50 Short Inspirational Quotes About Life and Happiness, Love, Success, and Change
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Originally Posted On: https://bloglingo.com/inspirational-quotes/
We all desire to do something meaningful, be happy, succeed, love and be loved, change the world around us, and be better off today than yesterday.
We all want the best in life.
Drawing from other people’s life experiences, most of us do not know how to start and complete the same process for achieving what we wish to have in life.
All other factors held constant…
Most people don’t know how to dedicate themselves and have the discipline to see it to the end. Therefore, for most of us, we tend to look elsewhere for motivation, inspiration, and hope.
By faith, all great things are possible.
I believe that the following motivational quotes will point you in the right direction to what you desire to accomplish in your life.
Motivational quote by Nelson Mandela
There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.
Inspirational Quotes About Life And Success
It is everybody’s dream to achieve success in life. To make it big! But, unless you are the lucky few, we all know that nothing comes easy.
Life has its challenges.
If you have decided to be successful, you may go all in and give it your best shot, but things may not always work in your favor.
That is what makes life interesting. It is what it is.
Never sit and do nothing, even when we are in our worst, terrible moments.
When you struggle or fail in your endeavors, do not make it your habit to stay down for long and wallow in regrets and self-pity, worrying about what you could have done differently.
If that ever happens to you, remember to stop yourself.
The best thing you can do is start looking forward to a better situation. The one you dream of accomplishing. Look forward to it; hold on to it.
Never let go.
Even if you have fallen a hundred times, you have to pull yourself together and gain the energy you need to face the next challenge in your life.
You have got to learn how to heal from failure, gather positive energy, and be ready to try again, and the next time, be prepared to work smarter, harder than anybody else, and above all else, improve your strategies.
Everything is possible.
When your mind, eyes, and body are all set up to do something, no matter what, no matter how long, if you keep getting up and moving forward.
That which you want, in due time, you shall have it.
Everything is possible.
Do not let the fear of the unknown stand between you and your success.
Let failure be the fuel and the driving force that makes you want to make it in life. Inch by inch, step by step, move towards the goals you want to achieve. Sooner or later, you’d be glad you did!
50 Inspirational Quotes by Famous People – Table of Content
1
According to Zig Ziglar, time can be a double-edged weapon.
Time can be man’s best friend and, at the same time, his worst enemy.
That is why we need to arrange our precious time.
Too much time at our disposal creates boredom, while too little time overloads us and makes us nervous.
Time is the only thing we cannot control. We cannot stop it or change it. It flows in its course and passes no matter what we do or where we are.
Uplifting quotes by Zig Ziglar
Time can be an ally or an enemy. What it becomes depends entirely upon you, your goals, and your determination to use every available minute.
2
Our actions and words matter. The way we make those close to us feel is how they will remember us for the rest of their happy life.
This inspiring quote by Maya Angelou should make us think more carefully about our actions and consequences toward other people including friends and family.
Motivational Quotes by Maya Angelou
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
3
This quote hits home because many times in the past, I believed that my job was secure due to how hard I worked. But, unfortunately, I was wrong.
I now realize that just how my career turns out to be is up for me to decide and not anybody else. I know that our profession can become anything we all want with the right mindset and excellent work ethic.
Inspirational quote
The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are working for somebody else. Job security is gone. The driving force of a career must come from the individual. Remember: Jobs are owned by the company, you own your career!
4
Albert Einstein is a big inspiration of mine.
Despite what people thought about him, he still became successful and is one of the most intelligent people in history.
He knows as well as anyone that we can learn from our experiences if we choose to. But we can’t always live in the past. So it’s important to reflect on it and try to learn from it, but that’s it.
By continually thinking about the past, we will be living in the past.
We should live for today because today has so many opportunities. Each day we wake up, we should be grateful because tomorrow is never guaranteed.
Inspirational quotes by Albert Einstein
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.
5
This is an excellent quote that shines a light on braggadocious people.
He highlights a few things in this quote, including the seemingly frequent occurrence of those without credentials, experience, and accomplishments who claim loudly about their dubious achievements.
He also highlights that the group of people who have accomplished great things is much smaller and quieter than the other group of people. This majority only brag about empty or false accomplishments.
Motivational quotes
There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.
6
People say that knowledge is power.
With knowledge, you can do so many great things. However, learning is the beginning of wealth, in my opinion, doesn’t mean you will learn to make lots of money (although this is a possibility).
It means that knowledge is the greatest thing you can have.
