160 Encouraging Quotes to Help Keep You Going (2021)

Turn those lemons into freshly squeezed lemonade with these excellent encouraging quotes as your motivation.

Once you read these deep quotes about encouragement, you’ll have the ability to move mountains and set your sights on anything you put your mind to!

We may feel bad that something did not go as planned, or we may be struggling with why something did not work. We may not understand why we were passed up for the promotion this time, or why people did not respond with enthusiasm to something we were sure they were going to love.

No matter the reason, sometimes all it takes are some quotes of encouragement to remind us that it is all going to be OK; that we will figure things out, and that everything really does happen for a purpose.

Below is a list of encouraging quotes from people far better than I, at providing you the motivation and inspiration that you need to lift you up and get you headed in the right direction.

Don’t forget to also read our collection of encouraging Brené Brown quotes that will make you strong.

Encouraging quotes for when life gets tough

1. “Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe

2. “We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.” – Kenji Miyazawa

3. “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” – Greg Anderson

4. “Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” – Dale Carnegie

5. “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank

Don’t forget to also check out our collection of quotes about new beginnings and starting fresh.

Encouraging quotes to keep you moving forward

6. “Happiness resides not in possessions and not in gold, the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul.” – Democritus

7. “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden

8. “Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside of them was superior to circumstance.” – Bruce Barton

9. “Be thankful for what you have and you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey

10. “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzu

Also, check out these inspirational quotes about the American Dream.

Quotes of encouragement to help you face anything today

11. “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” – David Brinkley

12. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.” – Mark Twain

13. “When we stop opposing reality, action becomes simple, fluid, kind, and fearless.” – Byron Katie
If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to check out our collection of simple quotes that will help you live a simply beautiful life.

14. “Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy.” – Groucho Marx

15. “I’ve always loved journaling as a way to clear my mind. Whether I’m traveling or at home, the first thing I do when I wake up is pull out my notebook and record positive things that have happened to me as well as uplifting thoughts.” –  Gloria Reuben

Also, check out these inspirational wallpaper quotes for living life to the fullest.

Encouraging quotes to inspire progress

16. “Precious’ is strangely uplifting. It goes down into the valley but it also goes to the mountain tops. A lot of difficult realities are explored in ‘Precious,’ but the peaks make the valleys and the valleys make the peaks.” – Geoffrey S. Fletcher

17. “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.“ – Frederick Douglass

18. “In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.” – Tony Robbins

19. “A constructive, useful life, good works, and good relationships are as valid as writing poetry or inventing a machine. Anything that one does well and obtains satisfaction from is a good enough reason for living. To be a decent human being that people like and feel better for knowing is enough.” – Robert Gould

20. “A ship is always safe at the shore – but that is NOT what it is built for.” – Albert Einstein

Don’t forget to also read these quotes from Shawshank Redemption that will give you hope even if it seems like there’s no way out. 

Encouraging quotes to inspire you to success

21. “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.” – Mark Twain

22. “I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. To cut yourself out of stone.” – Henry Rollins

23. “Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” – Napoleon Hill

24. “Your destiny is to fulfill those things upon which you focus most intently. So choose to keep your focus on that which is truly magnificent, beautiful, uplifting and joyful. Your life is always moving toward something.” – Ralph Marston

25. “Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing.” – L.M. Montgomery

You might also like these inspirational cheer quotes that will make your day better.

Encouraging quotes to help you overcome obstacles

26. “I Won’ is not a love song. It’s just me uplifting women in general. I’m giving women the power to treat themselves as a trophy – to show that and know it in yourself and be confident – because when they do that, whoever they’re with is winning.” – Nayvadius Cash

27. “Rise above the storm and you will find the sunshine.” – Mario Fernandez

28. “Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.” – John Lennon

29. “Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future.” – Alice Walker

30. “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein

Quotes of encouragement to keep you moving

31. “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” – Will Rogers

32. “The best way out is always through.” – Robert Frost

33. “Your destiny is to fulfill those things upon which you focus most intently. So choose to keep your focus on that which is truly magnificent, beautiful, uplifting and joyful. Your life is always moving toward something.” – Ralph Marston

34. “Choice is more than picking ‘x’ over ‘y.’ It is a responsibility to separate the meaningful and the uplifting from the trivial and the disheartening. It is the only tool we have that enables us to go from who we are today to who we want to be tomorrow.” – Sheena Iyengar

35. “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

Don’t forget to also read these funny inspirational quotes celebrating life, love & struggles.

Quotes of encouragement to help you win

36. “I think Romeo and Juliet is uplifting. That’s how much a son wishes to avenge his father. That is how much two young people can love each other.” – Ben Kingsley

37. “Life has no limitations, except the ones you make.” – Les Brown

38. “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” – Napoleon Hill

39. “We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light.” – Mary Dunbar

40. “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

Encouraging quotes to inspire you on your journey

41. “If I persist long enough I will win.” – Og Mandino

42. “With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.” – Max Ehrmann

43. “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.” – Henry David Thoreau

44. “A memoir should have some uplifting quality, inspiring or illuminating, and that’s what separates a life story that can influence other people.“ – Mitch Albom

45. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela

If you’re enjoying this article, be sure to also check out these motivational quotes of the day for daily rejuvenation.

