150 Overcoming The Dark Quotes That Will Motivate You To Shine

If you’ve been dealing with overwhelming and troubling times in life, these overcoming the dark quotes will motivate you to keep going.

Remember, you might be going through a setback now, but your inner light is always there and can shine through.

Keep reading for more tips on being resilient and getting through tough times.

What do you do when overcoming the dark?

Life is hard, and everyone goes through trying times.

However, that fact doesn’t help when you’re the one that’s going through a loss or challenge.

Things like relationship problems, financial difficulties, and losing someone close to you can feel overwhelming.

However, no matter how big the challenge is, you can learn to get through it and even come out stronger on the other side. 

If this is the place you’re in, these dark quotes on overcoming difficult times can motivate you. 

Also, check out these survival quotes and sayings that will motivate you to keep going.

Check out our entire collection of motivational quotes here. 

Overcoming the dark quotes about what we learn from trials

1. “One who conquers the sea today is ready to conquer the ocean tomorrow.” – Matshona Dhliwayo

2. “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” – Robert H Schuller

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

4. “Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men.” – Martha Graham

You will also enjoy our article on tough times.

5. “Life keeps throwing me stones. And I keep finding the diamonds.” – Ana Claudia Antunes

6. “As with the butterfly, adversity is necessary to build character in people.” – Joseph B. Wirthlin

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

8. “A challenge only becomes an obstacle when you bow to it.” – Ray Davis

You will also enjoy our article on transformation quotes.

9. “A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” – Duke Ellington

You will also enjoy our article on adversity quotes.

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

You will also enjoy our article on two-word quotes.

11. “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me…. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” – Walt Disney

12. “And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” – Haruki Murakami

You will also enjoy our article on challenge quotes.

Dark quotes to remind you that success comes through adversity

13. “Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity.” – Lou Holtz

You will also enjoy our article on villain quotes.

14. “The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.” – Chinese Proverb

15. “Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.” – Bernice Johnson Reagon

16. “The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.” – Epictetus

If you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of Epictetus quotes that will make you think.

17. “You’re going to go through tough times – that’s life. But I say, ‘Nothing happens to you, it happens for you.’ See the positive in negative events.” – Joel Osteen

18. “We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.” – Barbara De Angelis

19. “You need to spend time crawling alone through shadows to truly appreciate what it is to stand in the sun.” – Shaun Hick

You will also enjoy our article on dog quotes.

20. “You start with a darkness to move through, but sometimes the darkness moves through you.” – Dean Young

You will also enjoy our article on past quotes.

21. “Things turn out the best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” – John Wooden

You might also like these Supernatural quotes about light and darkness.

Darkness quotes about mindset through dark times

One of the most important things is to overcome the dark in your own thoughts.

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

You will also enjoy our article on 50 cent quotes.

23. “He who believes is strong; he who doubts is weak. Strong convictions precede great actions.” – Louisa May Alcott

You will also enjoy our article on The 100 quotes.

24. “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Khalil Gibran

25. “He who doesn’t want to face his challenges shall always face challenges!” – Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

26. “Every adversity, every failure and every heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent or a greater benefit.” –  Napoleon Hill

27. “Think big and don’t listen to people who tell you it can’t be done. Life is too short to think small.” – Tim Ferriss

28. “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” – Vivian Greene

29. “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”– Marcus Aurelius

If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to check out our collection of mindset quotes that will help take you where you want to go in life.

30. “The trick is to enjoy life. Don’t wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead.” – Marjorie Pay Hinckley

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

32. “Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Inspiration for times that are dark quotes

33. “Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being.” – Albert Schweitzer

34. “Anyone can give up; it is the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone would expect you to fall apart, now that is true strength.” – Chris Bradford

35. “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you’re doing the impossible.” – Francis of Assisi

36. “The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity.” – Seneca (see more Seneca quotes)

37. “Sometimes you don’t realize your own strength until you come face to face with your greatest weakness.” – Susan Gale

38. “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” – Ernest Hemingway

39. “Because some people see a wall, and assume that’s the end of their journey. Others see it, and decide it’s just the beginning.” – Angeline Trevena

40. “Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.” – Mary Anne Radmacher

41. “He knows not his own strength who hath not met adversity.” – William Samuel Johnson

You might also like these devil quotes and sayings that will help you triumph against evil.

