Sometimes, it can feel like the world is against us and there’s nothing we can do about it, which is why we have inspirational quotes. We have more power than we realize. A few words of inspiration can make a profound difference in our lives.

By taking a moment to read some inspirational quotes, we can unlock the strength that’s been inside us all along. It’s all about knowing that just because things aren’t going great now, it doesn’t mean they can’t get better.

Each of these 21 inspirational quotes is special in its own way. By taking them to heart, you can take the darkness out of your most difficult days. Inspirational quotes about life can remind us of all the value that life has.

1. “Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting, in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.” – Zig Ziglar

If you want to be successful, you don’t need to be so obsessed with the results. Instead, you can pride yourself on the fact that you’re putting in an effort at all.

2. “People who succeed have momentum. The more they succeed, the more they want to succeed, and the more they find a way to succeed. Similarly, when someone is failing, the tendency is to get on a downward spiral that can even become a self-fulfilling prophecy.” – Tony Robbins

Getting down on yourself is only a solution if your goal is to not have any success whatsoever. You can inspire success in yourself by recognizing your achievements for what they are and going from there.

3. “A woman is a full circle. Within her is the ability to create, nurture, and transform.” — Diane Mariechild

One person can make a difference. Even if you think that you alone can’t change the world, without your presence, this world would be a very different place. The more you realize this, the more of an impact you can make.

4. “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” ? Paulo Coelho

Trying and not succeeding should never be considered failure. The only thing that should be considered failure is being so paralyzed by fear that you never take any action.

5. “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison

When on the verge of a breakthrough, too many people throw in the towel. Every step forward is a step closer to lasting success.

6. “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” – Ingrid Bergman

Take a look around and reflect on your life. You might realize that what you’ve been looking for has been in your clutches all along. You just needed to take a moment to appreciate it.

7. “Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.” – Rikki Rogers

Inspirational quotes about life like this help remind us that getting past our limitations is a key to personal freedom. Being able to turn “I can’t” into “I can” is a feeling that should never be taken for granted.

8. “Stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion.” Tony Hsieh

When you’re doing what you love for a living, that’s more rewarding than any massive paycheck. Being financially stable is important, but what’s more important is knowing that what you do matters.
9. “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” – Will Rogers

There’s a difference between reflecting and dwelling. When you reflect, you learn from the past so you can make your future better. When you dwell, you become preoccupied and obsessed with past mistakes to the detriment of your future.
10. “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” — George Addair

Dealing with fear isn’t about getting rid of it and then acting. It’s about having the fear and acting anyway. Fear wants you to get the best of you, but you can outsmart it through pushing ahead (1)
11. “Buckle up, and know that it’s going to be a tremendous amount of work, but embrace it.” – Tory Burch

The road to success is as gratifying as the success itself. Every day that you’re working towards a goal is a day worth cherishing.
12. “Today’s accomplishments were yesterday’s impossibilities.” – Robert H. Schuller

You’ve made so much progress in your life. Things that once seemed like they were insurmountable obstacles can now be done with ease. Remember this the next time you think something is impossible.

13. “The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” – Winston Churchill

When you encounter challenges, you need to learn to not feel like you’re being weighed down by them. Instead, you need to develop a strategy to work through them.

14. “You cannot afford to live in potential for the rest of your life; at some point, you have to unleash the potential and make your move.” – Eric Thomas

“Someday” is a promise that we never fulfill to ourselves. If you want to make a change, you need to start right now. Inspirational quotes like this show how much it matters to be living to your fullest potential.

15. “Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.” — Helen Keller

If you think the key to safety is to avoid taking any risks, you’re in for a rude awakening. You need to put yourself out there and cherish the fact that you’re not just staying in your comfort zone. Inspirational quotes about life like this remind us that taking action opens all kinds of doors for us.
16. “For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Negative emotions take us away from the positive emotions that are so key to making life worthwhile. When we feel happiness, we’re better equipped to handle any challenges that might come our way. (2)

17. “It’s not whether you get knocked down. It’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi

Nobody is keeping track of your failures except for yourself. Inspirational quotes like this remind us that what matters is being able to take difficult situations in stride. Sure, you might have to find new strategies for your subsequent attempts, but that’s better than becoming complacent.

18. “Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” –Judy Garland

Trying to please everyone means that we lose sight of who we even are. Being yourself doesn’t mean you don’t have anything to work on. It just means that you know how best to present your strengths.

inspirational quotes

19. “The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow.” – Robert Tew

Whatever hurdle you’re working to overcome now, it’s nothing compared to the glory that awaits you. Every part of your journey is important, even the ones that give you trouble.

20. “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Satisfaction in life doesn’t come from avoiding trouble completely. It comes from getting yourself out of bad situations through resilience and faith in yourself. No matter how tough things might seem, your own internal toughness is what matters.

21. Do you really want to look back on your life and see how wonderful it could have been had you not been afraid to live in?” — Caroline Myss

Life is short, and it becomes even shorter if it’s one that’s not actually lived. You need to live for the moment so that years from now, you can feel proud, not just about the decisions you made but the fact that you made decisions in the first place.

These inspirational quotes come from people of different backgrounds, time periods, and careers. However, what they have in common is that their speakers are people who not only have amazing accomplishments but who wanted to share their secrets to a fulfilling life.

As you go forward with your day, remember any and all of these inspirational quotes about life. You may find yourself inspirational quotes of your own that you pass along to others in hopes of inspiring them.