Sept. 21 is observed as World Alzheimer's Day to spread awareness about the disease and highlight the importance of talking about dementia. According to the Alzheimer's Association, the disease accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases.

Here are some quotes to read or share on this day:

1. "What really scares me is Alzheimer's or premature senility, losing that ability to read and enjoy and to write. And you do it, and some days maybe aren't so good, and then some days, you really catch a wave, and it's as good as it ever was." –Stephen King

2. "Suffering is always hard to quantify especially when the pain is caused by as cruel a disease as Alzheimer's. Most illnesses attack the body; Alzheimer's destroys the mind and in the process, annihilates the very self." – Jeffrey Kluger

3. “I think the earlier stages of Alzheimer's are the hardest. Particularly because the person knows that they are losing awareness. They're aware that they're losing awareness, and you see them struggling." – Patti Davis

4. "Alzheimer's is a disease for which there is no effective treatment whatsoever. To be clear, there is no pharmaceutical agent, no magic pill that a doctor can prescribe that will have any significant effect on the progressive downhill course of this disease." – David Perlmutter

5. "Alzheimer's disease starts when a protein that should be folded up properly misfolds into a kind of demented origami."– Gregory Petsko

6. "People do not realize that Alzheimer's is not old age. It is a progressive and fatal disease and staggering amounts of people develop Alzheimer's every day." – Melina Kanakaredes

7. "To care for those who once cared for us is one of the highest honors." – Tia Walker

8. "Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's." – George Carlin

9. "People with Alzheimer's deserve to be seen, so that we can find a cure!" – Julianne Moore

10. "The mind is like an iceberg, it floats with one-seventh of its bulk above water." – Sigmund Freud

Alzheimer's Blood Test
A doctor prepares a blood sample for analysis at a hospital in Berlin. U.S. researchers in New Jersey say they're close to developing a blood test that could detect early signs of Alzheimer's. Sean Gallup/Getty Images
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