100+ Motivational Quotes for Work, Life and Success

The right motivational quote can inspire you stop procrastinating, take on new challenges, build confidence, start a business, or clear that to-do list.

Ahead, read 106 motivational and inspirational quotes from a wide variety of public figures, both historical and contemporary.

100+ motivational quotes to inspire your life in 2026

• Motivational quotes about success
• Motivational quotes for personal life
• Motivational quotes for work
• Motivational quotes for women
• Motivational quotes for men
• Motivational quotes for students
• Daily motivational quotes
• Motivational Monday quotes
• Best motivational quotes to start your day
• Powerful motivational quotes
• Deep motivational quotes
• Funny motivational quotes
• Team motivational quotes
• Short motivational quotes
• Positive motivational quotes
• Inspirational quotes
• Encouraging quotes
• Uplifting motivational quotes
• Quotes about life

Motivational quotes about success

As entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker said, “There is no royal and flower-strewn road to success.” The quotes below speak to the importance of hard work and optimism when it comes to achievement.

• “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” —Herman Melville

• “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. The slogan ’Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” —Calvin Coolidge

• “Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.” —John Wooden

• “You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.” —Tina Fey

• “Keep your eyes on the stars, but remember to keep your feet on the ground.” ―Theodore Roosevelt

• “Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose a challenge instead of competence.” ―Eleanor Roosevelt

• “Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” —Vince Lombardi

• “Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work at it until it’s done right.” —Walt Disney

• “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope.” —Helen Keller

• “The most effective way to do it is to do it.” —Amelia Earhart

• “You have to have this undeniable belief in whatever your dream and vision is that nothing can deter. You have to be delusional, but your work ethic has to match that level of delusion.” —Lanny Smith, founder of Actively Black

Motivational quotes for personal life

Sometimes the right quote can help you move on, stop procrastinating, and grow from life’s challenges. That has been the case for Raven Gibson, founder of apparel and accessories brand Legendary Rootz. 

On an episode of Shopify Masters, Raven says one reason she shares empowering quotes for Black women on social media is because she herself needed those words at one time. “Oftentimes when I share those messages, that’s a message that either I need in that moment, or that I had reminded myself in the past and I want to share it with other people,” Raven says.

• “Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward.” ―Vern Law

• “To know how much there is to know is the beginning of learning to live.” —Dorothy West

• “Most people overestimate what they’re going to do in a year, and they underestimate what they can do in a decade or two or three or four.” —Tony Robbins

• “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” —Joseph Campbell

• “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

• “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” —Les Brown

Motivational quotes for work

Let these work-related quotes inspire your 9-to-5.

• “Either you run the day or the day runs you.” —Jim Rohn

• “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” —Paulo Coelho

• “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” —Tony Robbins

• “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. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” —Steve Jobs

• “Inspiration usually comes during work, rather than before it.” —Madeleine L’Engle

Motivational quotes for women

Read what inspirational and influential women have to say on the topics of equality and succeeding in a man’s world.

• “Women challenge the status quo because we are never it.” —Cindy Gallop

• “Whenever you see a successful woman, look out for three men who are going out of their way to try to block her.” —Yulia Tymoshenko

• “Some women choose to follow men, and some choose to follow their dreams. If you’re wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn’t love you anymore.” —Lady Gaga

• “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” ―Shirley Chisholm

• “We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” ―Malala Yousafzai

• “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” —Margaret Thatcher

• “We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.” —Sheryl Sandberg

• “It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.” —Madeleine Albright

• “Women must learn to play the game as men do.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

Motivational quotes for men

These quotes explore different aspects of masculinity and manhood.

• “Try not to become a man of success, but rather become a man of value.” —Albert Einstein

• “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” —Epictetus

• “In an antipatriarchal culture males do not have to prove their value and worth. They know from birth that simply being gives them value, the right to be cherished and loved.” —bell hooks, pen name of Gloria Jean Watkins

• “I submit to you that if a man hasn’t discovered something he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” —Martin Luther King Jr.

Motivational quotes for students

Get ready to hit the books with these inspirational quotes for students.

