55+ Quotes About Being Tired To Make You Feel Less Alone In Your Exhaustion

We’re exhausted AF. You’re probably exhausted AF too, right? Life is hard. Wars. Famines. Pandemics. It’s a lot. On top of those big picture issues, most of us feel depleted from the daily humdrum of hard things. That might mean work burnout, babies who refuse to sleep, decision fatigue, or just trying to stay awake for one episode of your favorite TV show that you never have time to watch anymore. Being a human is tiresome, and being a mom? Whew, we need a nap. While those “You’re a super mom!” pep talks are well-intentioned, that doesn’t mean they’re always what you want to hear. In fact, when you’re bone-tired, the last thing you want to do is force a fake smile or have to engage with anyone. In those moments, you just want a few minutes to yourself. But you also want to know that someone relates — that someone understands your sheer exhaustion and high stress on a nearly microscopic level. Well, reading through “tired” quotes can help you feel seen in a way that doesn’t require anything from you.

These quotes are all about being tired and mostly about being a tired parent. Some are a little cheesy and perhaps border on eye-roll-inducing optimism. But many are just funny. And relatable. And even wise. Because, on the real, we see you. And these stressed, over-extended, mentally beaten down, and tired quotes? They see you, too. (You know. Figuratively.)

Tired Quotes About Life

1. “I am not an early bird or a night owl. I am some form of permanently exhausted pigeon.” — Unknown
2. “Life is one long process of getting tired.” — Samuel Butler
3. “As hard as it is and as tired as I am, I force myself to get dinner at least once a week with my girlfriends, or have a sleepover. Otherwise, my life is just work.” — Jennifer Lawrence
4. “I’m tired, but proud.” — Norman Rockwell
5. “I don’t stop when I’m tired, I only stop when I’m done.” — Marilyn Monroe
6. “Even when you have every right to be tired of everything, never be tired of living.” — Terry Mark
7. “Tiredness is just something that is appearing; it’s not who you are.” — Nirmala
8. “No matter how tired you feel, no matter how much you want to quit, no matter what obstacles are in your way, keep moving toward the vision you have for your future.” — Jon Gordon
9. “A man grows most tired while standing still.” — Chinese proverb
10. “Knocked down but not beaten. Tired but not giving up. I saw the sun peek through the clouds. Sometimes all we need is a glimmer of hope.” — Jon Gordon
11. “Tired, tired with nothing, tired with everything, tired with the world’s weight he had never chosen to bear.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
12. “When you are tired, sleep; when you are hungry, eat.” — Michael Gluckman
13. “There is no greater medicine than a good night’s rest.” — Man Chung Han
14. “I feel like I’m already tired tomorrow.” — Unknown
15. “I finally got eight hours of sleep. It took me four days, but whatever.” — Unknown
16. “The wages of sin are death, but by the time taxes are taken out, it’s just sort of a tired feeling.” — Paula Poundstone
17. “Whenever I get fed up with life, I love to go wandering in nature.” — Andrea Arnold
18. “Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.” — Dean Karnazes
19. “Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s the determination and commitment to the unrelenting pursuit of your goal — a commitment to excellence — that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” — Mario Andretti
20. “Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.” — Theodore Roosevelt

Emotionally Tired Quotes

1. “Even nice things don’t make you happy when you’re tired.” — Jo Brand
2. “It’s important to surround yourself with good people, interesting people, young people, young ideas. Go places, learn new stuff. Look at the world with wonder… don’t be tired about it.” — Angela Bassett
3. “But there comes a time when you grow tired, when what you are giving is more than what you are given.” — Bruce Coville
4. “Sometimes all you can do is lie in bed and hope to fall asleep before you fall apart.” — William C. Hannan
5. “Sleep doesn’t help if it’s your soul that’s tired.” — Michael Bliss
6. “A heart that always understands also gets tired.” — Unknown
7. “It’s so important to realize that every time you get upset, it drains your emotional energy. Losing your cool makes you tired. Getting angry a lot messes with your health.” — Joyce Meyer
8. “I’m tired of pretending everything’s fine just so I can please everyone else.” — Spencer Tracy
9. “And all of a sudden I felt really tired. Like the world had drained me for everything that I had.” — BGT
10. “Saying ‘I’m tired’ when you’re actually just sad is a lie I say too well.” — @iiSunxOfficial
11. “One thing you can’t hide — is when you’re crippled inside.” — John Lennon
12. “You feel fine, and then, when your body can’t keep fighting, you don’t.” — Nicholas Sparks
13. “People cry, not because they’re weak. It’s because they’ve been strong for too long.” — Johnny Depp
14. “You never get tired unless you stop and take time for it.” — Bob Hope

