--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For inspiration, I would turn again and…" description: "\"“For inspiration, I would turn again and again to Lieutenant Jason “Jay” Redman, a Navy SEAL who had been shot seven times and had undergone nearly two..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/599/robert-m-gates-2972_healing_for-inspiration-i-would-turn-again-and-a_584495.jpg" --- # For inspiration, I would turn again and again to… ![“For inspiration, I would turn again and again to Lieutenant Jason “Jay” Redman, a Navy SEAL who had been shot seven times and had undergone nearly two dozen surgeries. He had placed a hand-drawn sign on the door to his room at Bethesda Naval Hospital. It read: ATTENTION. To all who enter here. If…” quote by Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/599/robert-m-gates-2972_healing_for-inspiration-i-would-turn-again-and-a_584495.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/599/robert-m-gates-2972_healing_for-inspiration-i-would-turn-again-and-a_584495.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/599/robert-m-gates-2972_healing_for-inspiration-i-would-turn-again-and-a_584495.jpg) > ““For inspiration, I would turn again and again to Lieutenant Jason “Jay” Redman, a Navy SEAL who had been shot seven times and had undergone nearly two dozen surgeries. He had placed a hand-drawn sign on the door to his room at Bethesda Naval Hospital. It read: ATTENTION. To all who enter here. If you are coming into this room with sorrow or to feel sorry for my wounds, go elsewhere. The wounds I received I got in a job I love, doing it for people I love, supporting the freedom of a country I deeply love. I am incredibly tough and will make a full recovery. What is full? That is the absolute utmost physically my body has the ability to recover. Then I will push that about 20% further through sheer mental tenacity. This room you are about to enter is a room of fun, optimism, and intense rapid regrowth. If you are not prepared for that, go elsewhere. From: The Management.”” [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A wounded Navy SEAL declares his purpose, resilience, and optimism, urging others to focus on strength rather than pity. **In simple terms:** A warrior embraces pain, purpose, and growth, demanding positivity. Key Takeaway Adopt a purpose‑driven mindset and push beyond limits. Themes resilience purpose optimism leadership Mood determined hopeful assertive Type inspirational leadership When to use this quote - rehabilitation - team meetings - motivational workshops - personal recovery Key Concepts mental tenacity growth mindset self‑determination Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn personal pain into motivation? - What does “push 20% further” mean for you? A Different Perspective May optimism be seen as weakness rather than strength. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing/) [Hospital Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hospital-read-4797801/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Make Recovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-recovery-4797800/) [Navy seal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/navy-seal/) [Recovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recovery/) [Wounds Received](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wounds-received-2060582/) ## Related quotes > [“Make your own recovery the first priority in your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-norwood/make-your-own-recovery-the-first-priority-in-your-life/) [Robin Norwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-norwood/) > [The wounds received in battle bestow honor, they do not take it away...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-wounds-received-in-battle-bestow-honor-they-do-not-take-it-away/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have been wounded altogether twenty times; eleven of these wounds were received at Northfield.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-younger/i-have-been-wounded-altogether-twenty-times-eleven-of-these-wounds/) [Cole Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-younger/) > [The sword wounds the body, but words wound the soul. These are the wounds I received in the house of my friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bilal/the-sword-wounds-the-body-but-words-wound-the-soul-these-are-the/) [Bilal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bilal/) > [Being a Navy SEAL and sniper taught me all about risk management. Take away all the risk variables under your control and reduce it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-webb/being-a-navy-seal-and-sniper-taught-me-all-about-risk-management-take/) [Brandon Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-webb/) > [To break a Navy Seal, you have to kill us. That's why we can make it into our training. That's why we can call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-luttrell/to-break-a-navy-seal-you-have-to-kill-us-that-s-why-we-can-make-it/) [Marcus Luttrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-luttrell/) > [I'm a warrior at heart; I'm an ex-Navy Seal. I'm too old to wage war anymore, and so now I wage it mentally. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/i-m-a-warrior-at-heart-i-m-an-ex-navy-seal-i-m-too-old-to-wage-war/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [If I were to listen to people all the time when they say, 'Hey, this is a really high challenge, this is a high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-e-gomez/if-i-were-to-listen-to-people-all-the-time-when-they-say-hey-this-is/) [Gabriel E. Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-e-gomez/) > [I love my country, and the mental and physical demands of the Navy SEALs was what I had been training for my whole life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-zinke/i-love-my-country-and-the-mental-and-physical-demands-of-the-navy/) [Ryan Zinke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-zinke/) > [There's a storm inside of us, a burning river, a drive. You push yourself further than anyone could think possible. You are never out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-luttrell/there-s-a-storm-inside-of-us-a-burning-river-a-drive-you-push/) [Marcus Luttrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-luttrell/) > [People tell me I saved hundreds and hundreds of people. But I have to tell you: it’s not the people you saved that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/people-tell-me-i-saved-hundreds-and-hundreds-of-people-but-i-have-to/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [Extraordinary people are the Green Berets and the Navy Seals and the Olympic athletes - these are the ones who can face these extraordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-demme/extraordinary-people-are-the-green-berets-and-the-navy-seals-and-the/) [Jonathan Demme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-demme/) > [Chris Kyle was a human being, a Texan, Navy SEAL, father, husband, brother, friends to many, and a hero to many; this, at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-webb/chris-kyle-was-a-human-being-a-texan-navy-seal-father-husband-brother/) [Brandon Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-webb/) > [“Why are we sitting way back here?" "This way we can see the whole room and do some recon." "Great, here we go with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinn-loftis/why-are-we-sitting-way-back-here-this-way-we-can-see-the-whole-room/) [Quinn Loftis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinn-loftis/) > [“I’ll always come back to you,” he said. “Always.