165 Inspirational Quotes To Keep You Motivated In Life (2024)

Inspirational quotes can help motivate us and create a positive outlook on life and work when we need it most. They do so by harnessing the power of positive thinking. Reframing our brains to think positively is a key step in leading a happy and successful life.

You make a choice when you decide how you will react to any given situation. If you’re choosing (sometimes subconsciously) to complain and think negatively, your natural reaction will be to dwell on the negatives of every situation.

When you actively choose to think positively, regardless of how absolutely ridiculous it may seem, you will turn the situation into a development plan for growth, helping you become a better problem-solver and leader. Over time and after reframing your mind to think positively about problems, you’ll stay motivated, inspired, and empowered to take on any challenge that comes your way!

While reading through this list of the best motivational quotes in English, I recommend writing down some of the best inspirational and motivational quotes that resonate with you and your current situation. After writing them down, find the most motivational thought or the most inspiring passage, read it out loud, and then really try to understand the meaning.

You may find these inspirational quotes may come in handy when you’re having a hard day and need a little extra encouragement a and motivational line! So read these, write some down, and refer to them often.

Inspirational Quotes

The power of positive thinking is remarkable. When you think of something that brings you joy, your brain releases endorphins. Those endorphins fill you with the feeling of well-being.

Positive thinking helps you frame your mindset and change your life.

But when we feel down, it’s often difficult to conjure up things that make us happy. That’s why having some positive inspirational quotes or a motivated line on hand can be helpful in situations like that.

From short inspirational quotes and widely relatable anecdotes to motivational quotes specifically about work and life in general, here is a list of some of my favorite inspirational quotes.

Inspirational Quotes For Your Personal Life

1. “People tell you the world looks a certain way. Parents tell you how to think. Schools tell you how to think. TV. Religion. And then at a certain point, if you’re lucky, you realize you can make up your own mind. Nobody sets the rules but you. You can design your own life.”— Carrie Ann Moss
2. “Some women choose to follow men, and some choose to follow their dreams. If you’re wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn’t love you anymore.” — Lady Gaga
3. “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.”― Allen Saunders
4. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”― George Bernard Shaw
5. “You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot ― it’s all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.” ― Maya Angelou

Inspirational Quotes For Positive Thinking

6. “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Suzy Kassem
7. “Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.” – Walt Whitman
8. “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford
9. “Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you’re willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it.” —Lou Holtz
10. “The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius
11. “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m possible!'” — Audrey Hepburn

Inspirational Quotes For Happiness

12. “You are who you are meant to be. Dance as if no one’s watching. Love as if it’s all you know. Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.” James Dean
13. “You do not find the happy life. You make it.” — Camilla Eyring Kimball
14. “You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like there’s nobody listening, And live like it’s heaven on earth.” ― William W. Purkey
15. “Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions.” — Dalai Lama
    
16. “Folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln

Inspirational Quotes For Dark Times

17. “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” — Aristotle
18. “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” -Dale Carnegie
19. “You learn more from failure than from success. Don’t let it stop you. Failure builds character.” — Unknown
20. “Fairytales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairytales tell children that dragons can be killed.” – G K Chesterton
21. “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” – Michael Altshuler

Inspirational Quotes From Fairy Tales

22. “Just because it’s what’s done doesn’t mean it’s what should be done!”- Cinderella
23. “With a smile and a song, life is just like a bright sunny day. Your cares fade away.” – Snow White
24. “It’s no use going back to yesterday because I was a different person then.” – Alice, Alice In Wonderland
25. “When we get to the end of the story, you will know more than you do now…” – Hans Christian Andersen, The Snow Queen
26. “The most important thing in life is to stop saying ‘I wish’ and start saying ‘I will’. Consider nothing impossible then treat possibilities as probabilities.” -Charles Dickens

Inspirational Quotes For Risk-Taking

27. “Learn as if you will live forever, live like you will die tomorrow.” — Mahatma Gandhi
28. “It is only when we take chances, when our lives improve. The initial and the most difficult risk that we need to take is to become honest. —Walter Anderson
29. “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”- Walt Disney
    
30. “Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.”- Brian Tracy
31. “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.”- George Addair

Inspirational Quotes To Build Confidence

32. “Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.”– Helen Keller
33. “We generate fears while we sit. We overcome them by action. Fear is nature’s way of warning us to get busy.” – Dr. Henry Link
34. “The man who has confidence in himself gains the confidence of others.” – Hasidic Proverb
35. “What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle and giving 110% all the time.” – Don Zimmer
36. “Fake it until you make it! Act as if you had all the confidence you require until it becomes your reality.” – Brian Tracy
37. “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”― Marilyn Monroe
38. “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” – Nelson Mandela
39. “Remember always that you have not only the right to be an individual; you have an obligation to be one. You cannot make any useful contribution in life unless you do this.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
40. “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” —E.E. Cummings
41. “You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.” Zig Ziglar

