A single quote has the power to change a whole life.
In this list, I would like to introduce you to 111+ quotes that will inspire and motivate you to live by them.
Because even more important than reading them is acting on them.
Let’s go.
List with 111+ wisdoms
It is not enough to know, you also have to apply; it is not enough to want, you also have to do.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, poet and writer
Live as if you were going to die tomorrow. Learn as if you would live forever.
Mahatma Gandhi, politician and spiritual leader
Don’t let yourself be dissuaded from doing what you really want to do. If there is love and inspiration, it can’t go wrong.
Ella Fitzgerald, singer
Love knows no boundaries, neither in space nor in time. It follows its own law: it only knows being.
Khalil Gibran, poet and philosopher
The family is the first bulwark against the storm of life.
Charles Swindoll, theologian and author
When everything is against you, remember: an airplane takes off because it flies against the wind, not with the wind.
Henry Ford, industrialist
Three things have remained from paradise: the stars of the night, the flowers of the day and the eyes of the children.
Dante Alighieri, poet
Where could a person live more comfortably than in his family – and where more uncomfortably than in his family!
Otto Weiß, philosopher
Of all the gifts that fate grants us, there is no greater good than friendship – no greater wealth, no greater joy.
Epicurus of Samos, philosopher
Success does not come to you, you have to go towards it.
Marva Collins, educator
When you move away from the mountains, you see them in their true form; it is the same with friends.
Hans Christian Andersen, writer
Don’t let your fears stop you. Grow with it.
J.K. Rowling, author
Branches part ways in the forest. I took the less traveled one – and that made all the difference.
Robert Frost, poet
Because the clever always give in, the stupid rule the world.
Unknown, Author
It is better to light a single small light than to curse the darkness.
Confucius, philosopher
Never allow yourself to meet someone who is not happier after meeting you.
Mother Teresa, missionary
Happiness does not depend on who you are or what you have, but on what you think.
Dale Carnegie, author and motivational speaker
If you believe in your abilities and are prepared to work hard, you can overcome any problem.
Lailah Gifty Akita, author
A day without laughter is a day lost.
Charlie Chaplin, actor and director
Fate shuffles the cards and we play.
Arthur Schopenhauer, philosopher
Have the courage to use your own mind.
Immanuel Kant, philosopher
I’d rather die out of passion than out of boredom.
Vincent van Gogh, painter
We rarely think about what we have, but always about what we lack.
Arthur Schopenhauer, philosopher
No matter how difficult yesterday was, you can always start again today.
Buddhist wisdom
Nobody but you can make you happy or unhappy.
Martin Opitz, poet
When the time comes when you could, the time is over when you can.
Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, writer
The true vocation of man is to come to himself.
Hermann Hesse, writer
Criticizing others has never spared anyone their own performance.
Noël Coward, writer and actor
“We become what we think.”
Earl Nightingale, American radio announcer and author
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
Chinese proverb, Cultural wisdom
“I am not the product of my circ*mstances. I am the product of my decisions.”
Stephen Covey, American author and management consultant
“Every child is an artist. The difficulty lies in remaining an artist when they grow up.”
Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter, sculptor and poet
“People say that motivation is not permanent. But neither is bathing. That’s why we recommend it every day.”
Zig Ziglar, American author and motivational speaker
“Aim for the moon. If you miss it, at least you’ll end up among the stars.”
Les Brown, American motivational speaker
“I can’t change the direction of the wind. But I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”
Jimmy Dean, American country singer and actor
“Believe and you’re already halfway there.”
Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States
“Other people’s opinions of you must not become your reality.”
Les Brown, American motivational speaker
“Twenty years from now, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do instead of the things you did. So pull up the anchor, leave the safe harbor and catch the wind in your sails. Discover, dream, explore.”
Mark Twain, American writer
“In our darkest hours, we must strive to see the light.”
Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipowner
“Do not judge a day by the fruit you have reaped, but by the seeds you have sown.”
Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish writer
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
Winston Churchill, British statesman
“A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart.”
Jonathan Swift, Irish writer
“Don’t cry that it’s over. Rejoice that it happened.”
Dr. Seuss, American children’s book author and cartoonist
“Be yourself. Everyone else already exists.”
Oscar Wilde, Irish writer
“You only live once. But if you do it right, then once is enough.”
