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Life doesn’t always go exactly as planned. We face challenges, lose a sense of direction, and have to deal with the unknown future that is always frightening. For the times like this, I made a collection of 90 inspirational quotes for the uncertainty that will give you hope and strength to embrace the unknown.
We always feel safer when we have complete control of our lives and know what happens next. Sadly, that’s not always the case. Even when you have a clear vision of your future and super specific plans for the years ahead, something might happen to shake it and make it less certain.
The good thing about uncertain times is that the possibilities are limitless! When things don’t turn out as expected, often it means that there is something better waiting for you behind the corner.
Besides, if your path is filled with challenges and discomfort, maybe it’s not your path? I don’t mean that you should give up on your goals, I’m saying that maybe you should be more flexible and open to other opportunities?
If life throws stones on the road in front of you, maybe you are supposed to take a detour? Either to learn something along the way, to meet someone important or maybe that direct road just isn’t safe for you. You’ll probably never know, so embrace the uncertainty and go with the flow! Trust that the universe always has your best interest in mind!
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What is uncertainty
Macmillan Dictionary defines uncertainty as “a nervous feeling that you have because you think bad things might happen”. Another meaning is “the fact that something is not known or has not been decided”.
Oftentimes we just have several options that are relatively equal but can be of a significant impact on the future, and we feel anxious to choose “the right way”.
Uncertainty is always there when there is an important decision to be made. It makes your brain come up with all kinds of “what if” and various scenarios of what can go wrong in either case.
A fun thing to know about: scientific research shows that about 91% of our worries never come true. And for many of the people from that study, the number was 100%. So literally none of their fears actually happened!
With these numbers, the phrase “there is nothing to worry about” seems much more reassuring, doesn’t it?
I mean, if you knew that everything will actually be alright, no matter what you choose or do, what would you do? Take a moment to think about it.
By the way, if you feel overwhelmed with the fear of the unknown or paralyzed by any other related fears, I have a big bunch of fear affirmations to help you cope and be strong!
Why inspirational quotes are helpful in times of uncertainty
Inspirational quotes can offer you emotional guidance in times of uncertainty. They won’t tell you which path to take but they will bring you peace of mind and hope. They will give you the strength to overcome the fear of the unknown and the courage to make a decision that will likely define your future.
Paying attention to motivational quotes for uncertainty is like listening to a wise mentor who is supportive and always on your side. It’s a missing piece of the encouragement you need to stay strong and deal with the unknown.
With that said, here are the best inspirational quotes for uncertain times. Enjoy!
10 best quotes about uncertainty
- One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time. – Andre Gide
- Don’t worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come? – Rumi
- Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. When nothing is certain, anything is possible. – Mandy Hale
- So what do we do? Anything. Something. So long as we just don’t sit there. If we screw it up, start over. Try something else. If we wait until we’ve satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late. – Lee Iacocca
- Fall in love with uncertainty, and she will never cause you harm. Resist her, and you will be tossed and turned in her waters until you can no longer breathe. – Teal Swan
- Life isn’t meant to be lived perfectly… but merely to be LIVED. Boldly, wildly, beautifully, uncertaintly, imperfectly, magically LIVED. – Mandy Hale
- When you walk to the edge of all the light, one of two things can happen. There will be something solid for you to stand upon, or you will be taught to fly. – Patrick Overton
- Uncertainty is a permanent part of the leadership landscape. It never goes away. – Andy Stanley
- Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature often finds uncertainty fascinating. – Carl von Clausewitz
- Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first!