Overcoming dark quotes to keep going

42. “It is only in our darkest hours that we may discover the true strength of the brilliant light within ourselves that can never, ever, be dimmed.” – Doe Zantamata

43. “When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven’t.” — Thomas Edison

44. “In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.” – Lee Iacocca
If you’re enjoying these quotes, read our collection of stress quotes that will teach you tips to better manage yours.

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

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

47. “There is no education like adversity.” – Benjamin Disraeli

48. “Never give in. Never, never, never.” – Winston Churchill

49. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.” – Nelson Mandela

50. “Use what you’ve been through as fuel, believe in yourself and be unstoppable!” – Yvonne Pierre

Dark quotes to help you cherish the light

51. “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” – Plato

52. “There are darknesses in life, and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.” – Bram Stoker

53. “Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.” – Anne Frank

54. “I wonder if that’s how darkness wins, by convincing us to trap it inside ourselves, instead of emptying it out. I don’t want it to win.” – Jasmine Warga

55. “The moon will guide you through the night with her brightness, but she will always dwell in the darkness, in order to be seen.” – Shannon L. Alder

56. “After a lifetime of darkness, I want to leave something behind that is made of light.” – Marie Lu

57. “People often believed they were safer in the light, thinking monsters only came out at night. But safety – like light – is a façade.” – C.J. Roberts

58. “I mean only that I hope they find darkness or paradise without fear of it, if they can.” – Erin Morgenstern

59. “Life throws challenges and every challenge comes with rainbows and lights to conquer it.” – Amit Ray

60. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – Anonymous

More dark quotes and sayings

61. “I’m drawn between the light and dark.” – David Bowie

62. “Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” – Victor Hugo

63. “I think we all have light and dark inside us.” – Sean Penn

64. “All darkness vanished, when I saw the lamp within my heart.” – Kabir

65. “What makes night within us may leave stars.” – Victor Hugo

66. “Give light, and the darkness will disappear of itself.” – Desiderius Erasmus

67. “You can’t discover light, by analyzing the dark.” – Wayne Dyer

68. “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” – Aristotle

69. “Only in darkness can you see the stars.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

70. “Once you conquer your selfish self, all your darkness will change to light.” – Rumi

Dark quotes to remind you brighter times are coming

71. “Don’t give up when dark times come. The more storms you face in life, the stronger you’ll be. Hold on. Your greater is coming.” -Germany Kent

72. “There will dawn a day when these hostile hours, these days of hatred and violence, seem the faintest of memories, but dark and steep and long is the road up out of hell. So do not tire, do not despair, do not abandon your brethren, and do not forget that through this darkness we and we alone carry the light of freedom.” -Pierce Brown

73. “In these dark and uncertain times, there can be great value in imagining a bit of star in each human soul.” -Michael Meade

74. “There have been bleak nights along my way, many of my own making, but life is all the brighter for them now. To the human eye, without the darkness there are no stars.” -Sumangali Morhall

75. “The night taught me never to fear the dark times, by giving way to the dawn of a new day.” -Michael Bassey Johnson

76. “Stars are born out of dark moments.” -Matshona Dhliwayo   

77. “This time may be dark, but all regrowth starts in the darkness of a seed.” -Daris LaPointe 

78. “Do not lose faith in dark times.” -Lailah Gifty Akita 

79. “In life, we have to be strong and bright enough to face our dark times.” -Munia Khan

