. I wake up my body and I breathe.” —Peloton instructor Jess King

“Developing mindfulness tactics and employing them while training and racing was key to my success. By using goal visualization and positive self-talk to get through the difficult training sessions and long races, I was able to avoid burnout and stay mentally committed to my objectives.” —Hunter Kemper

“I recognize that willpower is a finite and depletable resource, and I only have so much to give any one day. When I notice my willpower is getting low, I’ll try and press pause. I’ll reevaluate the rest of my day.” —Alexi Pappas

“Unapologetically, I allow myself ‘me’ time, whether that’s a 10-minute mask or watching my coffee brew for five minutes.” —Peloton instructor Tunde Oyeneyin

“My self-care is my morning routine. I don’t pick up my phone till I’m finished walking my dogs, feeding the dogs, meditating, journaling, making my coffee. You know, just having a nice clear head, and then I’ll go into the world, so to speak.” —Jennifer Aniston

“Don’t compare your chapter one with someone else’s chapter six.” —Peloton instructor Ally Love

 “I learned early on in my career that rest is just as important as the really hard workouts that I do.” —Allyson Felix

“With our lives seemingly getting busier by the minute, think of your self-care routine as an opportunity to treat yourself with kindness, and spend those five, 10, 15 minutes checking in with your mind and your body.” —Sloane Stephens

“I’m a firm believer in energy being contagious, so I often share in class that ‘Good energy attracts good people.’” —Peloton instructor Katie Wang

“We are always taught to be these self-sufficient super humans—so much so that it’s difficult to have our own needs on our own radars. We are conditioned to be selfless, and when we do take the time to engage in self-care we are chided for being selfish. There seems to be no way to win. But we must. Or else we risk poor health (and all of the things associated with stress and existing in a constant state of being overwhelmed); we risk our sanity and mental well-being.” —Mirna Valerio

“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

“Treat your body like someone you love.” —Peloton instructor Hannah Corbin

“My friend...care for your psyche...know thyself, for once we know ourselves, we may learn how to care for ourselves.” —Socrates

“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” —Jack Kornfield

“Self-care and wellness is about so much more than just doing a workout or drinking a green smoothie. It’s how you care for yourself physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.” —Amanda Kloots

“Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners.” — William Shakespeare

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” ⁠—Audrey Hepburn

“Yesterday, I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” —Rumi

“You have to take care of your brain just like you take care of your body.” —A.J. Brown

“You can’t hate yourself into change. Love yourself into greatness.” —Peloton instructor Emma Lovewell

“Whenever I’m being hard on myself, [Peloton instructor] Ash Pryor and I like to tell each other, ‘Don’t talk about my friend like that!’ which is a nice reminder that you wouldn’t say disparaging things about your friends, so why would you say them about yourself?” —Peloton instructor Katie Wang

“... I just treat myself like somebody I love.” —Padma Lakshmi

“Self-care is really rooted in self-preservation, just like self-love is rooted in honesty. We have to start being more honest with what we need, and what we deserve, and start serving that to ourselves.” —Lizzo

"We need wholesome self-care and we also need hoe-some self-care.” ―Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby

“In order for something to feel really good and beneficial it usually takes some time. It’s easy to want to abandon ship when whatever we’re trying doesn’t immediately make us feel like the reason why we wanted to start doing it. But, when we begin something there’s a learning period that can be frustrating and uncomfy and that’s OK!” —Peloton instructor Anna Greenberg

“I practice self-care in lots of ways. I like to work out, read, and watch my favorite comfort movies. Really anything that lets me relax and wind down is self-care to me.” —Natalia Bryant

“Self-care equals success. You’re going to be more successful if you take care of yourself and you’re healthy.” —Beth Behrs

“I try to think of the word self-care actually as a verb because I think people approach it as a noun, which is fine, but then I think it becomes something that’s static and also capitalized upon. It becomes over-worn if it is seen as this stoic, unmoving, unchanging thing that we don’t really participate in, but talk about. I try to make self-care an active part of my life, because I think it’s so easy in the type of industrialized society we live in, to reach burnout again and again and again. I’m always trying to explore and play with new ways for that.” —Amanda Gorman

“Pay attention to what gratitude feels like.” —Peloton instructor Aditi Shah 

“Self-care for me is about connecting daily with the people I love in my life, and staying in touch.” —Jake Gyllenhaal 

“Self-care is not a waste of time. Self care makes your use of time more sustainable.” —Jackie Viramontez

“Self-care is looked at as this luxurious thing, but when you replace it with soul care, these things become acts that you’re doing for the good of your soul.” —Peloton instructor Tunde Oyeneyin

“Right now, the way I’m doing self-care is to go outside, even if it’s cold and especially if I don’t want to. I get some sun for at least five minutes, and if there’s no sun (because it’s been pretty cloudy where I am), I just get fresh air or some kind of light as I’m drinking my morning coffee.” —Eva Mendes

“We can climb mountains with self-love.” —Samira Wiley

“Treat yourself as you would treat others—and hopefully that’s with kindness, empathy and love.” —Peloton instructor Katie Wang

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” —Arthur Ashe

“You almost need to have a little emergency SOS pack of things that you know will make you feel better, like if you take yourself out of a certain situation, or know if you need to be off your phone for the next 24 hours—little self-care go-tos that you can whip out when you’re feeling anxious, stressed, fatigued, or angry.” —Iskra Lawrence

“Your passion will propel you.” —Peloton instructor Alex Toussaint

“If you are able to be kind to yourself, you’ll be more kind to others. And that will come straight back at you, which will stress you out less. You’ll look, feel, and be better, because you created a healthy, generous environment.” —Regé-Jean Page

“Talking to ourselves from self-love and self-respect is a practice.” ―Brené Brown

“Honor where you’ve been, embrace where you are, celebrate where you’re going.” —Peloton instructor Anna Greenberg

“Self-care means saying ‘no’ sometimes.” —James Whiteside