Mae West, American actress and screenwriter
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement
“I can summarize everything I’ve learned about life in three words: It goes on.”
Robert Frost, American poet
“If you always tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
Mark Twain, American writer
You may forget the person you laughed with, but never the person you cried with.
Khalil Gibran, poet
Not to give life more years, but to give the years more life.
Martin Buber, philosopher
It is not death that we should fear, but that we will never begin to live.
Marcus Aurelius, philosopher
Being what we are and becoming what we can become is the goal of our lives.
Baruch de Spinoza, philosopher
If you have a WHY for living, you can put up with almost any HOW.
Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher
Don’t run after the past and don’t get lost in the future. The past is no more. The future has not yet arrived. Life is here and now.
Buddha, Religious leader
The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.
Pablo Picasso, artist
What matters is never the conditions that you find, but always the life’s work that you have made of it.
Elisabeth Lukas, psychotherapist
Love knows no reward. Love is there for the sake of love.
Confucius, philosopher
No matter how difficult yesterday was, you can always start again today.
Buddhistische Lebensweisheit
It’s not the years of your life that count. What counts is the life within these years.
Abraham Lincoln, Politiker und Anwalt
Experience teaches us that love is not about looking at each other, but about looking in the same direction together.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Schriftsteller und Pilot
How many wrongs a friend’s hug can make up for.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Philosoph und Schriftsteller
A little friendship is worth more to me than the admiration of the whole world.
Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, Staatsmann und Politiker
Either write something that is worth reading. Or live a life worth writing about.
Benjamin Franklin, Politiker, Erfinder und Schriftsteller
Branches part ways in the forest. I took the less traveled one – and that made all the difference.
Robert Frost, poet
“Everything that the human mind can conceive and believe, it can also achieve.”
Napoleon Hill, American self-help author
“The goal of life is not to be a successful person, but a valuable one.”
Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist
“It’s not the years of your life that count. What counts is the life within those years.”
Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States
“When everything is against you, remember: an airplane takes off because it flies against the wind, not with the wind.”
Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
“You will be disappointed if you fail. But you will be doomed if you don’t even try.”
Beverly Sills, American opera singer
“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”
Tony Robbins, American author and motivational speaker
“Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.”
Teddy Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States
“Dream big and dare to fail.”
Norman Vaughan, polar explorer and sled dog handler
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use it, the more you get out of it.”
Maya Angelou, American poet and civil rights activist
“Either write something worth reading. Or live a life worth writing about.”
Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States
“There is only one way to avoid criticism: Do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.”
Aristotle, Greek philosopher
“Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you.”
Jesus, central figure of Christianity
“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I hope I have no talent left and can say: I have used everything you have given me.”
Erma Bombeck, American columnist and author
“Many things catch the eye, but only follow the things that catch the heart.”
Ancient Indian proverb, Cultural wisdom
“Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.”
George Addair, motivational speaker
“Too many of us are not living our dreams, but living our fears.”
Les Brown, American motivational speaker
“Fall down seven times and get up eight times.”
Japanese proverb, Cultural wisdom
“The person who says that something cannot be done should not disturb the person who is doing it.”
Chinese proverb, Cultural wisdom
“There is no traffic jam on the extra mile.”
Roger Staubach, former American football quarterback
“You become what you believe.”
Oprah Winfrey, American presenter, actress, producer and entrepreneur
“I’d rather die out of passion than out of boredom.”
Vincent van Gogh, Dutch painter
“A truly rich man is the one whose children run into his arms, even if his hands are empty.”
Unknown
“If you want to have good children, invest twice as much time in them and only half as much money.”
Abigail Van Buren, American advice columnist
“Work on your dreams – otherwise someone will hire you to work on their dreams.”
Farrah Gray, American entrepreneur and author
“Education costs money. So does stupidity.”
Sir Claus Moser, British statistician
“It doesn’t matter how slowly you walk as long as you don’t stop.”
Confucius, Chinese philosopher
“Two paths diverge in the forest. I took the road less traveled – and that made all the difference.”
Robert Frost, American poet
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Wayne Gretzky, former Canadian ice hockey player
“I missed more than 9,000 throws. I lost almost 300 games. 26 times I was entrusted with the decisive throw and I missed it. I kept making mistakes. And that’s why I’m successful.”
Michael Jordan, former American basketball player
“Life is not about getting and having, but about giving and being.”