80. “It’s in the darkest nights you see the stars the most.” -Frederik

Dark Quotes To Inspire You To Focus On Light

81. “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen

82. “In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.” — Francis Bacon

83. “What hurts you, blesses you. Darkness is your candle.” — Rumi

84. “However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.” — Stanley Kubrick

85. “I am a forest, and a night of dark trees: but he who is not afraid of my darkness, will find banks full of roses under my cypresses.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

86. “Education is the movement from darkness to light.” — Allan Bloom

87. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” — Martin Luther King Jr

88. “In the midst of darkness, light persists.” — Mahatma Gandhi

89. “Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.” — Carl Jung

90. “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

Dark Quotes To Give You Hope

91. “Because you don’t notice the light without a bit of shadow. Everything has both dark and light. You have to play with it till you get it exactly right.” — Libba Bray

92. “I can see in what you call the dark, but which to me is golden.” — Helen Keller

93. “We must enhance the light, not fight the darkness.” — A. D. Gordon

94. “Don’t be afraid of the dark. Shine!” — Vera Nazarian

95. “No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible.” — George Chakiris

96. “The strongest trees are rooted in the dark places of the earth. Darkness will be your cloak, your shield, your mother’s milk. Darkness will make you strong.” — George R. R. Martin

97. “There is nothing in the dark that isn’t there when the lights are on.” — Rod Serling

98. “Don’t depend too much on anyone in this world because even your own shadow leaves you when you are in darkness.” — Ibn Taymiyyah

99. “Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.” — Erica Jong

100. “Hope begins in the dark.” — Anne Lamott

Dark Quotes To Encourage You To Find The Light

101. “All great men remain undeterred during dark times.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita

102. “You can hit the lowest low and face the darkest dark, but you can always get back up and get in the light. All of this is what actually makes life worth living.” — Kerli

103. “In the dark times, if you have something to hold on to, which is yourself, you’ll survive.” — Whoopi Goldberg

104. “There is something in even the darkest situations that we can make a positive in our lives.” — Deborah Norville

105. “Even in my darkest times I knew I had a good future ahead of me.” — Balthazar Getty

106. “In a dark time, the mind begins to see.” — Theodore Roethke

107. “Light and shadow are opposite sides of the same coin. We can illuminate our paths or darken our way. It is a matter of choice.” — Maya Angelou

108. “Sometimes when you’re overwhelmed by a situation – when you’re in the darkest of darkness – that’s when your priorities are reordered.” — Phoebe Snow

109. “Recovery begins from the darkest moment.” —  John Major

110. “In complete darkness we are all the same, it is only our knowledge and wisdom that separates us, don’t let your eyes deceive you.” — Janet Jackson

Dark Quotes To Focus On The Bright Side of Life

111. “Dreams and expectations also have the very dark flipside of disappointment, broken dreams.” ― James Franco

112. “I am only able to be honest. And sometimes my view of the world is pretty dark. But still funny.” ― Rachel Zucker

113. “As Believers, we shine brightest in a sad and dark world; like a diamond that illuminates best when placed on black velvet.” ― Chris Alexander

114. “Everybody’s got a dark side, but mine doesn’t include being around people who are mean.” ― Annie E. Clark

115. “Man has a dark side, yes, and it is called stupidity.” ― Carlos Castaneda

116. “I consider myself a natural optimist. I like the dark side of things.” ― Fritz Scholder

117. “I like to deal with my dark side in a creative way, and just sing about killing people instead of actually doing it.” ― Annie E. Clark

118. “The ego is like too many dark clouds around the sun – the sun gets lost.” ― Rajneesh

119. “I have a dark side. I think everyone does.” ― Charli XCX

120. “Faith is a bird that can see the light when it is dawn and starts singing in the dark.” ― Rabindranath Tagore

Dark Quotes to Shine a Light during challenges

121. “Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.” ― Joni Eareckson Tada

122. “Sometimes you can’t see your way out. The “dark night of the soul” – it’s a reality for many, many people.” ― Mariel Hemingway

123. “We are not consistent. We have both these dark sides and some light as well.” ― Annie Lennox

