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65 Powerful Mental Health Quotes To Give You Strength

It's no secret that there are numerous barriers to mental health care. Luckily, there are a few simple things that you can do to boost your mood all on your own. Take these mental health quotes, for example, which are powerful tools for shifting your mindset and motivating you to push forward.

Whether you're dealing with symptoms of anxiety or depression, suffering from burnout, or healing from trauma, caring for your mental health is crucial. That's why we hope that these inspiring mental health quotes can help you embrace the power of positive thinking, learn how to be happier, and find the strength to carry on through hard times.

Of course, if you are going through a particularly hard time in life or live with a mental health condition, we encourage you to read our guide on how to find a good therapist so that a trained professional can give you additional coping strategies and provide you with a safe space to process your thoughts and emotions.

These quotes about mental health help remind us of how important it is to take care of our brains, practice mindfulness, and engage in regular self-care. Keep reading for a variety of self-love quotes, motivational quotes, quotes about strength, positive affirmations, and more.

"There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in." —Leonard Cohen

"It's okay not to be okay." —Maya Angelou

"I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am." —Sylvia Plath

"Depression doesn't take away your talents—it just makes them harder to find. But I always find it. I learned that my sadness never destroyed what was great about me. You just have to go back to that greatness, find that one little light that's left." —Lady Gaga

"Healing takes time, and asking for help is a courageous step." —Mariska Hargitay

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." —Mahatma Gandhi

"What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation." —Glenn Close

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

"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 you have to keep moving forward." —Martin Luther King Jr.

"Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it and to fight for it." —Barack Obama

"I now see how owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we will ever do." —Brené Brown

"Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you. Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion. Set your life on fire." —Rumi

"Document the moments you feel most in love with yourself—what you're wearing, who you're around, what you're doing. Recreate and repeat." —Warsan Shire

"What matters most is how well you walk through the fire." —Charles Bukowski

"You are not your illness. You have an individual story to tell. You have a name, a history, a personality. Staying yourself is part of the battle." —Julian Seifter

"Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results." —Willie Nelson

"Where there is no struggle, there is no strength." —Oprah Winfrey

"There is no normal life that is free of pain. It's the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth." —Fred Rogers

"You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." —Marcus Aurelius

"No need to hurry. No need to sparkle. No need to be anybody but oneself." ―Virginia Woolf

"Keep your face towards the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you." —Walt Whitman

"Don't let yesterday take up too much of today." —Will Rogers

"Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open." —John Barrymore

"There is no perfection, only life." —Milan Kundera

"My dark days made me strong. Or maybe I already was strong, and they made me prove it." —Emery Lord

"It is interesting how often we can't see all the ways in which we are being strong." —Lena Dunham

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." —Winston Churchill

"Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final." —Rainer Maria Rilke

"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, how you can still come out of it." —Maya Angelou

"Life is tough my darling, but so are you." —Stephanie Bennett Henry

"There is always light. If only we're brave enough to see it. If only we're brave enough to be it." —Amanda Gorman

"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." —Eleanor Roosevelt

"And you? When will you begin that long journey into yourself?" —Rumi

"Treat yourself like someone you love." —Glennon Doyle

"When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone." —Fred Rogers

"Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions." —Dalai Lama

"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." —A.A. Milne

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." —Vivian Greene

"You have to believe that your ideas, and your hope, and your being, deserve to take up space." —Bianca Sparacino

"For the great doesn't happen through impulse alone, and is a succession of little things that are brought together." —Vincent van Gogh

"Lighten up on yourself. No one is perfect. Gently accept your humanness."―Deborah Day

"I must undertake to love myself and to respect myself as though my very life depends upon self-love and self-respect." —Maya Angelou

"If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves." —Thomas Edison

"The soul is stronger than its surroundings." —William James

"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." —George Bernard Shaw

"There is you and you. This is a relationship. This is the most important relationship." —Nayyirah Waheed

"So, what if, instead of thinking about solving your whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow." —Rainbow Rowell

"We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light." —Mary Dunbar

"You don't have to control your thoughts; you just have to stop letting them control you." —Dan Millman

"It is really wonderful how much resilience there is in human nature." —Bram Stoker

"If you want to fly, give up everything that weighs you down." —Buddha

"To fall in love with yourself is the first secret to happiness." —Robert Morely

"The great courageous act that we must all do is to have the courage to step out of our history and past so that we can live our dreams." —Oprah Winfrey