Learning about who you are, what you want, and everything that the world offers is the most significant wealth you can acquire.
Inspirational quotes by Jim Rohn
Learning is the beginning of wealth. Learning is the beginning of health. Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.
7
Legendary Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi achieved a lot during his life. This inspirational quote focuses on the elements it takes to achieve success.
The three cornerstones noted in the quote are hard work, dedication, and determination. See also the top 40 Vince Lombardi quotes.
Lombardi ends the quote with a great statement…
You should you and those within your team apply themselves to the task at hand to the best of their abilities, then there is no shame, win or lose, as you gave it your best shot.
Success quotes by Vince Lombardi
The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.
8
Henry Ford was an astounding individual, and his accomplishments have had a lasting impact on humanity as a whole.
If you start out seeking only wealth, you will have difficulty finding any.
Seeking wealth on its own gives you no leverage to earn it. So instead, take the time to develop something useful for your fellow man.
When you find your worth to the world, the world will have no problem increasing your fortune in exchange.
Motivational quotes by Henry Ford
Wealth, like happiness, is never attained when sought after directly. It comes as a by-product of providing a useful service.
9
This is one of Steve Jobs’s inspiring quotes that talks about the essence of time.
According to him, the best things in life don’t cost money, and that time is the greatest asset that we all have, and it comes at no cost.
Time is standard for everybody, and it is precious.
How we choose to spend our time determines our success. Using time wisely makes life meaningful. With proper time management, one can achieve virtually anything that one wishes for in life.
Inspirational quote by Steve Jobs
My favorite things in life don’t cost any money. It’s really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time.
10
I love John Wooden’s quotes, the legendary basketball coach.
It is brief and simple, yet clear and vital.
One of the biggest obstacles in life is often our self-doubt.
When we doubt, we allow ourselves to be defeated by our inadequacies. Consequently, we hold ourselves down and miss the opportunity to grow and develop.
Know your strength and weakness. No one is perfect.
Motivational quotes
Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.
11
This quote from Helen Keller asserts that love, friendship, passion, loyalty are the most valuable things in the world. You can’t always see them, but you can feel them.
To make life enjoyable, you need to focus on your feelings and what the heart tells you. Beauty is not only perceived with the eye but also with the heart.
If you want to fill your life with happiness and passion, open your heart and start to appreciate your emotions more.
Motivational quotes by Helen Keller
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.
12
This is one of Winston Churchill’s great quotes talking about how you perceive an opportunity, determines how successful you will be in life.
Some people only see the negative side of every opportunity.
Therefore, they will most likely hesitate to exploit any chance that comes their way, no matter how good it may seem.
Some people will always find a reason to discredit it.
On the other hand, it’s better to follow Winston Churchill’s quote above and be like those who will try to make good of anything that comes their way regardless of how challenging it might seem.
Inspirational quote by Winston Churchill
The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
13
You can gain a lot of insight into what a person is like whenever they open their mouths to talk.
Eleanor Roosevelt warns against people who only talk about other people – more often than not, they’re shallow and either blame or gossip as if their lives depended on it.
Small-minded people often speak about events and ramble on about what they think should be done. However, the greatest inventors, entrepreneurs, and leaders focus on ideas rather than events or other people.
If you’re aspiring to be great…
This is the time to start focusing and implementing ideas to improve your home, community, country, or world. Read more about 45 famous Eleanor Roosevelt quotes and sayings on friendship, human rights, happiness, etc.
Inspirational quotes by Eleanor Roosevelt
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.
14
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe was a writer and a diplomat. This is one of his words of encouragement that talks about how we often fail to implement our thoughts.
The human mind is full of imagination. We love to imagine.
Whenever we see a problem, we think of its solution.
Positive thinking is easy. Anyone can do it. But, positive thinking is not enough.
This motivational quote tells us that the difference between thoughts and reality is the action.
Motivational quotes by Johann Wolfgang
Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world.
15
Our conscious effort is to decide what makes life meaningful and what it will be all about that will make us pursue what matters most to us.
Getting outside help is essential. It is one of the best ways to navigate the paths we want to take.
However, finding one’s life purpose starts by taking full responsibility for our actions and inactions.
Inspirational quote by Stephen Covey
The key is taking responsibility and initiative, deciding what your life is about and prioritizing your life around the most important things.
16
People you spend time with will determine your health, well-being, and level of happiness.
It’s best to spend time with people who are happy, cheerful, and positive
Think about it.
