On Pinterest, Tumblr, or other similar sites, we tend to see a lot of quotes designed to motivate or inspire us. Words can be found for a range of emotions, personality traits, and life events, but some quotes are just universal nuggets of wisdom. You know the ones – those quotes that give you “Aha!” moments of inspiration or meaningful insights into your personal and professional lives.
They are the words you want to print out and tape up on your wall so you’ll see them every day. More importantly, they’re not always about business and the hustle, as they can simply be about compassion, friendship, or happiness. There is no singular or “right” kind of inspiration or motivation. Whatever you need at the moment, that is the “right” kind for you.
This collection of inspirational quotes features some of the all-time classics you may know, as well as some lesser-known ones you’ll love too. There are a ton of great quotes out there that could have easily been in this list – it would take forever to get every single potentially inspirational quote on one page – however. If you have any quotes you would have added, feel free to share it in the comments section!
1. “Anyone who has ever made anything of importance was disciplined.” — Andrew Hendrixson
2. “Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.” — Coco Chanel
3. “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” — Albert Einstein
4. “Optimism is the one quality more associated with success and happiness than any other.” — Brian Tracy
5. “Always keep your eyes open. Keep watching. Because whatever you see can inspire you.” — Grace Coddington
6. “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” — Henry David Thoreau
7. “If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan, but never the goal.” — Author Unknown
8. “I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends.” — Abraham Lincoln
9. “Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.” — Robin Sharma
10. “You cannot save people, you can just love them.” — Anaïs Nin
11. “It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.” — Howard Ruff
12. “Take your dreams seriously.” — Author Unknown
13. “There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
14. “Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” — (actually, not a Buddha quote)
15. “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” — Billie Jean King
16. “You will succeed because most people are lazy.” — Shahir Zag
17. “Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration.” — Thomas Edison
18. “A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.” — Author Unknown
19. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” — Mahatma Gandhi
20. “Numbing the pain for a while will only make it worse when you finally feel it.” — Albus Dumbledore
21. “Do it with passion, or not at all.” — Rosa Nouchette Carey
22. “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or objects.” — Albert Einstein (again!)
23. “The grass is greener where you water it.” — Neil Barringham
24. “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” — Earl Nightingale
25. “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” — Seth Godin
26. “If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.” — Seth Godin (again!)
27. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.” — John Maxwell
28. “Never apologize for having high standards. People who really want to be in your life will rise up to meet them.” — Ziad K. Abdelnour
29. “I never dream of success. I worked for it.” — Estee Lauder
30. “Avoiding failure is to avoid progress.” — Author Unknown