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Quotes about embracing uncertainty
11. Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won’t have a title until much later. – Bob Goff
12. Uncertainty is a very good thing: it’s the beginning of an investigation, and the investigation should never end. – Tim Crouch
13. Trying to create what you want while being in resistance to what is, is like trying to paddle a canoe forward when your fishing line is stuck on a branch at the bottom of the lake. Embracing uncertainty and adopting the subsequent attitude of curious surrender in this circumstance enables us to metaphorically unhook ourselves from the bottom of the lake and move forward. – Teal Swan
14. To really find out how strong and resilient you are, you must embrace uncertainty. Feel the fear and do it anyway! – Luke Lee Tet
15. It is how we embrace the uncertainty in our lives that leads to the great transformations of our souls. – Brandon A. Trean
16. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
17. Uncertainty is the most stressful feeling. – Sonya Teclai
18. We must become more comfortable with probability and uncertainty. – Nate Silver
19. Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty. – Jacob Bronowski
20. Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security. – John Allen Paulos
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Calming quotes about uncertain times
21. Feeling unsure and lost is part of your path. Don’t avoid it. See what those feelings are showing you and use it. Take a breath. You’ll be okay. Even if you don’t feel okay all the time.
22. It will take as long as it takes.
23. Exchange overthinking for overwhelming peace that says: “I will be okay without knowing everything.”
24. Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff. – Robert Eliot
25. Change is always tough. Even for those who see themselves as agents of change, the process of starting a new thing can cause times of disorientation, uncertainty and insecurity. – Joyce Meyer
26. You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather. – Pema Chodron
27. Enjoy the space between where you are and where you are going.
28. Grateful for where I’m at, excited for where I’m going.
29. We sail within a vast sphere, ever drifting in uncertainty, driven from end to end. – Blaise Pascal
30. You are not ready for most of the things you’ve gone through. But here you are.
Motivational quotes for uncertainty
31. Don’t be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps. – David Lloyd George
32. It’s okay to feel unsure. It’s fine to not know. Keep in mind that uncertainty doesn’t last forever. Clarity always finds its way out of the chaos.
33. When nothing is sure, everything is possible. – Margaret Drabble
34. Accepting that the world is full of uncertainty and ambiguity does not and should not stop people from being pretty sure about a lot of things. – Julian Baggini
35. I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough. – Marissa Mayer
36. Fear, uncertainty and discomfort are your compasses toward growth.
37. I think it’s much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong.
Richard P. Feynman
38. Uncertainty is a sign of humility, and humility is just the ability or the willingness to learn. – Charlie Sheen
39. We think that we know what life has to offer, but life never fails to surprise us!
40. Remember that once you dreamed about being where you are now.
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Quotes about uncertain future
41. What if you knew everything would work out? Because it always does.
42. The future is unknown. So is your potential.
43. I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it. – Maya Angelou
44. Human spirit is the ability to face the uncertainty of the future with curiosity and optimism. It is the belief that problems can be solved, differences resolved. It is a type of confidence. And it is fragile. It can be blackened by fear and superstition. – Bernard Beckett
45. I spent a lot of years trying to outrun or outsmart vulnerability by making things certain and definite, black and white, good and bad. My inability to lean into the discomfort of vulnerability limited the fullness of those important experiences that are wrought with uncertainty: Love, belonging, trust, joy, and creativity to name a few. – Brene Brown
46. Exploring the unknown requires tolerating uncertainty. – Brian Greene
47. Not all risks we take would pay off. But the biggest risk is not taking risk at all.
48. For all of its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future. – Barbara Jordan
49. Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future but from wanting to control it. – Kahlil Gibran
50. It is an act of courage to acknowledge our own uncertainty and sit with it for a while. – Harriet Lerner
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Relationship uncertainty quotes
51. Uncertainty is the biggest torture in love. You feel jealous yet you can’t complain. You can get hurt yet you can’t show it. You can love with your all yet you can’t say it. All you can do is watch, keep the pain, enjoy the smiles and laughter. Keep the pain and show how much that person means to you.
52. Don’t ever give up if you still want to try, don’t ever wipe your tears if you still want to cry. Don’t ever settle for an answer if you still want to know. Don’t ever say you don’t love him if you can’t let him go.