Mentally Tired Quotes

1. “You are mentally strong, but you are also tired… and that is OK.” — Unknown
2. “Tired minds don’t plan well. Sleep first, plan later.” — Walter Reisch
3. “It’s a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you’re tired; you quit when the gorilla is tired.” — Robert Strauss
4. “I tried. I tried. I tried. I tried. I’m tired.” — Unknown
5. “Being tired isn’t anything. What’s important is the mind. The body being tired isn’t important. You can get over the body being tired by resting for a half-hour or an hour. What’s important is whether the mind is tired.” — Salt Bae
6. “A conclusion is the place where you got tired thinking.” — Martin H. Fischer
7. “My morning routine includes 10 minutes of sitting in bed and thinking about how tired I am.” — Unknown
8. “The worst thing about being tired is the negative twist of perception.” — Rosamond Rice
9. “A detached mind is seldom tired because it is free of fearful or tiresome thoughts.” — Sfurti Sahare
10. “My head is currently an exhausting place to be.” — Unknown

Tired Quotes for Tired Parents

1. “A real mom: Emotional, yet the rock. Tired, but keeps going. Worried, but full of hope. Impatient, yet patient. Overwhelmed, but never quits. Amazing, even though doubted. Wonderful, even in the chaos. Life changer, every single day.” — Rachel Marie Martin
2. “Kids are fun because no one likes sleep, anyway.” — @SatiricalMommy
3. “I’m tired. I’m also tired of being tired. I also realize that one day I will get all the sleep I need because my children won’t live here anymore, and that makes me sad.” — Bunmi Laditain
4. “You’ve done enough. It’s OK to be tired. You can take a break.” — Shauna Niequist
5. “Don’t tell a mother she looks tired; she already knows that. Tell her she’s doing a good job; she may not know that.” — Stephanie Peltier
6. “I’m not sure why my husband bothers to tell me how tired he is. Until the end of time, I win that competition.” — @SparklesNSkids
7. “Families don’t always realize that Mother is exhausted because Mother is always exhausted. Exhausted is what looks normal.” — Mary Blakely
8. “24/7: Once you sign on to be a mom, that’s the only shift they offer.” — Donna Ball
9. “Being a mom has made me so tired. And so happy.” — Tina Fey
10. “I am tired of being tired and talking about how tired I am.” — Amy Poehler
11. “I’m at the point in life where the Face ID on my phone recognizes me while I’m yawning. So. Yea. Love that for me.” — @minimal.mccue
12. “I remember I used to sleep like a baby until I had one.” — @jacanamommy
13. “When I’m tired, I rest. I say, ‘I can’t be a superwoman today.'” — Jada Pinkett Smith
14. “Mothers are basically part of a scientific experiment to prove that sleep is not a crucial part of human life.” — @MrsTessaLeen
15. “I just need to close my eyes for like five or 10 days.” — @AnnaDoesntWant2
16. “I used to think my mom did pizza and a movie night on the weekend to be fun… now I know she was just tired.” — @lindsay.fortney
17. “I’m so tired that if a gust of wind were to hit my back right now I’d probably fall forward and sink into the ground until I hit the equator and melted.” — Abu B. Rafique
18. “The bags under my eyes were definitely well past the carry-on limit.” — Sarah Gailey
19. “Sometimes I’m so tired, I look down at what I’m wearing, and if it’s comfortable enough to sleep in, I don’t even make it into my pajamas. I’m looking down, and I’m like, ‘T-shirt and stretchy pants? Yup, that’s fine. It’s pajama-y, good night.'” — Rebecca Romijn
20. “She’s tired, but she’s exhausted.” — R.H. Sin

See? You’re not alone. (No matter how badly you want to be.)