Kevin Kruse, American author
“I believe in luck. The harder I work, the more I get out of it.”
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States
“Success is not final, defeats are not fatal. What counts is the courage to carry on.”
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“I have not failed. I’ve found 10,000 ways in which something doesn’t work.”
Thomas A. Edison, American inventor and entrepreneur
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to become great.”
Les Brown, American motivational speaker
“There are only two ways to live a life. You can live as if nothing is a miracle. Or you can live as if everything is a miracle.”
Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist
“Live as if you were going to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were going to live forever.”
Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement
“Every minute you are angry, you lose 60 seconds of happiness.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher and poet
“Live every day as if your life had just begun.”
Johann Wolfgang Goethe, German poet
“Never, never, never give up.”
Winston Churchill, British statesman
“Most people fail in life not because they aim too high and miss. It’s because they aim too low and miss.”
Les Brown, American motivational speaker
“Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them more.”
Oscar Wilde, Irish writer
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift from God.”
Bil Keane, American cartoonist
“If you judge people, then you don’t have time to love them.”
Mother Theresa, nun and missionary
“Imagination is more important than knowledge, because knowledge is limited.”
Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist
“Sitting in church doesn’t make you a Christian. Sitting in the garage doesn’t make you a car either.”
Garrison Keillor, American author
“Logic takes you from A to Z. Imagination takes you everywhere.”
Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you do, then you will be successful.”
Albert Schweitzer, German doctor and theologian
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness – only light can. In the same way, hate cannot drive out hate – only love can.”
Martin Luther King, American civil rights activist
“It’s never too late to be who you could be.”
George Eliot, English writer
“Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.”
Dennis P. Kimbro, American author
“The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back in your wallet.”
Will Rogers, American humorist and actor
“Even if you are on the right path, you will be overtaken if you just sit there.”
Will Rogers, American humorist and actor
“Every time someone sighs: “Life is hard”, I want to ask: “Compared to what?”
Sydney Harris, American journalist
“The belief in heroism produces heroes.”
Benjamin Disraeli, British statesman and author
“To improve means to change. Being perfect means changing often.”
Winston Churchill, British statesman
“The real opportunity for success is not in the job, but in the person.”
Zig Ziglar, American author and motivational speaker
“When I let go of who I am, then I become who I could be.”
Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher
“Either you lead your day or the day leads you.”
Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur and author
“Life has two rules. Rule 1: Never give up. Rule 2: Always remember rule 1.”
Unknown
“Say less than you know. Show less than you have.”
William Shakespeare, English playwright
“No one can go back and make a new beginning. But everyone can start now and make a new end.”
Carl Bard, writer
“If you want to be successful as much as you want to breathe, then you will be successful.”
Eric Thomas, motivational speaker
“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.”
Harold Whitman, poet
“People see things and ask themselves: Why? I dream of things that have never been there before and ask myself: Why not?”
George Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright
“Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.”
Eleanor Roosevelt, Former First Lady of the USA
“If not us, then who? If not now, then when?”
John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the USA
“I am not the product of my circ*mstances. I am the product of my decisions.”
Stephen Covey, American author and businessman
“Life is either a daring adventure or life is nothing at all.”
Helen Keller, American author and activist
“In the end, it’s not whether you’ve changed the world, but how many worlds you’ve changed.”
Unknown
“Judge a day not by the fruits you have reaped, but by the seeds you have sown.”
Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish writer
“To be successful, your desire for success must be greater than your fear of making mistakes.”
Bill Cosby, American entertainer
“You have enemies? Very good. That means you stood up for something once in your life.”
Winston Churchill, British statesman
“Don’t follow the path. Go where there is no path and leave a trail.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher and poet
“A journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step.”
Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher
“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Be afraid of never having tried.”
Jack Canfield, American author
“Success: stumbling from mistake to mistake without losing enthusiasm.”
Winston Churchill, British statesman
“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 before you find it.”
Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc.
And we end the list with Steve Jobs.
I would therefore like to share this one video (The Secrets to Life) with you, which I watch regularly and which inspires me immensely.
Steve Jobs Secrets of Life
All the best for you!
Bernard
PS: If you’re looking for a light read (ideal for the loo) to soak up the best wisdom of the ancient Greeks (Stoics) on a daily or at least regular basis, then I recommend the book“The Daily Stoic” by Ryan Holiday.
