50 Discouraged Quotes to Lift you Up

By Norbert Juma
Master quote curator and editor on a mission to inspire

Published December 20, 2022

There is a wide range of discouraged quotes available on the internet that are motivational and can help boost one’s morale.

However, finding one that inspires you the most isn’t an easy task.

To assist you, we have compiled a list of the best discouraging quotes.

We hope you will enjoy reading these quotes.

Apart from offering you a good selection of quotes, we have also discussed ways to deal with discouraging comments.

So, let’s dive in without any further ado.

Ways to Deal with Discouraging Comments

Most of the people who pass discouraging comments have low self-esteem.

They aren’t comfortable seeing others perform better.

If someone passes discouraging comments, don’t lose your confidence.

Instead, try to avoid paying much attention to such comments.

Here are a few trusted ways to deal with such comments:

Evaluate a person’s intention
Judge the remarks
Don’t get offended
Control you emotions

Now, let’s discuss each one in detail.

Evaluating a Person’s Intention

First, it is essential to evaluate a person’s intention to pass discouraging comments.

Positive criticism can help you perform better.

However, if a person intentionally passes discouraging remarks, it means he/she isn’t loyal to you.

Judge the Remarks

Also, you need to judge whether the remarks or comments are destructive or constructive.

A person authorized to judge your work can criticize.

If the remarks are constructive, you can use them to work on areas where you lack expertise.

Don’t get Offended

Don’t offend by the criticism or discouraging comments.

If you think of it as negative criticism or an act of jealousy, it would have a devastating impact on your confidence.

On the other hand, try to find positivity and think of ways to overcome your weaknesses.

Control your Emotions

Make sure to control your emotions, and don’t panic if someone passes discouraging remarks.

Always handle criticism with an open heart.

For example, avoid exploding or bursting into emotions when someone tries to discourage you.

Top 10 Discouraged Quotes

Here is the list of the best discouraged quotes. These quotes are short yet impressive.

1. “If you fail, do not be discouraged.” — Henry Sy

2. “Eccentricity has never been discouraged in our family.” — Carlene Carter

3. “When things are a disappointment, try not to be so discouraged.” — Carol Burnett

4. “I’ve always been very determined. I don’t get easily discouraged.” — Kalpana Chawla

5. “I was discouraged at drama school, along with most of my peers.” — Sigourney Weaver

6. “I will not be discouraged by failure; I will not be elated by success.” — Joseph Barber Lightfoot

7. “It’s hard for women at my age in Hollywood, but I’m not discouraged.” — Jane Fonda

8. “If you have a passion for something, never be discouraged by anyone.” — Neil Sedaka

9. “Everybody is going to have their critics. It’s easy to get discouraged in life.” — Joel Osteen

10. “Be proud of your heritage, and don’t be discouraged from the improbable.” — Carey Price

Discouraged Quotes that are on Another Level

These discouraging quotes can help you overcome the negative impact of a discouraging quote, as there is a message behind each of these quotes.

11. “Refuse to be disheartened, discouraged, distracted from your goals in life.” — Bernice King

12. “Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.” — Rabindranath Tagore

13. “What is important is to believe in something so strongly that you’re never discouraged.” — Salma Hayek

14. “Edison failed 10,000 times before he made the electric light. Do not be discouraged if you fail a few times.” — Napoleon Hill

15. “A man can get discouraged many times, but he is not a failure until he begins to blame somebody else and stops trying.” — John Burroughs

16. “You have setbacks in your life and adversity. You can be discouraged about it or have the courage to get through it and be better.” — Austin Seferian-Jenkins

17. “Don’t get discouraged with your skin when it doesn’t do what you want it to do… Give it some time. That’s the only way to get to know yourself.” — SZA

18. “You can be discouraged by failure, or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes, make all you can. Because, remember that’s where you’ll find success – on the far side of failure.” — Thomas J. Watson

19. “I am astonished but not discouraged by my enormous responsibility. Devoted both from affection and duty to the cause of the people, I shall combat with equal ardor aristocracy, despotism, and faction.” — Marquis de Lafayette

20. “To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope.” — Jack Layton

Discouraged Quotes to Boost your Morale

You can use these quotes while dealing with negative criticism.

