Control Your Thoughts: Finding Relief From Trouble Or Worry Through Famous Anxiety Quotes

Medically reviewed by Laura Angers Maddox, NCC, LPC and Majesty Purvis, LCMHC
Updated March 29th, 2025 by BetterHelp Editorial Team

Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental illness today. The American Psychiatric Association reports that an estimated 30% of adults will experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lifetime. 

The recommended treatment for managing anxiety disorders and similar mental health challenges is usually psychotherapy, sometimes in combination with medication and lifestyle changes; consult with a mental health professional for personalized treatment advice. Those experiencing depression and anxiety may also find it comforting or inspiring to read quotes from famous people who had similar experiences, too. Below, we’ll share inspirational quotes by successful individuals about life with anxiety.

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Anxiety quotes: Understanding and appreciating quotes about living with anxiety

The following quotes have one thing in common: They were spoken by successful people who experienced feelings or symptoms of anxiety at some point. 

Ease your mind: Read quotes about living with anxiety

Reading them may help you feel less alone in how anxiety feels for you in your experience and may inspire you to seek treatment.

Søren Kierkegaard: “Anxiety is…”

“Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.” –Søren Kierkegaard
Søren Kierkegaard was a 19th-century Danish philosopher and social critic who is widely regarded to be the first existentialist philosopher. He was a trailblazer and an intellectual, which made him familiar with loneliness and anxiety. 
Research suggests that social connectedness may help decrease anxiety levels and improve health and well-being in other ways too. If you’re experiencing anxiety, it could help ease symptoms to text a friend, call a relative, or chat with a neighbor. If you’re looking to expand your social network, you could also join a hobby group or volunteer initiative to form new connections.

Anis Mojgani: “...and I still have time to be”

"Will it make me something? Will I be something? Am I something? And the answer comes: already am, always was, and I still have time to be." –Anis Mojgani

In this snippet from the poem Here Am I, modern slam poet Anis Mojgani questions his personal success and worth. Some research indicates that self-esteem and anxiety symptoms often have a bidirectional relationship—meaning that low self-esteem may exacerbate anxiety and anxiety symptoms may decrease self-esteem. 

Taking the last line of this quote to heart can serve as a comforting reminder of each individual’s inherent self-worth. Other methods for building self-esteem can include setting manageable goals, listing your strengths and achievements, and engaging in positive self-talk.

Maya Angelou: “You may not control all the events…”

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” –Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou was an American poet, and many of her quotes continue to inspire and make people think today. This particular line speaks to the power of acceptance. We often don’t have control over external factors that may be contributing to anxiety, but we do have control over how we respond to them. Seeking treatment, adopting healthy lifestyle habits, and engaging in positive coping mechanisms are all approaches you might try to address anxiety. 

Anaïs Nin: “Anxiety is love’s greatest killer…”

"Anxiety is love's greatest killer. It makes others feel as you might when a drowning man holds on to you. You want to save him, but you know he will strangle you with his panic." –Anaïs Nin
Born in France to Cuban parents, Anaïs Nin was a 20th-century writer best known for her journals, sixteen volumes of which have now been published. In this quote, Nin points out that unmanaged anxiety has the potential to affect, hamper, and even end relationships. These things matter for mental health, since humans are social creatures that need community. Seeking treatment for anxiety may help a person find the balance between working on their own anxiety and seeking support for it from loved ones.

Emma Stone: “The first time I had a panic attack…”

“The first time I had a panic attack, I was sitting in my friend’s house, and I thought the house was burning down. I called my mom, and she brought me home, and for the next three years, it just wouldn’t stop.” –Emma Stone

In this quote, Emma Stone describes her experience with panic attacks, which can occur as part of an anxiety disorder called panic disorder. It’s characterized by experiencing panic attacks along with the often debilitating fear of having another. Panic disorder is usually treated with psychotherapy and, sometimes, medication. Learning coping techniques for the frightening experience of a panic attack can also help.

Dean Smith: “If you treat every situation as a life and death matter…”

“If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you'll die a lot of times.” –Dean Smith

“Excessive worry” is a common symptom of anxiety disorders, which refers to feeling more worried than is reasonable or expected for a given situation. To some people with anxiety disorders, this may result in feeling like every situation is a “life and death matter,” as American basketball coach Dean Smith describes in this quote. That’s why therapy for anxiety is often aimed at helping a person learn to recognize and reframe thoughts that are characterized by cognitive distortions, such as “all-or-nothing thinking” or overgeneralization. 

Corrie Ten Boom: “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows…”

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows but only empties today of its strength.” –Corrie Ten Boom

This quote by Dutch Holocaust survivor Corrie Ten Boom refers to the power of anxiety to sap your mental energy in the present moment while it does little to improve your future or “empty [your] tomorrow of its sorrow.” Anxiety does not empty or affect what will happen going forward. Instead, it “empties today” of its pleasures and joys in many cases, often causing a sense of fear and impending doom and even physical symptoms like trembling, sweating, headaches, nausea, and others. Seeking treatment for anxiety may help improve your day-to-day quality of life.

Mary Oliver: “I worried a lot…”

"I worried a lot… Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven, can I do better? Finally, I saw that worrying had come to nothing and gave it up. And took my old body and went out into the morning and sang." –Mary Oliver

A native of a small town in Massachusetts, Oliver spent many days wandering with her dogs through the forest near her home. The nature around her was both an inspiration for her poetry and a comfort when she experienced feelings of anxiety. 
Research generally supports nature walks as a coping mechanism for anxiety. One analysis reports that spending time in nature might help decrease rumination, stress, and anxiety. 

