Check out the best Clara Barton quotes and sayings that reflect her courage, compassion, and relentless drive to serve humanity.
Clara Barton was an American nurse, teacher, and humanitarian best known as the founder of the American Red Cross.
Born on December 25, 1821, she devoted her life to helping others and became one of the most remarkable women in American history.
A fierce advocate for equal rights, she broke barriers in a male-dominated society, demanding equal pay and recognition for women’s work.
Barton earned the nickname “Angel of the Battlefield” for her fearless service during the American Civil War, where she tended to wounded soldiers directly on the front lines.
After the war, Clara continued her mission by establishing the American Red Cross in 1881, bringing hope and relief to people affected by disasters, wars, and crises.
Barton’s dedication to humanitarian work, equality, and service to others has made her a lasting symbol of compassion and courage.
Her words and works continue to inspire generations to help others, live with purpose, and stand up for what is right.
Here are the most inspiring Clara Barton quotes that remind us of the power of service, perseverance, and unwavering faith in humanity.
Top 10 Clara Barton Quotes
- “Offering a hand up is not a hand-out.” — Clara Barton
- “The surest test of discipline is its absence.” — Clara Barton
- “The patriot blood of my father was warm in my veins.” — Clara Barton
- “My business is staunching blood, and feeding fainting men.” — Clara Barton
- “While soldiers can stand and fight. I can fight and feed them.” — Clara Barton
- “I wonder if a soldier ever does mend a bullet hole in his coat?” — Clara Barton
- “I may be compelled to face danger, but I never fear it when duty calls.” — Clara Barton
- “Though it is little that one woman can do, still I crave the privilege of doing it.” — Clara Barton
- “Everybody’s business is nobody’s business, and nobody’s business is my business.” — Clara Barton
- “The door that nobody else will go in at, seems always to swing open widely for me.” — Clara Barton
Famous Clara Barton Quotes
- “I founded the American Red Cross.” — Clara Barton
- “I went to the Senate, accomplished nothing as usual.” — Clara Barton
- “Let his work be that of angels, still it will not satisfy all.” — Clara Barton
- “I have never for a moment lost sight of the humble life I was born to.” — Clara Barton
- “I have an almost complete disregard of precedent, and a faith in the possibility of something better.” — Clara Barton
- “I may sometimes be willing to teach for nothing, but if paid at all, I shall never do a man’s work for less than a man’s pay.” — Clara Barton
- “It irritates me to be told how things have always been done. I defy the tyranny of precedent. I cannot afford the luxury of a closed mind.” — Clara Barton
- “I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them.” — Clara Barton
- “This conflict is one thing I’ve been waiting for. I’m well and strong and young – young enough to go to the front. If I can’t be a soldier, I’ll help soldiers.” — Clara Barton
- “People should not say that this or that is not worth learning, giving as their reason that it will not be put to use. They can no more know what information they will need in the future than they will know the weather two hundred years from today.” — Clara Barton
Best Clara Barton Quotes On Red Cross, Nursing, & Civil War
- “Let me go, let me go.” — Clara Barton
- “I go for anything new that might improve the past.” — Clara Barton
- “What could I do but go with them Civil War soldiers, or work for them and my country? The patriot blood of my father was warm in my veins.” — Clara Barton
- “You must never so much think as whether you like it or not, whether it is bearable or not; you must never think of anything except the need, and how to meet it.” — Clara Barton
- “It is wise statesmanship which suggests that in time of peace we must prepare for war, and it is no less a wise benevolence that makes preparation in the hour of peace for assuaging the ills that are sure to accompany war.” — Clara Barton
- “Others are writing my biography, and let it rest as they elect to make it. I have lived my life, well and ill, always less well than I wanted it to be but it is, as it is, and as it has been; so small a thing, to have had so much about it!” — Clara Barton
- “What armies and how much of war I have seen, what thousands of marching troops, what fields of slain, what prisons, what hospitals, what ruins, what cities in ashes, what hunger and nakedness, what orphanages, what widowhood, what wrongs and what vengeance.” — Clara Barton
- “Although its growth may seem to have been slow, it is to be remembered that it is not a shrub, or plant, to shoot up in the summer pand wither in the frosts. The Red Cross is a part of us–it has come to stay–and like the sturdy oak, its spreading branches shall yet encompass and shelter the relief of the nation.” — Clara Barton
- “The Red Cross in its nature, it aims and purposes, and consequently, its methods, is unlike any other organization in the country.It is an organization of physical action, of instantaneous action, at the spur of the moment; it cannot await the ordinary deliberation of organized bodies if it would be of use to suffering humanity,[ellipsis in original] it has by its nature a field of its own.” — Clara Barton
- “If I were to speak of war, it would not be to show you the glories of conquering armies but the mischief and misery they strew in their tracks; and how, while they marched on with tread of iron and plumes proudly tossing in the breeze, some one must follow closely in their steps, crouching to the earth, toiling in the rain and darkness, shelterless themselves, with no thought of pride or glory, fame or praise, or reward; hearts breaking with pity, faces bathed in tears and hands in blood. This is the side which history never shows.” — Clara Barton
Conclusion
What are your favorite Clara Barton quotes and Clara Barton quotations listed above? If there is a quote that we’ve missed, then let us know in the comments section what your thoughts are.
Love inspirational women quotes? Don’t miss our collections of Mother Teresa quotes and Florence Nightingale quotes.
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