Dream quotes provide opportunities to expand your mind and gain motivation to go after what you want. If you’ve ever thought, “Making my dreams come true feels impossible,” consider this your nudge to believe again.
The people quoted here—from successful entrepreneurs and world-class athletes to beloved authors and artists—all share one thing in common: they dared to dream. These “achieving your dreams” quotes remind us to hone in on the vision that stirs our passions, break it into bite-sized steps, and pair consistent hard work with the simple act of believing in ourselves. Voices like Oprah Winfrey, Michael Phelps and Napoleon Hill echo this truth: keep your eyes on the big picture while taking daily action.
Whether you’re building a business, leading a team, growing your career, or bringing more purpose to your 9-to-5, this collection of 50 dream quotes offers encouragement to silence excuses, push past doubt and stay focused. Read on for timeless words of wisdom that will help you gain clarity, momentum and the confidence to turn your dreams into reality.
‘Dream Big’ Quotes to Inspire You to Follow Your Heart
When it comes to your dreams, you owe it to yourself to just go for it. Ask yourself, “Why not me?” and “Why not now?” Be innovative in your approach and visualize your success from the beginning. Envision yourself perched in that corner office or opening the door to your dream home.
Instead of making more excuses, leverage these ‘follow your dreams’ quotes to start moving towards the life you’ve always imagined for yourself.
- “Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts.” —H. Jackson Brown Jr., Life’s Little Instruction Book
- “Keep your eyes on the stars, but remember to keep your feet on the ground.” —Theodore Roosevelt
- “We aim above the mark to hit the mark.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals. “ —Michael Korda, Success!
- “If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.” —Jim Rohn
- “Dreams come to tell us something about our lives that we are missing.” —James Redfield, The Celestine Prophecy
- “There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, with belief, with confidence and trust in yourself and those around you, there are no limits.” —Michael Phelps, No Limits: The Will to Succeed
- “How do you go from where you are to where you want to be? And I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You have to have a dream, a goal you have to be willing to work for.” —Jim Valvano
- “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.” —Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
- “Dream on, dream on, dream until your dreams come true.” —Aerosmith, Dream On
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‘If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It’ Quotes (H2)
Confidence is a secret weapon in the art of dream chasing. Trust that what you’re trying to achieve isn’t just possible but that you personally have the ability to reach it. Even if you haven’t earned those stripes of self-assuredness quite yet, fake it until you make it. Take things one baby step at a time and lean on ‘If you can dream it, you can achieve it’ quotes to remind you what you’re capable of.
- “BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” —Norman Vincent Peale, Power of Positive Thinking
- “I dream things that never were; and I say ‘why not’?” —George Bernard Shaw, Back to Methuselah
- “The more you can dream, the more you can do.” —Michael Korda, Success!
- “You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true.” —Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah
- “At first something seems impossible; then it becomes improbable; but with enough conviction and support, it finally becomes inevitable.” —Christopher Reeve, Still Me
- “If you can dream it, you can do it. Your limits are all within yourself.” —Brian Tracy
- “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” —Arthur Ashe
- “Hello you long shots, you dark horse runners, hairbrush singers, and dashboard drummers. Hello you wild magnolias just waiting to bloom. There’s a little bit of all that inside of me and you. Thank God even crazy dreams come true.” —Carrie Underwood, Crazy Dreams
- “Hold the highest vision possible for your life and it can come true.” —Oprah Winfrey
- “The distance between dreams and reality is called action.” —Ben Francia
- “If you got a dream, chase it, ’cause dream won’t chase you back.” —Cody Johnson, ‘Til You Can’t
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Motivational ‘Chasing Your Dreams’ Quotes to Push Forward
Your dreams need you, not your past. They need you to hustle, stay focused, and hold yourself accountable. They need you to persevere and have the willpower to say no to things that don’t align with your goals. They need you to continue putting one foot in front of the other rather than dwelling on mistakes or failures that have hindered you before. That was yesterday. Today is a new day full of possibilities.
Famous quotes about dreams give you the motivation to keep going. Consider them as a wake-up call that no one is going to chase your dreams for you. It’s up to you, and only you, to act now and never give up.