Benjamin Franklin: “Do not anticipate trouble…”

“Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.” –Benjamin Franklin

This quote from inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin articulates a goal of many people with anxiety: to live in the present rather than getting caught up in worry and thinking about the future. However, it’s typically not that simple. Just trying not to worry is unlikely to alleviate symptoms. Instead, seeking professional treatment like therapy is recommended. It’s important to note that anxiety symptoms typically won’t go away on their own, and they may evolve into depression and cause other health problems without treatment.

Amit Ray: “If you want to conquer the anxiety of life…”

"If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath." –Amit Ray
From this anxiety quote, it’s clear that Indian author Amit Ray understands the power of the breath. Deep breathing can slow the mind, calm the nervous system, increase oxygen in the bloodstream, and facilitate critical metabolic processes. That’s why deep breathing techniques may help decrease symptoms of anxiety and produce feelings of calm.

Epictetus: “...imagined anxieties about real problems”

"Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems." –Epictetus

The ancient Greek Stoic philosopher Epictetus wrote this quote about anxiety in the second century, but it resonates with many people even today. Anxious thoughts usually involve ruminating on the past or worrying about the future. That’s why mindfulness can be such an effective coping strategy for symptoms of anxiety. It’s about cultivating a nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment, which could help you remove yourself from an anxious thought cycle.

Dan Millman: “You don’t have to control your thoughts…”

“You don't have to control your thoughts; you just have to stop letting them control you.” –Dan Millman

This quote about letting your thoughts control you by Dan Millman, American author, references a key truth that can be helpful for individuals living with anxiety to understand. It’s not possible to control one’s thoughts; all we can control is how we respond to our thoughts. As Millman puts it, we need to “stop letting them control” us by allowing them to pass by us peacefully. This is the essence of mindfulness: cultivating a nonjudgmental awareness of passing thoughts and not letting ourselves be too affected by any of them—or, as Millman puts it, not “letting them control” us and our emotions.

James Baldwin: “...nothing can be changed until it is faced”

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” –James Baldwin

This quote from James Baldwin, an American civil rights activist and writer, can have many different applications—one of which can relate to anxiety. It can be troubling to experience signs of an anxiety disorder, but there’s a far lower chance of resolving them if you don’t face the tough days and take action to get support. Anxiety disorders are generally considered to be highly treatable. While it may seem intimidating or scary to seek help for your symptoms, it’s typically the first step on the road to feeling better.

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Other anxiety quotes to ease your mind of trouble or worry

The anxiety quote that resonates with one person might not speak to the next, so here are a few more famous lines about anxiety and worry that you might find helpful:
  • “People are just afraid of things too much. Afraid of things that don't necessarily merit fear.” –Frank Ocean
  • “Make chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.” –Mary Tyler Moore
  • “There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.” –John Green
  • “Breathe, darling. This is just a chapter. It’s not your whole story.” –Unknown 
  • “Let no youth have any anxiety about the upshot of his education, whatever the line of it may be. If he keep faithfully busy each hour of the working-day, he may safely leave the result to itself.” –William James
  • “For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.” –Lily Tomlin
  • “Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” –Marcus Aurelius
  • “I promise you nothing is as chaotic as it seems. Nothing is worth diminishing your health. Nothing is worth poisoning yourself into stress, anxiety, and fear.” –Steve Marabol
  • “Some days, doing ‘the best we can’ may still fall short of what we would like to be able to do, but life isn’t perfect—on any front—and doing what we can with what we have is the most we should expect of ourselves or anyone else.” –Mister Rogers
  • “Present fears are less than horrible imaginings.” –William Shakespeare
  • “Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life. Research shows that perfectionism hampers success. In fact, it's often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis.” –Brené Brown
  • “To venture causes anxiety, but not to venture is to lose one’s self…and to venture in the highest is precisely to be conscious of one’s self.” –Søren Kierkegaard
  • “Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression. It lightens human burdens. It is the direct route to serenity and contentment.” –Grenville Kleiser

Finding mental health support

While anxiety quotes can provide some comfort, they’re not a replacement for professional treatment for an anxiety disorder. The first-line treatment for most anxiety disorders is some form of talk therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most common types. It’s designed to help the client learn to recognize and challenge distorted, negative thoughts that may be contributing to symptoms. 
CBT can typically be performed in person at a therapist’s office or online. In fact, research suggests that online cognitive behavioral therapy can result in “sustained, clinically meaningful improvements” in symptoms of anxiety and depression, just like in-person CBT can. Since both formats may produce comparable effects in many cases, you can typically choose whichever you prefer.
If the process of locating a therapist near you and traveling to and from in-office appointments is deterring you from seeking care for anxiety, online therapy might be a better fit. Through a platform like BetterHelp, you can get matched with a licensed therapist after filling out a quick questionnaire. From there, you can meet with them for virtual sessions from anywhere you have an internet connection.

Takeaway

Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental illness today, but they are considered treatable. Reaching out for professional support is recommended if you’re experiencing anxiety symptoms. In addition, you might find comfort in the anxiety quotes shared above. 
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The information on this page is not intended to be a substitution for diagnosis, treatment, or informed professional advice. You should not take any action or avoid taking any action without consulting with a qualified mental health professional. For more information, please read our terms of use.
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