Suicide Prevention | Depression | Life Lessons
Top 10 Best Suicide Prevention Quotes Annotated by an Attempt Survivor
Suicide prevention quotes that I believe would have helped me take a step back to reassess my decision to commit suicide.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800–273–8255 to connect with a trained counselor or visit the NSPL website. This is for the USA. I don’t know for the rest of the world… Sorry!
The funny thing with quotes is that there is always one to support whatever opinion we have, and people on both sides of an argument can find such a quote! Therefore, I’ve always taken quotes with a grain of salt. However, at the same time, a concise and historical statement by a famous person can be inspirational.
A depression brought me to a suicide attempt. Now, I try to fight taboos on Medium by sharing my experience, and here’s my take on suicide prevention quotes that inspire me to not do a second attempt.
I have to tell you upfront that any suicide prevention message around the lines of “you matter” is a non-starter for me. When I decided to commit suicide, I was convinced I did not matter to anybody anymore. And more than that, I honestly believe it would be best for my family if I were feeding the grass from under the roots.
Therefore, any suicide prevention statements claiming “I mattered” only sounded ridiculous to me. Worse than that, the fact that so many suicide prevention organizations kept on trumpeting that “I mattered” served as a reminder that I did not!
10 Best Suicide Prevention Quotes
The following suicide prevention quotes are the ones I believe could either have helped me take a step back and reassess my decision to commit suicide, or help people around me.
5 Suicide Prevention Quotes For a Suicidal Person
The first five quotes are for me, to help me see life and suicide in a different light.
“Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.” ~Phil Donahue
This quote speaks to me because I have changed my minds on many things during my life. I’m sure we all did. And this quote points out that perhaps I could change my mind about suicide being the best option but, in this case, if I commit suicide, I would never have a chance to change my mind.
“Phillip John Donahue is an American media personality, writer, film producer and the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show. The television program, later known simply as Donahue, was the first talk show format that included audience participation.” (source: Wikipedia)
“The great thing about suicide is that it’s not one of those things you have to do now or you lose your chance. I mean, you can always do it later.” ~Harvey Fierstein
This quote by Harvey Fierstein has an impact similar to the prior one. I was convinced that my disappearance from this planet was the best solution for all involved parties but, then… Why now? What’s wrong with tomorrow? In the case of suicide, encouraging procrastination is a good thing!
“Harvey Forbes Fierstein is an American actor, playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for his theater work in Torch Song Trilogy and Hairspray and movie roles in Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day, and as the voice of Yao in Mulan and Mulan II.” (source: Wikipedia)
“I wonder if it will rain after we die. When you kill yourself, you don’t know what happens next, afterward.” ~Albert Borris
Once again, this one gives me an incentive to still be alive tomorrow. It’s called curiosity. I suppose it would work better on somebody with a high level of curiosity, like me! I think of all the events I’ve witnessed or taken part in since my suicide attempt and… Some of them, I could have done without! But some others were awesome moments that I would have missed.
Albert Borris is the author of the book ‘Crash Into Me’ that deals with suicide. As a teacher and counselor, he runs workshops on suicide prevention, drug abuse issues, and peer leadership for youth. (source: Goodreads)
“Don’t give up, ’cause somewhere there’s a place where we belong.” ~Lyrics to Peter Gabriel’s song ‘Don’t Give Up’.
Of course, it helps that I’ve always liked Peter Gabriel’s music! But more significantly, when I hear this part of the song, I think perhaps I am simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. And if I am ready to commit suicide, why not go crazy and explore the world? I may find a place where I belong!
“Peter Brian Gabriel is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched a successful solo career with “Solsbury Hill” as his first single.” (source: Wikipedia)
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” ~Winston Churchill
Normally, this quote wouldn’t do anything for me. It’s like telling me I matter. I think I don’t! So in this case, even you tell me to keep going… Why would I if I am convinced I have reached the end of the road? But this Winston Churchill quote works on me because of the person who said it. When I hear this quote, I visualize London being bombed by the nazis. I’m sure it would have been easy to give up, but they didn’t. And the horror of that war puts my personal life issues in perspective: my problems are not that bad!
“Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was a British statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, during the Second World War, and again from 1951 to 1955.” (source: Wikipedia)
5 Suicide & Depression Quotes for Family & Friends of a Suicidal Person
The next five quotes are messages I wish people around me had understood. In most suicide prevention campaigns, they keep telling suicidal people to ask for help. Ya, sure! But people have to be receptive to you asking for help!
“Nothing in my life has ever made me want to commit suicide more than people’s reaction to my trying to commit suicide.” ~Emilie Autumn
That is a powerful quote. Depression and suicide are so taboo that asking for help often leads nowhere because there is nobody around to provide help. People run for cover! If I had broken legs, somebody would have had driven me to a hospital. But with my brain being broken, they placed shame on me. And I have to tell you… What Emilie said was true for me. The more people around me were disparaging suicide or portraying me as weak, the more I felt the need to do it in an “I’ll show you” kind of way.
“Emilie Autumn Liddell, better known by her stage name Emilie Autumn, is an American singer-songwriter, poet, author and violinist. Autumn’s musical style is described by her as ‘Fairy Pop’, ‘Fantasy Rock’ or ‘Victoriandustrial’.” (source: Wikipedia)
“There is no point treating a depressed person as though she were just feeling sad, saying, ‘There now, hang on, you’ll get over it.’ Sadness is more or less like a head cold — with patience, it passes. Depression is like cancer.” ~Barbara Kingsolver
Thank you, Barbara! I compare depression to broken legs because you need help to get to the hospital, but an analogy to cancer works, too. The point is that it is not just a temporary thing that will pass like bad weather.
“Barbara Kingsolver is an American novelist, essayist, and poet. She was raised in rural Kentucky and lived briefly in the Congo in her early childhood. Kingsolver earned degrees in biology at DePauw University and the University of Arizona and worked as a freelance writer before she began writing novels.” (source: Wikipedia)
“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.” ~Stephen Fry
Not only I wish people around me had understood that, in the weeks and months leading to my suicide attempt, I wish I had understood it too! Whenever I tried to figure out why I was depressed, I made long lists of reasons, but none seemed to justify being depressed. So the more I tried to understand why I was depressed without finding reasons I deemed valid, the more I felt depressed. It was a Catch-22.
“Stephen John Fry is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in A Bit of Fry & Laurie and Jeeves and Wooster.” (source: Wikipedia)
“When you’re depressed, you don’t control your thoughts, your thoughts control you. I wish people understood that.” ~Anonymous
That’s a pretty explicit statement, isn’t it? Once again, it’s not something that will go away like a thunderstorm. Something needs to be done. Depression must be treated.
Anonymous is a famous guy! Whenever I google a topic, I find dozens of quotes from him, regardless of the topic. His life must have been impressive!
“People talk about physical fitness, but mental health is equally important. I see people suffering, and their families feel a sense of shame about it, which doesn’t help. One needs support and understanding.” ~Deepika Padukone”
Not only do family and friends often run for cover instead of helping, but the way they react to depression and suicidal thoughts by shaming the person suffering from it compounds the problem.
“Deepika Padukone is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, her accolades include three Filmfare Awards. She features in listings of the nation’s most popular personalities, and Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018.” (source: Wikipedia)
More about my journey with depression and a suicide attempt.
Today, let’s reach out to at least one friend to check out on them before it’s too late.
New! My books are on Ream and, eventually, elsewhere.
Please subscribe to be the first to know about new posts, stories and books.
And connect with me!
“A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.” ~James Keller
I published this story in A Windy Life, a publication on Medium.