- “Do not wait. The time will never be ‘just right.’ Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.” —Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich
- “No one is coming! No one is coming to make you get off the couch. No one is coming to apply to that dream job. No one is coming to get your butt to the gym. No one is coming to start that business for you. No one is coming to change your life. STOP WAITING to create the life you want and START taking action.” —Mel Robbins
- “Change your life today. Don’t gamble on the future, act now, without delay.” —Simone de Beauvoir, Simone de Beauvoir Today
- “You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.” —Babe Ruth
- “When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you, till it seems as if you couldn’t hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that’s just the place and time that the tide’ll turn.” —Harriet Beecher Stowe, Oldtown Folks
- “The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.” —Robert Kiyosaki
- “We talk about forever but we’ve only got today.” —Keith Urban, Days Go By
- “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” —Les Brown, Live Your Dreams
- “You don’t float to your dream, you walk to your dream.” —John C. Maxwell
Short Quotes About Dreams to Inspire Your Next Step
Dream board quotes are great tools for manifesting your future. Tacked up next to inspirational images and other empowering affirmations in a colorful collage, they can help you stay focused on the big picture and unlock your fullest potential. Dive into these original sayings from SUCCESS® to spark clarity, energy, and confidence as you breathe life into your dreams.
- “A dream doesn’t require perfection. Seize opportunities and simply start.”
- “Dreaming is free. But turning those dreams into a reality will cost you time and energy.”
- “Your daily choices and consistent action are what will bring your dreams alive.”
- “You may not have the whole picture yet. But as you continue to push towards your goals, it will start to become clearer and clearer.”
- “Dreams don’t just come true like they do in fairytales. You have to go out and fight for them.”
- “The regret of never trying will always weigh heavier on you than the sting of failure.”
- “If you’re not living to fulfill your dreams, what are you living for?”
- “Envision the most creative, authentic, unstoppable version of yourself and don’t stop until you become him/her.”
- “Chase your desires. What do you have to lose?”
Exclusive SUCCESS+ Quotes on Achieving Your Dreams
Quotes shared exclusively on SUCCESS+ explore the power of dreams in the context of work and leadership. Following dreams is a cornerstone of the business world. Not only does it fuel innovation and keep companies competitive, but it also helps individual players to grow and reach a higher level of fulfillment. The following insights, drawn from influential voices like Jack Canfield, Petra Kolber, and Les Brown, paint a picture of what professional dreams look like and how to reach them.
- “It’s OK to dream. Once it’s OK to dream, what are you going to do with that dream?” —Marcia Hunter
- “The first trait of winners is belief in their dreams.” —Denis Waitley
- “In the end, you’ve got to take calculated risks; otherwise, you’re going to sit in mothballs all day and do nothing.” —Richard Branson
- “Each day is a gift filled with opportunities to rise above fear, self-doubt and mediocrity to fulfill our purpose.” —Les Brown
- “We cannot wait for courage and confidence to show up. It happens in action. And it’s just like a muscle. It’s the sets and it’s the reps, and it’s showing up time after time.” —Petra Kolber
- “When you operate from a place of passion, you will work harder and go further than anyone in a 9-to-5 role.” —Janine Hall
- “What makes the American Dream so beautiful is that it’s actually a form of self-expression. I get to build up a business, or I get to work for someone that has a great business, and I get to express my creativity. I get to express my voice. I get to express who I am as a human being.” —Mark Matson
- “Building your dream life starts with defining your values.” —Dave Ferguson
- “As soon as you commit to a big dream and really go after it, your creative mind will come up with big ideas to make it happen.” —Jack Canfield
- “If you are staring down a dream that requires fresh, brand-new knowledge you are not yet in possession of, take heart. The very best among us had to learn too.” —Jen Hatmaker
Achieving Dreams Begins and Ends with You
What would you do if you couldn’t fail? Think about it. Then, do those things anyway.
Henry David Thoreau tells us in Walden, “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” In a shorter and less poetic manner, he’s saying to go confidently in the direction of your dreams, and you can’t lose.
Quotes on pursuing your dreams expand on Thoreau’s astute observation, introducing us to the wonderful world that awaits when we commit to turning our wishes into a reality. Whether you’re reaching for personal or professional dreams, remember to go big, keep that flame alive, and don’t stop until you’ve built your legacy.
For more motivation and practical tips on achieving your dreams, read our transformative goal-setting ebook!
Photo courtesy of @daphneemarie/Twenty20
