68 Rock Bottom Quotes To Bounce Back In Life

These are the rock-bottom quotes you have been looking for!

Rock bottom is a place where most humans have been.

Yet every single person’s rock bottom looks very different.

What is rock bottom to one person may be a good place for another.

It all depends on our perceptions.

Tell us about a time when you hit rock bottom in the comment section below.

What does it mean to hit rock bottom?

By definition, “rock bottom” just means the lowest point.

It could be a particular moment, or it could be an era.

Others have described rock bottom as a breakdown, either:

• physical
• mental
• emotional

The point where a person reaches their limit and reaches a critical point on their life’s journey.

Some point out that rock bottom is one of the most powerful places to be in our transformation.

It might seem like a scary place, but with the right support and dedication, our rock bottoms can be exactly what we need to propel us in the opposite direction of triumph and victory.

Short rock bottom quotes for Instagram

Here are some of the most popular quotes for being at rock bottom.

1. “Everyone hits bottom their own way.” — Eileen Brennan

2. “The best stories come from rock-bottom.” — Trevor Carss

3. “This is only rock bottom if you let it be.” — Lauren Evers

4. “What defines us is how well we rise after we fall.” — Zig Ziglar

5. “The first casualty of hitting rock bottom is vanity.” — Richard Paul Evans

6. “Hitting rock bottom doesn’t mean you have to stay there.” — Michelle Parsons

7. “Rock bottom is not your end; it is your beginning.” — Christine Evanelou

8. “What you become depends on what you can overcome.” — Anthony Douglas Williams

9. “When you decide to hit rock bottom, humiliation is part of the deal.” — Guillaume Musso

10. “I spent so much time at rock bottom that I was charged rent for staying there.” — D.C. Hyden

What is positive about hitting rock bottom?

Find encouragement in these quotes to keep going when you hit rock bottom.

11. “To hit bottom is to fall from grace.” — Douglas Horton

12. “Your breakdown is a breakthrough.” — Andrea Benito

13. “Experience is a brutal teacher. But you learn.” — C.S. Lewis

14. “Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” — J.K. Rowling

15. “You can’t truly appreciate the top if you’ve never hit rock bottom.” — Vanna B.

16. “Success is how high you bounce after hitting the bottom.” — George S. Patton

17. “Keep in mind, when you hit rock bottom, you got nowhere to go but up, baby.” — Ludacris

18. “When you hit rock bottom, remember that rock bottom can also be a solid foundation on which to build and rebuild.” — Leticia Rae

19. “If you have never reached rock bottom, you have never attended the school of greatness.” — Matshona Dhliwayo

20. “Hitting bottom and hitting it hard was the worst thing that ever happened to me and the best thing that ever happened to me.” — Dave Ramsey

Wise rock bottom quotes

Find motivation to keep moving forward from rock bottom.

21. “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” — Robert H. Schuller

22. “Do not despise the bottom rungs in the ascent to greatness.” — Publilius Syrus

23. “Rock bottom demands we pay a price for the ride back to the top.” — Toni Sorenson

24. “Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom to inspire us to rise to the challenge.” — Jennifer Arnold

25. “Strength and growth only come from continuous effort and struggle.” — Napolean Hill

26. “There would be no cloud-nine days without rock-bottom moments left below.” — Richelle E. Goodrich

27. “There is no pillow, no comforter, no room for the night at rock bottom. Once you hit there, get up and get out!” — Toni Sorenson

28. “When you feel like you have been hit, dig deep and hit back. Rock bottom is not your end; it is your beginning.” — Christine Evangelou

29. “Rock bottom is good solid ground, and a dead-end street is just a place to turn around.” — Buddy Buie

30. “Here’s the thing about hitting rock bottom. You can either stay down there or get back up. It’s your choice.” — Hannah Camacho

Rock bottom quotes from a different perspective

Rock bottom doesn’t have to be the end of your story, as shown in these quotes.

31. “At bottom God is nothing more than an exalted father.” — Sigmund Freud

32. “I don’t believe in rock bottom. Rock bottom is like a fishing term.” — Charlie Sheen

33. “The hitting rock bottom theory is all very well. But it is probably possible to intervene earlier.” — Michael Appel

34. “Just when you think you’ve hit rock bottom, you realize you’re standing on another trapdoor.” — Marisha Pessl

35. “You may think you’ve hit rock bottom in your life but guess what there’s more crud underneath those rocks.” — Richelle E. Goodrich

36. “Rock bottom for some people is death. Some people never learn from their mistakes. They don’t learn from other people’s mistakes.” — Tracy Morgan

37. “The best thing about rock bottom is the rock part. You discover the solid bit of you. The bit that can’t be broken down further.” ― Matt Haig, The Comfort Book

38. “Sober alkies are often asked: When did you hit rock bottom, but a more informed question might be: How many times did you hit rock bottom?” — Craig Ferguson

39. “No one needs to hit rock bottom to change. And yet so many people do, only because most of us are unskilled in communicating with ourselves.” — Vironika Tugaleva

40. “People dealing with trauma and depression don’t magically get better overnight. It’s not like in the movies, Mary. There’s no magic reset button at rock-bottom.” ― Benjamin W. Bass, Alone In The Light

Rock bottom quotes and sayings

You can recover from rock bottom, and these quotes can help inspire you.

