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100 Inspirational Quotes That Will Motivate and Inspire You

Updated Oct. 02, 2024

When it feels like the world is against you, let the wise words of these positive and inspiring quotes lift your spirits

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Inspirational quotes to keep going

Looking for a little uplift? Inspirational quotes can make us feel ready to take on anything life throws at us, reminding us to see the bright side of life. They might be wise or witty quotes from famous people, or they could be sayings about accomplishment and change. What they all have in common is the power to inspire you!

To uplift your daily life, we combed through the Reader’s Digest archives to collect 100 of the most motivational quotes about life we’ve ever published. Like gratitude quotes, these encouraging quotes can uplift you in almost any type of situation and seeing that they’re from some of your favorite celebs—Angelina Jolie, John Lennon and Oprah Winfrey to name a few—makes them even better!

So, keep reading for our list of some of the best inspirational quotes below. We hope they offer some sunshine today, tomorrow and beyond!

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Inspirational quotes about life

1. “People often say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing you are the beholder.” —Salma Hayek, Reader’s Digest, August 2013

2. “Each day comes bearing its gifts. Untie the ribbon.” —Ann Ruth Schabacker, Reader’s Digest, Sept. 1982

3. “Living is the art of getting used to what we didn’t expect.” —Eleanor C. Wood, Reader’s Digest, July 1970

4. “The only way to have a life is to commit to it like crazy.” —Angelina Jolie, Reader’s Digest, May 2002

5. “Believe in yourself. Stay in your own lane. There’s only one you.” —Queen Latifah, Reader’s Digest, Oct. 2008

6. “Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you.” —Aldous Huxley, Reader’s Digest, March 1956

7. “Love doesn’t make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.” —Franklin P. Jones, Reader’s Digest, Sept. 1977

8. “Kindness is one thing you can’t give away. It always comes back.” —George Skolsky, Reader’s Digest, April 1954

9. “Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.” —Sally Koch, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 1995

10. “Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” —Maya Angelou, Reader’s Digest, April 2019

11. “There is only one certainty in life and that is that nothing is certain.” —G.K. Chesterton, Reader’s Digest, June 1926

12. “The most sincere compliment we can pay is attention.” —Walter Anderson, Reader’s Digest, Oct. 1987

13. “The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway.” —Henry Boye, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 1997

14. “Everyone is an explorer. How could you possibly live your life looking at a door and not opening it?” —Robert D. Ballard, Reader’s Digest, May 1998

15. “To feel that one has a place in life solves half the problem of contentment.” —George E. Woodberry, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 1983

16. “I would rather live in a world where my life is surrounded by mystery than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it.” —Harry Emerson Fosdick, Reader’s Digest, July 1970

17. “My father gave me the best advice of my life. He said, ‘Whatever you do, don’t wake up at 65 years old and think about what you should have done with your life.’” —George Clooney, Reader’s Digest, July 2006

18. “A life of unremitting caution, without the carefree—or even, occasionally, the careless—may turn out to be half a life.” —Anna Quindlen, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 2007

19. “Having a young child explain something exciting he has seen is the finest example of communication you will ever hear or see.” —Bob Talbert, Reader’s Digest, July 1970

20. “I still close my eyes and go home—I can always draw from that.” —Dolly Parton, Reader’s Digest, Oct. 2008

21. “Words of comfort, skillfully administered, are the oldest therapy known to man.” —Louis Nizer, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 1978

22. “It is our choices that show what we really are, far more than our abilities.” —J.K. Rowling, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 200005

23. “Keep your love of nature, for that is the true way to understand art more and more.” —Vincent Van Gogh, Reader’s Digest, May 1998

24. “We are not at our best perched at the summit; we are climbers, at our best when the way is steep.” —John W. Gardner, Reader’s Digest, July 1970

25. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you’ve said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” —Maya Angelou, Reader’s Digest, Aug. 2013

26. “Just because you’re nervous doesn’t mean you have to look nervous. Nobody can look inside you. Project what you want to project.” —Valerie Jarrett, Reader’s Digest, Aug. 2013

27. “The secret of the man who is universally interesting is that he is universally interested.” —William Dean Howells, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 1974

28. “Friends are the family we choose.” —Jennifer Aniston, Reader’s Digest, Dec. 2002

29. “Never ignore a gut feeling, but never believe that it’s enough.” —Robert Heller, Reader’s Digest, Aug. 2013

