50 Not Good Enough Quotes to Help You Navigate Your Self-Doubt
Published October 22, 2023
If you’ve ever struggled with comparison and feeling like you’re not “enough,” these Not Good Enough Quotes will help.
Have you ever felt not good enough?
That nagging doubt can be seriously frustrating, whether in love, at work, or just dealing with our self-esteem.
But guess what?
We’re not alone in this.
In this article, we’re diving into some relatable quotes from people who’ve struggled with self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy and come out the other side.
These quotes are little reminders that everyone struggles with self-worth and that we’re stronger than we think.
Not Good Enough Quotes About Self-Doubt
Feeling like you’re not good enough starts with self-doubt.
Read on for quotes about grappling with those challenging thoughts.
1. “Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.” — Christian Nestell Bovee
2. “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” ― Suzy Kassem
3. “It is easy to believe you are not good enough if you listen to everybody else.” — Mackenzie Astin
4. “I seek strength, not to be greater than others, but to fight my greatest enemy, the doubts within myself.” ― P.C. Cast
5. “Every time I looked in the mirror, it was like, ‘You’re not good enough.’ ‘There’s always someone more popular.’” — Brian Welch
6. “If you can remove your self-doubt and believe in yourself, you can achieve what you never thought possible.”― Roy T. Bennett
7. “The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize.” — Robert Hughes
8. “I go to sleep every single night thinking I’m not good enough; I really do. I don’t know if that’s healthy or not. But I really do have a fear of not being good, and I don’t like that.” — Diana Taurasi
9. “The worst thing about that kind of prejudice… is that while you feel hurt and angry and all the rest of it, it feeds you self-doubt. You start thinking, perhaps I am not good enough.” — Nina Simone
10. “My biggest fear is that I’m not good enough. I have this voice in my head that I’ve been battling for years that says, ‘You’re not really talented enough. You don’t really deserve this.’” — Rachel Platten
Not Good Enough Quotes About Meeting Expectations
As the following quotes illustrate, it’s hard to meet expectations when you don’t feel good enough.
11. “Good enough is never good enough.” — Alfred Bertram Guthrie
12. “Don’t doubt your value. Don’t run from who you are.” — Aslan
13. “Just doing as well as you did last time is not good enough.” — Michael Jackson
14. “The internet has not just open-sourced information, it has also open-sourced insecurity, self-doubt, and shame.” ― Mark Manson
15. “Nothing makes you try harder than to be told that you are not good enough or that you simply do not have the skills.” — Max Aaron
16. “I’ve spent a lifetime being not good enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, trying to meet other people’s expectations.” — Oprah Winfrey
17. “I put a lot of pressure on myself. I think something’s not good enough, and I won’t stop until I feel like I’ve made it. I’m never satisfied.” — J. Cole
18. “Everywhere I look, someone is telling me, ‘You’re not good enough,’ or, ‘You can’t do this or that.’ You can only hear that so many times before enough is enough.” — Baker Mayfield
19. “I’ve always felt very insecure being around in-laws, even my siblings – like the guy who made a bad decision, or the guy who would never just fess up that I’m not good enough to make it, or I don’t have what it takes.” — Walker Hayes
20. “I had teachers who said I was not good enough. So, I said I will become good enough. So I became this guy who became obsessed to become good enough. Now, I sit down and tell people who I was. Now, I say, ‘Do you know who I am?’” — Herschel Walker
Not Good Enough Quotes About Professional Life
Read on for quotes about struggling with inadequacy in your professional life.
