The 10 Best Pieces of Life Advice from the Characters of Grey’s Anatomy

Grey’s Anatomy has turned into an absolute empire. What started out as just another medical drama became a huge hit that, to this day, attracts millions of viewers each season. But why? What makes this series stand out? A lot of people will say the characters. They’re not only portrayed spectacularly well, but they have a lot of depth. The viewers can feel what they feel—their pain, their heartache, their love, their passion. So tuning into a new episode can feel like its own little therapy session. Well, good news, Grey’s Anatomy fandom! The show’s fourteenth season is finally premiering on ABC in just a couple weeks. I know, that still feels like forever away. So to get you through the remainder of the Grey’s Anatomy-less days, here’s a compiled list of advice from some of your favorite cast members to ponder.

1. “And people can be broken, sure, but any surgeon knows, what’s broken can be mended. What’s hurt can be healed. That no matter how dark it gets, the sun’s going to rise again.” -Meredith Grey
So, the first step toward having a better morning actually takes place the night before! Do what you dread doing in the morning before you even go to sleep, like picking out your outfit for work or packing your lunch. If you do this the night before then you’ll wake up already feeling partly prepared for the day ahead of you. And you’ll feel more inclined to get out of bed because you don’t have those pesky tasks to complete.

2. “Have some fire. Be unstoppable. Be a force of nature. Be better than anyone here, and don’t give a damn what anyone thinks. You’re on your own, be on your own.” -Cristina Yang
If there’s one quote spoken by Cristina Yang that also embodies her soul, it is this one. Yang stands for strength and independence and seeks to empower those around her. She teaches us the importance of standing on our own two feet and accomplishing what we want to in the world.

3. “Don’t spend all your time wondering what you are, or who you like, or whether it’s right for you or wrong for you. Just let yourself be happy.” -Callie Torres
We often overthink every little thing in our lives: from who we’re dating to the job we’re holding to the new workout we’re thinking about trying. Well, Callie Torres is here to assure us that there’s not always a rhyme or reason. Instead of worrying all the time, we should simply embrace what makes us feel good.

4. “Bad things happen, but you have to move past it. Leave it behind. The sooner, the better. Or it’ll eat away at you and stop you from moving forward.” -Miranda Bailey
Miranda Bailey keeps everybody else in the hospital in check. But her role as mother hen doesn’t stop there—she teaches the show’s viewers a thing or two about life too. This time, Bailey reiterates the universal advice to live in the present, rather than the past. We have to leave the past in the past if we have any hopes of moving on.

5. “That’s how you stay alive. When it hurts so much you can’t breathe, that’s how you survive. By remembering that one day, somehow, impossibly, you won’t feel this way. It won’t hurt this much.” -Derek Shepherd
This is Derek’s own rendition of the classic saying, “this too shall pass”—except he acknowledges how tough the “this” can be. You might feel as if the whole world is coming down on you and experience the severest form of pain, but you also must remember that things will get better.

6. “If you love someone, you tell them. Even if you’re scared that it’s not the right thing. Even if you’re scared that it’ll cause problems. Even if you’re scared that it will burn your life to the ground, you say it, and you say it loud and you go from there.” -Mark Sloan
Mark Sloan (or McSteamy as the other characters call him) offers us viewers some important advice regarding love. While he acknowledges how scary the process of falling in love and going out on a limb can be, he also asserts that the only proper way to handle your feelings are to announce them to the world. And if it doesn’t work out, that’s okay.

7. “It’s good to be scared. It means you still have something to lose.” -Richard Webber
Richard Webber is the wisest of the wise. He commands a room with few words, just as he does with this simple phrase. The Chief brings light to the importance of fear, claiming that it shows us just how much we have and appreciate. So, embrace it and realize that being afraid is normal, is human.

8. “You never know the biggest day of your life is going to be the biggest. The days you think are going to be the big ones, they are never as big as you make them out to be in your head. It’s the regular days, the ones that start out normal. Those are the days that end up being the biggest.” -Izzie Stevens
Original cast member, Izzy Stevens reminds us that life is just one big mystery. We have no way of predicting what days will be good days, what days will be bad ones, or when our life might take a major turn. All we can do is ride along, make the most of our time, and rejoice in the normalcy of everyday—who knows, it may turn out to be one of the big days!

9. “If you aren’t willing to keep looking for the light in the darkest of places without stopping, even when it seems impossible, you will never succeed.” -Amelia Shepherd
Amelia Shepherd started as a minor character who stole the hearts of the Grey’s Anatomy fans. She proves to be a super strong female character who realizes and proclaims the importance of carrying on, of looking for the light switch in a dark room. Otherwise, you will never accomplish your goals or find your way out of the dark.

10. “Even if something seems like it can’t be fixed, doesn’t mean it’s broken.” -April Kepner
April Kepner is a multifaceted, extremely intelligent character who found her voice as the show progressed. She reminds us that everything doesn’t always have a clear-cut answer or even problem—in fact, it might not be a problem at all. We have to learn to accept what we can’t change and understand that this is simply a part of life.

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