Quotes of encouragement for when things get tough

46. “In my books and in romance as a genre, there is a positive, uplifting feeling that leaves the reader with a sense of encouragement and hope for a brighter future – or a brighter present.” – Debbie Macomber

47. “I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.” – Audrey Hepburn

48. “Thankfully, persistence is a great substitute for talent.” – Steve Martin

49. “Like success, failure is many things to many people. With a positive mental attitude, failure is a learning experience, a rung on the ladder, a plateau at which to get your thoughts in order and prepare to try again.” – Clement Stone

50. “You cannot expect victory and plan for defeat.” – Joel Osteen

51. “I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.” – Georgia O’Keeffe

You might also like these heart touching quotes celebrating love and life.

Quotes of encouragement for when you feel low

52. “Don’t give up. Don’t lose hope. Don’t sell out.” – Christopher Reeve

53. “The truest greatness lies in being kind, the truest wisdom in a happy mind.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox

54. “Music does a lot of things for a lot of people. It’s transporting, for sure. It can take you right back, years back, to the very moment certain things happened in your life. It’s uplifting, it’s encouraging, it’s strengthening.” – Aretha Franklin

55. “Defeat is simply a signal to press onward.” – Helen Keller

56. “I was recently asked about the business side of ‘Biggest Loser,’ but as long as we entertain people, we can keep coming back and making a difference. It’s a delicate balance, but one feeds off the other. I feel so good about the show – it’s uplifting and inspiring and entertaining at the same time.” – Alison Sweeney

57. “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean

58. “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” – Helen Keller
If you’re enjoying this collection of quotes, then you’ll love our collection of short inspirational quotes that will help you remain positive and optimistic.

59. “Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habit.” – Mahatma Gandhi

60. “I’d rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I hate.” – George Burns

Encouraging quotes to inspire you toward your goals

61. “Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein
If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of insanity quotes to help you stay sane in the chaos that is life.

62. “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” – Buddha

63. “Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting.” – William Arthur Ward

64. “Sometimes before we make a record I go back and listen to a few. It’s equally humbling and uplifting.” – Michael Stipe

65. “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

Quotes of encouragement to inspire and motivate

66. “The more the panic grows, the more uplifting the image of a man who refuses to bow to the terror.” – Ernst Junger

67. “Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.” – Albert Einstein

68. “Real Integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.” – Oprah Winfrey

69. “The world is more malleable than you think and it’s waiting for you to hammer it into shape.” – Bono

70. “It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.” – Joseph Campbell

If you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of Joseph Campbell quotes to inspire long term thinking.

Quotes of encouragement to brighten your day

71. “Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.” – Robert H. Schuller

72. “I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.” – Martha Washington

73. “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein

74. “I try to make my mood uplifting and peaceful, then watch the world around me reflect that mood.” – Yaya DaCosta

75. “In the middle of a difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein

76. “Listening to music is such an uplifting, spiritual thing. It’s far-fetched to some – I understand that. But the way dance music brings people together, it’s not a big stretch from hymns.” – Kaskade

77. “Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” – Truman Capote

78. “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” – Stephen King

79. “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.” – Sara Blakely

80. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Encouraging quotes that offer inspiration and comfort

81. “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy

82. “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” – J.R.R. Tolkien

83. “Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.” – Benjamin Franklin

84. “What can a pencil do for all of us? Amazing things. It can write transcendent poetry, uplifting music, or life-changing equations; it can sketch the future, give life to untold beauty, and communicate the full-force of our love and aspirations.” – Adam Braun

85. “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln

86. “An uplifting sense of purpose is more than an impetus for individual accomplishment, it is also a necessary insurance policy against expediency and impropriety.” – Gary Hamel

87. “Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.” – Samuel Beckett

88. “Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

89. “Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.” – Earl Nightingale

90. “Life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it.” – Charles R. Swindoll

Don’t forget to also read out the handpicked collection of Monday motivation quotes to start your week off on the right track.

Quotes of encouragement to inspire and teach

91. “The first step is you have to say that you can.” – Will Smith

92. “I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.” – Joseph Campbell

93. “How you think about a problem is more important than the problem itself. So always think positively.” – Norman Vincent Peale

94. “I want people to see that the cosmic perspective is simultaneously honest about the universe we live in and uplifting, when we realize how far we have come and how wonderful is this world of ours.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson

95. “Most great people have attained their greatest success one step beyond their greatest failure.” – Napoleon Hill

96. “It is not the first duty of the novelist to provide blueprints for insurrection, or uplifting tales of successful resistance for the benefit of the opposition. The naming of what is there is what is important.” – Ian Mcewan

97. “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

98. “Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.” – Christopher Reeve

99. “Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.” – Harvey Fierstein

100. “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!” – Audrey Hepburn

Encouraging quotes to make your day better

101. “There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.” – Buckminster Fuller

102. “Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you.” —Walt Whitman

103. “Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.”– Hans Christian Andersen

104. “The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” —Bertrand Russell

105. “Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.” – Dalai Lama

106. “All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.” —Earl Nightingale

107. “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on.”– Robert Frost

108. “The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money.” —Thomas Jefferson

109. “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.”– Robert Collier

110. “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” —Maya Angelou

Encouraging quotes to overcome obstacles

111. “A big part of being a well-adjusted person is accepting that you can’t be good at everything.”– Kelly Williams Brown

112. “It is always the simple that produces the marvelous.” —Amelia Barr

113. “Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.”– William James

114. “Let us make our future now, and let us make our dreams tomorrow’s reality.” —Malala Yousafzai
If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of reality quotes aimed at helping you live your best life.

