220 Short Inspirational Quotes to Uplift Your Day

“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” – Maya Angelou

Read this collection of short inspirational quotes and let us know in the comment section which one will become your daily mantra.

At Everyday Power, we have compiled quotes from a wide variety of great minds, including authors, athletes, TV personalities, and CEOs.

Each of the following quotes is overflowing with innovation, creativity, and knowledge.

What inspires you to become what you’re capable of? 

Most people have to watch hours upon hours of interviews and read countless books to learn about these concepts.

In this article, we have gathered brief moments of genius that will fit perfectly into your hectic lifestyle and hopefully spark further curiosity and research.

All you need is a couple of minutes out of your day, and you can gain enough inspiration to last all week long. 

Short inspirational quotes about happiness

1. “There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”  – Edith Wharton

2. “You do not find the happy life. You make it.” – Camilla Eyring Kimball

3. “The most wasted of days is one without laughter.” – E.E. Cummings

4. “Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive.” – Hafez

5. “Make each day your masterpiece.” – John Wooden

6. “Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.” – John Barrymore

7. “Happiness is not by chance, but by choice.” – Jim Rohn

8. “Life changes very quickly, in a very positive way, if you let it.” – Lindsey Vonn

9. “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” – Helen Keller

Short inspirational quotes about believing in yourself

10. “Impossible is for the unwilling.” – John Keats

11. “No pressure, no diamonds.” – Thomas Carlyle

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

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

14. “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” – George Eliot

15. “When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.” – Carol Burnett

16. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi

17. “Stay foolish to stay sane.” – Maxime Lagacé

18. “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” – Steve Jobs

19. “Whatever you are, be a good one.” – Abraham Lincoln 

20. “You must do the things you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

21. “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” Confucius

22. “Be faithful to that which exists within yourself.” – André Gide

23. “Dream big and dare to fail.” – Norman Vaughan

24. “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive.” – Maya Angelou

25. “You are enough just as you are.” – Meghan Markle

Short inspirational quotes about perseverance

26. “To be the best, you must be able to handle the worst.” – Wilson Kanadi

27. “No matter what you’re going through, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” – Demi Lovato

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

29. “Every moment is a fresh beginning.” – T.S. Eliot 

30. “No guts, no story.” – Chris Brady

31. “Keep going. Be all in.” – Bryan Hutchinson

32. “Leave no stone unturned.” – Euripides

33. “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says “I’m possible!” – Audrey Hepburn

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

35. “If it matters to you, you’ll find a way.” – Charlie Gilkey

36. “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” – Dr. Robert Schuller

37. “Turn your wounds into wisdom.” Oprah Winfrey 

38. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

39. “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill

40. “Don’t wait, the time will never be just right.” – Napoleon Hill

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

42. “Life is fragile. We’re not guaranteed a tomorrow so give it everything you’ve got.” – Tim Cook

43. “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” – Michael Altshuler

Short inspirational quotes about helping people

44. “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” – Maya Angelou

45. “Some people look for a beautiful place. Others make a place beautiful.” – Hazrat Inayat Khan

46. “Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right.” – Isaac Asimov

47. “I’m starting to think this world is just a place for us to learn that we need each other more than we want to admit.” – Richelle E. Goodrich

48. “We have a responsibility to help those around us and help others in need.” – Virginia Williams

49. “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of others.” – Charles Dickens

50. “No one has ever become poor by giving.” – Anne Frank

Short inspirational quotes to encourage you

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

52. “The only thing that can grow is the thing you give energy to.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

53. “Good things happen to those who hustle.” – Anaïs Nin

54. “No greater gift there is, than a generous heart.” – Yoda

55. “Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong.” – Winston Churchill

Related  70 Setting Priority Quotes to Help with Goal Setting

56. “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” – Joseph Campbell

57. “You can if you think you can.” – George Reeves

58. “Worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe.” – Mark Twain

59. “The wisest mind has something yet to learn.” – George Santanaya

60. “Get to the point where you get allergic to average! You don’t think average!” – Eric Thomas

Short inspirational quotes that will open your mind

61. “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde

62. “Open your mind. Get up off the couch. Move.” – Anthony Bourdain

63. “When you finally learn your self–worth… you stop giving others discounts.” – Unknown

64. “You never fail until you stop trying.” – Albert Einstein

65. “We can do anything we want to if we stick to it long enough.” – Helen Keller

66. “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

67. “Whatever you do, do with all your might.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

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

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

70. “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” – Dolly Parton

Short inspirational quotes to keep you moving forward

71. “Persistence guarantees that results are inevitable.” – Paramahansa Yogananda

72. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” –George Bernard Shaw

73. “Some days you just have to create your own sunshine.” – Unknown

74. “Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

75. “There is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future.” – Augustine of Hippo

76. “Always do what you are afraid to do.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

77. “Every noble work is at first impossible.” – Thomas Carlyle

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

79. “Defeat may serve as well as victory to shake the soul and let the glory out.” – Edwin Markham

80. “Overcome the notion that you must be regular. It robs you of the chance to be extraordinary.” – Uta Hagen

