101 Confidence Quotes That Will Make You Believe You Can Do Anything
Updated: Mar. 13, 2024
Confidence is a major motivator and can be a big factor in success. Celebrities and other notable people share their definitions of it and experiences with it in these powerful words of wisdom.
Confidence is key! Being confident and believing in yourself is crucial to self-worth, which in turn can improve your relationships, work-life balance and day-to-day life as a whole. Self-worth, while certainly being a major key to confidence, isn’t exactly the same. Self-worth is more directly related to forgiving and accepting yourself, while self-confidence is about being motivated and believing in yourself. So they’re kind of two sides of the same coin! But both are critical for self-esteem and for having a healthy relationship with yourself.
That’s why we’re sharing confidence quotes from famous people, some who had to overcome past mistakes before succeeding. We hope they inspire you to stand up for yourself, while helping to build emotional strength on your self-love journey.
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Tips for boosting your self-confidence
Before we dive into the confidence quotes, here are a few tips on how to be more confident.
- Strike a “power pose,” like hands on hips.
- Focus on forgiving yourself and praising yourself in equal measure.
- Exercise!
- Write down your accomplishments and/or things you like about yourself.
- Get out of your comfort zone and join a group where you can do something you love with others.
Confidence quotes about success
1. “Your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude.” —Michelle Obama, former first lady
2. “Never let success get to your head; never let failures get to your heart.” —Ziad K. Abdelnour, financier and activist
3. “Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. … Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful.” —Mark Victor Hansen, author
4. “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” —Norman Vincent Peale, minister and author
5. “Successful people often exude confidence—it’s obvious that they believe in themselves and what they’re doing. It isn’t their success that makes them confident, however. The confidence was there first.” —Travis Bradberry, influencer
6. “Success is most often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” —Coco Chanel, designer
7. “Always be yourself–express yourself, have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.” —Bruce Lee, martial artist and actor
8. “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” —David Brinkley, newscaster
9. “Successful people have fear, successful people have doubts and successful people have worries. They just don’t let these feelings stop them.” —T. Harv Eker, author and motivational speaker
10. “Self-confidence is the memory of success.” —David Storey, writer
11. “Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.” —Norman Vincent Peale
12. “The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear and get a record of successful experiences behind you.” —William Jennings Bryan, politician
13. “Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” —Oprah Winfrey
14. “Regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner. Even if you are behind, a sustained look of control and confidence can give you a mental edge that results in victory.” —Diane Arbus, photographer
Confidence quotes about courage
15. “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face.” —Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady
16. “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” —Dale Carnegie, writer
17. “Confidence is directness and courage in meeting the facts of life.” —John Dewey, pragmatist and educator
18. “Noble and great. Courageous and determined. Faithful and fearless. That is who you are and who you have always been. And understanding it can change your life because this knowledge carries a confidence that cannot be duplicated any other way.” —Sheri L. Drew, author and editor
19. “I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” —Maya Angelou, writer
20. “I am learning every day to allow the space between where I am and where I want to be to inspire me and not terrify me.” —Tracee Ellis Ross, actress
21. “You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.” —Rosalynn Carter, former First Lady
22. “With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.” —The Dalai Lama
23. “I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence but it comes from within. It is there all the time.” —Anna Freud, psychoanalyst
24. “Always remember: You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” —Christopher Robin, Winnie-the-Pooh
25. “A true diva is graceful, and talented, and strong, and fearless and brave and someone with humility.” —Beyoncé Knowles, singer
26. “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” —Maya Angelou, poet
Confidence quotes about fear
27. “Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.” —Peter McIntyre, painter
28. “Get more confidence by doing things that excite and frighten you.” —Jessica Williams, actress
29. “The greatest mistake you can make in life is continually fearing that you’ll make one.” —Elbert Hubbard, writer
30. “I quit being afraid when my first venture failed and the sky didn’t fall down.” —Al Neuharth, businessman and founder of USA Today
31. “I taught myself confidence. When I’d walk into a room and feel scared to death, I’d tell myself, ‘I’m not afraid of anybody.’ And people believed me.” —Priyanka Chopra Jonas, actress and producer
32. “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” —Jack Canfield, motivational speaker
Confidence quotes about beauty
33. “Confidence is the most beautiful thing you can possess.” —Sabrina Carpenter, actress and singer
34. “Be healthy and take care of yourself, but be happy with the beautiful things that make you, you.” —Beyoncé Knowles, singer
35. “Happiness and confidence are the prettiest things you can wear.” —Taylor Swift, singer
36. “How I feel about myself is more important than how I look. Feeling confident, being comfortable in your skin, that’s what really makes you beautiful.” —Bobbi Brown, makeup artist
37. “I think beauty comes from within. If you’re happy and look at life in the best way you can, even when there are problems, it can make you beautiful on the outside.” —Faith Hill, singer
38. “Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.” —Sophia Loren, actress
39. “Be kind. It will reveal your true inner beauty.” —Debasish Mridha, author
40. “If you feel beautiful, then you are. Even if you don’t, you still are.” —Terri Guillemets, quotation anthologist
41. “Real beauty is to be true to oneself. That’s what makes me feel good.” —Laetitia Casta, model and actress
Confidence quotes about chasing dreams
42. “Have confidence that if you have done a little thing well, you can do a bigger thing well too.” —David Storey, writer
43. “Know that you can start late, look different, be uncertain and still succeed.” —Misty Copeland, dancer
44. “Experience tells you what to do; confidence allows you to do it.” —Stan Smith, professional tennis player
45. “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” —Vincent Van Gogh, painter
46. “Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.” —Madam C.J. Walker, entrepreneur and activist
47. “When you have a lot of confidence and you feel like nobody can beat you, it’s game over for everyone else.” —Jason Day, professional golfer
48. “I don’t focus on what I’m up against. I focus on my goals, and I try to ignore the rest.” —Venus Williams, professional tennis player
49. “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” —Shirley Chisolm, former congresswoman
50. “Decide what you want. Declare it to the world. See yourself winning. And remember that if you are persistent as well as patient, you can get whatever you seek.” —Misty Copeland, dancer
51. “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” —Howard Washington Thurman, author and philosopher
52. “You’ve got to take the initiative and play your game. In a decisive set, confidence is the difference.” —Chris Evert, professional tennis player
(Also, check out these mindset quotes if you’re aspiring for greatness!)