21. “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” — Sylvia Plath
22. “I’m always criticized for what I write, so I suppose I’m not good enough.” — Philip K. Dick
23. “I am not good enough to be a football player at a big university. But I can be a good coach.” — Nick Saban
24. “I did the best I could, and in some arenas, my best was not good enough. I’ve made some bad choices.” — Amy Grant
25. “If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” — Vincent van Gogh
26. “Models are some of the most insecure people I’ve ever met. They’re constantly being told they’re not good enough. You’ve really got to practice loving yourself.” — Miranda Kerr
27. “I don’t believe anyone ever suspects how completely unsure I am of my work and myself and what tortures of self-doubting the doubt of others has always given me.” ― Tennessee Williams
28. “People will try to label you not good enough, too slow, too old, too many mistakes. You can’t stop negative comments or prevent negative labels, but you can choose to not let them hold you back.” — Joel Osteen
29. “You have to realize that if you don’t get signed right away, it’s not because you’re not talented. It’s not because you’re not good enough. The stars have to align perfectly in order to get signed. And sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn’t.” — Carmen Rasmusen
30. “It’s the presumption that makes it hard, at times, for any woman in any field; that keeps women from speaking up and from being heard when they dare…It trains us in self-doubt and self-limitation just as it exercises men’s unsupported overconfidence.” ― Rebecca Solnit
Quotes About Not Being Good Enough for Someone Else
These quotes discuss how the fear of not being good enough for someone else holds us back in love and relationships.
31. “She questioned her own beauty because of him he left scars on her self esteem…” — r.h. Sin
32. “We are afraid of failure, of ridicule, of being rejected. We are afraid we’re not good enough.” — Rhonda Britten
33. “I may not be good enough for her, but I was gonna damn well try my hardest to become worthy.” — Abbi Glines
34. “I write books for the little girl in the adult woman who some man told she was not good enough.” — Crystal Evans
35. “Nothing will knock you down quicker than offering the best of yourself to someone and it still not being good enough.” — M.W Poetry
36. “The moment you feel like you have to prove your worth to someone is the moment to absolutely and utterly walk away.” — Alysia Harris
37. “I’m not good enough for you. But no one is. And most men, good or bad, have limits to what they would do, even for someone they love.” — Lisa Kleypas
38. “Sweetheart, the right guy will make you a priority. If you find yourself feeling like you’re not good enough, it’s because he’s not good enough.” — Steve Maraboli
39. “I’m still not good enough for a girl like her, but she’s back in my life, and she needs someone to protect her. I’ll fill the role and absorb as much of her light as I can before she leaves me behind in the darkness.” — Katie McGarry
40. “Here’s the funny thing about the response I’ve been aware of to my dating famous people: It’s been very negative. I’m either not good-looking enough, not a good enough actor or not successful enough for these people.” — Dax Shepard
Quotes About Fighting the Feeling You’re Not Good Enough
Self-doubt is inevitable, but these quotes encourage you to fight the feeling of not being good enough.
41. “It’s a lie to think you’re not good enough. It’s a lie to think you’re not worth anything.” — Nick Vujicic
42. “Never let self-doubt hold you captive. You are worthy of all that you dream of and hope for.” ― Roy T. Bennett
43. “You’ve been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” — Louise Hay
44. “Somebody out there probably thinks you’re the greatest thing in the whole world. Don’t ever think you’re not good enough.” — John David Anderson
45. “You do not need to pay attention to those voices within you that create pain or make you feel less competent, smart, or able.” ― Sanaya Roman
46. “Sometimes you might feel like you’re not good enough or unique enough, but everyone is! Everyone has different personalities.” — Astrid S
47. “Never think that you’re not good enough yourself. A man should never think that. People will take you very much at your own reckoning.” — Anthony Trollope
48. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not good enough. Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re too short, you’re too fat, you’re too thin, you’re too ugly – that’s nonsense.” — Bradley Walsh
49. “All I can tell you really is if you get to the point where someone is telling you that you are not great or not good enough, just follow your heart and don’t let anybody crush your dream.” — Patti LaBelle
50. “It’s not vanity to feel you have a right to be beautiful. Women are taught to feel we’re not good enough—that we must live up to someone else’s standards. But my aim is to cherish myself as I am.” — Elle Macpherson
Remember, you are good enough!
These quotes demonstrate that we aren’t alone in not feeling good enough.
Whether in love, at work, or alone in our thoughts, everyone sometimes struggles with feeling inadequate.
Revisit these quotes whenever you need a reminder that self-doubt is normal, and find inspiration from those encouraging you to tune out the negative self-doubt.
