100+ Motivational quotes to inspire your positive mindset for success in life

In today’s fast-paced and competitive world, it's easy to lose track of our passion and goals and become overwhelmed by the challenges we face—no matter which walks of life you hail from. If you speak particularly of people involved in business endeavours across industries, we're often faced with constant pressure to perform at our best and achieve success, whether it's in our careers or our personal lives.

It's during these very moments of doubt and uncertainty that motivational quotes can be quite a powerful tool to help you in staying focused and motivated.

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

By tapping into the wisdom and experiences of successful individuals who have overcome similar obstacles, you can gain valuable insights and inspiration that can guide you towards achieving your own goals and aspirations. Whether it's a quote from a famous leader or a successful entrepreneur, these words of wisdom can bring the clarity and direction you require to keep yourself on track and stay motivated, even when faced with animosity.

Moreover, motivational quotes can help you cultivate a positive mindset and attitude, which is essential for success in any field. By focusing on the possibilities instead of the limitations, you can develop a sense of resilience and optimism that can help us overcome obstacles and bounce back from failures.

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

In this article, we list down motivational quotes to help you stay inspired on your journey towards success. These quotes are carefully chosen to empower you with the very guidance and inspiration you need to overcome challenges, stay focused on your goals, and reach your full potential.

Whether you're a business executive, an entrepreneur, or simply someone looking for inspiration, these quotes are sure to help you rise to the challenge and achieve your dreams!

Also Read: Best Motivational Quotes to Achieve Success in Life

Motivational Quotes For Success: Hard Work is Key

Speaking of inspirational quotes, more often than not we’re bogged down by the prospect of hard work; putting in significant efforts continuously while working towards our goals can seem like climbing a mountain with no peak in sight, after all. When you’re close to giving in, these quotes can help you get back on track:

1. "If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful after all." — Michelangelo
2. "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." — Maya Angelou
3. "Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do." — Pele
4. "I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but should get you pretty near." — Margaret Thatcher
5. "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all." — Sam Ewing
6. "The only thing standing between you and outrageous success is continuous progress you need discipline." — Dan Waldschmidt
7. "Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work."— Stephen King
8. "Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning. Once it does, it becomes the kind of thing that makes you grab your wife around the waist and dance a jig." — Malcolm Gladwell
9. "The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses — behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights." — Muhammad Ali
10. "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." — Dale Carnegie
11. "The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary." — Vince Lombardi
    
12. "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." — Colin Powell
13. "Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value." — Albert Einstein
14. “Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.” ― Albert Einstein
15. “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” ― Winston S. Churchill
16. “Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door. ” ― Coco Chanel
17. “If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut” ― Albert Einstein
18. “It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
19. “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” ― Albert Einstein
20. “It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.” – William James
21. “Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation, there is sure to be failure.” — Confucius
22. “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas A. Edison
23. “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” – Herman Melville
24. “In most things success depends on knowing how long it takes to succeed.” – Montesquieu
25. “I don’t believe in failure. It’s not failure if you enjoyed the process.” – Oprah Winfrey
26. “Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.” ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
27. “The worst part of success is trying to find someone who is happy for you.” ― Bette Midler
28. “I'm a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the heart to let him down.” ― Abraham Lincoln
29. “However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.” — Stephen Hawking
30. “Today a reader. Tomorrow a leader.” – Anonymous
31. He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.” — Chinese Proverb
    

Also Read: 28 Best motivational quotes to elevate your mindset and enable positive thinking

Motivational Quotes for Your Career: Believe in Yourself

Taking a step towards your passion can be hard, especially when you lack faith or doubt your own expertise. At these moments of hesitation, we hope these motivational quotes provide the final push you need:

1. "Whatever we believe about ourselves and our ability comes true for us." — Susan L. Taylor
2. "People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it." — George Bernard Shaw
3. "He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying." — Nietzsche
4. "The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph." — Thomas Paine, American Founding Father
5. "Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations." — Dr. Mae Jemison
6. "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." — Arthur Ashe
7. “You can do what you have to do, and sometimes you can do it even better than you think you can.” - Jimmy Carter
8. “It's hard to beat a person who never gives up.”— Babe Ruth
9. “You may be the only person left who believes in you, but it's enough. It takes just one star to pierce a universe of darkness. Never give up.” — Richelle E. Goodrich
10. "The minute you decide to do what you love to do, you have made a life plan for yourself and a career choice." — Huda Kattan
11. “Earn Nicely, spend wisely and you will live happily.” ― Auliq Ice
12. Match your talent with opportunities that you are passionate about.” ― Germany Kent
13. “When opportunities knock on your door, don't wait too long to decide because when you take too much time, the decision will be made for you — typically, this will not be to your benefit.” ― Jen Alvares
14. “A rare skill can help you pay more bills than usual.”― David Angway
15. “Ever day you spend at work is a foundation for your future.” ― Abhishek Ratna, No Parking. No Halt. Success Non Stop!
16. “No career counselor or internship will be able to help you with your career if you don't have an aim, purpose, and passion for what you want to do in life.” ― Germany Kent
17. “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
18. “Leaders never use the word failure. They look upon setbacks as learning experiences.” – Brian Tracy
19. “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” — Confucius
20. “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.” — Kurt Cobain
21. "You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do." —Confucius
22. “If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on.” – Sheryl Sandberg
23. “Opportunities don’t happen, you create them.” – Chris Grosser
24. “Find out what you like doing best, and get someone to pay you for doing it.” – Katharine Whitehorn
    
25. Feeling confident or pretending that you feel confident is necessary to reach for opportunities. It’s a cliché, but opportunities are rarely offered; they’re seized. – Sheryl Sandberg
26. “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” —Stephen Covey
27. “Getting fired is nature’s way of telling you that you had the wrong job in the first place.” —Hal Lancaster
28. “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.” —Steve Jobs
29. “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” —Milton Berle
30. “So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune.” — Ruth Bader Ginsburg
31. “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” — Benjamin Franklin
32. “You are never too small to make a difference.” — Greta Thunberg
33. “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” — Ryunosuke Satoro, Japanese author.
34. “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean
    
    

Motivational Quotes: If You Fail, Try Again

Even when you know that hard work is the key to success, failures are sure to bring you down at some point or other. It’s important to remember that your failure doesn’t define you, and simply tell you to take another road to success:

1. "As I look back on my life, I realise that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being redirected to something better." — Dr. Steve Maraboli
2. "Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other." — Walter Elliot
3. "Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success." — Dale Carnegie,
4. "You’re not obligated to win. You’re obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day." — Marian Wright Edelman
5. "Success isn't always about greatness. It's about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come." — Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
6. "Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time." — Thomas Edison
7. Your hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of your life. Keep going. Tough situations build strong people in the end.”- Roy T. Bennett
8. “If you have a dream, don’t just sit there. Gather courage to believe that you can succeed and leave no stone unturned to make it a reality.”— Dr. Roopleen
9. “No. Don't give up hope just yet. It's the last thing to go. When you have lost hope, you have lost everything. And when you think all is lost, when all is dire and bleak, there is always hope.” — Pittacus Lore
10. “Change course, but don’t give up.”- Roy T. Bennett
11. “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” —Walt Disney
12. “Courage doesn't always roar, sometimes it's the quiet voice at the end of the day whispering 'I will try again tomorrow.” — Mary Anne Radmacher
13. "It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure." — Bill Gates
14. “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”― Thomas A. Edison
15. “Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.” ― Lance Armstrong Sally Jenkins, Every Second Counts
16. “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”― Robert F. Kennedy
17. “Just because you fail once doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything.” ― Marilyn Monroe
18. “Failure is a bend in the road, not the end of the road. Learn from failure and keep moving forward.” ― Roy T. Bennett
19. “Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.” ― Robert T. Kiyosaki, Rich Dad, Poor Dad
20. “The one who falls and gets up is stronger than the one who never tried. Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying.” ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
21. “Leaders never use the word failure. They look upon setbacks as learning experiences.” – Brian Tracy
22. “Failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success” ― Arianna Huffington
23. “We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” –Arianna Huffington
24. “Failure isn’t an option. I’ve erased the word ‘fear’ from my vocabulary, and I think when you erase fear, you can’t fail.” –Alicia Keys
25. “Never be afraid of failure. And don’t stop yourself from doing something you want to do because of what others might think. Only you know yourself best.” –Suki Waterhouse
26. “Failure doesn’t mean you are a failure it just means you haven’t succeeded yet.” ― Robert H. Schuller
27. “I think everyone should experience defeat at least once during their career. You learn a lot from it.” ― Lou Holtz
28. “All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.” ― Sophocles, Antigone
29. “There is no failure except in no longer trying.” ― Elbert Hubbard
30. “The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.” ― Stephen McCranie
31. “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, “I’m possible!” — Audrey Hepburn
32. "Winners never quit, and quitters never win." ― Vince Lombardi
33. “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” —Karim Seddiki
34. There is no secret to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. – General Colin Powell
35. Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses. – George Washington Carver
    