Inspirational Quotes To Help You Excel

42. “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”— Vince Lombardi
43. “Let us make our future now, and let us make our dreams tomorrow’s reality.” – Malala Yousafzai
44. “The best way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” ― Walt Disney
45. “Leaders set high standards. Refuse to tolerate mediocrity or poor performance.” – Brian Tracy
46. “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up.” –Vince Lombardi
47. “It is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.” — Queen Elizabeth II

Inspirational Quotes To Overcome Bad News

48. “When one door closes, sometimes we need to turn the knob to open another…” – J.A. Tran
49. “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean
50. “Don’t Let Yesterday Take Up Too Much Of Today.” – Will Rogers
51. “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” – Maya Angelou
52. “Leaders never use the word failure. They look upon setbacks as learning experiences.” – Brian Tracy

Inspirational Quotes For Positive Thoughts

53. “We become what we think about” – Earl Nightingale
54. “There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your own thinking.” – Brian Tracy
55. “Inspiration comes from within yourself. One has to be positive. When you’re positive, good things happen.” – Deep Roy
56. “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” – Helen Keller
57. “Develop an ‘attitude of gratitude.’ Say thank you to everyone you meet for everything you do.” – Brian Tracy

Inspirational Quotes To Stay Motivated

58. “Today’s accomplishments were yesterday’s impossibilities.” – Robert H. Schuller
59. “The future belongs to the competent. Get good, get better, be the best!” – Brian Tracy
    
60. “Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” – Helen Keller
61. “Courage is more exhilarating than fear and in the long run it is easier. We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just one step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
62. “For every reason it’s not possible, there are hundreds of people who have faced the same circ*mstances and succeeded.” – Jack Canfield

Famous Quotes from Successful People

In your success journey, inspiration guides and motivates you through challenges. Explore the wisdom of successful people who have not only achieved greatness, but have also left a trail of inspiration for others to follow.

Inspirational Quotes By William James

63. “It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.” – William James
64. “Belief creates the actual fact.” — William James
65. “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” -William James
66. “The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.”― William James
67. “If you can change your mind, you can change your life.”― William James

Inspirational Quotes By Henry David Thoreau

68. “I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”― Henry David Thoreau
69. “Dreams are the touchstones of our characters.”― Henry David Thoreau
70. “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” ― Henry David Thoreau
71. “As if you could kill time without injuring eternity.” ― Henry David Thoreau
72. “There is no remedy for love but to love more.” ― Henry David Thoreau

Inspirational Quotes By Oprah Winfrey

73. “You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.” — Oprah Winfrey
74. “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” — Oprah Winfrey
75. “Turn your wounds into wisdom.” – Oprah Winfrey
76. “Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” ― Oprah Winfrey
77. “Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.”― Oprah Winfrey

Inspirational Quotes About Life By Ralph Waldo Emerson

78. “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
79. “Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
80. “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
81. “Life is a journey, not a destination.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Inspirational Quotes By Albert Einstein

82. “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”― Albert Einstein
83. “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein
84. “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them.” – Albert Einstein
85. “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” – Albert Einstein
86. “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein

Motivational Quotes

Motivational quotes, like the inspirational quotes above, are meant to inspire action. These quotes have the potential to encourage you to become the best version of yourself.

Let your positivity and optimism inspire you andlead you to find success elsewhere. That’s my favorite way to achieve success.

These quotes are here to help motivate you to reach your peak performance. Read them when you need a push to work towards your goals.

You experience external change only once you change internally. Start today and watch how everything around you begins to change!

Motivational Quotes To Be Successful

87. “When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream.” – Paulo Coelho
88. “Optimism is the one quality more associated with success and happiness than any other.”- Brian Tracy
89. “While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior.” Henry Link
90. “Imagine your life is perfect in every respect; what would it look like?” – Brian Tracy
91. “We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.” Chuck Palahniuk
92. “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive.” – Maya Angelou
93. “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Wishing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
94. “Reading is to the mind, as exercise is to the body.” – Brian Tracy
95. “You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” —George Lorimer
96. “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar
97. “Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see further.” —Thomas Carlyle

Motivational Quotes To Pursue A New Dream

98. “Waiting insistently in front of a tightly closed door is unfair to all of the open doors! Give a chance to the open doors!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan
99. “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
100. “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
101. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go. Dr. Seuss
102. “You make a choice: continue living your life feeling muddled in this abyss of self-misunderstanding, or you find your identity independent of it. You draw your own box.”— duch*ess Meghan
103. “The key responsibility of leadership is to think about the future. No one else can do it for you.” – Brian Tracy
104. “Make your life a masterpiece, imagine no limitations on what you can be, have, or do.” – Brian Tracy

Motivational Quotes For Moving Forward

105. “Every closed door isn’t locked and even if it is…YOU just might have the key! Search within to unlock a world of possibilities!”― Sanjo Jendayi
106. “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”— Sylvester Stallone in Rocky Balboa
107. “It’s easy to stand in the crowd but it takes courage to stand alone.” Mahatma Gandhi
108. “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on.”― Robert Frost
109. “I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time.” – Michael Phelps
110. “To see what is right and not do is a lack of courage.” – Confucius.

