Inspirational EMS Quotes

Sometimes, finding your motivation can be tough, and inspiration can be hard to come by. We all have rough days, and that’s okay. Overcoming everyday obstacles is part of life and takes true strength. If you’re an EMT or paramedic, know that you have a large community around you that understands how hard some days can be.

If you are an EMS worker looking for inspiration, we have compiled a list of quotes to help give you a pick-me-up when you need it the most. Here, you’ll find encouraging words, true grit, and a sense of community, and we hope this list will comfort and empower you.

For students aspiring to be EMS workers, we hope these quotes inspire you to commit to a fulfilling career in EMS work. Visit our page on How to Become an EMT.

1. “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.”—John Wayne

EMTs and paramedics have difficult and dangerous jobs. They know the risks, and yet every day, they prepare for the challenge, load up their gear, and race out to the next emergency. This is the courage that makes them real heroes.

2. “If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For passion will lead you right into your purpose.”—T.D. Jakes

If what you’re doing is rewarding and gives you fulfillment, then it’s worth it. Inspiration can come in many forms, but perhaps the most powerful form of inspiration is the feeling you get from doing what you love.

3. “So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”—Christopher Reeve

Courage is beginning a journey that scares you and undertaking the seemingly impossible. This quote confirms the power of commitment. A task that seems impossible will soon look inevitable with just a little determination.

4. “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”—Thomas Edison

Never give up! Success doesn’t come to those who never failed and is earned by those who failed more than once. If you need the inspiration to keep going, remember to keep trying.

5. “You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.”— George Lorimer

If you wake up with a goal and spend your day working toward that goal, you can go to bed with a smile. When you put your mind to something and decide that it’s what you want, then every step you take toward that goal is a service to yourself.

6. “If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe.”— Abraham Lincoln

As an EMT or paramedic, there is nothing more valuable than being prepared. Ensure you have all your supplies and tools and your equipment is well maintained. Keep a learning mindset to increase your knowledge and skills. If you’re considering a career in EMS, ensure you begin with top-notch education and training. Failure is not a roadblock; it’s a whetstone meant to sharpen your axe for a bigger tree.

7. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”—Nelson Mandela

Your knowledge and ability to act on your education is your most useful tool. If you need motivation and inspiration, then look within yourself. Your knowledge and skills give you the power to save lives.

8. “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest accomplishment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”—Leo Buscaglia

Although your knowledge is invaluable, a kind presence can also change someone’s life. You don’t need to be the best, and you don’t need to be infallible. Sometimes just caring can make all the difference.

9. “When you give joy to other people, you get more joy in return. You should give a good thought to happiness that you can give out.”—Eleanor Roosevelt

EMTs bring relief, hope, health, and wellness to patients and their loved ones. As an EMT, you are making people feel better, which should make you feel good about yourself and your role in the community.

10. “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson

This quote gets at the heart of how rewarding being an EMT can be. If helping others makes for a successful life, it would be hard to find a more successful occupation than being an EMT. As an EMT, you get the chance to better others every day. By helping others, you reward yourself.

11. “EMTs are privileged to play in life’s great game. Too many unlucky people watch the action thunder by, stuck at a desk, or watching it on television at home.”—Kelly Grayson

As an EMT, you’re not watching life from the front row; you’re experiencing life from the front line. You’re in the game, taking risks, performing your role like an elite athlete, and achieving amazing results.

12. “I didn’t become an EMT to get a front-row seat to other people’s tragedies. I did it because I knew the world was bleeding and so was I, and somewhere inside I knew the only way to stop my own bleeding was to learn how to stop someone else’s.”—Daniel José Older

This is a sentiment repeated by many EMS professionals. Sometimes helping and healing others is the best way to help yourself.

13. “For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you.”—Neil deGrasse Tyson

Starting each day with the goal of knowing more than you did yesterday is a powerful outlook that can get you far in life. Likewise, dedicating yourself to lessen suffering may reveal surprising benefits.

14. “There is no higher honor than to be given the responsibility to care for another human being.”—Richard K. Schachern

There is nothing more valuable, important, or sacred than life. When you’re an EMT, people put their life in your hands. To be trusted and empowered to care for others is a great responsibility and the highest honor.

15. “Next to creating a life, the finest thing a man can do is save one.”—Abraham Lincoln

Saving a life or simply bettering someone else’s life is one of the most beautiful things a person can do. Dedicating your life to helping or saving others daily is both brave and profoundly altruistic.

16. “Police officers, firefighters, EMTs—they are all out there every single day—literally just a phone call away for anyone who needs them.”—Doreen Cronin

The selflessness of a career spent helping others cannot be overstated. Furthermore, the fact that being an EMT means that you need always to maintain deep compassion and understanding makes the work that much nobler.

17. “Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light.” —Norman B. Rice

No one stumbles into EMS as a career. You have to pursue the role actively while overcoming your fears and insecurities. You must accept the challenge of hard work, long hours, and often dangerous conditions. You have to dare to be great.

18. “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” —Jordan Belfort

Your selflessness as an EMT makes the world a better place for a long time to come. The patients you treat and save go on to touch thousands of other lives.

19. “What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.”—Albert Pike

Yes, being an EMT is personally rewarding, but the good your work provides to your patients, your community, and the world continues long after you’ve ended your shift. Few careers can allow you to feel good about your work while leaving an immeasurable mark of goodwill on the world.

20. “Do your best. One day, you will be someone’s hero.”—Anonymous

Do your best as an EMT, and every day you will be someone’s hero.

About Unitek EMT

Without a doubt, EMS workers provide an invaluable service. They literally carry lives in their hands, and they work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of others. If you read this list and found yourself considering a career as an EMT, check out our EMT program at Unitek EMT.

Unitek EMT is one of the premier EMT schools in Arizona. Our mission is simple: training the next wave of top-notch EMT professionals. We offer various training options to fit your needs, including an accelerated EMT program to get you mission-ready and certified fast. We also provide EMS Continuing Education courses to update your expertise and enhance your career. Unitek EMT instructors are experienced leaders in their fields, and our real-world training scenarios are ideal for aspiring EMT professionals.

For more information about Unitek EMT, don’t hesitate to contact us toll-free at 888-790-1458.