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Are you feeling down and looking for a bit of extra support to uplift yourself?
Or maybe someone you care about is not particularly happy and motivated right now? Wanna give them a gentle push in a positive direction?
Then you are in the right place!
Below you’ll find 160 wonderful quotes to uplift yourself or a friend. Bookmark this page and come back for a refreshing inspiring thought whenever the need appears!
I am a big believer in the power of positive self-talk, specifically in the form of uplifting affirmations but sometimes wise quotes from other people can give you a fresh perspective and scare away all the negative thoughts circulating in your head.
It also happens that you simply can’t find the right words to support a friend in need – and that’s where inspirational quotes come in handy. Some people are just great at saying the right things everyone needs to hear, especially people like public speakers and book authors whose sayings you’ll find on this list.
Well, enough with the introduction! Enjoy your uplifting quotes and share them generously!
Best inspirational quotes to uplift yourself
- You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was. – Irish Proverb
- If you’re going to be able to look back on something and laugh about it, you might as well laugh about it now. – Marie Osmond
- I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not know where you’re going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you. – C. JoyBell C.
- It isn’t where you came from. It’s where you’re going that counts. – Ella Fitzgerald
- The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope. – Barack Obama
- Just because you fail once doesn’t mean you’re gonna fail at everything. – Marilyn Monroe
- Believe you can and you’re halfway there. – Theodore Roosevelt
- True wealth: Worriless sleeping, clear conscience, reciprocal gratitude, absence of envy, muscle strength, frequent laughs, no meals alone, no gym classes, good digestive functions, no meeting rooms, periodic surprises, foamy coffee, crusty bread, ability to nap, access to a hammock. – Nassim Nicholas Taleb
- I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. – Henry David Thoreau
- We just keep swimming and let the tide take care of itself. – Warren Buffett
11. Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.
John Barrymore
12. Close your eyes and turn your face into the wind. Feel it sweep along your skin in an invisible ocean of exultation. Suddenly, you know you are alive. – Vera Nazarian
13. Everything is within your power, and your power is within you. – Janice Trachtman
14. Don’t dwell too much on the past. The lessons are useful for the present and a preparation for the future. Move on! – Lailah Gifty Akita
15. If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way. – Martin Luther King Jr.
16. It is in your hands, to make a better world for all who live in it. – Nelson Mandela
17. If you always attach positive emotions to the things you want, and never attach negative emotions to the things you don’t, then that which you desire most will invariably come your way. – Matt D. Miller
18. Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart. – Roy T. Bennett
19. It is only in our darkest hours that we may discover the true strength of the brilliant light within ourselves that can never, ever, be dimmed. – Doe Zantamata
20. Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise. – Les Misérables
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Short uplifting quotes for a quick mood boost
21. Think like a proton. Always positive! – Unknown
22. It’s your life; live it well. – Judge Judy Sheindlin
23. Never regret anything that made you smile. – Mark Twain
24. You are enough just as you are. – Meghan Markle
25. You do not find the happy life. You make it. – Camilla Eyring Kimball
26. Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you. – Walt Whitman
27. Nobody built like you, you design yourself. – Jay-Z
28. The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs…one step at a time. – Joe Girard
29. Dream big and dare to fail. – Norman Vaughan
30. When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go. – Carol Burnett
31. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. – Jimmy Johnson
32. Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.
Hans Christian Andersen
33. I will always find a way and a way will always find me. – Charles F. Glassman
34. Eighty percent of success is showing up. – Woody Allen
35. Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. – Robert Louis Stevenson
36. Do or do not. There is no try. – Yoda
37. All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. – Walt Disney
38. Life is not breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away. – George Strait
39. Every artist was first an amateur. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
40. Aspire to inspire before we expire. – Eugene Bell Jr.
Funny uplifting quotes to make you smile
Often times reading or watching something funny is enough to completely change your mood from negative to positive. These hilarious quotes are especially good when you are in need of a quick uplifting something!