"It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit." —J.R.R. Tolkien

"There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn't." —John Green

"You must find the place inside yourself where nothing is impossible." —Deepak Chopra

"It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light." —Aristotle

"You don't have to be positive all the time. It's perfectly okay to feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated, scared, or anxious. Having feelings doesn't make you a 'negative person.' It makes you human." —Lori Deschene

"I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong." —Audrey Hepburn

"Keep watering yourself. You're growing." —E. Russell

"Nothing is more beautiful than the smile that has struggled through the tears." —Demi Lovato

"Sometimes I pretend to be normal. But it gets boring. So I go back to being me." —Ain Eineziz

"Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking." —Marcus Aurelius

"Be faithful to that which exists within yourself." —André Gide

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How Much Does Health Insurance Cost In 2025?

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

Key Takeaways

Health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace costs $590 monthly on average without subsidies, based on our analysis.

Health insurance costs on the marketplace vary based on multiple factors, such as age, smoking status, location, metal tier and plan type.

Health plans with lower premiums typically have higher deductibles and vice versa.

ACA plans are the only ones eligible for premium tax credits based on your household income and family size, which can significantly reduce the cost of health insurance.

Health insurance costs about $7,000 a year on average for an Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plan, based on our analysis.

The cost of health insurance in the ACA marketplace at HealthCare.Gov varies by insurance company, where you live, which plan and metal tier you choose, how many people are covered, your age, whether you smoke and your household family size and income. The ACA marketplace lets you compare health plans that are sold in the marketplace.

How Much Does Health Insurance Cost Per Month?

The premium for an ACA health insurance plan is $590 per month. The average bronze plan costs $495 per month; silver plans cost $618 per month; gold plans cost $655 per month and platinum plans cost $1,166 per month. The averages don't consider premium tax credits and subsidies that can reduce costs for an ACA plan based on household income.

Most people with ACA plans don't pay the full amount for coverage thanks to premium tax credits or subsidies. Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that 92% of those with a marketplace plan receive either a premium tax credit or cost-sharing subsidies based on household income. How much they save depends on factors like household income, family size and metal tier.

Average Costs of Health Insurance by Age

Though age isn't considered when setting rates for employer-sponsored health insurance, insurers in the ACA marketplace use age when setting health plan premiums.

Source: Healthcare.Gov. Based on unsubsidized ACA plans.

See More See Less Average Cost of Health Insurance by Company

It's wise to compare quotes from multiple health insurance companies to find the best affordable health insurance for you.

ACA plans base rates on multiple factors, including your age, smoking status, type of plan and metal tier. Kaiser Permanente is an insurer to check out in the ACA marketplace at HealthCare.Gov if you want to pay less for coverage. The only drawback is that the company doesn't offer plans in many states.

Source: HealthCare.Gov. Based on unsubsidized ACA plans.

See More See Less Average Cost of Health Insurance by State

Where you live can play an important role in the cost of health insurance. Here's a look at the average cost by health plan for the states that belong to the federal ACA marketplace.

Source: HealthCare.Gov. Based on unsubsidized ACA plans.

See More See Less Average Cost of Health Insurance by Plan Type

A health plan's benefit design influences your costs. Health maintenance organization (HMO) and exclusive provider organization (EPO) plans are usually cheaper than a preferred provider organization (PPO) plan. Point of service (POS) plans aren't as common as the other types of plans are often cheaper than PPO plans.

Source: HealthCare.Gov. Based on unsubsidized ACA plans.

See More See Less Average Cost of Health Insurance by Metal Tier

A plan's metal tier affects how much you pay in premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Bronze, silver, gold and platinum plans are distinguished from one another based on how much you pay on premiums and out-of-pocket costs.

Bronze and silver plans cost less in premiums but you pay more out of pocket when you need care.

Gold and platinum plans have a reverse situation—higher premiums but lower out of pocket costs for care.

Source: HealthCare.Gov. Based on unsubsidized ACA plans.

See More See Less What Factors Affect the Cost of Health Insurance?

The ACA lets health insurance companies use multiple factors when setting premiums on the health insurance marketplace. Here are seven factors that influence health insurance costs in the ACA marketplace.

Age

ACA marketplace insurance companies use a person's age when setting Obamacare costs, which is different from the employer-sponsored health insurance market.

