50+ inspirational quotes to keep you motivated to find success and achieve goals in life

Inspirational Quotes

People refer to some of us as business folks generally, but who are we, really? 

‘Business folks’—a colloquial term—refers to business executives, entrepreneurs, investors, managers, consultants, and other professionals who are involved in the many aspects of running a business, be it finance or marketing or operations or management. Business folks are also those who harbour a passion for business, follow market news and trends, aspiring to launch our own endeavours into the cut-throat world out there.

No matter what point you are at in launching your own enterprise—the planning stage, the funding stage, the execution stage, or at a stage where you’re facing one obstacle after another while fighting tooth and nail to stay ahead of the pack—it’s natural to lose heart whenever you’re stuck. And considering the competitive world of business across industries, ‘being stuck’ is something that can happen often.

Also Read: Quotes by APJ Abdul Kalam: Inspiring thoughts for a positive life and success

These are the times when you’re in dire need of some inspiration, and encouraging quotes from successful industry leaders and changemakers who have been where you are right now, can be just the motivation you need to keep going.

Without further ado, here are some noteworthy inspirational quotes from famous leaders across the world; these are some of the people who have been at the top of their game, and the views they have shared speak of not only the hands-on aspects of leadership and commencement and management of projects, but also of what goes on behind-the-scenes—reading, observing, learning, and life in general.

Also Read: Motivational quotes to inspire your positive mindset for success in life

You may already know some of these quotes by heart, and yet some others may teach you a thing or two about taking initiative and giving wings to your dreams.

Inspirational Quotes: From Failure to Success

Speaking of losing heart and being close to giving up on your passion, what better way to start our list out than by quotes about success and failure? Here’s what the likes of world-renowned business magnets, scientists, and sportspeople have to tell you:

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1.  "It's fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure." - Bill Gates
2. Don't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going." - Sam Levenson
3. "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky
4. "Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world." - Roy T. Bennett
5. "Believe you can and you're halfway there." - Theodore Roosevelt
6. "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas Edison
7. "Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go." - William Feather
8. “Success awaits those who steadfastly commit to any requisite sacrifice” ― Ken Poirot
9. “Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” – Helen Keller
10. "Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." —Winston Churchill

Also Read: 50 quotes from visionary leaders to motivate and inspire entrepreneurs

Inspirational Quotes: Get Yourself Out of a Pinch

Need someone to remind you why you dreamed of launching your own enterprise in the first place? Steve Jobs and more would tell you this:

1. "You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do." - Henry Ford
2. "Your time is limited, don't waste it living someone else's life." - Steve Jobs
3. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
4. "The biggest risk is not taking any risk... In a world that's changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks." - Mark Zuckerberg
5. "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." - Theodore Roosevelt
6. "When in a tough situation, remember you are not alone. Others have faced similar situations and succeeded." - Catherine Pulsifer
7. “Entrepreneurs are great at dealing with uncertainty and also very good at minimizing risk. That’s the classic entrepreneur.” – Mohnish Pabrai.
8. “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.” – Steve Jobs
9. “I knew that if I failed I wouldn’t regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not trying.” -Jeff Bezo
10. “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over.” – Richard Branson
    

Inspirational Quotes: It’s Now or Never

Need the final push to stop procrastinating and take the right step in the direction of your passion and ambition? Leaders across the world have said just what you need to hear:

Also Read: Best Motivational Quotes to Achieve Success in Life

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1. "If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission." - Anonymous
2. "Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle." - Christian D. Larson
3. "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
4. "Opportunities don't happen. You create them." - Chris Grosser
5. "The best way to predict the future is to create it." - Peter Drucker
6. “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. There is no substitute for hard work.”  – Thomas Edison
7. “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs
8. “Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.” – Bill Bradley
9. “The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.” – Maya Angelou
10. “Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.” – Walter H. Cottingham
    

Inspirational Quotes: Try Until You Make Them See You

Some plans of yours didn’t really work out, and now you are afraid of putting your ideas out there again? People hailed as influential leaders across the globe have been there too, and here’s what they have to say:

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1. “You must be very patient, very persistent. The world isn’t going to shower gold coins on you just because you have a good idea. You’re going to have to work like crazy to bring that idea to the attention of people.” - Herb Kelleher
2. “Do every job you’re in like you’re going to do it for the rest of your life, and demonstrate that ownership of it.” - Mary Barra
3. "Believe in yourself, take on your challenges, dig deep within yourself to conquer fears. Never let anyone bring you down. You got this." - Chantal Sutherland
4. "Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding on the 20th." - Julie Andrews
5. "If you don't give up, you still have a chance. Giving up is the greatest failure." - Jack Ma
6. "If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time." - Steve Jobs
7. “You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.” Zig Ziglar
   

Inspirational Quotes: All About Being a Leader

Leadership is not just about getting to the top, it’s about taking your dreams and your people and binding everyone together to stay there. You climb hills after hills as a leader and yet it never ends, if you truly put your heart and mind to it. For the times when you need a little push, here are some inspirational quotes from people who have mastered the art of inhabiting the top and raising the bars higher with every passing day:

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1. "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." - Steve Jobs
2. “Power should be reserved for weightlifting and boats, and leadership really involves responsibility.” - Herb Kelleher
3. "Leadership is the ability to get extraordinary achievement from ordinary people." - Brian Tracy
4. “Your employees come first. And if you treat your employees right, guess what? Your customers come back, and that makes your shareholders happy. Start with employees and the rest follows from that.” - Herb Kelleher
5. “If we win the hearts and minds of employees, we’re going to have better business success.” - Mary Barra
6. "Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge." - Simon Sinek
7. "A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others." - Douglas MacArthur
8. “To be a CEO is a calling. You should not do it because it is a job. It is a calling, and you have got to be involved in it with your head, heart, and hands. Your heart has got to be in the job; you got to love what you do; it consumes you. And if you are not willing to get into the CEO job that way, there is no point getting into it.” - Indra Nooyi
9. "The measure of a leader is not the number of people who serve him, but the number of people he serves." - John C. Maxwell
10. "The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly." - Jim Rohn
11. “Just because you are a CEO, don’t think you have landed. You must continually increase your learning, the way you think, and the way you approach the organization. I’ve never forgotten that.”- Indra Nooyi
12. “Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front.” ― Nelson Mandela
13. “Great leaders can see the greatness in others when they can’t see it themselves and lead them to their highest potential they don’t even know.” ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
14. “The key responsibility of leadership is to think about the future. No one else can do it for you.” – Brian Tracy
    

Inspirational Quotes: How to Lead Your Life

Finally, some words that give you a glimpse of how great leaders have chosen to lead their lives, so you can take some inspiration away for your lifestyle:

1. “I insist on a lot of time being spent, almost every day, to just sit and think. That is very uncommon in American business. I read and think. So I do more reading and thinking, and make less impulse decisions than most people in business. I do it because I like this kind of life.” - Warren Buffett
2. "It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light." - Aristotle Onassis
3.  "To be successful, you must be so unique, you must be so different that if people want what you have, they have to come to you to get it." - Walt Disney
4. "The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity." - Amelia Earhart
5. "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." - Albert Schweitzer
6. “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
7. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ― Albert Einstein
8. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.” ― Bill Keane
9. “To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
10. “And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
11. “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” ― Marie Curie
    

With us so far? All of these quotes from great leaders the world praises serve to highlight the importance of taking action, continuous learning, and living a purposeful life of continuous positivity.

We do hope these words encourage you to make the most of your life, and to build and lead with empathy and determination!