Confidence quotes about self-belief
53. “It is confidence in our bodies, minds and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures.” —Oprah Winfrey, talk show host and producer
54. “Self-belief is not self-centered. We can only fight effectively for others if we already believe in ourselves.” —Carla H. Krueger, author
55. “How strongly you believe you really can will play the biggest part in determining if you actually will.” —Lorri Faye, motivational writer
56. “Only the person who has faith in himself is able to be faithful to others.” —Erich Fromm, psychologist and psychoanalyst
57. “Believe in your infinite potential. Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself.” —Roy T. Bennett, author
58. “I don’t like to gamble, but if there’s one thing I’m willing to bet on, it’s myself.” —Beyoncé Knowles, singer
59. “I have a confidence about my life that comes from standing tall on my own two feet.” —Jane Fonda, actor and activist
60. “Stand up straight and realize who you are, that you tower over your circumstances. You are a child of God. Stand up straight.” —Maya Angelou, poet
61. “Don’t underestimate yourself. You are more capable than you think.” —Misty Copeland, dancer
62. “Confidence is when you believe in yourself and your abilities; arrogance is when you think you are better than others and act accordingly.” —Stewart Stafford, author
63. “If I have lost confidence in myself, I have the universe against me.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
Confidence quotes about failure
64. “I embrace mistakes. They make you who you are.” —Beyoncé Knowles, singer
65. “When you love and accept yourself, when you know who really cares about you and when you learn from your mistakes, then you stop caring about what people who don’t know you think.” —Beyoncé Knowles, singer
66. “Instead of letting your hardships and failures discourage or exhaust you, let them inspire you. Let them make you even hungrier to succeed.” —Michelle Obama, former first lady
67. “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” —Maya Angelou, poet
68. “Failure is an important part of your growth and developing resilience. Don’t be afraid to fail.” —Michelle Obama, former first lady
69. “We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.” —Maya Angelou, poet
70. “Defeat should not be the source of discouragement, but a stimulus to keep plotting.” —Shirley Chisolm, former congresswoman
71. “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” —Suzy Kassem, poet and artist
Next, let these famous failures of wildly successful people inspire you to overcome the fear of failure.
Confidence quotes about loving yourself
72. “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” —Oscar Wilde, writer
73. “When you love yourself, people can kind of pick up on that: they can see confidence, they can see self-esteem, and naturally, people gravitate toward you.” —Lilly Singh, comedian
74. “Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it. ” —M. Scott Peck, psychiatrist
75. “The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.” —Carl Jung, psychiatrist
76. “If I am not good to myself, how can I expect anyone else to be good to me?” —Maya Angelou, poet
77. “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” —Bernard Baruch, financier
78. “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” —Buddha, teacher
79. “Accept who you are; and revel in it.” —Mitch Albom, author
80. “Just be what you are. And I try to be my best self and be what I am and knowing what I am and be satisfied with that. And if people don’t know it, maybe they’ll eventually know it.” —Coretta Scott King, author and activist
81. “If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” —Maya Angelou, poet
82. “Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.” —Helen Keller, author and activist
83. “Role models are only of limited use. For no-one is as important, potentially powerful and as key in your life and world as you.” —Rasheed Ogunlaru, motivational speaker and life coach
84. “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
85. “As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, writer
86. “It takes a lot for you to find your confidence, but you shouldn’t let someone else be the person to find it for you.” —Justine Skye, musician and actress
Short confidence quotes
87. “Never dull your shine for somebody else.” —Tyra Banks, model and businesswoman
88. “Humor comes from self-confidence.” —Rita Mae Brown, writer
89. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” —Eleanor Roosevelt, former first lady
90. “Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval.” —Laozi, ancient philosopher
91. “Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.” —Paul Tournier, physician and author
92. “Trust yourself—you know more than you think you do.” —Benjamin Spock, pediatrician
93. “Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” —Helen Keller, author
94. “You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” —Michael Jordan, basketball player
95. “Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.” —Vince Lombardi, football coach
96. “It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else’s eyes.” —Sally Field, actress and director
97. “I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.” —Louisa May Alcott, author
98. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” —Arthur Ashe, pro tennis player
99. “Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer
100. “Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.” —Samuel Johnson, writer
101. “As is our confidence, so is our capacity.” —William Hazlitt, essayist and social commentator
Originally Published: August 18, 2021