21. “Right from growing up I always wanted to be a teacher, but my dad discouraged me.” — Sara Davies

22. “I got well by talking. Death could not get a word in edgewise, grew discouraged, and traveled on.” — Louise Erdrich

23. “Every time I wrote fiction, I was discouraged, and every time I wrote nonfiction, I was encouraged.” — Ron Chernow

24. “I know when I get down and discouraged, it’s hard for me to be able to just see anything except for right where I am.” — Victoria Osteen

25. “There’s a lot of guys out there that can play at this level, and sometimes they might be discouraged because they come from a small school or a tough situation.” — Adam Thiele

26. “One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.” — Lucille Ball

27. “We all have to start somewhere, and doing something is better than nothing at all. Start small so you don’t get discouraged and give up. Remember, it is all about consistency.” — Khloe Kardashian

28. “What’s happened to the music industry, from my perspective, is a lot of great music is behind the wall that can’t get through, and therefore, a lot of artists are getting discouraged.” — Jimmy Iovine

29. “People would say it’s very improbable that I’d make it to this point in my life. I made it here because I wasn’t discouraged. I worked hard to get here, took advantage of every opportunity that I had.” — Carey Price

30. “Remember, always give your best. Never get discouraged. Never be petty. Always remember, others may hate you. But those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself.” — Richard M. Nixon

Discouraged Quotes for Motivation

If you are searching for motivational quotes to strengthen your confidence, just look at the quotes listed below.

31. “Many feel discouraged because they have not measured up to their potential.” — Joseph B. Wirthlin

32. “If every conceivable precaution is taken at first, one is often too discouraged to proceed at all.” — Archer John Porter Martin

33. “Continuous, unflagging effort, persistence, and determination will win. Let not the man be discouraged who has these.” — James Whitcomb Riley

34. “What I learned with Cecil Taylor was strategy and survival and how to resist temptations and resist getting discouraged.” — Steve Lacy

35. “A surgeon is surrounded by people who are sick, discouraged, afraid, embittered, dying – but also courageous, loving, wise, compassionate and alive.” — Bernie Siegel

36. “Nearly every man who develops an idea works it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then he gets discouraged. That’s not the place to become discouraged.” — Thomas A. Edison

37. “Psychotherapy theory turns it all on you: you are the one who is wrong. If a kid is having trouble or is discouraged, the problem is not just inside the kid; it’s also in the system, the society.” — James Hillman

38. “I have had so much at heart. Defeated, not conquered; disappointed, not discouraged. I have but to be more energetic and more faithful in the difficult and painful vocation to which my life is devoted.” — Dorothea Dix

39. “History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.” — B. C. Forbes

40. “No matter how frustrated, disappointed, and discouraged we may feel in the face of our failures, it’s only temporary. And the faster you can stop wallowing in guilt, blame or resentment, the faster you can put it behind you.” — Fabrizio Moreira

Here are some discouraged quotes worthy of sharing via social media platforms. So, go through the list and pick your favorite.

41. “I was just never discouraged from doing something wacky like trying to be a comedian.” — Kate McKinnon

42. “There’s a lot of mediocrity being celebrated, and a lot of wonderful stuff being ignored or discouraged.” — Sean Penn

43. “While I was a student at The Cooper Union, they discouraged too much of a focus on any one medium, and it helped me try new and different things.” — Wangechi Mutu

44. “I have become down-hearted, I have become discouraged, I have become depressed. I’m just like you. I’m a human being and I have my problems.” — Dyan Cannon

45. “As children, my siblings and I were actively discouraged from acting. I have no memories of going on set with my parents – aside from ‘Gulliver’s Travels’.” — Tom Sturridge

46. “There’s a point where you’re going after something so wholeheartedly that you start getting discouraged when there’s no results or when no one’s taking interest.” — Maddie Marlow

47. “You are damned and praised, or encouraged or discouraged by those who listen to you, and those who come to applaud you. And to me, those people are very important.” — Miriam Makeba

48. “I feel impressed to counsel those engaged in personal challenges to do right. In particular, my heart reaches out to those who feel discouraged by the magnitude of their struggle.” — Russell M. Nelson

49. “I think it’s real easy to look at what’s out there and get discouraged. I was never the best-looking guy, I was never the Tom Cruise-looking guy. I think the biggest thing I can say is, ‘Don’t compare yourself.’” — Craig Sheffer

50. “It could be easy to get frustrated or discouraged when it comes to educating students with disabilities. But that’s because there are too often artificial barriers and roadblocks that limit your ability to focus on meeting their individual needs.” — Betsy DeVos