    

Motivational Quotes: Take Charge of Your Life

To achieve your ambition, you need to live a life of positivity and learn to persevere no matter how many walls life builds in your path. Here are a few inspirational quotes to help keep you motivated throughout your journey to greatness:

1. "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." — Charles R. Swindoll
2. "Obstacles can't stop you. Problems can't stop you. Most of all, other people can't stop you. Only you can stop you." — Jeffrey Gitomer
3. "We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success." — Arianna Huffington
4. "If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant. If we did not sometimes taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome." — Josh Billings
5. "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." — Muhammad Ali
6. "Impossible is just an opinion." — Paulo Coelho
7. "On any given Monday I am one sale closer and one idea away from being a millionaire." — Larry D. Turner
8. "Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible." —Tony Robbins
9. "Sometimes, you have to give up. Sometimes, knowing when to give up, when to try something else, is genius. Giving up doesn’t mean stopping. Don’t ever stop." — Phil Knight
10. "You can't get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover will be yourself." — Alan Alda
11. "I am who I am today because of the choices I made yesterday." — Eleanor Roosevelt
12. “You can dance in the storm. Don't wait for the rain to be over before because it might take too long. You can do it now. Wherever you are, right now, you can start, right now; this very moment.”- Israelmore Ayivor
13. “Do it again. Play it again. Sing it again. Read it again. Write it again. Sketch it again. Rehearse it again. Run it again. Try it again. Because again is practice, and practice is improvement, and improvement only leads to perfection.”- Richelle E. Goodrich
14. “There are five important things for living a successful and fulfilling life: never stop dreaming, never stop believing, never give up, never stop trying, and never stop learning.”- Roy T. Bennett
15. “Every master was once a disaster.” – David T.S Wood
16. “When it comes to your dreams, every risk is worth it.” – Joel Brown
17. “Gain control of your time, and you will gain control of your life.” John Landis Mason
18. “Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals.” ― Roy Bennett
19. “If you don’t have a goal in mind, you can’t expect to achieve it.”― Frank Sonnenberg, The Path to a Meaningful Life
20. “Focus on yourself and your goals and don’t get distracted by dishonesty and disloyalty from people, who only waste your time and energy!”― Lily Amis
21. “Your focus should be on becoming a type of person you want to be, not a specific goal” ― James Clear, Atomic Habits
22. “Life is not about a goal to be achieved, but a goal to be reached.”― Pawan Pandit, Alive Sentence
23. You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.” — Oprah Winfrey
24. “Goals must stretch and test your cognitive skills for results achievement.” — Invajy
25. “If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.” —Andrew Carnegie
26. “People with ambition don’t give a damn what other people think of them.” ― Diane Setterfield
27.  “My belief in life is that you need only three things to get to the top- Talent, Ambition and Initiative.” ― Ankit Patni
28. "When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps." ― Confucius
29. "If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you." ― Les Brown
30. "No matter how many goals you have achieved, you must set your sights on a higher one." ― Jessica Savitch
31. “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
32. “Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.” – Farrah Gray
33. “It’s the pain and failure that teaches you the best lesson in life and motivates you to rebuild yourself and stand again with a robust faith.” —Priti Chaubey
34. “In life you make the small decisions with your head and the big decisions with your heart.” —Omid Kordgstani
    

We hope these motivational quotes on life get you through the toughest times, and teach you to keep going, because there’s always light at the end of the tunnel, even if you find it later and not sooner.

Good luck with all your endeavours.