A cheerful attitude won’t fix everything, but it can shift our perspective. Whether life’s going smoothly or you’re dragging yourself through the day, your mindset can change how you experience it. A cheerful heart, when it’s real and rooted in hope or gratitude, is contagious. The cheerful quotes below help us to see how true that can be.
Staying upbeat isn’t about ignoring pain. It’s about choosing to focus on joy where you can and offering light to those who might need it more than you realize. Whether you’re cheering yourself up or trying to lift someone else, the right words can help.
Below, you’ll find cheerful quotes and phrases to help you stay grounded, face life with warmth and spread a bit of that cheer to others. Use these sayings to recharge your mindset, share encouragement or just start the day on a better note.
“Cheerful Heart” Quotes to Help You Stay Positive
A cheerful heart often starts with perspective. It’s not about pretending everything’s fine, it’s choosing to stay soft and hopeful even when it’s not. These “cheerful heart” quotes remind us that a positive attitude can be powerful, especially when life tests us.
- “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” ―Proverbs 17:22
- “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” ―Marcel Proust
- “Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.” ―Dalai Lama
- “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” ―Nicolas Chamfort
- “Cheerfulness is the best promoter of health and is as friendly to the mind as to the body.” ―Joseph Addison
- “Behind every wrinkle, there’s a story waiting to be told. Maybe that’s why people gather one last time to reminisce when loved ones depart .”―Bharani Kumar Buyakar, Once Again Beautiful And Pure: A Tale of Strength and Redemption
- “Remain cheerful, for nothing destructive can pierce through the solid wall of cheerfulness.”―Sri Chinmoy, The Wings of Joy: Finding Your Path to Inner Peace
- “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” ―Thich Nhat Hanh
- “Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl and have wrinkles.” ―F.O. Hamilton
- “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” ―Henri Nouwen
Related Reading: 15 Inspiring Quotes to Help You Find Joy
Cheerful Phrases for Work to Make the Most of Your 9 to 5
Bringing cheer to your workday can make a real difference not just in how you feel, but also in how others respond to you. A cheerful approach can build better teams, lower stress and boost morale, even during deadline season. Use these positive quotes to celebrate Friday with a coworker or give yourself a mid-week boost.
- “To be successful, the first thing to do is fall in love with your work.” ―Sister Mary Lauretta
- “Choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” ―Confucius
- “I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.” —J.B. Priestley
- “A happy employee is a productive employee.” ―Jay Sherman, Action Manifesto of a Madman for Good
- “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer someone else up.” ―Mark Twain
- “I feel like I’ve been split open and stuffed with sunshine.”―Tahereh Mafi, Ignite Me
- “Positive anything is better than negative nothing.” ―Elbert Hubbard
- “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” ―Aristotle
- “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” —Friedrich Nietzsche
Related reading: 17 quotes to help you find your happiness
‘Cheering Up’ Quotes for Friends and Family to Brighten Their Day
Sometimes, a few kind words go further than advice. Whether someone’s struggling or just having a grey day, these “cheering up” quotes are perfect to send to a friend, child, parent or partner who needs some encouragement.
- “If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.” ―Dolly Parton
- “When someone does something good, applaud! You will make two people happy.” ―Samuel Goldwyn
- “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.” ―Dr. Seuss
- “We rise by lifting others.” ―Robert Ingersoll
- “It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.” ―Mother Teresa
- “Be the reason someone believes in the goodness of people.” ―Karen Salmansohn
- “Work hard in silence, let success make the noise.” ―Frank Ocean
- “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” ―Bob Marley
- “There’s no such thing as ruining your life. Life’s a pretty resilient thing, it turns out.” —Sophie Kinsella, The Undomestic Goddess
Uplifting Quotes & Sayings to Be More Cheerful
These short, original sayings were written by the SUCCESS® team with everyday cheer in mind. Think of them as little mindset resets—gentle reminders to look for the light, keep smiling and offer warmth in small ways.
- “Cheer is louder when shared.”
- “You can’t fake sunshine, but you can carry your own.”
- “Smiles are free. Spread them recklessly.”
- “Be the lift in someone’s day.”
- “Even heavy days feel lighter when you’re kind to yourself.”
- “A cheerful soul doesn’t wait for permission to be happy.”
- “Joy isn’t loud—it’s steady.”
- “Start your day with thanks, not complaints.”
- “Laughter is life’s pressure valve. Use it.”
- “Be the reason the room feels better, not heavier.”
A Cheerful Attitude Can Carry You Further Than You Think
It’s not about ignoring the challenges life can bring; it’s about carrying your light into the dark. A cheerful attitude can’t always fix the problem, but it can help you face it with steadiness and hope.
Whether you use these quotes to lift yourself or someone else, may they be reminders that you’re not alone. Cheerfulness doesn’t mean you’re never sad. It means you’re choosing not to let hardship have the final say.
When things feel too much and you just need a quick boost, come back to this. Smile at someone. Text that friend. Keep going.
Photo by JLco Julia Amaral/Shutterstock