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Uplifting quotes about happiness

30. “The older you get the more you realize that kindness is synonymous with happiness.” —Lionel Barrymore, Reader’s Digest, April 1953

31. “To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.” —Bertrand Russell, Reader’s Digest, Dec. 1950

32. “The only failure is not knowing how to be happy.” —Celine Dion, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 2001

33. “Don’t waste a minute not being happy. If one window closes, run to the next window—or break down a door.” —Brooke Shields, Reader’s Digest, April 2006

34. “You are genuinely happy if you don’t know why.” —Joseph Mayer, Reader’s Digest, March 1956

35. “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” —Dalai Lama, Reader’s Digest, Oct. 1994

36. “Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.” —Robert Frost, Reader’s Digest, March 1959

37. “Memories are everyone’s second chance at happiness.” —Queen Elizabeth, Reader’s Digest, Oct. 1979

38. “The world is extremely interesting to a joyful soul.” —Alexandra Stoddard, Reader’s Digest, March 1997

39. “He who laughs most learns best.” —John Cleese, Reader’s Digest, May 2016

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Inspiring quotes about fear and failure

40. “The greatest mistake you can make is to be continually fearing that you’ll make one.” —Elbert Hubbard, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 1953

41. “Never fear shadows. They simply mean there’s a light shining nearby.” —Ruth E. Renkel, Reader’s Digest, Feb. 1997

42. “A person without regrets is a nincompoop.” —Mia Farrow, Reader’s Digest, April 2006

43. “Worry is like sand in an oyster: A little produces a pearl, too much kills the animal.” —Marcelene Cox, Reader’s Digest, Dec. 1955

44. “It’s the rough side of the mountain that’s the easiest to climb; the smooth side doesn’t have anything for you to hang on to.” —Aretha Franklin, Reader’s Digest, May 2019

45. “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. And swing!” —Leo Buscaglia, Reader’s Digest, Oct. 1987

46. “Success is falling nine times and getting up ten.” —Jon Bon Jovi, Reader’s Digest Quotable Quotes, 2013

47. “If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to it!” —Jonathan Winters, Reader’s Digest, June 1990

48. “A dead end is just a good place to turn around.” —Naomi Judd, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 2004

49. “Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.” —Gen. George S. Patton, Reader’s Digest, Nov. 2018

50. “Even a small star shines in the darkness.” —Finnish proverb, Reader’s Digest, June 1990

51. “Failure is God’s way of saying, ‘Excuse me, you’re moving in the wrong direction.’” —Oprah Winfrey, Reader’s Digest, June 2004

52. “Vitality shows not only in the ability to persist but in the ability to start over.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald, Reader’s Digest, Sept. 1982

53. “A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” —Duke Ellington, Reader’s Digest, Oct. 1984

54. “If you don’t place your foot on the rope, you’ll never cross the chasm.” —Liz Smith, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 1992

55. “You can’t turn back the clock. But you can wind it up again.” —Bonnie Prudden, Reader’s Digest, Dec. 1980

56. “Even the worst haircut eventually grows out.” —Lisa Kogan, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 2007

57. “Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow; it only saps today of its strength.” —A.J. Cronin,Reader’s Digest 40th Anniversary Treasury, 1961

58. “Every exit is an entry somewhere else.” —Tom Stoppard, Reader’s Digest, July 2000

59. “My dad used to say, You wouldn’t worry so much about what people thought of you if you knew how seldom they did.” —Dr. Phil McGraw, Reader’s Digest, Dec. 2002

60. “If you can’t reach your destination by one road, try another.” —Elsa Schiaparelli, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 1961

61. “Without darkness, there are no dreams.” —Karla Kuban, Reader’s Digest, Dec. 1999

62. “Pay no attention to what the critics say. A statue has never been erected in honor of a critic.” —Jean Sibelius, Reader’s Digest, Oct. 1979

63. “Be bold. If you’re going to make an error, make it a doozy.” —Billie Jean King, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 2004

64. “No day in which you learn something is a complete loss.” —David Eddings, Reader’s Digest, May 1977

65. “Morale is when your hands and feet keep on working when your head says it can’t be done.” —Ben Morcell, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 1961

66. “Be open to learning new lessons, even if they contradict the lessons you learned yesterday.” —Ellen DeGeneres, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 2007

