Many people feel isolated as they deal with loneliness and depression. Feeling alone and feeling like no one cares about you is a burden. According to scientists from Brigham Young University, loneliness and depression are associated with a 32% higher risk of mortality. It is in everyone’s best interest to build their social networks and stay in touch with loved ones. Loneliness and depression are difficult to deal with, but it’s possible to turn your life around and reconnect with the people you care about.

When you are trying to overcome loneliness, turn to these encouraging quotes. They will show you a path forward from despair, loneliness and depression.

10 Perfect Quotes to Deal with Loneliness and Depression

1. “If you don’t think your anxiety, depression, sadness and stress impact your physical health, think again. All of these emotions trigger chemical reactions in your body, which can lead to inflammation and a weakened immune system. Learn how to cope, sweet friend. There will always be dark days.”

Kris Carr

2. “That’s the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it’s impossible to ever see the end. The fog is like a cage without a key.”

Elizabeth Wurtzel

3. “If you know someone who’s depressed, please resolve never to ask them why. Depression isn’t a straightforward response to a bad situation; depression just is, like the weather.

Try to understand the blackness, lethargy, hopelessness, and loneliness they’re going through. Be there for them when they come through the other side. It’s hard to be a friend to someone who’s depressed, but it is one of the kindest, noblest, and best things you will ever do.”

Stephen Fry

4. “When you’re lost in those woods, it sometimes takes you a while to realize that you are lost. For the longest time, you can convince yourself that you’ve just wandered off the path, that you’ll find your way back to the trailhead any moment now. Then night falls again and again, and you still have no idea where you are, and it’s time to admit that you have bewildered yourself so far off the path that you don’t even know from which direction the sun rises anymore.”

Elizabeth Gilbert

5. “Listen to the people who love you. Believe that they are worth living for even when you don’t believe it. Seek out the memories depression takes away and project them into the future. Be brave; be strong; take your pills. Exercise because it’s good for you even if every step weighs a thousand pounds. Eat when food itself disgusts you. Reason with yourself when you have lost your reason.”

Andrew Solomon

6. “Why do people have to be this lonely? What’s the point of it all? Millions of people in this world, all of them yearning, looking to others to satisfy them, yet isolating themselves. Why? Was the earth put here just to nourish human loneliness?”

Haruki Murakami

7. “The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God.”

Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

8. “Some of us go full circle. Some of us blindly go nowhere. The circle doesn’t have to be very large to make a point, kick your ass and/or be entertaining. Remember that and stay light. Even the deaf know good music when they hear it.”

Jason Mraz

9. “All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn’t. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.”

Loneliness and depression

Carlos Castaneda, The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge

10. “You must draw from that strength. You must increase it. And you must hold on to it because sometimes that small glimmer of inner strength is all that we have to help us press forward through the darkness.”

Morgan Rhodes, Falling Kingdoms

Final Thoughts

When you take these quotes to heart, you can learn ways to overcome loneliness. These quotes encourage you to make your own way in the world and to be true to yourself. Trust in your inner strength. Stay in touch with your friends and family. If you don’t have anyone to turn to, join an interest group and try to make some new friends. Loneliness and depression don’t have to rule your life. You can fight back against them and bring sunlight back to your existence.