100 Moving Forward Quotes To Help You Take That Next Step

These moving forward quotes and sayings will motivate you to make that first step.

What does it mean to move forward?

In the simplest terms, it is the act of advancing in position or literally moving in a forward direction.

If you think of it in terms of how humans respond to things, there is flight (running away from something or back the way you came), fight (pushing past the obstacle in your way), or freeze (standing still).

Fighting doesn’t always mean literally coming to blows, but rather moving forward.

One of the best ways to move forward is to not dwell on the past or what went wrong, as many of these moving forward quotes discuss.

We should always learn something from an experience, but let go of it once it has taught us the lesson we were meant to learn.

I heard a saying once, “It’s ok to be sad, but don’t unpack your bags and stay there.”

That’s what moving forward means to mean, not unpacking and getting comfortable in a situation that doesn’t serve you.

How can you move forward?

Hopefully, these moving forward quotes will give you some good ideas and encourage you to take that first step.

If you enjoy this article, check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily motivation.

Browse our entire collection of inspirational quotes for more motivating ideas and concepts.

Pushing forward quotes about failure and mistakes

1. “Sometimes we stumble and fall, it doesn’t mean we are failures, it simply means we are moving forward.” ― Gift Gugu Mona

2. “Love yourself enough to move forward from whatever mistakes you may have made.” ― Akiroq Brost

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3. “Mistakes are acceptable if they’re the result of moving forward.” ― Andrew Yang

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4. “Failure is a bend in the road, not the end of the road. Learn from failure and keep moving forward.” ― Roy T. Bennett

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5. “Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.” ― Denis Waitley

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6. “I find that the best way to do things is to constantly move forward and to never doubt anything and keep moving forward if you make a mistake, say you made a mistake.” ― John Frusciante

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7. “There’s no time for regrets. You’ve just got to keep moving forward.” ― Mike McCready

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Inspirational keep moving forward quotes about falling and getting back up

8. “Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward.” ― Victor Kiam

9. “The only person that ever stumbles is a guy moving forward. You don’t stumble backwards; you stumble forward, and you never stumble when you’re stationary. So don’t worry about stumbling. Keep pushing it forward.” ― James Carville

10. “My attitude has always been, if you fall flat on your face, at least you’re moving forward. All you have to do is get back up and try again.” ― Richard Branson

11. “Getting knocked down in life is a given. Getting up and moving forward is a choice!” ― Zig Ziglar

12. “Life’s not about how hard of a hit you can give… it’s about how many you can take and still keep moving forward.” ― Sylvester Stallone

13. “Life is about how much you can take and keep fighting, how much you can suffer and keep moving forward.” ― Anderson Silva

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Move forward quotes about the past and looking backward

14. “Sometimes in order to move the mind forward we must shift its gears out of reverse.” ― Curtis Tyrone Jones

15. “The longer we keep looking back in the rearview mirror, it takes away from everything that’s moving forward.” ― Dan Quinn

16. “Don’t hold on to the past; it won’t help in moving forward. Dare to dream big.” ― Rajeev Suri

17. “Rehashing the past wouldn’t change anything. Time to move forward.” ― Zena Wynn

18. “The only thing a person can ever really do is keep moving forward. Take that big leap forward without hesitation, without once looking back. Simply forget the past and forge toward the future.” ― Alyson Noel

19. “Some people are meant to stay put, and some people are meant to go. But running is different than going. When you’re running, you spend the whole time looking over your shoulder. To go forward, you gotta look forward.” ― Gretchen Anthony

20. “She understands now what she, in all her worry, had forgotten. That even as she hesitates and wavers, even as she thinks too much and moves too cautiously, she doesn’t always have to get it right. It’s okay to look back, even as you move forward.” ― Jennifer E. Smith

21. “In matters of pilgrimage, should you be more like a shark? Just keep moving forward, never back?” ― A.D. Aliwat

22. “Moving backward meant more suffering, and staying stuck was just as bad. That left moving forward. There had to be an answer somewhere.” ― Susan Mallery

23. “The way I look at it, every day that I’m moving forward is a day I’m not moving backward. Just the fact that I’m in the race at all is a miracle.”― Bobby Bones

24. “It’s a wonderful world. You can’t go backwards. You’re always moving forward. It’s the wonderful part about life. And that’s terrific.” ― Harvey Fierstein

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Motivational moving forward quotes to live by

25. “Baby steps count, too, as long as you’re moving forward.” ― Chris Gardner

26. “The choice isn’t to move on—life moves whether I want it to or not. No, the choice is to look forward, not backward, to take a step because refusing to move won’t draw the past nearer, only postpone better days.” ― Caroline George

27. “I am grateful for all the moments that I have, and I’m moving forward one step at a time to the future.” ― Park Bo-gum

28. “There is no standing still because time is moving forward.” ― Greg Lake

29. “You can’t expect to move forward if your emergency brake is on.” ― Angela Cecilia

30. “Even snails make progress. Just be sure your progress is in the direction you want to go.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich

31. “Whatever happens, I’ll just keep moving forward. Like an avalanche.” ― Michelle Phan

32. “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” ― Henry Ford

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

34. “I think that the power is the principle. The principle of moving forward, as though you have the confidence to move forward, eventually gives you confidence when you look back and see what you’ve done.” ― Robert Downey, Jr.