Short inspirational quotes to empower you

81. “Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway.“
Eleanor Roosevelt

82. Take time to do what makes your soul happy.”

83. “Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.“
Lance Armstrong

84. The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship. William Blake

85. “When one door of happiness closes, another opens.“ – Helen Keller

86. Sadness flies away on the wings of time. Jean de La Fontaine

87. “It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” – Edmund Hillary

88. “Begin anywhere.” – John Cage

89. “Have faith in yourself and in the future.” – Ted Kennedy

90. “Most obstacles melt away when we make up our minds to walk boldly through them.” – Orison Swett Marden

Short inspirational quotes that will make your day

91. “Do it Now!” – Napoleon Hill

92. “The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live.”- Elbert Hubbard

93. “No great thing is created suddenly.” —Epictetus

94. “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It is the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

95. “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”—Confucius

96. “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.” – Soren Kierkegaard

97. “I’d rather be optimistic and a fool, than pessimistic and right.” –Author unknown

98. “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” – Dorothy Bernard

99. “Life is as easy or as hard as you think it is.”– Jonathan Lockwood Huie

100. “Live your dreams.” – Les Brown

Short inspirational quotes and short inspirational sayings

101. “The true vocation of man is to find his way for himself.” – Hermann Hesse

102. “A life of sacrifice is the pinnacle of art, and is full of true joy.” –Mahatma Gandhi

103. “No wind favors he who has no destined port.” —Montaigne

104. “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” – Henry Davis Thoreau

105. “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” – Albert Einstein

106. “To know oneself, one should assert oneself.” –Albert Camus

107. “Men do less than they ought unless they do all they can.” – Thomas Carlyle

108. “People living deeply have no fear of death.” – Anais Nin

109. “A clever man commits no minor blunders.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

110. “Be not afraid of going slowly, be afraid only of standing still.” –Chinese Proverb

Short inspirational quotes about life and dreams

111. “If I’m gonna tell a real story, I’m gonna start with my name.” – Kendrick Lamar

112. “Wake up with determination. Go to bed with satisfaction.”
– George Horace Lorimer

113. “All limitations are self-imposed.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

114. “When you make a choice, you change the future.”– Deepak Chopra

115. “Determine your priorities and focus on them.” – Eileen McDargh

116. “Words are your paintbrush, and your life is the canvas. You can paint whatever you want to paint.”― Miguel Ruiz

Related  50 Mafia Quotes About Organized Crime Families

117. “Never let your emotions overpower your intelligence.” – Drake

118. “Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity.”– Oprah Winfrey

119. “Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” – Rumi

120. “Always remember that you are unique  –  just like everybody else.” – Unknown

Quotes about inspiration for success

121. “If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.” – Mark Twain

122. “Re-examine all you have been told. Dismiss what insults your soul.”
– Walt Whitman

123. “Have enough courage to start and enough heart to finish.” – Jessica N. S. Yourko

124. “Above all, a person is their will.”– Unknown

125. “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” – Steve Martin

126. “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”– Milton Berle

127. “Don’t you know your imperfections is a blessing?” – Kendrick Lamar

128. “Who you are tomorrow begins with what you do today.”– Tim Fargo

129. “Happiness depends upon ourselves.” – Aristotle

130. “You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?” – Steven Wright

Short life quotes to brighten your day

131. “Tough times never last but tough people do.” – Robert H. Schiuller

132. “Magic always happens when you direct your inner powers to the object you want to change.”– Bangambiki Habyarimana

133. “I could agree with you but then we’d both be wrong.” – Harvey Specter

134. “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.”– Tony Robbins

135. “Yesterday you said tomorrow. Just do it.” – Nike

136. “Those at the top of the mountain didn’t fall there.”– Marcus Washling

137. “There is no substitute for hard work.” – Thomas Edison

138. “Mostly, the world sees you the way you see yourself.”– Lisa Nichols

139. “The meaning of life is to give life meaning.” – Ken Hudgins

140. “The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs, one step at a time.” – Joe Girard

Short inspirational quotes to uplift you

141. “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi

142. “We accept the love we think we deserve.” – Stephen Chbosky

143. “Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – Marilyn Monroe

144. “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” – Oscar Wilde

145. “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” – Maya Angelou

146. “Everything you can imagine is real.” – Pablo Picasso

147. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt

148. “It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” – Paulo Coelho

149. “Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.” – Dalai Lama

150. “Life is too short to waste your time on people who don’t respect, appreciate, and value you.” – Roy T. Bennett

Short positive quotes to pump you up

151. “Never give up hope. All things are working for your good. One day, you’ll look back on everything you’ve been through and thank God for it.” – Germany Kent

152. “When in doubt, throw doubt out and have a little faith….” – E.A. Bucchianeri

153. “Don’t worry about the challenges. Get excited about the rewards of crushing them.” – Hiral Nagda

154. “Keep going. Is not as difficult as you feel it is. Don’t give up.” – Brandon Sanderson

155. “I may stumble. I may fall. I may cry. But I’ll NEVER give up! Tomorrow, I rise again.” – Steve Maraboli

156. “The most important thing is to keep going. The second most important thing is to choose the right direction.” – Maxime Lagacé