• “You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” —George Horace Lorimer

• “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” —Nelson Mandela

• “The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity.” —Amelia Earhart

• “You’ll find that education is just about the only thing lying around loose in this world, and it’s about the only thing a fellow can have as much of as he’s willing to haul away.” —George Horace Lorimer

• “Education is the development of power and ideal.” —W.E.B. Du Bois

• “If you want to know the reason why I’m standing here, it’s because of education. I never cut class.” —Michelle Obama

• “Study as if you were to live forever; live as if you were to die tomorrow.” —St. Edmund of Abingdon

Daily motivational quotes

If you want to make motivational quotes part of your daily routine, try creating visual reminders, like a colorful Post-it on the bathroom mirror. Visual cues can serve as memory aids, according to Psychology Today.

• “Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.” —Steve Jobs

• “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” —Albert Einstein

• “If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.” ―Jim Rohn

• “Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” ―Abraham Lincoln

• “Live out of your imagination, not your history.” —Stephen Covey

• “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is a quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” —Mary Anne Radmacher

• “If the decisions you make about where you invest your blood, sweat, and tears are not consistent with the person you aspire to be, you’ll never become that person.” ―Clayton M. Christensen

• “Every day that I do something hard, I get to the next place and then the muscle gets a little stronger, and I can do something bigger. But it was because of all those little things I did that made me willing to leap to the next thing.” — Ellen Bennett, fFounder of Hedley & Bennett

Motivational Monday quotes

Start your week with a moment of Monday mindfulness or meditation. On an episode of Shopify Masters, Glamnetic Founder and CEO Ann McFerran says a regular meditation practice “plays a big role in my creativity and making me feel consistently inspired every day.” 

If you’re new to meditation, one way to start is to choose a quote to ground your thoughts.

• “When you arise in the morning, think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love.” —Elbert Hubbard

• “Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.” —Wayne Dyer

• “Monday is for people with a mission. Those who favor vacations, not weekends.” —Christina Imre

Motivational Friday quotes

Gratitude research suggests focusing on what you’re thankful for can boost your happiness. You might take Friday to reflect on your favorite moments from the past week, perhaps even connecting those experiences to a favorite motivational quote.

• “Friday I tasted life. It was a vast morsel.” —Emily Dickinson

• “You will need to know the difference between Friday and a fried egg. It’s quite a simple difference, but an important one. Friday comes at the end of the week, whereas a fried egg comes out of a chicken.” —Douglas Adams

• “Always strive to excel, but only on weekends.” ―Richard Rorty

Best motivational quotes to start your day

You can start your day with intention by selecting a motivational quote that affirms your values. Research published by The American Psychological Association found that self-affirmations can improve overall well-being. 

• “You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” —Zig Ziglar

• “Show up, show up, show up, and after a while the muse shows up, too.” —Isabel Allende

• “Today’s accomplishments were yesterday’s impossibilities.” —Robert H. Schuller

Powerful motivational quotes

Step into your power with a quote as inspiration. 

• “Power’s not given to you. You have to take it.” —Beyoncé

• “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” —Vince Lombardi

• “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” —Marcus Aurelius

• “The time is always right to do what is right.” —Martin Luther King Jr.

• “There’s power in remaining focused.” —Mark Rushmore, cofounder of SURI

Deep motivational quotes

Some quotes might make you think a little harder or question your preconceptions.

• “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

• "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us." —Helen Keller

• “The question is not what you look at—but how you look and whether you see.” —Henry David Thoreau

• “The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.” —William James

• “What I fear most is unfulfilled potential.” —Will Yeung, founder of Yeung Man Cooking

Funny motivational quotes

Motivational quotes don’t need to be serious. Humor may even help you better recall a quote’s message. A Loma Linda University study found that humor can improve short-term memory. 

• “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily.” —Zig Ziglar

• “Life is like a sewer … what you get out of it depends on what you put into it.” —Tom Lehrer

• “I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.” —Lily Tomlin in The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe

• “We are all worms. But I do believe that I am a glow-worm.” —Winston Churchill

Team motivational quotes

Working with others can be both rewarding and challenging. These quotes about teamwork can help inspire a group effort.