If you spend days with someone who constantly complains and is mad at the world, you’ll soon become one. Unknowingly, these people emit evil auras and infect you with their unhappiness.
Booker Washington says that it’s better to be alone than be surrounded by those who are always sad, whiny, and with no goals or motivation.
Quotes about change by Booker Washington
Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than in bad company.
17
Thomas Edison accomplished a lot during his life, from the invention of the light bulb to establishing large-scale research institutions.
As a man who accomplished so much, his knowledge is valuable and pertinent. Edison lists three essentials to achieve anything worthwhile.
And that if we persevere even when times are tough and things are not going our way, we can move past rainy days into a brighter future.
Motivational quotes
The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are: Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness, and Common sense.
18
You only live one happy life.
There is no room in life for excuses, and failure makes us stronger.
No one shouldn’t be afraid of failing.
Struggles in life are inevitable in our quest to succeed. Be brave, be hopeful, stay positive, and work hard. It’s the only way to achieve our maximum potential. It’s never too late to be what you might have been.
Inspirational quote by George Eliot
It is never too late to be what you might have been.
19
The nature themes that permeate Robert Frost’s poetry are vehicles to examine how humans string together moments, like mosaic pieces, to create a complete picture of one’s life.
Nowhere is this more evident than in Robert Frost’s famous quote about taking the road less traveled.
He’s saying that the mosaic of his life would have been less vibrant if he’d followed the worn path trudged by those who came before.
Famous Quotes
Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
20
The world today is full of distractions from social media and technology.
We tend to get distracted by technology and fail to focus on ourselves.
Michelle emphasizes the need to focus on oneself at times, shutting down phones and social media.
Having a break from social media will have our mind focus on what’s essential, which will inspire long-term success.
Motivational quotes by Michelle
When it comes to social media, there are just times I turn off the world, you know. There are just some times you have to give yourself space to be quiet, which means you’ve got to set those phones down.
21
This motivational quote is explicitly about motherhood.
We know that mothers develop essential love, understanding, and compassion skills.
A mother is protective of her children, but she will always be compassionate and understand everything about her child.
It is merely an act of love for her children.
Inspirational quote by Erma Bombeck
It is not until you become a mother that your judgment slowly turns to compassion and understanding.
22
Love is the most critical part of any artwork.
Love strongly affects the artwork’s final artistic quality.
Love can be observed everywhere throughout the creative process of an artwork, but Van Gogh narrows this to the love for others.
The artwork will be the medium through which an artist expresses love for the public. The higher the love for the people, the more exceptional artistic quality the painting will have.
Inspirational quotes by Van Gogh
The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others.
23
One of the biggest keys to success and spiritual tranquility is being grateful and appreciative of what life offers.
If all our focus is on the things in life we do not own, we will end up in a never-ending cycle of misery and self-pity.
Remember to wake up grateful for waking up again every day and appreciate the small gifts life gives us.
Motivational quotes
Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.
24
This is one of William James’ positivity quotes that is a compelling portrait of the subtle ways we can change the world.
The attitudes and prejudices we hold will shape our lives and those of the people around us.
Transcending our prejudices enables us to aim higher and achieve much more in life. It allows us to engage with the world more widely and move beyond the limits we had set for ourselves.
It is a personal process, but one with far-reaching ramifications.
Inspirational quote by William James
The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes.
25
In life, you have to keep on trying.
You should never wait for the perfect time to achieve goals because there is no ideal time in life.
Stop waiting for the perfect time because it will never be. However, you should never be afraid of making mistakes, for you can use them to gain experience.
Give it your best, and each day you will get closer to achieving your goals.
Read also about 30 funny inspirational quotes about life and happiness
Quotes about life by Bernard Shaw
A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.
26
You cannot become confident in your ability to do something when you’re just beginning to learn something new.
As an entrepreneur, the journey to success through trial and error is no easy task.
Many people think they can be successful entrepreneurs without experience or training, but the truth is, it takes more than sheer determination and savvy marketing skills to succeed online.
It requires discipline, responsibility, creativity, tenacity, and many other essential qualities in building a sustainable business model.
The time and effort it takes, learning new skills, and acquiring good knowledge, will eventually determine our success and how confident we become as individuals.
Motivational quotes
Confidence doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s a result of something… hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication.
27
Woody Allen’s short little treatise on happiness is a typically neat and concise assessment of a complex psychological state.
The key takeaway from this inspirational quote is that happiness equates to looking at yourself and what you have and taking it at face value.
