Whether it’s the beginning of the work week or finally Friday, these motivational quotes have the power to change your mindset and set you up for success.
Successful people don’t become that way overnight. What most people see at a glance—happiness, wealth, a great career, purpose—is the result of hard work and hustle over time.
To be successful, you have to use each day as an opportunity to improve, be better and get a little bit closer to your goals. It might sound like a lot of work—and with a busy schedule, next to impossible. But the best part is, the more you accomplish, the more you’ll want to do, the higher you’ll want to reach. So as long as you have the hunger for success, you will always have the power within you to achieve it.
Use your ambition, drive and desire—along with these 120-plus motivational quotes for work and life—to make it happen.
Motivational quotes for success
- “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” —Henry David Thoreau
- “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” —Herman Melville
- “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” —Dale Carnegie
- “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” —Ronald Reagan
- “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.” —John C. Maxwell
- “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” —Maya Angelou
- “There is no investment you can make which will pay you so well as the effort to scatter sunshine and good cheer through your establishment.” —Orison Swett Marden
- “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” —Peter Drucker
- “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” —Rosalynn Carter
- “Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult.” —Warren Bennis
- “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” —Winston Churchill
- “Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” —Vince Lombardi
- “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” —Helen Keller
Inspirational quotes for women
- “It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.” —Madeleine Albright
- “A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That’s why they don’t get what they want.” —Madonna
- “The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity.” —Amelia Earhart
- “We don’t just sit around and wait for other people. We just make, and we do.” —Arlan Hamilton
- “We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.” —Sheryl Sandberg
- “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it.” —Brené Brown
- “Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” —Nora Ephron
- “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
- “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” —Dolly Parton
- “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” —Katherine Hepburn
- “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” —Jane Goodall
- “The challenge is not to be perfect… it’s to be whole.” —Jane Fonda
- “We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” —Marie Curie
Motivational quotes for men
- “There can be no progress, no achievement, without sacrifice, and a man’s worldly success will be in the measure that he sacrifices.” —James Allen
- “A man who wants something will find a way; a man who doesn’t will find an excuse.” —Jim Rohn
- “Try not to become a man of success, but rather become a man of value.” —Albert Einstein
- “One secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.” —Benjamin Disraeli
- “A man who has committed a mistake and doesn’t correct it is committing another mistake.” —Confucius Kongzi
- “The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way.” —Dale Carnegie
- “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” —David Brinkley
- “The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” —Bruce Lee
- “The important thing is that men should have a purpose in life. It should be something useful, something good.” —Dalai Lama
- “When you walk up to opportunity’s door, don’t knock on it… kick that b*tch in, smile and introduce yourself.” —Dwayne Johnson
Inspirational quotes for students
- “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” —Nelson Mandela
- “Learn as if you will live forever, live like you will die tomorrow.” —Mahatma Gandhi
- “Your passion, your vision, those ideas you have inside of you, there will never be a better time to chase them. So while you’re sitting there talking about what you’re going to do, while you’re sitting there dreaming about how you can change things… I don’t want you to hesitate. I want you to go out there and do it. I want you to say to yourself, ‘Why not me?’… Why can’t you be the one to change the world?” —Mark Cuban
- “It’s been said that one note does not make a symphony. One artist does not make an orchestra. Graduates, life is the ultimate ensemble cast—an orchestra, not a solo act. And through trial and error, victory and defeat, ups and downs, we learn how to make harmony. How to balance our hopes for ourselves, with our responsibilities to others. How to be your best you, by bringing out the very best in those around you.” —Jennifer Garner
- “You can live a life that you’ve always dreamed about, but the important thing is, you have to focus on the dream. This thing that you keep imagining of being, this thing that wakes you up in the middle of the night, don’t ever shut that off… You’ve got to lock in on that dream and never give up.” —Steve Harvey
- “You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” —George Lorimer
- “Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new.” —Augustine Og Mandino
- “If you are working on something that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.” —Steve Jobs
- “Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward.” —Vernon Sanders Law
- “Goal setting is the secret to a compelling future.” —Tony Robbins
Inspirational quotes for kids
- “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” —Dr. Seuss
- “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.” —A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh
- “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” —J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
- “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” —Dr. Seuss
- “Live out of your imagination, not your history.” —Stephen Covey
- “Adults are always asking children what they want to be when they grow up because they’re looking for ideas.” —Paula Poundstone
- “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” —Winston Churchill
- “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” —Walt Disney
- “Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world.” —Roald Dahl, Matilda
- “The things that make me different are the things that make me.” —A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh
Monday motivation quotes
- “Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” —Alexander Graham Bell
- “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” —Thomas Jefferson
