Whether we need courage, resilience, or a guidepost on the path to happiness, the wise words of others can help. Enter these 31 empowering quotes: Words to hold in mind when we need the strength and the confidence to take control of our lives and face each day feeling bold and inspired.
We’ve broken the quotes up into sections so you can find exactly what suits your mood. So let’s dive in to 31 quotes that will empower you to live life to the fullest today.
Empowering Quotes to Inspire Confidence and Courage
There are times when we know what we need to do, but we lack the confidence or the courage to take the leap. These quotes can inspire you to meet your day with bravery and with the knowledge that you are in control of your choices.
1. “I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life. And when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time.”
— Brené Brown, author and research professor, in Rising Strong
2. “Just because your mind tells you that something is awful or evil or unplanned or otherwise negative doesn’t mean you have to agree. Just because other people say that something is hopeless or crazy or broken to pieces doesn’t mean it is. We decide what story to tell ourselves.”
— Ryan Holiday, author and entrepreneur, in The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Adversity to Advantage
3. “Remember, the moment you accept total responsibility for everything in your life is the moment you claim the power to change anything in your life.”
― Hal Elrod, author, in The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life: Before 8AM
4. “Your dream is worth fighting for, and while you’re not in control of what life throws at you, you are in control of the fight.”
― Rachel Hollis, author and motivational speaker, in Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be
5. “Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it the more natural it becomes to not let my fears run me.”
— Arianna Huffington, author and businesswoman
Empowering Quotes to Get You Through Challenges
Challenges aren’t just a part of life — they’re a necessary part of life. These wise words can empower you to keep on going when the going gets tough and remind you that overcoming challenges is the surest path to growth.
6. “Of all the virtues we can learn no trait is more useful, more essential for survival, and more likely to improve the quality of life than the ability to transform adversity into an enjoyable challenge.”
― Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, psychologist and writer, in Flow: The Psychology of Happiness
7. “The desire for more positive experience is itself a negative experience. And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one’s negative experience is itself a positive experience.”
― Mark Manson, author and blogger, in The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
8. “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
— attributed to Winston Churchill, British politician
9. “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, writer and lecturer
10. “The easy days ahead of you will be easy. It is the hard days — the times that challenge you to your very core — that will determine who you are. You will be defined not just by what you achieve, but by how you survive.”
— Sheryl Sandberg, tech executive and author, in her 2016 UC Berkeley commencement speech
Empowering Quotes for Finding Happiness
Everyone wants to find happiness. But how do we find it? These quotes have the answer. Hint: We have to look inside ourselves.
11. “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.”
― Howard Thurman
12. “Happiness is the joy we feel striving after our potential.”
― Shawn Achor, author and speaker, in The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work
13. “I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness — it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.”
— Brené Brown, author and research professor
14. “A joyful life is an individual creation that cannot be copied from a recipe.”
― Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, psychologist and writer, in Flow: The Psychology of Happiness
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Empowering Quotes for Being True to Yourself
We are all gloriously unique and imperfect creatures. But often we get stuck striving to be something we’re not. These quotes are a reminder that there’s nothing more empowering than being true to ourselves.
15. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
― commonly attributed to George Bernard Shaw, playwright and political activist
16. “You are perfectly cast in your life. I can’t imagine anyone but you in the role. Go play.”
― Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer, actor, playwright, and producer
17. “Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together.”
— Brené Brown, author and research professor, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
18. “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
― commonly attributed to Oscar Wilde, Irish poet and playwright, though it appears he never actually said it. More here.
19. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”
— Steve Jobs, entrepreneur and founder of Apple, in his 2005 Stanford commencement speech
Empowering Quotes on Living with Purpose
When we pursue meaning and purpose in our lives, we experience more positive emotions and deeper social connections. These quotes get to the heart of what can truly bring us fulfillment.
20. “You don’t become happy by pursuing happiness. You become happy by living a life that means something.”
— Harold S. Kushner, rabbi and author
21. “The heart of human excellence often begins to beat when you discover a pursuit, activity, mission, possibility, or opportunity that absorbs you, frees you, challenges you, or gives you a sense of meaning, purpose, joy, or passion.”
— Terry Orlick, author and professor in In Pursuit of Excellence
22. “Love the life you have while you create the life of your dreams. Don’t think you have to choose one over the other.”
— Hal Elrod, author, in Taking Life Head On
23. “I would argue that nothing gives life more purpose than the realization that every moment of consciousness is a precious and fragile gift.”
— Steven Pinker, author and professor of psychology, in Time Magazine
Empowering Quotes about Embracing Failure
Feeling like a failure? Good news: That’s absolutely okay. The world’s brightest minds agree that failure is something we should all open our arms to more often.
24. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
― Thomas A. Edison, inventor and businessman
25. “There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period.”
— Brené Brown, author and research professor, in an interview with Oprah
26. “Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success.”
— attributed to both C. S. Lewis and Charles F. Kettering
27. “It turns out that adversity and failure are actually useful and even necessary for developing strong-minded and successful adults.”
― Mark Manson, author and blogger, in The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
28. “A failure is not always a mistake, it may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying.”
— B. F. Skinner, psychologist, author, and inventor
Empowering Quotes for Being Present
There’s a lot in life that you can’t control, but being present means that you decide what you give your attention to. And that’s an empowering thought.
29. “Focus on the moment, not the monsters that may or may not be up ahead.”
― Ryan Holiday, author and entrepreneur, in The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Adversity to Advantage
30. “The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.”
—Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Buddhist monk, author, and peace activist
31. “Focus on opportunities not setbacks. Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t. Focus on the present moment, not the past or the future. Empower yourself!”
― Akiroq Brost, writer
Your turn: Which of these empowering quotes resonates with you the most?
For more inspiration, check out these quotes to start the day.