We have to learn to transcend the feelings of jealousy and covetousness, which can be a burden and obstacle to happiness.
Happy quotes
The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you don’t have.
28
The fear of failure is something that everyone will experience, no matter how good-looking or exceptionally skilled they are at what they are doing.
It’s a creeping feeling that you will not succeed no matter how hard you try and that perhaps it’s not even worth the effort.
Babe Ruth experienced failure, but he didn’t let failure stop him.
You need to give it absolutely everything that you’ve got if you really want to succeed in anything you want to achieve in this life.
Positive Quote
Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.
29
This quote tells us to be wary of what we put into our lives.
If you fill your life with negativity, you will reap negativity from your experiences. But conversely, if you put positivity back into your life by working hard, you’ll reap positive benefits.
Always be the best you can be, and your experience will follow suit.
Motivational quotes by Jack Canfield
It is a universal principle that you get more of what you think about, talk about, and feel strongly about.
30
This motivational quote by Tony Jay Robbins is a powerful and poignant examination of how we respond to the world around us.
Our lives are such a precious commodity.
By living a good life and engaging positively with those we encounter, we are indirectly repaying to the higher intelligence responsible for our existence.
Inspirational quote by Tony Jay Robbins
Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.
31
Will Rogers’ recipe for success might seem a little basic, but it is, in fact, a powerful philosophy for life and prosperity.
Stripped back to its bare bones, it is about the importance of authenticity in everything we do. It’s also about the value of setting tangible goals and a concrete plan about you will accomplish those goals.
Inspirational quotes by Will Rogers
If you want to be successful, it’s just this simple. Know what you are doing. Love what you are doing. And believe in what you are doing.
32
Some great inspirational quotes signify the value of thinking outside the box.
People who can look beyond accepted conventions of the status quo tend to have the most significant achievements in life.
To truly push boundaries, we need a level of creativity and a willingness to take risks. The key to success is to take a leap of faith.
Motivational quotes
It takes someone with a vision of the possibilities to attain new levels of experience. Someone with the courage to live his dreams.
33
Most people react badly in adverse situations.
The motivational quote above tells us to keep calm and serenity in the face of any circumstance, good or bad, which will help you succeed.
Being relaxed and sure of ourselves will undoubtedly help us a lot in life. And not only that, we will stand out from anyone else.
Inspirational quotes
Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances.
34
You can spend your entire life searching for the meaning of life.
You will read book after book, talk to plenty of people with different opinions, and never come to a definitive answer about the meaning of life.
One possible reason for this can be summed up nicely by Joseph Campbell’s inspirational quotes.
Make yourself available to live, and your own learning experiences will give you a unique perspective that may provide you that meaning you have been searching for the entire time. Live your life.
Inspirational quotes by Joseph Campbell
I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.
35
Improvements stem from the idea of forwarding progress.
Without a starting point and a method of measuring your forward progress, you cannot claim that there has been any improvement.
Achieving your goals relies on growth and not remaining static.
Motivational quotes
Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.
36
Mahatma Gandhi was an exceptional human being, and his words are a true testament to what he stood for.
Gaining power through love, as Gandhi puts it, is in a different category on its own.
Power gained through love is immeasurably more powerful than power gained through force or fear.
Inspirational quote
Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.
37
To achieve anything, you must first have a goal.
Having a plan and passion for achieving your goal is essential to success.
A plan allows you to take concrete steps towards your goal with mini achievements. Read about 25 books for success at success.com.
Once you have your goals and plan, you must put this into action and take the steps necessary to succeed.
Inspirational quotes
Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.
38
You should always be polite to people you meet.
Ask questions.
Many people enjoy talking about themselves, so this is an easy task to accomplish. Get to know them while at the same time remaining mysterious about yourself.
You should cautiously offer little tidbits of information about yourself and gauge their reaction and response.
Inspirational quote by George Washington
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.
39
Hawthorne’s assessment of language’s power is so compelling that it neatly demonstrates his argument.
In essence, he points out the power of language as a tool.
It yields no strength, but words can be used to achieve all types of effects depending on the individual who uses them.
Inspirational quotes
Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.
40
Contentment is the simplest only way to feel true happiness and peace.
It is learning to appreciate what you have, who you’re with, and where you are at present. Developing a sense of thankfulness and an attitude of gratitude will make you feel joy that is not fleeting. Read also 60 famous Lao Tzu quotes.
It is a form of happiness that doesn’t depend on your circumstances.