157. “Keep going like there’s a big rock rolling behind you. Never stop until you find ways to dodge it!” – I’m salmiah

158. “There are a thousand reasons to live this life, every one of them is sufficient.” – Marilynne Robinson

159. “If beautiful lilies bloom in ugly waters, you too can blossom in ugly situations.” – Matshona Dhliwayo

160. “Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what is still possible to do.” – Hillary Rodham Clinton

Short inspirational quotes to inspire success

161. “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” – Lou Holtz

162. “Even a mistake may turn out to be the one thing necessary to a worthwhile achievement.” – Henry Ford

163. “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Breault

164. “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Christian D. Larson

165. “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Confucius

166. “Dream big, stay positive, work hard, and enjoy the journey.” – Urijah Faber

167. “Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.” – John Heywood

168. “We go forward with our heads held high, but look back and remember where we come from.” – Michael Hudson

169. “Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” – Dolly Parton

170. “As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Related  50 Breadcrumbing Quotes for Losing A User

Short inspirational quotes to brighten your day

171. “My life is my message.” – Mahatma Gandhi

172. “Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” – Maya Angelou

173. “Never regret anything that made you smile.” – Mark Twain

174. “You receive from the world what you give to the world.” – Oprah Winfrey

175. “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” – Confucius

176. “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

177. “Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.” – W. Clement Stone

178. “All progress takes place outside of your comfort zone.” – Michael John Bobak

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

180. “What makes greatness is starting something that lives after you.” – Ralph Sockman

Short inspirational quotes and words of wisdom

181. “I don’t need it to be easy, I need it to be worth it.” – Lil Wayne

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

183. “If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” – Bruce Lee

184. “He that can have patience can have what he will.” – Benjamin Franklin

185. “Being miserable is a habit; being happy is a habit; and the choice is yours.” – Tom Hopkins

186. “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” – Muhammad Ali

187. “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi

188. “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” – Henry Ford

189. “Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.” – Oprah Winfrey

190. “Energy and initiative count as much as talent and luck.” – Will Peters

Short inspirational quotes for big life changes

191. “As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.“ –
Marianne Williamson

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

193. “There is nothing impossible to they who will try.”— Alexander the Great

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

195. “You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.”— Oprah Winfrey

196. “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”— Malala Yousafzai

197. “Spread love everywhere you go.”— Mother Teresa

198. “You can be everything. You can be the infinite amount of things that people are.”— Kesha

199. “Belief creates the actual fact.”— William James

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

Other short positive quotes and sayings

201. “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” – Maya Angelou

202. “There can be glory in failure and despair in success.” – Abraham Lincoln

203. “A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.” – Francis Bacon

204. “None preaches better than the ant, and she says nothing.” – Benjamin Franklin

205. “A man’s true wealth is the good he does in the world.” – Kahlil Gibran

206. “You can choose to not let little things upset you.” – Joel Osteen

207. “Positive anything is better than negative nothing.” – Elbert Hubbard

208. “If you want to see a rainbow you have to learn to see the rain.” – Paulo Coelho

209. “I’m a slow walker, but I never walk back.” – Abraham Lincoln

210. “You can’t live an exceptional life by being “normal.”” – Nick Maley

Short inspirational quotes about success and goals

211. “Learn as if you will live forever, live like you will die tomorrow.” — Mahatma Gandhi

212. “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” — Will Rogers

213.“When you change your thoughts, remember to also change your world.”—Norman Vincent Peale

214. “To know how much there is to know is the beginning of learning to live.” —Dorothy West

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

216. “Goal setting is the secret to a compelling future.” — Tony Robbins

217. “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” — Herman Melville

218. “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” — Tony Robbins

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

220. “Either you run the day or the day runs you.” — Jim Rohn

Which of these short motivational quotes will you turn to?

Sometimes, all we need is a small dose of inspiration to keep going. Remember to bookmark this page so you can get back to it quickly whenever you need extra motivation. 

One of the best things about these short quotes is that they are easily shareable. If you see someone in need of inspiration, send them one of the above quotes. 

These quotes are universally relatable and can help many people decipher problems within their own lives.

It only takes a couple of seconds to make someone’s day. Don’t be afraid to reach out to the people you care about. 

Did we miss one of your favorite short inspirational quotes and sayings? Let us know your favorites in the comments section below. 

Nia Simone McLeod is a writer, content creator, and video editor from Richmond, Virginia. After receiving a Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Virginia Commonwealth University, she began producing professionally edited, eye-catching written and visual content for clients on a variety of different topics such as pop culture, music, technology, business, and mental health. From songs that top the Billboard charts to binge-worthy TV shows on Netflix, she not only understands what’s “hot” in pop culture but how it connects us as a community.As communities, we bond over discussing, critiquing, and expressing our love for pop culture. Developing great digital content is equal parts research and creative ideas. As a content writer, she has helped brands and entrepreneurs create digital content that authentically expresses their brand while staying in touch with current events. Her article topics also include travel, technology, business, and health. When she is not tapping away at her laptop, she is curating her next great Spotify playlist or stuffing her face at the local pho shop.
Search