41. Embrace the glorious mess that you are. – Elizabeth Gilbert
42. When life gives you lemons, squirt someone in the eye. – Cathy Guisewite
43. Laugh at yourself. It tones your facial muscles and attitude. – Kelly Rudolph
44. If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito. – Dalai Lama
45. Life is too important to be taken seriously. – Oscar Wilde
46. Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive. – Elbert Hubbard
47. If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely. – Roald Dahl
48. Awesome things will happen today if you choose not to be a miserable cow. – Unknown
49. Life is full of screwups. You’re supposed to fail sometimes. It’s a required part of the human existence. – Sarah Dessen
50. The average dog is a nicer person than the average person. – Andy Rooney
51. No one is perfect – that’s why pencils have erasers. – Unknown
52. People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day. – A.A. Milne
53. A smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks. – Charles Gordy
54. Good things come to people who wait, but better things come to those who go out and get them.
55. Everything is funny, as long as it’s happening to somebody else. – Will Rogers
56. I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying. – Oscar Wilde
57. Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again. – Franklin Jones
58. Be nice to nerds. You may end up working for them. – Charles J. Sykes
59. People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily. – Zig Ziglar
60. If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign? – Albert Einstein
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Inspirational uplifting quotes for women
61. Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think and twice as beautiful as you’ve ever imagined. – Dr. Seuss
62. Blaze your own glittery, sparkly, fiery, shimmering path. Surround yourself with the things that make you shine. Create your bubble and thrive in it. – Cara Alwill Leyba
63. Do not allow people to dim your shine because they are blinded. Tell them to put some sunglasses on. – Lady Gaga
64. Be messy and complicated and afraid and show up anyways. – Glennon Doyle Melton
65. I’m not going to continue knocking that old door that doesn’t open for me. I’m going to create my own door and walk through that. – Ava DuVernay
66. She does not know what the future holds, but she is grateful for slow and steady growth. – Morgan Harper Nichols
67. Some people look for a beautiful place. Others make a place beautiful. – Hazrat Inayat Khan
68. The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. – Ayn Rand
69. Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness. – Oprah Winfrey
70. Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.
Madam C.J Walker
71. If you can dance and be free and not be embarrassed, you can rule the world. – Amy Poehler
72. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it ‘The Present.’– Eleanor Roosevelt
73. Justice is about making sure that being polite is not the same thing as being quiet. In fact, often times, the most righteous thing you can do is shake the table. – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
74. Life is too short to waste any amount of time on wondering what other people think about you. In the first place, if they had better things going on in their lives, they wouldn’t have the time to sit around and talk about you. What’s important to me is not others’ opinions of me, but what’s important to me is my opinion of myself. – C. JoyBell C.
75. If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman. – Margaret Thatcher
76. My mission in life is not merely to survive but to thrive and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. – Maya Angelou
77. A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform. – Diane Mariechild
78. I am a free soul, singing my heart out by myself no matter where I go and I call strangers my friends because I learn things and find ways to fit them into my own world. I hear what people say, rearrange it, take away and tear apart until it finds value in my reality and there I make it work. I find spaces in between the cracks and cuts where it feels empty and there I make it work. – Charlotte Eriksson
79. I found that ultimately if you truly pour your heart into what you believe in – even if it makes you vulnerable – amazing things can and will happen. – Emma Watson
80. I am thankful for my struggle because, without it, I wouldn’t have stumbled across my strength. – Alex Elle
Best uplifting quotes for men
81. Just remember, there are no quick fixes. But, by taking action just a little bit every day, you will build up a powerful reservoir of confidence, self-esteem, and discipline. – Scott Allan
82. A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. – David Brinkley
83. Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great. – Mark Twain
84. You must do the things you think you cannot do. – Eleanor Roosevelt
85. If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears however measured or far away. – Henry David Thoreau
86. Have great hopes and dare to go all out for them. Have great dreams and dare to live them. Have tremendous expectations and believe in them. – Norman Vincent Peale
87. Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value. – Albert Einstein
88. You learn more from failure than from success. Don’t let it stop you. Failure builds character. – Unknown
89. The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection. – Thomas Paine
90. The only thing worse than starting something and failing… is not starting something. – Seth Godin
91. Champions come and go, but to be legendary you got to have heart, more heart than the next man, more than anyone in the world. – Muhammad Ali
92. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. – Henry David Thoreau
93. You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one. – James Froude
94. Once you’re calm and fit, you have everything worth having, as the rest just comes and goes. – Naval Ravikant
95. Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones. – Theodore Roosevelt
96. There is nothing with which every man is so afraid as getting to know how enormously much he is capable of doing and becoming. – Søren Kierkegaard
97. Build your own dreams or someone else will hire you to build theirs.
Farrah Gray
98. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moment of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. – Martin Luther King, Jr.
99. Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength. – Theodore Roosevelt
100. The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you’re in control of your life. If you don’t, life controls you. – Tony Robbins
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Positive uplifting quotes for work
The hardest part of getting any work done is the first step. These uplifting quotes will give you a necessary push to get started – and in case you get stuck in the process, my productivity affirmations will quickly get you back on track!
