It's hard to stay positive and motivated when life gets you down.
By Mehruba Chowdhury — Written on Dec 16, 2018
We all need encouragement from time to time. Whether it is a bad day at school or work or just relationship troubles, life will get us down.
This is where the power of words comes in. During times of doubt or struggle, we might want to seek out words of wisdom from those around us. More often than not, certain authors and philosophers say things that resonate more than words from a friend.
These people have either lived in the past or are still in the present; however, one thing that they all have in common is their wonderful life experiences, which makes it easier for them to come up with encouraging words.
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They have seen it all at times and can put their thoughts on paper better than the average Joe. They write because they want to impart their knowledge to us so that we do not feel so alone in our worries.
Sometimes, their words are meant to guide us out of some maze and help us live in the best way possible. Other times, they challenge us and encourage us to leave our comfort zones so that we can become better versions of ourselves.
Whatever their words end up doing, they never fall short when it comes to encouraging us. For those who need a dose of positivity and motivation, keep reading. Below are 40 profound quotes of encouragement from famous authors, philosophers and motivational speakers to for when life gets tough.
1. It gets easier once you have started.
"The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better." — Stephen King
2. Only you can tell your unique stories.
"Don't forget - no one else sees the world the way you do, so no one else can tell the stories that you have to tell." — Charles de Lint
3. We all have flaws; don't let yours limit you.
"We are all broken, that's how the light gets in." — Ernest Hemingway
4. Create what you see the world lacks.
"If you don't see the book you want on the shelf, write it." — Beverly Cleary
5. Don't be afraid to take risks.
"Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it's the only way you can do anything really good." — William Faulkner
6. Don't wait for inspiration to strike.
"If you wait for inspiration to write, you're not a writer, you're a waiter." — Dan Poynter
7. It is never too late.
"It is never too late to be what you might have been." — George Eliot
8. Nothing is impossible.
"Impossible is just an opinion." — Paulo Coelho
9. Don't let self-doubt kill your creativity.
"The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." — Sylvia Plath
10. Share the story that you have been nurturing inside of you.
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." — Maya Angelou
11. Don't be afraid to say what's in your heart.
"Nothing haunts us like the things we don't say." — Mitch Albom
12. You must begin from today.
"The beginning is always today." — Mary Shelley
13. You don't necessarily have to fight your fears.
"The less I fight my fear, the less it fights back." — Elizabeth Gilbert
14. Strive to become better than you were yesterday.
"Winning doesn't always mean being first. Winning means you're doing better than you've done before." — Bonnie Blair
15. We have all the power we need inside ourselves.
"We do need magic to transform our world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have the power to imagine better." — J. K. Rowling
16. Don't tell yourself negative stories about yourself.
"The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it." — Jordan Belfort
17. Bravery is enough sometimes.
"I have failed at many things, but I have never been afraid." — Nadine Gordimer
18. Not all endings are bad.
"It's okay to grieve for an end and welcome a beginning at once." — Rebecca Ray
19. Don't worry about pleasing everyone.
"Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you, figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer." — Barbara Kingsolver
20. Words have so much power; choose them wisely.
"I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and I at it, until it begins to shine." — Emily Dickinson
21. Sometimes it's better to admit your ignorance so you may learn something from new.
"If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn." — Ray Bradbury
22. Ask yourself, does it bring me joy? If so, you know it's good for your soul.
"If you can do it for joy, you can do it forever." — Stephan King
23. Make your dreams come true.
"Daydreamer, however awesome it is, is passive. It happens in your head. Learning to make dreams real is another matter, and I think it should be the work of your life." — Laini Taylor
24. Make sure you know the foundation is strong.
"The first thing in innovation is to know that a thing can be created. After that, the rest is a matter of detail." — Brian Herbert
25. Know better, do better.
"When you know better you do better." — Maya Angelou
26. Do your thing.
"Sing your song. Dance your dance. Tell your tale." — Frank McCourt
27. Think differently; be the odd one.
"It's a time of destruction, create something." — Maxine Hong Kingston
28. Don't be afraid of failure.
"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure." — Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
29. You can transform yourself continuously.
"I am made and remade continually. Different people draw different words from me." — Virginia Woolf
30. Be like rain to grow flowers.
"Raise your words, not your voice. IT is rain that grows flowers, not thunder." — Rumi
31. Increase your power.
"The which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do-not that the nature of the thing is changed, but that our power to do is increased." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
32. Develop your wings.
"We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down." — Kurt Vonnegut
33. Own your personal madness.
"Follow your inner moonlight; don't hide the madness." — Allen Ginsberg
34. You become what you go through and whatever you achieve.
"He who completes a quest does not merely find something. He becomes something." — Lev Grossman
35. Build the new.
"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." — Socrates
36. Conquer yourself first.
"For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories." — Plato
37. Never do something that would lower your self-esteem.
"Only make decisions that support your self-image, self-esteem, and self-worth." — Oprah Winfrey
38. Utilize the resources you have.
"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." — Arthur Ashe
39. Listen and entertain all thoughts before you decide to accept or reject them.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." — Aristotle
40. It always seems impossible in the beginning.
"It always seems impossible until it's done." — Nelson Mandela
If you’re looking for a little inspiration, we’ve got the best quotes to share and savor. For quotes from the most inspiring celebs, activists, and poets, look no further! You might even find the quote that motivates the best parts of your life (and love!) forever.
Mehruba Chowdhury is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture and relationship topics.