53. If a person always leaves you with mixed feelings, uncertainty and unsettled mind, you don’t need to place your energy there. – Reyna Biddy
54. The very essence of romance is uncertainty. – Oscar Wilde
55. I’m scared as hell to want you. But here I am, wanting you anyway.
56. We measure our days out in steps of uncertainty not turning to see how far we’ve come. And peer down the highway from here to eternity and reach out for love on the run. – Al Stewart
57. Don’t ever give up on someone that you can’t go a full day without thinking about.
58. I would prefer to live with bleeding heart where desire see darkness of uncertainty because I need to know the existence of love. – Seema Gupta
59. If you’re speaking of love, you really must include the element of uncertainty – and perhaps it’s best approached as the art of constant maintenance. – Twyla Tharp
60. Always believe that something wonderful is about to happen.
Quotes for hope in uncertain times
61. Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us… A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead. – Barack Obama
62. In the face of uncertainty, there is nothing wrong with hope. – O. Carl Simonton
63. When the world says “Give up”, hope whispers “Try one more time”.
64. I hope whatever it is that you believe is bigger than all your struggles. I hope even in this season of change and uncertainty you are able to see how far you have come from where you began. – Dhiman
65. In the courageous standing of uncertainty, faith shows most visibly its dynamic character. – Paul Tillich
66. Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today. – Thich Nhat Hanh
67. Feel what you need to feel and then let it go. Do not let it consume you. – Dhiman
68. Faith means living with uncertainty – feeling your way through life, letting your heart guide you like a lantern in the dark. – Dan Millman
69. Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position. But certainty is an absurd one. – Voltaire
70. A positive statement propels hope toward a better future, it builds up your faith and that of others, and it promotes change. – Jan Dargatz
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Quotes about the uncertainty of life
71. Live life for the moment, because everything else is uncertain.
72. Some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. – Gilda Radner
73. The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next. – Ursula K. Le Guin
74. We can overcome the uncertainties in life with courage and hope. – Lailah Gifty Akita
75. Life has uncertainty and it is the uncertainty which opens new dimensions in life.
76. Uncertainty is the life’s way of saying that there are only a few things that you can control.
77. Life’s most precious gift is uncertainty. – Yoshida Kenko
78. Nothing’s for sure, that’s for sure.
79. Nothing in the world causes so much misery as uncertainty. – Martin Luther
80. Ask yourself what is really important and then have the courage to build your life around your answer. – Lee L. Jampolsky
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Wise quotes for dealing with uncertainty
81. Life is full of uncertainty. I can’t control the things that happen but I can control how I react.
82. Looking deeper, we could say that the real cause of suffering is not being able to tolerate uncertainty. – Pema Chodron
83. Fear is often our immediate response to uncertainty. There’s nothing wrong with experiencing fear. The key is not to get stuck in it. – Gabrielle Bernstein
84. What you believe about yourself and your life, on a deep subconscious level is what you live out daily through your actions, words, choices, and habits. It’s also what you attract and manifest more of. Be mindful of the power of your beliefs and their power over your life. – Lalah Delia
85. If we can recognise that change and uncertainty are basic principles, we can greet the future and the transformation we are undergoing with the understanding that we do not know enough to be pessimistic. – Hazel Henderson
86. Even when we can’t control the situation around us, we can always choose where we’re directing our attention. – Liz Stanley
87. The quality of your life is directly related to how much uncertainty you can comfortably handle. – Tony Robbins
88. Maturity is the capacity to endure uncertainty. – John Finley
89. Yes, risk-taking is inherently failure-prone. Otherwise, it would be called sure-thing taking. – Jim McMahon
90. To teach how to live without certainty, and yet without being paralyzed by hesitation, is perhaps the chief thing that philosophy, in our age, can still do for those who study it. – Bertrand Russel
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Final words for those who feel uncertain right now
These were 90 motivational quotes for uncertainty that are meant to help you through a difficult time in your life. Hope you enjoyed them, got inspired to move further, and find it easier to cope with the unknown now.
Yes, life is full of uncertainties, but this is what makes it fun! Wouldn’t it be boring if every step was predefined and there were no decisions to make?
Tell me in the comments, what causes your feeling of uncertainty today, and which of these quotes was the most helpful in your case!