• “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” —Michael Jordan

• “Individual commitment to a group effort—that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” —Vince Lombardi

• “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” —Helen Keller

• “Remember, teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.” —Patrick Lencioni

• “I think I have learned that the best way to lift one’s self up is to help someone else.” —Booker T. Washington

Short motivational quotes

A quote doesn’t need to be long to have an impact. These one-liners get to the point.

• “Love your family, work super hard, live your passion.” —Gary Vaynerchuk

• “We always may be what we might have been.” —Adelaide Anne Procter

• “If you’re not positive energy, you’re negative energy.” —Mark Cuban

• “Well done is better than well said.” —Benjamin Franklin

• “Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.” —James Dean

Positive motivational quotes

These quotes apply a growth mindset to setbacks. You can use them to help reframe challenges or motivate yourself to take the next step in your career or life.

• “Don’t look at your feet to see if you are doing it right. Just dance.” ―Anne Lamott

• “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost.” ―Martha Graham

• “He that can have patience can have what he will.” ―Benjamin Franklin

• “The only one who can tell you ‘you can’t win’ is you, and you don’t have to listen.” —Jessica Ennis

• “Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don’t settle for them.” —Mia Hamm

• “Failure is only the opportunity more intelligently to begin again.” —Henry Ford

• “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” —Wayne Dyer

• “We must reach out our hand in friendship and dignity, both to those who would befriend us and those who would be our enemy.” —Arthur Ashe

• “It’s fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” —Bill Gates

Inspirational quotes

You can tap into your inner strength with a little nudge from an inspirational quote.

• “The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.” ―Arthur C. Clarke

• “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because, without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” ―Maya Angelou

• “I will not lose, for even in defeat, there’s a valuable lesson learned, so it evens up for me.” —Jay-Z

• “You can never leave footprints that last if you are always walking on tiptoe.” —Leymah Gbowee

• “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” —Jane Goodall

• “I choose to make the rest of my life the best of my life.” —Louise Hay

• “People’s passion and desire for authenticity is strong.” —Constance Wu

• “A surplus of effort could overcome a deficit of confidence.” —Sonia Sotomayor

• “Doubt is a killer. You just have to know who you are and what you stand for.” —Jennifer Lopez

• “No one changes the world who isn’t obsessed.” —Billie Jean King

Encouraging quotes

If you’re trying something new, like starting a business, an encouraging quote can provide an emotional anchor through uncertainty. These quotes address fear of failure and the importance of stepping outside your comfort zone, especially when developing an entrepreneurial mindset.

• “Try, whatever it is; failure is not the opposite of success but a stepping stone to success.” —Ariana Huffington

• “A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with the wind. Even a head wind is better than nothing.” —John Neal

• “You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside.” —Wayne Dyer

• “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

Uplifting motivational quotes

An uplifting quote can feel like a bit of friendly support when you need it most. 

• “Failure doesn’t matter; you only have to be right once.” —Drew Houston

• “Ideation without execution is delusion.” —Robin Sharma

• “Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.” —Pema Chödrön

• “First, forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.” ―Octavia E. Butler

• “The best way out is always through.” ―Robert Frost

• “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” —Frederick Douglass

• “Someone will declare, ‘I am the leader!’ and expect everyone to get in line and follow him or her to the gates of heaven or hell. My experience is that it doesn’t happen that way… Others follow you based on the quality of your actions rather than the magnitude of your declarations.” ―Bill Walsh

• “Relentlessly prune bullshit, don’t wait to do things that matter, and savor the time you have. That’s what you do when life is short.” —Paul Graham

• “For every reason it’s not possible, there are hundreds of people who have faced the same circumstances and succeeded.” —Jack Canfield

Quotes about life

These reflective quotes might help you think about the bigger picture of your life and legacy.

• “Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears.” —Laird Hamilton

• “For the great doesn't happen through impulse alone, and is a succession of little things that are brought together.” —Vincent van Gogh

• “Sometimes magic is just someone spending more time on something than anyone else might reasonably expect.” —Raymond Joseph Teller

• “As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.” —Wilferd Arlan Peterson

• “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” —Earl Nightingale

• “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” —Robert Frost