50 Long Quotes to Inspire You to Live a Full Life

By Danielle Dahl

Writer, Ph.D Candidate and Inspirational quote curator

Published January 3, 2023

These long quotes will help you live a life full of happiness, love, and success.

Sometimes, we don’t need many words to make an impact.

Other times, a few extra words can convey a more important message.

Tell us your favorite long quote in the comment section below.

What are the benefits of reading these long quotes?

Reading quotes is a great way to expand your knowledge and grow into the best version of yourself.

These long quotes will:

Express wisdom from some great minds and famous people
Inspire you to find happiness and success
Reinforce your ideas and give validation to your thoughts and beliefs

These long quotes about love, life, happiness, and success, will help you stay inspired and motivated every day.

They might be too long for a caption on Instagram or Twitter, but they are perfect for writing in a journal!

Keep reading these long quotes to learn something new that you can apply to whatever situation you are currently going through.

Long quotes about love

These long quotes about love will help you understand this complex human emotion. Love can be messy, but it is beautiful and worth it!

1. “I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” ― Marilyn Monroe

2. “Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don’t know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings.” ― Anais Nin

3. “We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness—and call it love—true love.” ― Robert Fulghum

4. “The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. And that’s what you’ve given me. That’s what I’d hoped to give you forever.” ― Nicholas Sparks

5. “I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough..” ― Nicholas Sparks

6. “I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.” ― Pablo Neruda

7. “I no longer believed in the idea of soul mates, or love at first sight. But I was beginning to believe that a very few times in your life, if you were lucky, you might meet someone who was exactly right for you. Not because he was perfect, or because you were, but because your combined flaws were arranged in a way that allowed two separate beings to hinge together.” ― Lisa Kleypas

8. “As for lovers, well, they’ll come and go too. And baby, I hate to say it, most of them – actually pretty much all of them are going to break your heart, but you can’t give up because if you give up, you’ll never find your soulmate. You’ll never find that half who makes you whole, and that goes for everything. Just because you fail once, doesn’t mean you’re gonna fail at everything.” — Marilyn Monroe

9. “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” ― C. S. Lewis

10. “You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters? She’s not perfect—you aren’t either, and the two of you may never be perfect together but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice, and admit to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can. She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you can break—her heart. So don’t hurt her, don’t change her, don’t analyze and don’t expect more than she can give. Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, and miss her when she’s not there.” ― Bob Marley

Long quotes about life

Life is both beautiful, ugly, simple, and extremely complex. It is everything all rolled up into a series of days. Let these quotes help you make the most of your life.

11. “If you learn to develop an abundant mentality you will not be envious of others, you will celebrate their successes, you will share in their joys and pains. Don’t see life as a competition but as complementary.” — Bernard Kelvin Clive

12. “You – yourself, not someone else – need to determine where you want to go and what you want to do in your life. And once you make that decision, you can begin mapping a plan to get there and focusing on that objective every single day.” — Squire Rushnell

13. “Life is a gamble from minute to minute so play it today for all there is in it. The flick of an eyelash, the quirk of a smile. A good deed here and there makes it all worthwhile. So make life a garden for every day and gather your rosebuds while you may.” — P MacDonald

14. “You know, some people say life is short and that you could get hit by a bus at any moment and that you have to live each day like it’s your last. Bullshit. Life is long. You’re probably not gonna get hit by a bus. And you’re gonna have to live with the choices you make for the next fifty years.” — Chris Rock

15. “One of the most important secrets of life that will be more contented is the act of gratitude and being grateful for the things you have in your life. It is so natural to get caught on the continually needing more prepare that we don’t stop to welcome the things that we have now.” — Adam Green, Greatest Life Lessons

16. “Simplicity requires a two-step process. First, we must invest time and energy to discover what stirs us as human beings, what makes our hearts sing, and what brings us joy. Then, we must proceed to create the life that reflects the unique people we truly are. This is the heart and soul of simplicity.” — Linda Breen Pierce

17. “The foundation stones of honesty, character, faith, integrity, love, and loyalty are necessary for a balanced success that includes health, wealth, and happiness. As you go onward and upward in life, you will discover that if you compromise any of these principles you will end up with only a beggar’s portion of what life has to offer.” — Zig Ziglar

18. “Over the years, mostly in retrospect, I learned a variety of lessons, and one of the most important is this: You can’t hit a target you can’t see. You can’t accomplish wonderful things with your life if you have no idea of what they are. You must first become absolutely clear about what you want if you are serious about unlocking the extraordinary power that lies within you.” — Brian Tracy

19. “Taking responsibility – practicing 100 percent responsibility every day – is about seeing ourselves not as right or wrong, but as an agent, chooser, problem solver, and learner in the complex interrelationships of our lives so that we can better integrate with the people and world around us. When we do this, we enjoy a better and more productive way to live and lead.” — Christopher Avery

20. “This life is what you make it. No matter what, you’re going to mess up sometimes, it’s a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you’re going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends – they’ll act like it anyway. But just remember, some come, some go. The ones that stay with you through everything – they’re your true best friends. Don’t let go of them. Also remember, sisters make the best friends in the world.” — Marilyn Monroe

Long inspirational quotes

Sometimes, we all need a little boost! These long inspirational quotes will help you get on track and stay focused.