41. “It is impossible to lose everything and still be alive.” ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

42. “Hit the bottom and get back up; or hit the bottle and stay down.” — Anthony Liccione

43. “Rock bottom is the bedrock from which every good thing was ever built.” — Toni Sorenson

44. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” — Nelson Mandela

45. “I think you sometimes have to go hit rock bottom before you can grow and rebuild as a person.” — Paul Dano

46. “Sometimes we have to reach rock bottom before we’re willing to rise up and overcome our trials.” — Dana Arcuri

47. “As it turns out, it was that very rock bottom that became the firmest foundation I had ever planted my feet on.” — Mandy Hale

48. “Never be afraid to fall apart. It represents an opportunity to rebuild yourself the way you wished you’d been all along.” — Rae Smith

49. “Has anyone ever been foolish enough to think to themselves, ‘Well, surely this is as bad as it can possibly get?’” ― Truant D. Memphis, Post Oh!pocalypto Poppycock

50. “Rock bottom can be our greatest teacher—as long as we don’t stay there for too long.” ― Kristen Butler, 3 Minute Positivity Journal: Boost your Mood. Train Your Mind. Change Your Life.

What to do if you hit rock bottom?

Rock bottom can be a great place to learn lessons and then move forward.

51. “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” — Winston Churchill

52. “How could you rise anew if you first did not become ashes?” — Nietzche

53. “The beauty of adversity is that when we hit bottom, the only way to go is up.” — Dana Arcuri

54. “Challenges are what make life interesting, and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” — Joshua J. Marine

55. “You need to hit rock bottom so you can build a solid foundation from it.” — Oprah Winfrey

56. “When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt

57. “The bottom is where we find the strength to push off, and the higher we push, the higher we’ll go.” — Conor McGregor

58. “Some of my lowest points were the most exciting opportunities to push through to be a better person.” — Demi Moore

59. “It’s gonna be okay. No matter how hard your rock bottom is, you can rise above it, and you can come back.” — Demi Lovato

60. “When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.” — Peter Marshall

Rock Bottom Recovery Quotes

Find encouragement in these words about persevering after hitting rock bottom.

61. “Sometimes we need to be knocked down in a place so dark that we have no choice but to trust our heart to illuminate the way.” — Brittany Burgunder

62. “Once you hit rock bottom, that’s where you perfectly stand; That’s your chance of restarting, but restarting the right way.” — Justin Kanayurak

63. “When you hit rock bottom, test your limits, compete with yourself and challenge your potential. There is no greater glory than self-achievement.” — Somya Kedia

64. “I think this is what we all want to hear: that we are not alone in hitting the bottom, and that it is possible to come out of that place courageous, beautiful, and strong.” — Anna White

65. “There are times when we must sink to the bottom of our misery to understand truth, just as we must descend to the bottom of a well to see the stars in broad daylight.” — Vaclav Havel

66. “Many have to hit rock bottom before they want to make any changes. We show them they’re not alone, and we offer them the chance to realize they can make those changes.” — Susan Hicks

67. “When I’m at the bottom looking up, the main question may not be ‘how do I get out of this hole?’ In reality, the main question might be, ‘how do I get rid of the shovel that I used to dig it?’” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough

68. “In the end, the only way you can appreciate your progress is to stand on the edge of the hole you dug for yourself, low down inside it, and smile fondly at the bloody claw prints that marked your journey up the walls.” ― Ryan Holiday, Ego Is the Enemy

What does rock bottom mean to you?

There is an analogy about a rubber band that is apt.

It says that when a rubber band is pulled in one direction, it will go as far as it can in that direction before it reaches critical mass and shoots in the opposite direction.

Rock bottom is a lot like that rubber band.

When a person hits rock bottom, there is nowhere else to go.

Their only choice is to go in the opposite direction.

We can harness our rock bottoms into powerful transformative energy that can change the course of our lives.

Just as we cannot know light without dark, we cannot know true joy without rock bottom.

Some, like philosopher Matshona Dhilwayo, feel it is necessary, noting, “If you have never reached rock bottom, you have never attended the school of greatness.”

What does rock bottom mean to you?

Let us know in the comments.