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-grant/i-ll-always-come-back-to-you-he-said-always/) [Donna Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-grant/) ## More by Robert M. Gates > [And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/and-so-the-greatest-of-american-triumphs-became-a-peculiarly-joyless/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“Obama answered, “Yes. I’m no peacenik.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/obama-answered-yes-i-m-no-peacenik/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“I was seething. I told him that “the clock is ticking” and that our patience with their lack of political progress was running out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-was-seething-i-told-him-that-the-clock-is-ticking-and-that-our/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [Some people have said, in so many words, that I'm kind of wooly-headed in believing that the Iranians would see not having nuclear weapons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/some-people-have-said-in-so-many-words-that-i-m-kind-of-wooly-headed/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“Obama was the fourth president I had worked for who said outright that he wanted to eliminate all nuclear weapons (Carter, Reagan, and Bush…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/obama-was-the-fourth-president-i-had-worked-for-who-said-outright/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [I had no concerns - I had no reason to have concerns based on what was available to me about North's contacts with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-had-no-concerns-i-had-no-reason-to-have-concerns-based-on-what-was/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [Health care costs are eating the Defense Department alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/health-care-costs-are-eating-the-defense-department-alive/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“The passage of fourteen years had led to another significant change in the international environment. As I told Bush 43 and Condi Rice on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/the-passage-of-fourteen-years-had-led-to-another-significant-change/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [I've been very sensitive for a long time to the repeated pattern, during economic hard times or after a war, of the United States'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-ve-been-very-sensitive-for-a-long-time-to-the-repeated-pattern/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [I don't know General Michael Flynn well, but it's hard for me to believe anybody would allow themselves to be blackmailed by the Russians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-don-t-know-general-michael-flynn-well-but-it-s-hard-for-me-to/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [I had no difficulty as Secretary of Defense moving from the Bush administration to the Obama administration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-had-no-difficulty-as-secretary-of-defense-moving-from-the-bush/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [The United States has been a global power since late in the 19th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/the-united-states-has-been-a-global-power-since-late-in-the-19th/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [My one concern is that Hu Jintao may overestimate how much power China has in Pyongyang. They have - they do have influence, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/my-one-concern-is-that-hu-jintao-may-overestimate-how-much-power/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“I thought you were my friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-thought-you-were-my-friend/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“Soon after the raid was over, the White House released the now-famous photo of all of us watching the video in that small conference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/soon-after-the-raid-was-over-the-white-house-released-the-now-famous/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) [Explore all 143 Robert M. Gates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) ## More Healing quotes > [The goal of spiritual practice is full recovery, and the only thing you need to recover from is a fractured sense of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-goal-of-spiritual-practice-is-full-recovery-and-the-only-thing/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/) [Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/) > [We're on the road 300 days a year. There's no recovery time. It's a test of your physical and mental endurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-phoenix/we-re-on-the-road-300-days-a-year-there-s-no-recovery-time-it-s-a/) [Beth Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-phoenix/) > [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“SILENT LIKE SLEEP You appear by my side, silent like sleep. Soft hair, a little wild. No fear, gentle like a calm river. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/silent-like-sleep-you-appear-by-my-side-silent-like-sleep-soft-hair-a/) [Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/) > [It is natural that our minds replay old stories, because that is our own mechanism for trying to work out unresolved problems. Yet rerunning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/it-is-natural-that-our-minds-replay-old-stories-because-that-is-our/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [“Don’t waste your time trying to explain yourself to people that are committed to misunderstanding you. Instead, commit your time to explaining who they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/don-t-waste-your-time-trying-to-explain-yourself-to-people-that-are/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“One of the most outstanding aspects of Ayurveda is its teaching that nothing is absolute. The utility, value and effect of anything is relative.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-swami/one-of-the-most-outstanding-aspects-of-ayurveda-is-its-teaching-that/) [Om Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-swami/) > [“Good morning,” one of the soldiers said. “I’m Captain Joseph Walker and this is Sergeant James Vanetten. We are members of the One-Hundred-and-First Airborne…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shafter-bailey/good-morning-one-of-the-soldiers-said-i-m-captain-joseph-walker-and/) [Shafter Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shafter-bailey/) > [“It is not so much about fighting against the ego; it is more about harmonizing with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-sara/it-is-not-so-much-about-fighting-against-the-ego-it-is-more-about/) [Grace Sara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-sara/) > [“The sole reason I stand to open it up now is that lots of people who are in pain just like I was, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-sole-reason-i-stand-to-open-it-up-now-is-that-lots-of-people-who/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [“While trauma keeps us dumbfounded, the path out of it is paved with words, carefully assembled, piece by piece, until the whole story can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessel-a-van-der-kolk/while-trauma-keeps-us-dumbfounded-the-path-out-of-it-is-paved-with/) [Bessel A. van der Kolk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessel-a-van-der-kolk/) > [My identity shifted when I got into # recovery . 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