50 Inspirational Quotes and Sayings

Whether you are decorating your room or need some extra motivation, these quotes will help to inspire you. Written by some of famed celebrities and historical figures, these inspirational quotes contain wisdom from the Ancient Greeks to the present.

1. “I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday.” -Anonymous

Hopefully, you will take steps each day that bring you a little closer to your goal.

2. “Get out of your comfort zone. Wake up the sleeping giant in you.” -Dr T.P.Chia

If we only stay within our comfort zones, we will never end up growing as people.

3. “Live your truth. Express your love. Share your enthusiasm. Take action towards your dreams. Walk your talk. Dance and sing to your music. Embrace your blessings. Make today worth remembering.” -Steve Maraboli

If you were to die tomorrow, would you be happy with how you have lived your life so far? Anyone who answers no should reevaluate their current life and make changes.

4. “Magic is believing in yourself. If you can do that you make anything happen.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The people who succeed on life have one thing in common: they believed that they could do it. Self-confidence is a must-have skill for successful people.

5. “If you want to fly, you have to give up the things that weigh you down.” -Anonymous

We all have things that are holding us back. Before we can reach our dreams, we have to give up some of our burdens.

6. “The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible.” -Winston Churchill

Few people other than Churchill could say this sentiment so poignantly.

7. “You have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked, try approving of yourself and see what happens.” -Louise L. Hay

Stop being hard on yourself. Self-criticism only reduces your ability to achieve your dreams.

8. “Don’t give up! It’s not over. The universe is balanced. Every set-back bears with it the seeds of a come-back.” -Steve Maraboli

It might sound like a self-help book, but this inspiration quote makes a good point.

9. “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” -Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand is a controversial figure known for speaking her mind. If anyone could accomplish the impossible, it would be her.

10. “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.” -Zig Ziglar

You should remind yourself of your goals each day so that you stay on track.

11. “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.” -William Arthur Ward

First, you must decide on what you want. Once you know what you want to achieve, you can do it.

12. “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” -Henry Ford

Another way of saying this? It’s all in your mind.

13. “The person that works the hardest wins.” -Will Smith

Although talent plays a role, it is not a substitute for hard work.

14. “Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must, just never give up.” -Dean Karnazes

The path to success is not always an easy one, but you can traverse it.

15. “Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination.” -Roy Goodman

The journey to a goal is often worth more than achieving it.

16. “If your dream was to have a million dollar and if you got it without earning it, you would not be as happy as you would, by earning it. It’s not the achievement of goals that makes us happy, but looking through all the hardship that we have gone through to earn it.” -Anonymous

This reiterates the sentiment in inspirational quote #16.

17. “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion’.” -Muhammad Ali

Known for his boxing prowess, Muhammad Ali overcame great personal difficulties in order to become a champion.

18. “If the facts don’t fit the theory, change the facts.” -Albert Einstein

This inspirational saying may be a bit unnerving considering it is from the man who created the Theory of Relativity.

19. “Never let your past nor your present decide what your future is going to look like.” -Anonymous

Each day, you have the chance to decide exactly who you want to be. No matter what happened yesterday, you have the opportunity to live the life that you imagined.

20. “Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

I have also seen this quote attributed to Albert Einstein, but it remains true.

21. “The indecision brings its own delays, and days are lost lamenting o’er lost days. Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute; what you can do, or dream you can, begin it; boldness as genius, power and magic in it.” -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This is a more poetic way of saying Carpe Diem-Sieze the Day.

22. “Do one thing every day that scares you.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

As one of the most formidable, impressive and confident First Ladies, Eleanor Roosevelt is an example of what everyone should aspire to become.

23. “Sometimes it’s not how good you are, but how bad you want it.” -Anonymous

Talent will only get you so far in life. Hard work and your personal desire to succeed will get you the rest of the way.

24. “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart.” -Helen Keller

Helen Keller manage to learn how to sign without being able to hear or see. If she still found amazement and wonder in the world around her, we can learn to be amazed as well.

25. “We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline.” -Jesse Owens

If you are not willing to work for your dreams during the day, you may as well stop dreaming them during the night.

26. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” -Theodore Roosevelt

Once you are determined to complete a goal, you are able to start achieving it.

27. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” -Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela spent decades locked up for his activities. When he finally was released, he went on to become the president of South Africa.

28. “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” -George Eliot

Even if you have lived a life of infamy and ill repute, you can still change. You have the chance every day to become the person that you always wanted to be.

29. “That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” -Friedrich Nietzsche

This is not always true, but the sentiment is a good one.

30. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” -Henry David Thoreau

This is from his book, Walden Pond. In it, Thoreau leaves the world to prove that he can live happily on nothing on the banks of a pond. If he can live such an extreme dream, then we can achieve a simpler desire.

31. “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’.” -Audrey Hepburn

The lovely Audrey Hepburn is completely right.

32. “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” -Richard Bach

This goes for any profession. Someone who is a professional in their career is a person who did not quit.

33. “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” -Jimmy Dean

You only have so much that is in your control, so make use of the options that you have.

34. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” -Wayne Gretzky

If you never try to do anything, you will never be able to be a success.

35. “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” -Chinese Proverb

Even if have not reached your goals yet, you still have a chance to put your dreams into action now.

36. “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” -Albert Einstein

Everything you do should help to add value to the world.

37. “We become what we think about.” -Earl Nightingale

Your thoughts are powerful. The things that you consistently think about have a power over your daily life. If you think positively and focus on your goals, you can manifest these dreams into your life.

38. “An unexamined life is not worth living.” -Socrates

At times, you should take a step back and think about where your life is going. You should consider the direction that you have taken so far and where you plan on ending up. Is your current job or education going to help you reach your goals? If something in your life does not bear scrutiny, you can change it.

39. “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” -Babe Ruth

Before you can succeed at something, you will probably fail over and over again. Instead of getting discouraged, pick yourself up and try again.

40. “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” -Alice Walker

Before the Civil Rights Movement, many ordinary people did not believe that their actions could change the world. Ordinary people start revolutions, create protests and make a difference. The biggest mistake that you could make would be in imagining that ordinary people lack power.

41. “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” -Pablo Picasso

As we continue through school, we often lose our creativity.

42. “I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.” -Florence Nightingale

Known for her work as a nurse, Nightingale is an extremely inspirational example to follow.

43. “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” -John Lennon

Sometimes, you need to stop for a moment and enjoy what you have.

44. “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” -Henry Ford

Ford is certainly right about this one.

45. “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” -Michael Jordan

As a child, Jordan would practice shooting for hours and hours until he would get a certain number of shots in a row. He failed many times, but each failure taught him how to be a good basketball player.

46. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.” -Mark Twain

Sell your house, buy a boat and sail the world—or whatever your personal dream is.

47. “The best revenge is massive success.” -Frank Sinatra

If someone told you that you could not do something, your best argument is to prove them wrong.

48. “We must balance conspicuous consumption with conscious capitalism.” -Kevin Kruse

The dollar you spend today supports a business; let it be a good one.

49.“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” -Robert Frost

People tell us to go to school and work our way up the corporate ladder. Sometimes, choosing the road less traveled is a better option.

50.“Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.” -Charles Swindoll

Your perspective on a situation defines how you remember it. If you view your reaction and the event as positive, it will stop being a source of worry for you.

Enjoy these inspirational quotes and sayings. If we missed one of your favorite sayings, feel free to add it in the comment section below!

 

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