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Moving forward quotes to keep you going

35. “Our scars make us who we are. Wear them proudly and move forward.” ― Jane Linfooth

36. “The truth is, unless you let go unless you forgive yourself unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.” ― Steve Maraboli

37. “You need to have faith in yourself. Be brave and take risks. You don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward.” ― Roy T. Bennett

38. “When you have something to do, life will not allow you to move forward until you do it.” ― Iyanla Vanzant

39. “Change has to come for life to struggle forward.” ― Helen Hollick

40. “We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious, and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” ― Walt Disney

41. “Perhaps we never stop loving someone. We just learn to move forward. To live without them because of them. Perhaps we let go to hold on.” ― Caroline George

42. “Even if our life circumstances take a while to reflect our inner decisions, once decisions are made, everything in our life will move in the direction of aligning with that.” ― Donna Goddard

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Other inspirational quotes about moving forward

43. “Only your determination and your strong desire will move you forward.” ― Aurora Berill

44. “Growth is about moving forward while chaos often sends you repeatedly through the same cycles.” ― Victoria L. White

45. “You are always a student, never a master. You have to keep moving forward.” ― Conrad Hall

46. “A lot of things are going to happen that you can’t necessarily control all the time, but you can control what you do after it happens. So that’s what I try to do, keep my head up, keep moving forward, stay positive and just work hard.” ― Lonzo Ball

47. “You have to come to your closed doors before you get to your open doors… What if you knew you had to go through 32 closed doors before you got to your open door? Well, then you’d come to closed door number eight, and you’d think, ‘Great, I got another one out of the way’… Keep moving forward.” ― Joel Osteen

48. “Life doesn’t always end up where you want it to go; you have to be an optimist and keep moving forward.” ― Tinsley Mortimer

49. “Man maintains his balance, poise, and sense of security only as he is moving forward.” ― Maxwell Maltz

50. “Try to write at least 500 words a day. You may ditch 499 of them tomorrow, but you will still be moving forward.” ― Jojo Moyes

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Moving forward quotes to encourage you to move on

51. “It is always important to know when something has reached its end. Closing circles, shutting doors, finishing chapters, it doesn’t matter what we call it; what matters is to leave in the past those moments in life that are over.” ― Paulo Coelho

52. “You can’t start a new chapter in your life if you keep re-reading the last one.” ― Suzy Kassem

53. “If you are busy focusing on the falling bricks, you will never realize that they are truly stepping stones you need to cross over to the next phase of your life.” ― Kemi Sogunle

54. “Moving is not about forgetting. It’s about moving forward and never looking back.” ― Imania Margria

55. “Success is a choice; a promise that you make to yourself to keep moving forward.” ― Elizabeth Bourgeret

56. “There is no such thing as standing still; you either move forward or regress.” ― Bohdi Sanders

57. “Don’t let the blights of the past hold you back from the bliss of the future.” ― Constance Friday

58. “You know you’re in a good place when you no longer are interested in looking back. You prefer to enjoy the journey.” ― Karen Salmansohn

59. “One thing I’ve found… the road rarely rises up to meet you until you’ve begun walking.” ― Michele Jennae

60. “Don’t waste today by talking about yesterday until it’s finally tomorrow.” ― Tim Fargo

Moving Forward Quotes To Inspire Your Next Big Move

61. “We’re always moving forward in different places physically and psychologically.” — Ben Harper

82. “My kids motivate me to keep moving forward. My kids are my everything.” — Dwyane Wade

63. “My vibe was to just move forward at a really cool pace.” — Keith Morris

64. “But you have to have hope. You have to be optimistic in order to continue to move forward.” — John Lewis

65. “Fear is what inhibits us moving forward.” — Rod Stryker

66. “Stick with your passion, and keep moving forward. You can’t go wrong.” — Tohoru Masamune

67. “I’m always moving forward and trying new things.” — Robert Redford

68. “I look back at the past as fond memories but I’m able to move forwards in a new light, like I’m reborn.” — Brendon Urie

69. Become very conscious of every choice you make today so you can begin to make smarter choices moving forward.” — Darren Hardy

70. “I believe that, we’re better when we’re moving forward. We’re stronger together, so that’s what I’m going to be doing.” — Hillary Clinton

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Moving Forward Quotes To Mind About Your Future

71. “Nobody gets to live life backward. Look ahead–that is where your future lies.” ― Ann Landers

72. “We have to confront the reality of our world, and make the hard decisions about which way we want to move forward.” ― Edward Snowden

73. “I think we have to be very sensitive to our need to compete, moving forward, and a lot of that is tied to tax policy.” ― Jon Huntsman, Jr.