67. “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” —Oscar Wilde, Reader’s Digest, Aug. 1940

68. “There’s power in looking silly and not caring that you do.” —Amy Poehler, Reader’s Digest, Aug. 2013

69. “Be yourself. No one can ever tell you that you’re doing it wrong.” —James Leo Herlihy, Reader’s Digest, Sept. 1982

70. “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” —Alice Walker, Reader’s Digest, June 2019

71. “Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” —Harper Lee, Reader’s Digest, Oct. 1989

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Positive quotes about time

72. “Time you enjoy wasting was not wasted.” —John Lennon, Reader’s Digest Quotable Quotes, 2013

73. “What’s wrong with being sentimental? Sentimental means you like stuff.” —Paul McCartney, Reader’s Digest, Dec. 2005

74. “The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.” —Dean Acheson, Reader’s Digest, April 1976

75. “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” —Andy Warhol, Reader’s Digest, April 2020

76. “If you would know strength and patience, welcome the company of trees.” —Hal Borland, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 1983

77. “Age is not the enemy. Stagnation is the enemy. Complacency is the enemy. Stasis is the enemy.” —Twyla Tharp, Reader’s Digest, May 2020

78. “Procrastination means you know what you need to do and you don’t do it. If you don’t know what to do, you aren’t procrastinating. You are thinking.” —Lynn Lively, Reader’s Digest, Dec. 1999

79. “Joy is one of the only emotions you can’t contrive.” —Bono, Reader’s Digest, Dec. 2005

80. “The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball.” —Doug Larson, Reader’s Digest, Dec. 20

81. “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” —Elmer G. Leterman, Reader’s Digest, Feb. 1958

82. “Be like the sun and the meadow, which are not in the least concerned about the coming winter.” —George Bernard Shaw, Reader’s Digest, Sept. 1982

83. “I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” —Diane Ackerman, Reader’s Digest, Sept. 2011

84. “What I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.” —Hugh Mulligan, Reader’s Digest, Oct. 1981

85. “Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened, but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm.” —Robert Louis Stevenson, Reader’s Digest, Nov. 1941

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Encouraging quotes about success

86. “Success is often the result of taking a misstep in the right direction.” —Al Bernstein, Reader’s Digest, April 1976

87. “Don’t say you can’t until you prove you can’t.” —Les Paul, Reader’s Digest, June 1957

88. “It’s a whole lot more satisfying to reach for the stars, even if you end up landing only on the moon.” —Kermit the Frog, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 2007

89. “The sky isn’t the limit—the sky has no limit.” —Sarah Barker, Reader’s Digest, April 2020

90. “Speak your mind, even if your voice shakes.” —Maggie Kuhn, Reader’s Digest, May 2016

91. “All glory comes from daring to begin.” —Eugene F. Ware, Reader’s Digest, Jan. 1978

92. “If your world doesn’t allow you to dream, move to one where you can.” —Billy Idol, Reader’s Digest, Dec. 2002

93. “Faith is taking the first step. Even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” —Martin Luther King Jr., Reader’s Digest, Sept. 2014

94. “I’d rather regret the risks that didn’t work out than the chances I didn’t take at all.” —Simone Biles, Reader’s Digest, July/Aug. 2020

95. “In the face of uncertainty, there is nothing wrong with hope.” —Bernie Siegel, Reader’s Digest, July 1990

96. “Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.” —J.K. Rowling, Reader’s Digest, Nov. 2003

97. “Action is the antidote to despair.” —Joan Baez, Reader’s Digest, May 1997

98. “The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep.” —Harry Ruby, Reader’s Digest, June 1952

99. “Be thankful for what you have—you’ll end up having more.” —Oprah Winfrey, Reader’s Digest, Dec. 2019/Jan. 2020

100. “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes.” —Marcel Proust, Reader’s Digest, Feb. 1981

If you enjoyed reading and sharing these inspirational quotes, we have a list of life-changing quotes you’ll never forget.

Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite quotes for over 100 years. The sayings and quips that appear in the magazine’s “Quotable Quotes” (formerly “Remarkable Remarks”) are curated from interviews and essays originally published in the magazine, reprints from trusted titles and other verified sources. For this piece on inspirational quotes, writer Linda Roman ensured that all information is accurate. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Additional reporting by Lucie Turkel and Greg Daugherty.