- “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.” —Paulo Coelho
- “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” —Thomas Edison
- “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” —Tony Robbins
- “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
- “When you arise in the morning, think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love.” —Marcus Aurelius
- “Mondays offer new beginnings 52 times a year!” —David Dweck
- “Your Monday morning thoughts set the tone for your whole week. See yourself getting stronger and living a fulfilling, happier and healthier life.” —Germany Kent
- “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” —Alexander Graham Bell
- “Make each day your masterpiece.” —Coach John Wooden
- “I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that 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.” —Henry David Thoreau
- “Don’t count the days; make the days count.” —Muhammad Ali
- “Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” —George Lorimer
Wednesday Motivational Quotes
- “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” —Calvin Coolidge
- “What we fear of doing most is usually what we most need to do.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Stay away from those people who try to disparage your ambitions. Small minds will always do that, but great minds will give you a feeling that you can become great, too.” —Mark Twain
- “It is only when we take chances that our lives improve. The initial and the most difficult risk we need to take is to become honest.” —Walter Anderson
- “Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.” —John Wooden
- “What I’ve realized is that confidence is a daily journey. We always think that confidence is a destination we must get to, but it’s a choice we make. I don’t think it’s something we ever really get to and stay at. And I think once you know that, it takes the pressure off.” —Jonathan Van Ness
- “Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.” —Theodore Roosevelt
- “Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working.” —Pablo Picasso
- “Show up, show up, show up and after a while, the muse shows up, too.” —Isabel Allende
- “Individual commitment to a group effort—that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” —Vince Lombardi
- “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” —Henry Ford
Friday motivational quotes
- “Make a Friday a day to celebrate work well done that you can be proud of, knowing that you just didn’t put in time to the next paycheck.” —Byron Pulsifer
- “Even if I don’t reach all my goals, I’ve gone higher than I would have if I hadn’t set any.” —Danielle Fotopoulis
- “You never know which people, places and experiences are going to shift your perspective until after you’ve left them behind and had some time to look back.” —Quinta Brunson
- “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” —Dale Carnegie
- “In this world you’re either growing or you’re dying, so get in motion and grow.” —Lou Holtz
- “You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.” —James Anthony Froude
- “Life is growth. If we stop growing, technically and spiritually, we are as good as dead.” —Morihei Ueshiba
- “Worry is a misuse of imagination.” —Unknown
- “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” —Babe Ruth
- “Ideation without execution is delusion.” —Robin Sharma
- “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” —Frederick Douglass
- “The best way out is always through.” —Robert Frost
Motivational quotes about life challenges
- “Failures are only failures when we don’t learn from them, because when we learn from them, they become lessons.” —Jay Shetty
- “When life throws a curveball, stop and shift.” —Karen M. Allen
- “Bad chapters can still create a story that ends well. Let your past be part of your story, not your identity.” —Trent Shelton
- “But if you really want to move forward in life and grow through what you go through, then you have to face the ugly… While your brain would much rather compartmentalize or suppress any uncomfortable emotions, that’s not helpful.” —Karen M. Allen
- “Step out of the history that is holding you back. Step into the new story you are willing to create.” —Oprah Winfrey
- “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” —Winston Churchill
- “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” —Will Rogers
Funny inspirational quotes
- “Never follow anyone else’s path. Unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path. Then by all means follow that path.” —Ellen DeGeneres
- “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily.” —Zig Ziglar
- “Bad decisions make good stories.” —Ellis Vidler
- “When life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade and then try to find someone whose life has given them vodka, and have a party.” —Ron White
- “People waste their time pondering whether a glass is half empty or half full. Me, I just drink whatever’s in the glass.” —Sophia Petrillo
- “Life is like a sewer… what you get out of it depends on what you put into it.” —Tom Lehrer
- “Live each day like it’s your second to the last. That way you can fall asleep at night.” —Jason Love
- “Age is of no importance unless you’re a cheese.” —Billie Burke
- “By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day.” —Robert Frost
Self-inspirational quotes
- “We all have the ability to manifest everything we want. It’s simply about knowing how to tap into your power within.” —Natasha Graziano
- “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always be where you’ve always been.” —T.D. Jakes
- “The key to happiness is really progress and growth and constantly working on yourself and developing something.” —Lewis Howes
- “Beginning today, set an intention and a relentless focus on living your life as the greatest person you can be, in all situations.” —Brendon Burchard
- “The only thing that will limit your success is your mind. Your body will be ready for the challenge.” —Mo Brossette
- “Small steps [in the right direction] are better than zero steps. If we want mindfulness to become a part of our lives, then, well, we need to incorporate it into the daily rhythm of our lives!” —Karen M. Allen
- “Don’t look at your feet to see if you are doing it right. Just dance.” —Anne Lamott
- “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.” —Martha Graham
- “Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don’t settle for them.” —Mia Hamm
Motivational mantras
Last but not least, here are some of our favorite motivational mantras.
- It’s not the length of life, but the depth of life.
- Embrace the process, step by step.
- Be a warrior, not a worrier.
- Action conquers fear.
- Die with memories, not regrets.
- Find a way, or make one.
Need More Motivation? Check out these 13 Life Rules to Keep You Motivated as well as these 6 Simple Ways to Find Motivation in Your Everyday Life.
This article was updated May 2024. Photo By Prostock-studio/Shutterstock.com
