40 Patch Adams Quotes on Laughter, Love, and Care

If you’re a fan of comedy-drama movies, then you will undoubtedly enjoy these Patch Adams quotes!

Patch Adams is a movie that tells the tale of a West Virginia doctor’s quest to change and improve America’s healthcare system. For him, medicine and cure are best brought upon a patient through love, compassion, laughter, play, and having someone to talk to.

In the movie, Patch Adams encountered a lot of difficulties in life. Because of this, he brought himself to a mental hospital in hopes of curing his depression. It is during his time there that he realized that what patients really need is a daily dose of laughter, love, and care.

This realization gave him a new purpose and, in turn, became his way of practicing compassion and kindness toward others. Patch Adams is indeed not your typical movie about doctors and patients. Instead, it goes above and beyond and inspires millions of people across the globe, no matter what career they’re currently pursuing.

If you want to learn more about Patch Adams and his story, keep reading!

We’ve compiled some of the most touching lines from the characters that will change how you think.

Let’s get started.

And don’t forget to check out these Robin Williams quotes and Good Will Hunting quotes.

Best Patch Adams Quotes

1. “You treat a disease, you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you, you’ll win, no matter what the outcome.” – Patch Adams

2. “Death is not the enemy, gentlemen. If we’re going to fight a disease, let’s fight one of the most terrible diseases of all, indifference.” – Patch Adams

3. “You’re focusing on the problem. If you focus on the problem, you can’t see the solution.” – Arthur Mendelson

4. “Our job is improving the quality of life, not just delaying death.” – Patch Adams

5. “You create man, man suffers enormous amounts of pain, man dies. They say you rested on the seventh day, well maybe you should have spent that day on compassion.” – Patch Adams

6. “Every human being has an impact on another.” – Patch Adams

7. “One cannot separate the health of the individual from the health of the community, from the health of the world.” – Patch Adams

8. “Spread joy. Chase your wildest dreams.” – Patch Adams

9. “Being happy is the best cure of all diseases!” – Patch Adams

10. “We can never get a recreation of community and heal our society without giving our citizens a sense of belonging.” – Patch Adams

Inspirational Patch Adams Quotes

11. “What’s wrong with death, sir? What are we so mortally afraid of? Why can’t we treat death with a certain amount of humanity and dignity and decency, and God forbid, maybe even humor.” – Patch Adams

12. “See what no one else sees. See what everyone chooses not to see—out of fear, conformity, or laziness. See the whole world anew each day!” – Arthur Mendelson

13. “Unlike a lot of people, I don’t feel powerless. I know I can do something. But anyone can do something; it’s not about being special. It’s about deciding to do it—to dive into work for peace and justice and care for everybody on the planet.” – Patch Adams

14. “You can keep me from getting the title and the white coat. But you can’t control my spirit, gentlemen.” – Patch Adams

Also read: Encouraging Quotes, Inspirational Quotes

Patch Adams Quotes to Remind You That Laughter Is the Best Medicine

15. “Humor is an antidote to all ills.” – Patch Adams

16. “People crave laughter as if it were an essential amino acid.” – Patch Adams

17. “People hunger for love and clowning is a trick to get love close.” – Patch Adams

18. “The most radical act anyone can commit is to be happy.” – Patch Adams

19. “I’d say that I think the most revolutionary act that you can commit in our society today is to be happy.” – Patch Adams

20. “Jump for joy as we accomplish the dreams we adore.” – Patch Adams

21. “Waiting in line is a great opportunity to meet people, daydream, or play.” – Patch Adams

22. “Remember laughing? Laughter enhances the blood flow to the body’s extremities and improves cardiovascular function. Laughter releases endorphins and other natural mood-elevating and pain-killing chemicals to improve the transfer of oxygen and nutrients to internal organs. Laughter boosts the immune system and helps the body fight off disease, cancer cells as well as viral, bacterial, and other infections.” – Patch Adams

Also read: Dead Poets Society Quotes

Patch Adams Quotes From Robin Williams

23. ” You can’t keep me from learning, you can’t keep me from studying.” – Patch Adams

24. “I found myself in a dark wood, for I had lost the right path. Eventually, I would find the right path, but in the most unlikely place.” – Patch Adams

25. “The reason adults should look as though they are having fun is to give kids a reason to want to grow up.” – Patch Adams

26. “I dove into an endless sea of gratitude from which I’ve never emerged.” – Patch Adams

27. “I am a doctor, but above all else, I consider myself an activist for peace, justice, and care for all people.” – Patch Adams

28. “Imagination is an infinite resource that cannot be diminished by overuse or underuse.” – Patch Adams