115. “Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it.”– Jacques Prevert

116. “Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” —E. E. Cummings

117. “It doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you don’t stop.”– Confucius

118. “I believe that if one always looked at the skies, one would end up with wings.” —Gustave Flaubert

119. “When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.” —Wilma Rudolph

120. “I dwell in possibility.” —Emily Dickinson

Encouraging quotes to inspire progress

121. “Any kind of crisis can be good. It wakes you up.” – Ryan Reynolds

122. “Work hard in silence, let your success be your noise.”— Frank Ocean

123. “Close scrutiny will show that most ‘crisis situations’ are opportunities to either advance, or stay where you are.” – Maxwell Maltz

124. “If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done.”— Thomas Jefferson

125. “Crises and deadlocks when they occur have at least this advantage, that they force us to think.” – Jawaharlal Nehru

126. “Two things define you: Your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything.”— Imam Ali

127. “Great occasions do not make heroes or cowards; they simply unveil them to our eyes. Silently and imperceptibly, as we wake or sleep, we grow strong or weak; and at last some crisis shows what we have become.” –Brooke Foss Westcott

You might also like these pain quotes will help you channel your warrior within.

128. “The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”— Walter Bagehot

129. “Something good comes out of every crisis.” – Dave Pelzer

130. “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”— Earl Nightingale

Encouraging quotes to elevate your mind

131. “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” — Judy Garland

132. “I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.” — Anne Frank

133. “I think the best way to have confidence is not to allow everyone else’s insecurities to be your own.” — Jessie J
If you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of insecurity quotes to help you gain confidence.

134. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison

135. “When you notice that you’re having negative thoughts about how all of this is going to pan out, you need to remind yourself that you are not a very good fortune teller.” — Donna W. Hill

136. “If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” – Jim Rohn

137. “Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” — Oprah

138. “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” – Amelia Earhart

139. “Keep your sunny side up, keep yourself beautiful, and indulge yourself.” — Betsey Johnson

140. “Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.” – Dalai Lama

Encouraging quotes to inspire you today

141. “It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always.” – Oprah Winfrey

142. “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

143. “I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.” – Og Mandino

144. “It is time for us all to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever – the one who recognizes the challenges and does something about it.” – Vince Lombardi

145. “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein

146. “You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.” – Babe Ruth

147. “It doesn’t matter how slow you go as long as you don’t stop.” –Confucius

148. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe

149. “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

150. “In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can.” – Nikos Kazantzakis

Also, check out these insightful disappointment quotes on life and love.

More encouraging quotes and sayings

151. “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” — Mother Teresa

152. “If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not making decisions.” — Catherine Cook

153. “No one has ever become poor by giving.” — Anne Frank

154. “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” — Estée Lauder

155. “When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” — Malala Yousafzai

156. “We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” – Arianna Huffington

157. “The most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence.” — Blake Lively

158. “Everything you can imagine is real.”― Pablo Picasso

159. “The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” — Amelia Earhart

160. “Do one thing every day that scares you.”― Eleanor Roosevelt

Encouraging quotes that will help you reach your full potential

161. “When you get tired, learn to rest, not quit.” — Banksy

162. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” — Helen Keller

163. “Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.” — Jon Acuff

164. “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” – Sheryl Sandberg

165. “Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” — Winston Churchill

166. “I’m going to make everything around me beautiful – that will be my life.” — Esie de Wolfe

167. “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” – Harry Truman

168. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston Churchill

169. “I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.” – Audre Lorde

170. “Always keep your eyes open. Keep watching. Because whatever you see can inspire you.” — Grace Coddington

Encouraging quotes to keep you going

171. “Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire.” – Patti Smith

172. “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James

173. “It isn’t where you came from. It’s where you’re going that counts.” – Ella Fitzgerald

174. “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell

175. “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

176. “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffett

177. “Not having the best situation, but seeing the best in your situation is the key to happiness.” – Marie Forleo

178. “We generate fears while we sit. We overcome them by action.” – Dr. Henry Link

179. “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” – Maya Angelou

180. “If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.” – H.G. Wells

Which of these encouraging quotes was your favorite?

It’s normal to feel down and out sometimes. But rest assured that whatever it is that you’re facing now, you’ll be alright. Things have a way of resolving themselves when we least expect it. So just keep your chin up and keep these quotes of encouragement in your pocket (or tablet). 😉

Did you enjoy these encouraging quotes? Which of the quotes was your favorite? Let us know in the comment section below.