74. “I think everything moving forward will just be instinctual, like we’ll know exactly which doors to walk through when they open.” ― Cody Johnson

75. “You can’t stay in one place. If you stay in one place you die. So you have to move forward.” ― Rick Owens

76. “You just keep moving forward and doing what you do, and hope that it resonates with people. And if it doesn’t, you just keep moving on until you find a project that does.” ― Octavia Spencer

77. “Making that final commitment is really hard. Because once you decide to move forward, it becomes a whole process which is really hard to stop.” ― Gregory Crewdson

78. “I’m really conscious of not doing something just for the sake of moving forward.” ― Rick Owens

79. We’re never gonna move forward if we can’t let go of things, especially things that don’t happen to people today.” ― Rush Limbaugh

80. “Stop straining to hold the door to the past open, as if your old life is there, waiting, and you could just slip right in. Stop wasting your strength, because you can’t go back. Muscle your way forward. Keep moving.” ― Maggie Smith

Moving Forward Quotes on Embracing Change

81. “That sense of ambition, of aspiration, of moving forward, will be very important.” ― Hazel Blears

82. “It is safe to be me. I love life. I am always safe and secure. I move forward in life with joy and ease. All is well in my world.” ― Louise Hay

83. “If you have stumbled or even been lost for a time, you can move forward with faith and not wander to and fro in the world any longer.” ― Boyd K. Packer

84. “I think it’s about time! Who cares whether he is looking for votes or not! At least your country is moving forward with the times!” ― Barack Obama

85. “I would like to look back on my body of work and be proud of each record in its own right, but as a whole, I want to continue to grow and move forward.” ― Sara Bareilles

86. “Brave is not saying I have no fear. It’s being terrified and still moving forward.” ― Elisa Jimenez

87. “Nothing so clears the vision and lifts up the life, as a decision to move forward in what you know to be entirely the will of the Lord.” ― John Gibson Paton

88. “There is a lesson in almost everything that you do, and getting the lesson is how you move forward. It is how you enrich your spirit.” ― Oprah Winfrey

89. “All survival situations revolve around a host of variables…Always adapt, think positive, and move forward.” ― Cody Lundin

90. “Lots of times I’m not crazy about the writing, but I keep moving ahead and somehow it gets better. The important thing is to move forward.” ― Janet Evanovich

91. “Long ago we mastered the ability to create and harness fire, but we still don’t know how to light and maintain the fire that inspires us and keeps us moving forward.” ― Heidi Grant Halvorson Ph.D

92. “Moving forward first requires a step to be taken.” ― Chase S.M. Neill

93. “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

94. “Don’t be afraid if things seem difficult in the beginning. That’s only the initial impression. The important thing is not to retreat; you have to master yourself.” ― Olga Korbut

95. “It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” ― Confucius

96. “You can learn a lot from failure, but that requires you to continue moving forward despite having failed.” ― Darcy Oordt

97. “Start today by imagining the life you want in the future and taking one practice step towards it.” ― Denise Duffield Thomas

98. “Low self-confidence can hinder us from achieving all that we could achieve. It stops us from taking any risks, it stops us moving forward.” ― Catherine Pulsifer

99. “If you make a mistake, no matter what, correct your error and keep moving forward.” ― Alex Altman

100. “The most successful people are those who are willing to keep moving forward after making mistakes.” ― Coach Flanagan

What did you learn from these moving forward quotes?

It is difficult to let go of the things that hold us back, or the trauma that has taught us to fear change.

The scars might be red, raised, and angry now, but they do fade.

Taking one small step every day, toward a new future, we can get ourselves far enough away from it.

Sometimes, that distance is all we need to help heal our wounds.

Other times, you might want some help to move forward, and that by itself is a big step.

A therapist, or a life coach, can give you the tools to chart the course forward.

Be courageous and have faith in what you are meant to do.

I always tell my husband that my definition of success is not going backward, and there are more than enough moving forward quotes to show I am not the only one who uses this philosophy.

Share any tips, or other favorite moving forward quotes and sayings with us in the comment section below.