Clara Barton Quotes — The Angel of the Battlefield
Who Was Clara Barton?
Key Achievements of Clara Barton:
Famous Quotes by 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.”
• “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.”
• “I have an almost complete disregard of precedent, and a faith in the possibility of something better. It irritates me to be told how things have always been done. I defy the tyranny of precedent. I go for anything new that might improve the past.”
• “The door that nobody else will go in at, seems always to swing open widely for me.”
• “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.”
• “Everybody’s business is nobody’s business, and nobody’s business is my business.”
• “The patriot blood of my father was warm in my veins.”
• “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.”
• “An institution or reform movement that is not selfish, must originate in the recognition of some evil that is adding to the sum of human suffering, or diminishing the sum of happiness.”
• “The paths of charity are over roadways of ashes; and he who would tread them must be prepared to meet opposition, misconstruction, jealousy and calumny.”
• “In all the confusion, I neither learned his name nor told him mine.”
For more inspiration about bravery and bold decisions, read our Risk Quotes
Powerful Clara Barton’s Quotes That Show Her Courage and Compassion
• “Though it is little that one woman can do, still I crave the privilege of doing it.”
• “God in His goodness gave me speed to my feet and strength to my arms through the hours of that fearful night, that I might nourish the fainting, slake the thirst of the dying, and strive to staunch the life stream as it ebbed away.”
• “My business is stanching blood and feeding fainting men; my post the open field between the bullet and the hospital.”
• “I shall remain here while anyone remains, and do whatever comes to my hand.”
• “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… some one must follow closely in their steps, crouching to the earth, toiling in the rain and darkness, shelter less themselves… hearts breaking with pity, faces bathed in tears and hands in blood.”
• “I have always tried to recognize the things that made happiness and protect against the things that increase misery.”
• “I only wish I could work to some purpose … I have no right to these easy comfortable days and our poor men suffering and dying thirsting in this hot sun and I so quiet here in want of nothing.”
• “I cannot but think that we shall win at last, but oh the cost …”
• “I don’t know how long it has been since my ear has been free from the roll of a drum. It is the music I sleep by, and I love it…. I shall remain here while anyone remains, and do whatever comes to my hand.”
• “I have always tried to recognize the things that made happiness and protect against the things that increase misery.”
• “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.”
• “I make gruel—not speeches; I write letters home for wounded soldiers, not political addresses.”
• “Always I shall make nobody’s business my business.”
If you are looking for quotes that help you build inner strength, read our collection of Courage Quotes
Clara Barton’s Reflections on Purpose and Meaningful Work
• “I have never worked for fame or praise, and shall not feel their loss as I otherwise would. I have never for a moment lost sight of the humble life I was born to… and shall have the less to censure… for the failures I must see myself make.”
• “I have always worked for usefulness.”
• “I have an earnest desire to see women brought forward in every walk of life.”
• “I have always tried to make it known that our work is national, patriotic, and humanitarian.”
• “I have always tried to make my life one of useful and unselfish service, and I hope that in the end it will appear so.”
• “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…”
• “When the lights have gone out and the flag is lowered, we will be remembered not by what we were, but by what we have done.”
• “Economy, prudence, and a simple life are the sure masters of need, and will often accomplish that which, their opposites, with a fortune at hand, will fail to do.”
• “I have never for a moment lost sight of the humble life I was born to, its small environments, and the consequently little right I had to expect much of myself.”
• “Seek and comfort the afflicted everywhere.”
• “People should not say that this or that is not worth learning, giving as a reason that it will not be put to use.”
• “I believe I must have been born believing in the equal rights of women to all the privileges and positions which nature and justice accord her.”
• “I have always tried to make my life one of useful and unselfish service.”
• “No, I have always worked for usefulness.”
• “I am willing to serve my country and my government — and the great cause of humanity — at the sacrifice even of my own comfort and interest.”
Clara Barton’s Words Reflecting Her Determination
• “I shall never do a man’s work for less than a man’s pay.”
• “I ask neither pay or praise, simply a soldier’s fare and the sanction of your Excellency to go and do with my might, whatever my hands can find to do.”
• “I defy the tyranny of precedent. I go for anything new that might improve the past.”
• “The Red Cross has come to stay—and like the sturdy oak, its spreading branches shall yet encompass and shelter the relief of the nation.”
• “I cannot afford the luxury of a closed mind.”
• “I shall remain here while anyone remains, and do whatever comes to my hand.”
• “I have never for a moment lost sight of the humble life I was born to… and shall have the less to censure… for the failures I must see myself make.”
• “I may be compelled to live as a refugee, but I will not be treated as one.”
• “The surest test of discipline is its absence.”
• “I want it; we want it; the world wants it, and again I ask you to do it.”
• “I laid me down… That’s the way I mean it.”
• “Everybody’s business is nobody’s business. Always I shall make nobody’s business my business.”
• “You must never think of anything except the need, and how to meet it… then God gives the strength and things that seem impossible are done!”
• “I always tried . . . to succor the wounded until medical aid and supplies could come up — I could run the risk; it made no difference to anyone if I were shot or taken prisoner.”
if you are looking for quotes about living a meaningful life, read our collection of A Well Lived Life Quotes
Clara Barton Timeless Thoughts That Continue to Inspire
Even after many years, Clara Barton’s words continue to inspire. Her thoughts on courage, responsibility, and humanity remain relevant today. Most of the quotes in this section come from letters she wrote during the American Civil War in the 1860s. While nursing wounded soldiers, she often wrote about the hardships of war. Her words show a woman of great strength and heart.
• “I cannot afford the luxury of a closed mind.”
• “Economy, prudence, and a simple life are the sure masters of need, and will often accomplish that which, their opposites, with a fortune at hand, will fail to do.”
• “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.”
• “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 calamity.”
• “You know how foolishly tender my friendships are, and how I loved ‘my boys.”
• “I cannot but think that we shall win at last, but oh the cost “
• “A ball had passed between my body and the right arm which supported him, cutting through the sleeve and passing through his chest from shoulder to shoulder.”
• “I have never for a moment lost sight of the humble life I was born to, its small environments, and the consequently little right I had to expect much of myself.”
• “I am willing to serve my country and my government — and the great cause of humanity — at the sacrifice even of my own comfort and interest.”
• “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.”
• “I recall another disappointment which, though not vital, was still.”
• “Superlatives are difficult to deal with, the comparative is always so.”
• “I could not promise to do it, but would promise to consider it.”
• “I went to the Senate, accomplished nothing as usual.”
• “They did talk, and laugh and cry for joy – and such a time some hundreds of poor women almost beggars I think never had – It was worth going a mile to see.”
• “I wonder if a soldier ever does mend a bullet hole in his coat?”
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3 Life Lessons from Clara Barton
Final Thought
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. When was Clara Barton born?
Clara Barton was born on December 25, 1821, in Oxford, Massachusetts.
Q2. Why is Clara Barton famous?
Clara Barton is famous for caring for wounded soldiers during the American Civil War and for founding the American Red Cross.
Q3. What did Clara Barton do in the Civil War?
She worked as a nurse on the front lines. She brought food and medicine to soldiers and earned the nickname “Angel of the Battlefield.
Q4. How old was Clara Barton when she died?
She was 90 years old when she passed away on April 12, 1912.