Motivational Quotes To Stay On The Right Track

111. “Life has got all those twists and turns. You’ve got to hold on tight and off you go.”— Nicole Kidman
112. “The effective leader recognizes that they are more dependent on their people than they are on them. Walk softly. ” – Brian Tracy
113. “One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals.” – Michelle Obama
114. “Surely, in the light of history, it is more intelligent to hope rather than to fear, to try rather than not to try. For one thing we know beyond all doubt: Nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says, ‘It can’t be done.’” – Eleanor Roosevelt
115. “It takes courage to examine your life and to decide that there are things you would like to change, and it takes even more courage to do something about it.” – Sue Hadfield

Motivational Quotes To Stay Positive

116. “Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.” – Og Mandino
117. “Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.” – John Wooden
118. “It hurt because it mattered.” – John Green
119. “Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” -Zig Ziglar
120. “Make sure your worst enemy is not living between your own two ears…”― Nitya Prakash
121. “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” – Dolly Parton
122. “Life changes very quickly, in a very positive way, if you let it.” – Lindsey Vonn
123. “Every moment is a fresh beginning.” – T.S. Eliot
124. “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” -Ruth Bader Ginsburg
125. “Don’t count the days. Make the days count.” —Muhammad Ali

Motivational Quotes For A Successful Outcome

126. “The only limits you have are the limits you believe.” Wayne Dyer
127. “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” ― Marie Curie
128. “Do what you can with all you have, wherever you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt
129. “Change the world by being yourself.” – Amy Poehler
130. “Change the game, don’t let the game change you.” – Macklemore

Short Motivational Quotes

130. “Self-doubt kills talent.” Edie McClurg
131. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” Theodore Roosevelt
132. “You get what you give.” – Jennifer Lopez
133. “Your life only gets better when you get better.”- Brian Tracy
134. “Happiness is not by chance, but by choice.” – Jim Rohn

Motivational Quotes For Work

135. “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” — Michael Jordan
136. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.” – Steve Jobs
137. “Entrepreneurs are great at dealing with uncertainty and also very good at minimizing risk. That’s the classic entrepreneur.” – Mohnish Pabrai.
138. “If you are working on something that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.” – Steve Jobs
139. “Integrity is the most valuable and respected quality of leadership. Always keep your word.” – Brian Tracy

Motivational Quotes To Change The World

140. “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”— Maya Angelou
141. “People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”- Rob Siltanen
142. “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”- Mahatma Ghandi
143. “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffet
144. “Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems.” – Brian Tracy

Motivational Quotes For The Whole Human Race

145. “War is not the answer, because only love can conquer hate.” — Marvin Gaye
146. “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell
147. “Light tomorrow with today!” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning
148. “Never limit yourself because of others’ limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination.” – Mae Jemison
149. “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”― Mae West
150. “My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.” — Henry Ford

Motivational Quotes by Famous People

In a world that often presents numerous challenges and obstacles, motivation helps push you forward toward your goals. Here, we’ll look at the empowering words of successful people who have made a significant impact on the world.

Motivational Quotes By Martin Luther King, Jr.

151. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
152. “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
153. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
154. “The time is always right to do what is right.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
155. “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Motivational Quotes By Winston Churchill

156. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill
157. “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill
158. “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”― Winston Churchill
159. “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” ― Winston Churchill
160. “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” ― Winston Churchill

Motivational Quotes By Thomas Edison

161. “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. There is no substitute for hard work.” – Thomas Edison
162. “A genius is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework.” – Thomas Edison
163. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”― Thomas A. Edison
164. “When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this – you haven’t.”― Thomas Edison
165. “Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.” ― Thomas A. Edison

Stay On Track With Daily Inspirational Quotes

These positive quotes can push you towards progress and help you accomplish the goals you create for yourself.

Use these words of inspiration whenever you feel like you need a boost. They can guide you through any challenge and allow you to face any situation head-on. But the encouraging words do not stop here. I have so much more to share with you to boost your confidence and keep your mind focused on all the positive possibilities you can accomplish.

Sign up today to receive myDaily Motivational Quotes Emailevery day for the next 30 days. These daily quotes are sure to get you inspired for success!

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About Brian Tracy — Brian is recognized as the top sales training and personal success authority in the world today. He has authored more than 60 books and has produced more than 500 audio and video learning programs on sales, management, business success and personal development, including worldwide bestseller The Psychology of Achievement. Brian's goal is to help you achieve your personal and business goals faster and easier than you ever imagined. You can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Linkedin and Youtube.