It’s more like an inner certainty that everything is going just as it should be. Learning to appreciate your life for what it is at this very moment is the key.
Inspirational quote by Lao Tzu
Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.
41
This statement from John F. Kennedy is a highly complex and nuanced discourse on truth. He talks about the subtle ways deceptions are perpetrated and the truth suppressed.
While the notion of the lie is the natural antithesis to that of the truth, it is not necessarily harmful because lies are often easy to spot and easy to counteract.
Inspirational quotes by John F. Kennedy
The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.
42
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s succinct yet insightful statement is a caution against anger. Anger, his quote implies, is entirely futile and accomplishes nothing.
Anger is a baseless and directionless emotion that serves no purpose whatsoever, with no practical application and no benefit for ourselves or anyone else.
For Emerson, peace of mind is the optimum state, equal to anger in efficacy but generally a more pleasant state.
Inspirational quote
For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.
43
Without creativity, there is no forward progress.
Curiosity allows us to expand our horizons and uncover new ideas and opportunities.
All of our greatest inventions came to because someone had enough curiosity to wonder and the question of why.
Curiosity leads us to new beautiful places because you don’t ask why when you already know the answer. Read also 65 famous quotes by Walt Disney.
Inspirational quotes by Walt Disney
We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.
44
This is one of the motivational quotes that talks about taking accountability for one’s actions and words.
It relates to the influence our words can have on those around us. But, it also underscores the power of our spoken words and how often they are underestimated even by ourselves.
If we speak carelessly and in an ill-thought-out way, we leave ourselves open to misinterpretation, and we risk the substance of our message getting lost in the fray.
Inspirational quotes
Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.
45
You don’t get what you deserve in life; you get what you take.
Everything is possible. It is only a matter of how much we really want something.
There are no great things like too big dreams or challenges because there are no limitations. Everything is available and achievable, only if we decide so.
It is all in our minds. The key is to be persistent.
If we give out best a little longer, we can achieve whatever we want.
Encouragement quotes by Donald Trump
No dream is too big. No challenge is too great. Nothing we want for our future is beyond our reach.
46
This inspirational quote by Theodore Roosevelt is a call for decisive action.
Even if you do the wrong thing, at least you attempted to do something. If you never try to do anything, you’ll never succeed in doing the right thing.
When you decide, you have a 50/50 chance of doing the right thing, whereas if you don’t choose, you have a 100% chance of doing nothing.
Action always beats inaction.
Inspirational quotes by Theodore Roosevelt
In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.
47
Rihanna’s inspirational quote is an entirely non-judgemental statement about how we perceive the world.
Her quote indicates an understanding and appreciation for different cultures and different viewpoints.
This inspiring quote points out that it does not matter if we disagree or argue, so long as we understand that trying to impose one’s viewpoint on another by force is immoral.
Inspirational quote by Rihanna
The bottom line is that everyone thinks differently.
48
Taylor Swift’s message here is about the importance of bringing positivity into the world.
Her quote implies that kindness in the face of adversity is a vital component in bringing about better overall societal conditions.
While behaving kindly towards others will benefit them in the short term, making their lives that little more pleasant, it will help us more significantly in the long run.
Quote of the day by Taylor Swift
No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.
49
It can be challenging to see the positive side of things in our darkest moments; however, it is more important than ever to focus on the positive in our darkest moments.
You can’t fight your way out of a depression or hardship by focusing on everything going wrong in that moment.
By focusing on the positive, we can lift ourselves out of the darkness.
Inspirational quote by Aristotle
It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.
50
Barack Obama decries procrastination and an unwillingness to take action.
The idea that “we are the ones we have been waiting for” is also a positive motivational statement about not underestimating our capabilities.
It relates to the notion that sustainable and long-lasting change is only possible when we all take a role in facilitating that change.
Inspirational quote by Barack Obama
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
Inspirational Quotes About Life, Love, and Success
All of us are born with a burning desire to excel.
It can be in different fields, science for one and art for another, but whatever it is, when you make your life’s purpose of excelling in an area that you are genuinely passionate about, you are living your life.
Else, you are just pretending to be someone else, and it’s not worth living that way. It was the famous American motivational speaker Zig Ziglar who said that:
Inspiring quotes by Zig Ziglar
People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well neither does bathing -that’s why we recommend it daily.
Cheers to your success
The best way to get our dose of daily motivation is by reading some of the most encouraging quotes, preparing you to take on the most significant life challenges.