There’s a reason why people keep motivational and positive quotes on their office desk or around their house – we all need a little push to get us through our day from time to time! Let’s face it; life can get tiring and overwhelming, so any words of wisdom or inspiration are certainly welcome. When it comes to life thoughts, there have been plenty of famous people throughout history who have imparted their knowledge to us and changed our perspective on life.

If you need a pick-me-up or want to gain some insight, here are 20 life thoughts from famous people:

  1.  “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
  2. “Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes … the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules … You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things … They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius …” – Steve Jobs
    inspirational quote
  3. “Stop letting people who do so little for you control so much of your mind, feelings, and emotions.” – Will Smith
  4. “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” – Dr. Seuss
  5. “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln
  6. “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates
  7. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” – Steve Jobs
  8. “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
  9. “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly.” – Albert Einstein
  10. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
  11. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain
  12.  “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” – T. S. Eliot
  13. “To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
  14. “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” – Rumi
  15. “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.” – Henry Ford
  16. “There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.” – Nelson Mandela
  17. “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas A. Edison
  18. “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” – Leonardo Da Vinci
  19. “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” – Harriet Tubman
  20. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

harriet tubman

Final thoughts on impactful life quotes

Positive thinking doesn’t always come easily, which is why reading life thoughts from famous people can bring your focus back to all the good in your life. Of course, we all have bad days sometimes, but a simple quote can help to turn things around when everything seems dark and depressing.

Which of these life thoughts is your favorite? Share with us in the comments!