Florence Nightingale

"To be truly useful is to find meaning in life."

"The true test of character is how one treats those who can do nothing for oneself."

"The very first requirement is to remain steadfast in one's convictions."

"One must be willing to stand alone for what is right."

"To be truly educated is to be prepared for life's challenges."

"The foundation of all progress is the improvement of the individual."

"A woman's voice is powerful when used in service of truth."

"The very first requirement is to love humanity, not humanity's institutions."

"The very first requirement in a hospital is that it should do the sick no harm."

"To understand God's thoughts, we must study statistics, for these are the measure of His purpose."

"I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse."

"Were there none who were discontented with what they have, the world would never reach anything better."

"The true foundation of theology is to ascertain the character of God."

"I stand before you tonight not as Florence Nightingale, but as a worker in the vineyard of humanity."

"Nursing is an art; and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion, as hard a preparation, as any painter or sculptor."

"The very first requirement for a hospital is that it should not spread disease."

"Cleanliness is next to godliness. But godliness is cleanliness in the sick room."

"The greatest tragedy in the world is a wasted life."

"I have never yet peeled a potato in the kitchen, but I have always observed them."

"The very first thing a woman should do is to understand her body."

"Compassion alone will not save the world. We must have courage as well."

"The true foundation of an education is virtue and goodness."

"Women are made to be wives and mothers. But they can also be pioneers of change."

"Time is the scarcest resource, and we must use it wisely."

"I am of certain convinced that the greatest delights of sense are purely instrumental to the delights of imagination."

"The difference between one and another individual in society has caused the formation of castes."

"Dreams and facts are as oil and water, they do not mix."

"Mortality is the salve that keeps the wound of iniquity from becoming wholly putrid."

"The very first principle of true teaching is to awaken a desire to learn."

"A tradition without intelligence is not worth having."