When you see the natural and almost universal craving in English sick for their 'tea,' you cannot but feel that nature knows what she is about. ... A little tea or coffee restores them. ... There is nothing yet discovered which is a substitute to the English patient for his cup of tea.

Florence Nightingale

Categorized in : Science Coffee Sick

Let us never consider ourselves finished nurses....we must be learning all of our lives.

Florence Nightingale

finished our-lives nurse

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's or sculptor's work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God's spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts.

Florence Nightingale

hard-work life art

Live life when you have it. Life is a splendid gift-there is nothing small about it.

Florence Nightingale

women inspirational life

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

Florence Nightingale

motivational inspirational life

The most important practical lesson than can be given to nurses is to teach them what to observe.

Florence Nightingale

nursing important nurse

Nursing is a progressive art such that to stand still is to go backwards.

Florence Nightingale

nursing progressive art

Nature alone cures. ... what nursing has to do ... is to put the patient in the best condition for nature to act upon him.

Florence Nightingale

nursing patient nurse

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's or sculptor's work.

Florence Nightingale

nursing nurse art

Live your life while you have it. Life is a splendid gift. There is nothing small in it. For the greatest things grow by God's Law out of the smallest. But to live your life you must discipline it. You must not fritter it away in "fair purpose, erring act, inconstant will" but make your thoughts, your acts, all work to the same end and that end, not self but God. That is what we call character.

Florence Nightingale

self law character

Let whoever is in charge keep this simple question in her head (not, how can I always do this right thing myself, but) how can I provide for this right thing to be always done?

Florence Nightingale

nursing done simple

For us who Nurse, our Nursing is a thing, which, unless in it we are making progress every year, every month, every week, take my word for it we are going back. The more experience we gain, the more progress we can make.

Florence Nightingale

nursing nurse years

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

Florence Nightingale

nursing sick nurse

I think one's feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results.

Florence Nightingale

nursing science thinking

Life is a hard fight, a struggle, a wrestling with the principle of evil, hand to hand, foot to foot. Every inch of the way is disputed. The night is given us to take breath, to pray, to drink deep at the fountain of power. The day, to use the strength which has been given us, to go forth to work with it till the evening.

Florence Nightingale

fighting struggle wrestling

How very little can be done under the spirit of fear.

Florence Nightingale

women fear motivational

The symptoms or the sufferings generally considered to be inevitable and incident to the disease are very often not symptoms of the disease at all, but of something quite different-of the want of fresh air, or of light, or of warmth, or of quiet, or of cleanliness, or of punctuality and care in the administration of diet, of each or of all of these.

Florence Nightingale

nursing light air

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

Florence Nightingale

nursing inspirational-life happiness

I use the word nursing for want of a better. It has been limited to signify little more than the administration of medicines and the application of poultices. It ought to signify the proper use of fresh air, light, warmth, cleanliness, quiet, and the proper selection and administration of diet-all at the least expense of vital power to the patient.

Florence Nightingale

nursing health light

Rather, ten times, die in the surf, heralding the way to a new world, than stand idly on the shore.

Florence Nightingale

nursing way world

I never lose an opportunity of urging a practical beginning, however small, for it is wonderful how often in such matters the mustard-seed germinates and roots itself.

Florence Nightingale

nursing women opportunity