50 Action Quotes To Get You Motivated

By Lia Munson

Meditation Teacher and Mentor

Published July 16, 2023

Get inspired into action with these action quotes to get you motivated!

Action often refers to doing something or advancing towards a goal or outcome.

But as you will learn, action can mean various things depending on the context.

Tell us your favorite action quote in the comment section.

Why Should You Read Action Quotes?

Action in any form can be difficult to initiate.

Reading action quotes will inspire you to new action that creates change in the area of your life that is most important for you.

The term action can mean different things in different contexts, including:

Legal proceedings

A Genre of movies or TV

A person’s behavior or conduct

Movement from one thing to another

But, as stated above, we often associate action with doing something or taking steps to achieve a particular outcome.

Action is important in our lives because it is how we can turn our thoughts, ideas, and goals into tangible results.

Without action, our ideas and goals remain as thoughts and dreams, and we don’t make progress toward achieving them.

Action itself also creates momentum, and momentum leads to progress.

When we take action, we create a chain reaction that can lead to more action and progress.

Taking action can feel scary, but it is the only way to gain new experiences, knowledge, and skills that help us grow.

It is the only way to learn, create momentum, and achieve our goals.

Ultimately, action is important because it allows us to create change and progress in our lives.

Please enjoy the following action quotes!

Short Action Quotes to Get You Motivated

These action quotes are short and sweet.

1. “Action is eloquence.” — William Shakespeare

2. “Justice is the truth in action.” —Joseph Joubert

3. “Action is the antidote to despair.” — Joan Baez

4. “Action expresses priorities.” — Mahatma Gandhi

5. “Action is the pulse of any good story.” — Tim Farg

6. “Never confuse motion with action.” — Benjamin Franklin

7. Action is the foundational key to success.” — Pablo Picasso

8. Action is the real measure of intelligence.” — Napoleon Hill

9. “An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

10. “Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.” — Mark Twain

The Best Action Quotes to Get You Motivated

Here is a list of the all-time best action quotes.

11. “Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought.” — Henri Bergson

12. “All action results from thought, so it is thoughts that matter.” — Sai Baba

13. “Action indeed is the sole medium of expression for ethics.” — Jane Addams

14. The path to success is to take massive, determined action.” — Tony Robbins

15. “Your actions, and your action alone, determines your worth.” — Evelyn Waugh

16. “The time for action is now. It’s never too late to do something.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery

17. “What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action.” — Meister Eckhart

18. “Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in.” — Napoleon Bonaparte

19. “Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression. No man is free who cannot control himself.” — Pythagoras

20. “Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.” — Peter Drucker

Wise Quotes About Action to Motivate you

These action quotes are profound and thought-provoking.

21. “Your positive action combined with positive thinking results in success.” —Shiv Khera

22. “In order to carry a positive action, we must develop here a positive vision.” — Dalai Lama

23. “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.” — Dale Carnegie

24. “The key to success is action, and the essential in action is perseverance.” — Sun Yat—sen

25. “Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.” — Benjamin Disraeli

Keep Going With These Action Quotes to Motivate You

These quotes explain why taking action is not only important but urgent.

26. “Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.” — Thomas Jefferson

27. “An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied.” — Arnold H. Glasow

28. “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals; adjust the action steps.” — Confucius

29. “Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good action; try to use ordinary situations.” — Jean Paul Richter

30. “There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long-range risks of comfortable inaction.” — John F. Kennedy

31. “I like to encourage people to realize that any action is a good action if it’s proactive and there is positive intent behind it.” — Michael J. Fox

32. “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” — Joel A. Barker

33. “Once we start to act, hope is everywhere. So instead of looking for hope, look for action. Then, and only then, hope will come.” — Greta Thunburg

34. “It is even better to act quickly and err than to hesitate until the time of action is past.” — Carl von Clausewitz

35. “For every failure, there’s an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.” — Mary Kay Ash

Action Quotes to Get You Motivated That Show Why Taking Action Is Important

These action quotes illustrate that action is the key to almost everything.

36. “The future depends on what you do today.” — Mahatma Gandhi

37. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” — Wayne Gretzky

38. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Lao Tzu

39. “What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.” — Ralph Marston

40. “Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” — Sam Levenson

41. The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” — Walt Disney

42. You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” — Zig Ziglar

43. “Do something today that your future self will thank you for.” — Sean Patrick Flanery

44. “A dream becomes a goal when action is taken toward its achievement.” — Bo Bennett

45. “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” — Henry David Thoreau

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

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

48. In any given moment, we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step back into safety.” — Abraham Maslow

49. “Everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask. Everything you want also wants you. But you have to take action to get it.” — Jules Renard

50. “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.” — George Herbert