If you’re a Grey’s Anatomy fan, you know that it’s not really about medicine or doctors but heartbreaks, people dying and a lot of life lessons. And let’s be honest, you’ve always found a Grey’s quote relating to your situation; it’s more than just a TV show – it’s real life advice.

1. When Izzie made us realize that our ordinary tomorrow could be more important than we think

“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

2. When Type A people needed a little comfort because your plans didn’t work out

“We spend our whole lives worrying about the future, planning for the future, trying to predict the future, as if figuring it out will cushion the blow. But the future is always changing. The future is the home of our deepest fears and wildest hopes. But one thing is certain when it finally reveals itself. The future is never the way we imagined it.” -Meredith Grey

3. When we were reminded that sometimes the people we hurt the most are the ones we really need

“At the end of the day, when it comes down to it, all we really want is to be close to somebody. So this thing where we all keep our distance and pretend not to care about each other, it’s usually a load of bull. So we pick and choose who we want to remain close to, and once we’ve chosen those people, we tend to stick close by. No matter how much we hurt them. The people that are still with you at the end of the day, those are the ones worth keeping. And sure, sometimes close can be too close. But sometimes, that invasion of personal space, it can be exactly what you need.”-Meredith Grey

4. Remember that time you thought keeping your feelings were hidden forever was a good idea? Mark Sloan would suggest otherwise

“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

5. When we needed to realize that going through the pain instead of avoiding it, will help us grow

“It’s one of those things that people say, you can’t move on until you let go of the past. Letting go is the easy part, it’s the moving on that’s painful. So sometimes we fight it, try and keep things the same. Things can’t stay the same though. At some point, you just have to let go. Move on. Because no matter how painful it is, it’s the only way we grow.”-Meredith Grey

6. When we lost something precious and needed to understand that only time can heal certain wounds

“Grief may be a thing we all have in common but it looks different on everyone. It isn’t just death we have to grieve. It’s life, it’s loss, it’s change. And when we wonder why it has to suck so much sometimes, it has to hurt so bad. The thing we gotta try to remember is that it can turn on a dime. 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, it won’t feel this way. It wont hurt this much. Grief comes in it’s own time for everyone in it’s own way. So the best we can do, the best anyone can do, is try for honesty. The really crappy thing, the very worst part of grief is that you can’t control it. The best we can do is try to let ourselves feel it when it comes and let it go when we can.”

7. When we were doing something new and were scared out of our minds

“Change. We don’t like it. We fear it, but we can’t stop it from coming. We either adapt to change or we get left behind. It hurts to grow, anybody who tells you it doesn’t is lying, but here’s the truth sometimes the more things change the more they stay the same. And sometimes, oh, sometimes change is good. Sometimes change is everything.”-Meredith Grey

8. We all need Cristina to help set our priorities straight 

“Don’t let what he wants eclipse what you need. He’s very dreamy, but he’s not the sun. You are.”-Cristina Yang

9. When Meredith taught us that men are a real pain sometimes 

“In group settings men are 75% more likely to speak up than women, and when a woman does speak up, it’s statistically probable her male counterparts will either interrupt her or speak over her. It’s not because they’re rude, it’s science. The female voice is scientifically proven to be more difficult for a male brain to register. What does this mean? It means, in this world where men are bigger, stronger, faster… if you’re not ready to fight, the silence will kill you.”-Meredith Grey

 10. On how to recognize the compliments that really matter

“Oh, screw beautiful. I’m brilliant. If you want to appease me, compliment my brain.”-Cristina Yang

11. When we found a new perspective on what happiness could really be

“Maybe we’re not supposed to be happy, maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy. Maybe being grateful means recognizing what you have for what it is, appreciating small victories. Admiring the struggle it takes simply to be human. Maybe we’re thankful for the familiar things we know. And maybe we’re thankful for the things we’ll never know. At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing is reason enough to celebrate.”-Meredith Grey

12. When we needed this tough love 

“If you want crappy things to stop happening to you, then stop accepting crap and demand something more.”-Cristina Yang

13. When all we required was a little hope in some hard times

“What is broken can be mended. What’s hurt can be healed. No matter how dark it gets the sun is gonna rise again.”-Meredith Grey

14. This rule that all us straight ladies need in our lives

“Don’t ever date a man who can’t handle your power.”-Meredith Grey

15. On being open to finding love again after losing that one person

“It always feels like there is just one person in this world to love, and then you find somebody else, and it just seems crazy that you were ever worried in the first place.”-Lexie Grey

16. When we felt like we weren’t living up to our expectations but Meredith made us realize it was normal to feel that way 

“There’s this person in my head. She is brilliant, capable. She’s me, only so much better and I’m afraid I’ll never become this person because something keeps getting in the way.”-Meredith Grey

What’s your favorite Grey’s Anatomy quote?

Cover image via: ShondaLand / ABC Studios