Motivation is the driving force that compels individuals to take action toward achieving their goals. It can be defined as the inner desire or willingness to do something fueled by a sense of purpose or passion.
I have had my share of life challenges and have often found solace or a boost of confidence through memorable phrases that have become timeless classics.
Below, I list 100+ of the best motivational quotes from famous historical figures to modern-day influencers. From Winston Churchill, Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Jim Rohn, Ann Landers, Heraclitus, and many others.
I hope they help lift your spirits.
“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
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you.” – Walt Whitman
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” – George Addair
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” – Zig Ziglar
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford
“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear.” – Rosa Parks
“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson
“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” – Jack Canfield
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” – Napoleon Hill
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney
“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
“The best revenge is massive success.” – Frank Sinatra
“Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.” – Charles R. Swindoll
“There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your own thinking.” – Brian Tracy
“The mind is everything. What you think you become.” – Buddha
“An unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates
“Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.” – Bo Jackson
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
“The price of growth is outgrowing people.” – Naval Ravikant
“Think big and don’t listen to people who tell you it can’t be done. Life’s too short to think small.” – Tim Ferriss
“Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.” – Abraham Lincoln
“It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” – John Wooden
“Opportunities don’t happen, you create them.” – Chris Grosser
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” – Will Rogers
“Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.” – Ann Landers
“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” – Bobby Unser
“Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative.” – H.G. Wells
“Sometimes we’re tested not to show our weaknesses, but to discover our strengths.” – Unknown
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzu
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Ryun
“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” – Tony Robbins
“Only the paranoid survive.” – Andy Grove
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi
“If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” – Jim Rohn
“The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones that do.” – Steve Jobs
“Entrepreneurs are great at dealing with uncertainty and also very good at minimizing risk. That’s the classic entrepreneur.” – Mohnish Pabrai
“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” – Maya Angelou
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Wishing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“There is always room at the top.” – Daniel Webster
“Imagine your life is perfect in every respect; what would it look like?” – Brian Tracy
“We generate fears while we sit. We overcome them by action.” – Dr. Henry Link
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford
“Security is mostly a superstition. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” – Helen Keller
“The man who has confidence in himself gains the confidence of others.” – Hasidic Proverb
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein
“What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle and giving 110% all the time.” – Don Zimmer
“Do what you can with all you have, wherever you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
“To see what is right and not do it is a lack of courage.” – Confucius
“Reading is to the mind, as exercise is to the body.” – Brian Tracy
“The future belongs to the competent. Get good, get better, be the best!” – Brian Tracy
“For every reason it’s not possible, there are hundreds of people who have faced the same circumstances and succeeded.” – Jack Canfield
“Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.” – John Wooden
“I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time.” – Michael Phelps
“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
“Today’s accomplishments were yesterday’s impossibilities.” – Robert H. Schuller
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar
“The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible.” – Charles Kingsleigh
“You don’t drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.” – Ed Cole
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln
“You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.” – Michael Jordan
“Motivation is what gets you started. Commitment is what keeps you going.” – Jim Rohn
“Work hard in silence, let your success be your noise.” – Frank Ocean
“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller
“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” – Thomas Jefferson
“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.” – Robert Collier
“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.” – Vince Lombardi
“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vidal Sassoon
“You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” – George Lorimer
“Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see further.” – Thomas Carlyle
“Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Take the risk or lose the chance.” – Unknown
“I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” – Stephen Covey
“Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” – Will Rogers
“You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.” – Shonda Rhimes
“We grow by dreams. All big men are dreamers.” – Woodrow Wilson
“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“A positive attitude can really make dreams come true—it did for me.” – David Bailey
As you reflect on these quotes and the insights they offer, you may find yourself inspired to take action and pursue your dreams with renewed vigor.
Whether it’s starting a new business, pursuing a new career, or simply striving to be a better person, the words of these great thinkers can provide the motivation and guidance needed to achieve success.
Summary
- Start Now: The best time to begin is always the present moment.
- Love What You Do: Passion is a key driver of success.
- Persist Through Challenges: Perseverance is more important than speed.
- Believe in Yourself: Self-confidence is crucial for achievement.
- Embrace Failure: Failures are stepping stones to success.
- Take Action: Dreams are realized through action, not just wishful thinking.
- Adapt and Overcome: Flexibility in approach can lead to reaching your goals.
- Focus on Growth: Personal development is the ultimate reward of pursuing and achieving goals.