21. “Our lives are stories in which we write, direct and star in the leading role. Some chapters are happy while others bring lessons to learn, but we always have the power to be the heroes of our own adventures.” — Joelle Speranza

22. “Dreams don’t have to just be dreams. You can make it a reality; if you just keep pushing and keep trying, then eventually you’ll reach your goal. And if that takes a few years, then that’s great, but if it takes 10 or 20, then that’s part of the process.” — Naomi Osaka

23. “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs—even though checkered by failure—than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” — Theodore Roosevelt

24. “If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never be fulfilled. If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself. Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the world belongs to you.” — Lao Tzu

25. “Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain… To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices – today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it.” — Kevyn Aucoin

26. “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

27. “People tell you the world looks a certain way. Parents tell you how to think. Schools tell you how to think. TV. Religion. And then at a certain point, if you’re lucky, you realize you can make up your own mind. Nobody sets the rules but you. You can design your own life.” — Carrie Ann Moss

28. “The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature, and God. As long as this exists, and it certainly always will, then there will be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be.” — Anne Frank

29. “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” — Melody Beattie

30. “I just want you to know that if you are out there and you are being really hard on yourself right now for something that has happened … it’s normal. That is what is going to happen to you in life. No one gets through unscathed. We are all going to have a few scratches on us. Please be kind to yourselves and stand up for yourself, please.” — Taylor Swift

Long quotes about happiness

What is happiness, and should we be happy all the time? These long quotes about happiness will help you answer those questions.

31. “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn, or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” — Denis Waitley

32. “So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?” — Hunter S. Thompson

33. “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else.” — Chinese Proverb

34. “In my life, I’ve learned that true happiness comes from giving. Helping others along the way makes you evaluate who you are. I think that love is what we’re all searching for. I haven’t come across anyone who didn’t become a better person through love.” — Marla Gibbs

35. “Happiness is a constant work-in-progress because solving problems is a constant work-in-progress—the solutions to today’s problems will lay the foundation for tomorrow’s problems, and so on. True happiness occurs only when you find the problems you enjoy having and enjoy solving.” — Mark Manson

36. “Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything, I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness.” — Robertson Davies

37. “True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.” ― Seneca

38. “Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the overcompensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn’t nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand.” ― Aldous Huxley

39. “Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert

40. “Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long-run—in the long-run, I say!—success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it.” ― Viktor E. Frankl

Long quotes about success and hard work

Can anyone be successful? What does it take? Check out these long quotes about success and hard work to find out.

41. “Focused, hard work is the real key to success. Keep your eyes on the goal, and just keep taking the next step towards completing it. If you aren’t sure which way to do something, do it both ways and see which works better.” — John Carmack

42. “I always feel like it’s two key ingredients when it comes to following your dreams, making something happen that the average person deems difficult. If you truly believe it, that’s step one. Step two is, you know, the hard work that goes along with it.” — J. Cole

43. “Whatever you go into, you have to go in there to be the best. There’s no formulas. It’s all about passion and honesty, and hard work. It might look glamorous, but it takes a lot of hard work. The blessing with the arts is that you can do it forever.” — Hugh Masekela

44. “I think that passion is the secret ingredient that drives hard work and excellence. My passion is to serve the public: to be in the arena of public policy, to have the opportunity to solve problems for our country, to be in a position where I can make a difference.” — Kelly Ayotte

45. “Everybody wants to be famous, but nobody wants to do the work. I live by that. You grind hard so you can play hard. At the end of the day, you put all the work in, and eventually, it’ll pay off. It could be in a year. It could be in 30 years. Eventually, your hard work will pay off.” — Kevin Hart

46. “A lot of people have their big dreams and get knocked down and don’t have things go their way. And you never give up hope, and you really just hold on to it. Hard work and perseverance. You just keep getting up and getting up, and then you get that breakthrough.” — Robert Kraft

47. “Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. It may not be difficult to store up in the mind a vast quantity of facts within a comparatively short time, but the ability to form judgments requires the severe discipline of hard work and the tempering heat of experience and maturity.” — Calvin Coolidge

48. “To be a champion, I think you have to see the big picture. It’s not about winning and losing; it’s about everyday hard work and about thriving on a challenge. It’s about embracing the pain that you’ll experience at the end of a race and not being afraid. I think people think too hard and get afraid of a certain challenge.” — Summer Sanders

49. “Everyone has the ability to increase resilience to stress. It requires hard work and dedication, but over time, you can equip yourself to handle whatever life throws your way without adverse effects to your health. Training your brain to manage stress won’t just affect the quality of your life, but perhaps even the length of it.” — Amy Morin

50. “Our contribution purely depends on our consciousness and our willingness to support those in need, to show vulnerability and accept the support of others, to share without expecting the credit, to give it our all, and allow our hard work to decide the outcome, to understand that control can only be achieved with a shared responsibility.” — Yehuda Berg