Location

Where you live influences how much insurance companies charge. Insurers in states with fewer health insurance plans on the marketplace may charge more since there are fewer companies to share the cost of providing health insurance in that area.

Smoking Status

The ACA lets insurance companies set higher rates for smokers in the marketplace. A health insurance company can charge a smoker as much as 50% more than a nonsmoker.

Metal Tier

Metal tiers on the ACA marketplace help consumers choose plans based on costs. The metal tiers are bronze, silver, gold and platinum. The metal tier you choose depends on whether you want to pay higher premiums or higher deductibles.

Family Size

Single coverage costs less than if you have multiple people on your health plan. Adding a spouse to your plan may double costs, and having a child or two on coverage will likely increase it even more.

Plan Type

A health plan's benefit design affects costs and how you get care. You need to decide whether flexibility or lower premiums are more important to you when you're comparing health plans.

Income

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace offers premium tax credits and cost-sharing subsidies based on your household income. That can lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs. People with household incomes at 400% of the federal poverty level or below are eligible for premium tax credits.

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How to Calculate and Compare Health Insurance Costs

Choosing the best health insurance plan for you involves assessing your budget, your current health, what health care needs you expect in the next year and what you want from a health plan.

Premiums vs. Deductibles

A health insurance premium is what you pay to have health insurance. A health insurance deductible is the amount you pay over a year before the health insurance company begins paying for care.

Health insurance plans generally have higher premiums/lower deductibles or lower premiums/higher health insurance deductibles. What you choose influences how much you'll pay in premiums each month and how much you'll pay out-of-pocket when you need health care.

A health plan with a high deductible could be a good choice if you don't expect to need much care over the next year. Health insurance companies don't start chipping in to pay for health care services until you reach your deductible. Once you hit your deductible, you generally pay coinsurance, which is when you and the health insurance company share the costs of health care services.

For example, this could mean you paying 20% and the health plan paying 80% until you reach your plan's out-of-pocket maximum.

When choosing a health plan, calculate how much you would pay in health insurance premiums over a year and consider the deductible. Would lower premiums save you enough that it would be worth paying a higher deductible? Or can you afford higher premiums with the understanding that you'll save money if you need care during the year?

Plan Benefit Design

A plan's benefit design influences your flexibility and cost you pay for health insurance. HMO and EPO plans are the most common types of health insurance plans found in the ACA marketplace, sometimes called Obamacare.

Health Plan Benefit Design Differences

Decide how much flexibility you want and whether you're willing to pay more for cover for it. If you want the cheapest health insurance and don't mind staying in the provider network, an HMO or EPO might be a better bet.

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One way to save on health insurance through the ACA marketplace is by entering your household income information into the marketplace website at HealthCare.Gov, which can help you find an affordable health insurance plan if your income qualifies.

ACA marketplace plans are eligible for premium tax credits and cost-saving subsidies, which can lower the cost of health insurance.

You may also qualify for Medicaid, which is a federal/state health insurance program that offers comprehensive, low- or no-cost coverage. The ACA marketplace site will inform you if you qualify for Medicaid in your state when you add your household income and family size to the exchange's website.

How much does health insurance cost per month for a single person?

The average monthly health insurance cost is $445 for a single 21-year-old, $467 for a single 27-year-old and $505 for a single 30-year-old. Health insurance costs on the ACA marketplace typically increase faster when you reach your 50s and 60s.

Age is just one factor that health insurance plans use when setting rates on the ACA marketplace. Other factors include where you live, whether you smoke, plan type and metal tier.

What can you expect to pay for health insurance deductibles?

The average annual health insurance deductible is $5,774 for a bronze plan, $4,483 for a silver plan and $1,092 for a gold plan. Platinum plans, which are rare in the ACA marketplace, have the lowest deductible. Our research found the average platinum deductible is only $245 but that comes with the highest premium—if the metal tier is offered in your area.

When comparing health plan options, take into account all costs, including premiums, deductibles and coinsurance.

How much is private health insurance for an individual?

The average cost for a private health insurance plan in the ACA marketplace is $590 per month, according to our analysis. That average does not include premium tax credits, which are based on household income and size.

Meanwhile, a private employer-sponsored group health insurance plan costs $114 monthly on average, according to the 2024 Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits Survey. Private health insurance through an employer is typically cheaper since the business typically contributes well over half of the premium costs. Still, employer plans don't qualify for premium tax credits, which are only available for ACA plans.

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