29. “All of life is coming home. Salesmen, secretaries, coal miners, beekeepers, sword swallowers, all of us. All the restless hearts of the world, all trying to find a way home. It’s hard to describe what I felt like then. Picture yourself walking for days in the driving snow; you don’t even know you’re walking in circles. The heaviness of your legs in the drifts, your shouts disappearing into the wind. How small you can feel, and how far away home can be. Home. The dictionary defines it as both a place of origin and a goal or destination. And the storm? The storm was all in my mind.” – Patch Adams

Also read: Nacho Libre Quotes, Dumb and Dumber Quotes

Touching Patch Adams Quotes That’ll Make You Feel Emotional

30. “I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly without complexities or pride. I love you because I know no other way than this.” – Patch Adams

31. “When a dream takes hold of you, what can you do? You can run with it, let it run your life, or let it go and think for the rest of your life about what might have been.” – Patch Adams

32. “I wanted to become a doctor, so I could serve others. And because of that, I’ve lost everything. But I’ve also gained everything.” – Patch Adams

33. “I’m looking for a world where love will no longer be extraordinary.” – Patch Adams

34. Patch Adams: “Death. To die. To expire. To pass on. To perish. To peg out. To push up daisies. To push up posies. To become extinct. Curtains, deceased, demised, departed, and defunct. Dead as a doornail. Dead as a herring. Dead as a mutton. Dead as nits. The last breath. Paying a debt to nature. The big sleep. God’s way of saying, ‘Slow down.’” 

Bill Davis: “To check out.”

Patch Adams: “To shuffle off this mortal coil.”

Bill Davis: “To head for the happy hunting ground.”

Patch Adams: “To blink for an exceptionally long period of time.” 

Bill Davis: “To find oneself without breath.”

Patch Adams: “To be the incredible decaying man.”

Bill Davis: “Worm buffet.”

Patch Adams: “Kick the bucket.”

Bill Davis: “Buy the farm.”

Patch Adams: “Take the cab.” 

Bill Davis: “Cash in your chips.”

Patch Adams Quotes for Those Curious About the Medical Field

35. “We need to start treating the patient as well as the disease.” – Patch Adams

36. “Excellence in health means devoting your life to ending poverty.” – Patch Adams

37. “Please live a healthy life; medicine is an imperfect science.” – Patch Adams

More Patch Adams Quotes to Change Your Perspective

38. “I want to live in a world where people become famous because of their work for peace and justice and care. I want the famous to be inspiring; their lives an example of what every human being has it in them to do—act from love!” – Patch Adams

39. “If we don’t change from a world society that worships money and power to one that worships compassion and generosity, I think we’ll be extinct by mid-century. I don’t say that as an alarmist or as a pessimist.” – Patch Adams

40. “My work is to end violence, and to bring harmony to people.” – Patch Adams

Did These Patch Adams Quotes Leave an Impact on Your Heart?

One of the primary purposes of our lives is to be happy. Sometimes, we forget to laugh and be happy about little things. But, Patch Adams reminds us that those who do not know how to see the precious things in life will never be happy.

When he found his purpose in life, he became determined to live for others and bring them the care they needed. He imagined a facility where all patients would be treated as equals for their diseases. After all, no matter what, patients are still humans, and they all need genuine care.

Patch Adams is so inspiring because the movie showed that anyone—doctor or not—can help a person feel better. Just a tiny hug or word of appreciation can make someone else’s day so much brighter than before. It reminds us that the best possible care we can give others is our genuine compassion and kindness toward them.

In a world that needs peace and love, we all need something to overcome the challenges that we are facing. So, just keep in mind that being happy always wins. With that, we hope this list was able to give you valuable insights into how great of a positive change you can bring to others’ lives.

Which of these Patch Adams quotes is your favorite? Please, leave them in the comment section below.

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Karen Danao

Hi, I’m Karen, a content curator and writer for Quote Ambition; I’m also a marketing and advertising professional. Beyond the keyboard and the screen, I’m someone who’s out to enjoy every bit that life has to offer!

Poetry, philosophy, history, and movies are all topics I love writing about! However, my true passion is in traveling, photography, and finding common ground to which everyone from different cultures can relate.

With the many places I’ve been to, I found that love, inspiration, and happiness are some things that bring people together. No matter how different we are on the outside, I’m a true believer that our emotions don’t lie; if you dig deep into our psyche, we’re all the same inside.

This belief was further amplified when I joined Quote Ambition. Through the quotes I’ve read, collected, organized, and written about, I found that humans are resilient, creative, and compassionate.

We take from each others’ hearts and courage, and it’s through our individual experiences that we learn how to rise above our challenges and pain. In so many ways, Quote Ambition is a platform that allows people from all over the world to gain the inspiration they need anytime, anywhere!

You can find me on MuckRack and LinkedIn.