101. You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. – Zig Ziglar
102. One thing at a time. Most important thing first. Start now. – Caroline Webb
103. Leaders never use the word failure. They look upon setbacks as learning experiences. – Brian Tracy
104. If my mind can conceive it, if my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it. – Muhammad Ali
105. There is nothing impossible to they who will try. – Alexander the Great
106. The best way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. – Walt Disney
107. What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle and giving 110% all the time. – Don Zimmer
108. Working hard can give you meaning. Silence can give you peace. – Maxime Lagacé
109. Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still. – Chinese Proverb
110. A business like an automobile, has to be driven, in order to get results. – B.C. Forbes
111. People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. – Rob Siltanen
112. To be disciplined or non-disciplined is a choice you make every minute in every hour of your life. – Russell Gerald Johnston
113. Dreams don’t have to just be dreams. You can make it a reality; if you just keep pushing and keep trying, then eventually you’ll reach your goal. And if that takes a few years, then that’s great, but if it takes 10 or 20, then that’s part of the process. – Naomi Osaka
114. A person can achieve everything by being simple and humble. – The Vedas
115. Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.
Henry Ford
116. The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired. One of the great ironies of life is this: He or she who serves almost always benefits more than he or she who is served. – Gordon B. Hinckley
117. Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. – Thomas Edison
118. By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day. – Robert Frost
119. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. – Steve Jobs
120. It’s not about money or connections. It’s the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone when it comes to your business.” – Mark Cuban
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Uplifting sayings from wise people
121. The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination. – Tommy Lasorda
122. Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true. – Leon J. Suenes
123. You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction. – George Lorimer
124. There comes a day when you’re gonna look around and realize happiness is where you are. – Chief Tui
125. I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be. – Douglas Adams
126. I could not, at any age, be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life. – Eleanor Roosevelt
127. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. – Martin Luther King Jr
128. When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go. – Carol Burnett
129. Do not listen to those who weep and complain, for their disease is contagious. – Og Mandino
130. 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
131. You can do anything, but not everything. – David Allen
132. During the day you should behave in such a way that you can sleep at night in peace, and in your youth, you should behave in such a way that you can live in your old age in peace. – Indian proverb
133. You get to decide where your times goes. You can either spend it moving forward, or you can spend it putting out fires. You decide. And if you don’t decide, others will decide for you.
Tony Morgan
134. If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room. – Confucius
135. The wiser you get, the less you care to look like a fool. – Maxime Lagacé
136. The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts. – Marcus Aurelius
137. Wise people never think they know it all. – Thibaut
138. Life is like a ten-speed bike. Most of us have gears we never use. – Charles M. Schulz
139. A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open. – Frank Zappa
140. Don’t work more. Focus more. – Nathan Gotch
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Positive quotes to uplift your spirit
141. Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky. – Rabindranath Tagore
142. Inspiration comes from within yourself. One has to be positive. When you’re positive, good things happen. – Deep Roy
143. There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. – Edith Wharton
144. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have the power to imagine better. – J. K. Rowling
145. No matter what you’re going through, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. – Demi Lovato
146. There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your own thinking. – Brian Tracy
147. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact. – William James
148. Negative people need drama like it’s oxygen. Stay positive and take their breath away. – Tony Gaskins
149. When life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade and then try to find someone whose life has given them vodka, and have a party. – Ron White
150. Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you’re willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it.
Lou Holtz
151. The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem. Do you understand? – Captain Jack Sparrow
152. Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being. – Albert Schweitzer
153. In any project the important factor is your belief. Without belief, there can be no successful outcome. – William James
154. Never be ashamed of a scar. It means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you. – Unknown
155. If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough. – Mario Andretti
156. Trying to grow up is hurting. You make mistakes. You try to learn from them, and when you don’t, it hurts even more. – Aretha Franklin
157. Kindness is a magical spell – performed by enlightened beings – meant to enchant hearts and lift weary souls that they might fly. – Richelle E. Goodrich
158. Not having the best situation, but seeing the best in your situation is the key to happiness. – Marie Forleo
159. The most beautiful people I’ve known are those who have known trials, have known struggles, have known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. – Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
160. You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go. – Dr. Seuss
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Final thoughts on using inspirational quotes to uplift yourself
Here you have them: 160 uplifting quotes for you and your friends!
Which particular quote was the one to inspire you today? Share with us in the comments!
And here are more beautiful quotes you might like:
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