124. “I knew that if I did not start chanting with people, that I would never be able to clean out the dark corners of my own heart. I knew it with every cell in my body and mind.” ― Krishna Das

125. “I’ve suffered from pretty dark depressing times, and it’s probably – not probably – it is the reason why I chose to lead a healthy lifestyle.” ― Mariel Hemingway

126. “Man’s chief enemy is his own unruly nature and the dark forces put up within him.” ― Ernest Jones

127. “You learn to present dark things without including their ability to harm, treasuring them for what they are.” ― John Darnielle

128. “Laughing can serve you in dark moments and even help you crawl your way back out.” ― Ryan Reynolds

129. “I feel like my job is to give hope. The world is in a dark place and we are living in somewhat of a nightmare. So I want to make films to give hope.” ― Hany Abu-Assad

130. “I feel that what was done in the dark will come to light. There are secrets everybody’s gonna find out about.” ― Tupac Shakur

Dark Quotes About Overcoming Problems

131. “When lost in darkness he who lights the way, marks himself as easy prey.” ― Mark W Boyer

132. “There was something about her playing… a knowledge of darkness in the most extreme form.” ― Marisha Pessl

133. “It seems there is more interest in sunsets than sunrises. Perhaps because innately we fear the dark.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich

134. “Maybe it’s better this way-that we keep our darknesses close, hidden in our minds, protected by our hearts.” ― Andrea Cremer

135. “Darkness will never prevail. If you do not recognize the evil in our world, you will never stand up to it.” ― Landon Parham

136. “Darkness is drowned by three lights; nature, knowledge, and truth.” ― Barbra Annino

137. “You must often visit the darkness to get the people lost in the darkness out of there!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

138. “Acceptance is the key to finding where my truth lies in the darkness.” ― Truth Devour

139. “Ideology is the light that creates darkness.” ― Robert Boswell

140. “In the Darkness, there’s always a Light which Shines Bright!” ― Shubham Sharma

Dark Quotes to Uplift You

141. “I’m out, surrounded in dark. But in the distance there is a small glow, a tiny light. Suddenly I’m standing alone, the space starting to brighten as the light grows.” ― Suzanne Young

142. “Darkness can inspire light, and light can inspire darkness, its just a difference of distant of these two contrasting forces.” ― Michael Bassey Johnson

143. “Cannot admit that darkness exists because humanity itself exists, and that to erase one, you erase the other.” ― Keri Arthur

144. “No matter how fast light travels, light will always find darkness, waiting.” ― A. Spencer

145. “For a man to challenge the darkness he need only be armed with a single spark.” ― Mark W Boyer

146. “Once I knew the depth where no hope was, and darkness lay on the face of all things. Then love came and set my soul free.” ― Helen Keller

147. “One day there will be no more stars. There will be no more darkness. You see, light isn’t the absence of darkness. Darkness is the absence of light.” ― J. W. Lord

148. “My beloved isn’t dazzling light, Darkness is my beloved – The reason I’m so fond of her…” ― Subhajit Ganguly

149. “The depth of a man is a limit only he can know, should he have the courage to explore into the dark.” ― Kyle Schmalenberg

150. “Give me something in between the spectrums of light, darkness and sound and most days I will create something out of it for you.” ― Dimitri Zaik

Where to go from when facing challenges?

Now that you’ve read through the overcoming the dark quotes, choose a few that stand out the most to you.

Write them in your pocket or put them in your bathroom mirror.

Spend a few minutes throughout the day thinking about them and reading them over.

Your mindset and what you choose to focus on will make a big difference in your life as you work through the trying times. 

If things are going great for you now, consider the others around you.

If you know someone going through a dark time, choose a few quotes of inspiration and encouragement to share with them.

What did you learn from these inspirational dark quotes on overcoming difficult times?

Do you have any other helpful quotes to add about overcoming the dark?

Let us know in the comment section below.