Quote Of The Day By Tina Turner: 'Through The Hardships And Heartbreaks, I Discovered Within Me A Strength That ...'

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Artists love to reinvent themselves over the course of their careers, but few have ever managed to rise from the ashes quite like the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, Tina Turner. Born Anna Mae Bullock on November 26, 1939, in Brownsville, Tennessee, she developed her talent for singing in her local church's choir. 

Turner moved to St. Louis at 16, where she got her first taste of the nightclub performance circuits with acts such as her future husband, Ike Turner. He came up with her stage name Tina Turner after inviting her to join his band, Kings of Rhythm, in 1957. As Ike & Tina Turner, their debut 1960 single "A Fool in Love" shot straight to No. 2 on the R&B charts, and even reached No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100. Although they would continue to release hits throughout the '60s and '70s, it was "Proud Mary," a cover of a Creedence Clearwater Revival song, which won Ike & Tina Turner their only Grammy. 

Ike and Tina had married in 1962, but by 1976, the trouble in paradise had truly boiled over. Their professional and romantic relationship was officially done by 1978, forcing Tina to find ways to support herself and their children. She made her solo comeback in 1983 with a cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," then finally secured her first No. 1 single with 1984's "What's Love Got To Do With It." It's clear that her resilience and dedication to her dreams only made her success all the more triumphant, and that is why one of her insights is today's quote of the day.

"The silver lining was that through the hardships and heartbreaks, I discovered within me a strength that I could survive even the worst situations."

In a 2021 interview with Today about her book, "Happiness Becomes You," Tina Turner blessed her audience with 81 years' worth of guidance and wisdom. It was clear that joy was one of her strongest pillars in navigating the highs and lows of love, life, and superstardom. 

Especially as it related to her toxic relationship with her ex-husband, Turner's heart had been put through the wringer, but mustering up the courage to leave was a beast all of its own. As painful and heartbreaking as it was to go through, she was able to match it with a degree of optimism and understanding that, no matter what happened, she could endure it and come out triumphantly on the other side.

Tina Turner's quote doesn't ignore the reality that bad things happen beyond our control, but recognizes that each heartbreaking experience is an opportunity to find the strength within ourselves to get through them.

Since childhood, the romantic relationship modeled by Turner's parents in Tennessee was chaotic, and her mother eventually walked out on the family to follow her new boyfriend to Detroit, landing Turner in the care of her maternal grandmother. Her first marriage was riddled with turmoil, and the fallout of their divorce was no better: Turner went from winning her first Grammy to feeding her family with food stamps and cleaning jobs, all while trying her best to find opportunities to perform wherever she could. Her diligence and dedication, as well as harnessing a strength to survive despite her circumstances, ultimately propelled her to eight Grammy wins and 25 nominations over her long and celebrated career. Even after she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2016 and lost her eldest son, Craig, in 2018, Turner would balance her grief with gratitude for life no matter the circumstances.

When things are hard, we may not see a way out of our grief, yet Turner's life and quote remind us that all we have to do is show up. Every hardship and every hill left to climb teaches us just how strong we truly are, and without heartbreak, we may never know our full capacity for greatness.

• Nothing [scares me about getting older]. This is life's full adventure and I embrace and accept every day with what it brings.

• "Don't be discouraged by anyone else's preconceived notions about who you are or what you want to do in life. Keep your dreams alive, and never give up on yourself."

• "After I broke up with Ike I realized that I had been controlled by the male ego. To break free from that I had to discover myself again. As a solo singer I learned that it is important to first conquer the women. After that you have the whole public."

• "I always like to think I can make really good music that can fit in some kind of way with today's music. Radio isn't always going to play your songs. If they don't hear it through radio, maybe they'll get it through the live performances."

• "My life has been full, but with lots of sad times that I now forgive and strive to forget. Maybe that's the answer: to keep moving forward, to let go, and aim to fill your life with love."