Everyone needs a little extra motivation now and then, which is why we have put together a list of all the best uplifting quotes for you to share. And if you’re looking for short uplifting quotes for Instagram, we also have you covered.
Now go ahead and browse through to find your favorite.
Uplifting Quotes
“Today is a good day to try.” —Quasimodo
“It does not matter how long you are spending on the earth, how much money you have gathered, or how much attention you have received. It is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters.” -Amit Ray
“Give yourself the love you’re willing to give to others.” – Mahin Ismail
“I never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun.” —Katherine Hepburn
“Be mindful. Be grateful. Be positive. Be true. Be kind.” – Roy T. Bennett
“Why not take a chance and bet on happiness? —Jenny Han
“The key to finding happiness in this life is realizing that the only way to overcome is to transcend; to find happiness in the simple pleasures, to master the art of just being.” -Brianna Wiest
“When in doubt, throw doubt out and have a little faith….” – E.A. Bucchianeri
“In order to carry a positive action, we must develop here a positive vision.” – Dalai Lama
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” — Helen Keller
“Get busy living or get busy dying.” — Stephen King
“Positive energy knows no boundaries.” – Lu Wei
“The only thing that will make you happy is being happy with who you are.” – Goldie Hawn
“When people don’t want the best for you, they are not the best for you.” —Gayle King
“Always let your conscience be your guide.” —Jiminy Cricket
“If you want to be happy, be.” – Leo Tolstoy
“Every morning is a revolution against the darkness.” ― Mehmet Murat Ildan
“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.” — Rikki Rogers
“Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower.” – John Harrigan
“The adventure of life is to learn. The purpose of life is to grow. The nature of life is to change. The challenge of life is to overcome. The essence of life is to care. The opportunity of life is to serve. The secret of life is to dare. The spice of life is to befriend. The beauty of life is to give.” -William Arthur Ward
“Your positive action combined with positive thinking results in success.” – Shiv Khera
“Let your compassion fuel your passion.” — Achea Redd
“A flower blossoms for its own joy.” – Oscar Wilde
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” — Socrates
“Invite people into your life that don’t look or think like you.” —Mellody Hobson
“I want to reach my potential, impact my world, and leave a legacy.” —Seth Buechley
“You can if you think you can.” – George Reeves
“Base your relationships on the right values.” —Dick Gephardt
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” — Mary Anne Radmacher
“One small positive thought can change your whole day.” – Zig Ziglar
“You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” — Marcus Aurelius
“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The next choice is the most important choice.” —George Wells
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Take the first step.” —Darius Fisher
“We have to collectively work together to improve the world.” —Samuel Strauch
“Take the time to enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” -Robert Brault
“Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a new way to stand.” -Oprah Winfrey
“What we think, we become.” —Buddha
“Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.” — Hans Christian Andersen
“If you stay positive good things and good people will be drawn to you.” – Mary Lou Retton
“A loving heart is the truest wisdom.” – Charles Dickens
“Sometimes when you’re in a dark place you think you’ve been buried but you’ve actually been planted.” -Christine Caine
“It’s your life; you don’t need someone’s permission to live the life you want. Be brave to live from your heart.” – Roy T. Bennett
“The greatest pleasure of life is love.” — Euripides
“Positive thinking is more than just a tagline. It changes the way we behave.” – Harvey Mackay
“Every new day gives me ceaseless hope to reach out for my dreams.” – Lailah Gifty Akita
“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like there’s nobody listening, And live like it’s heaven on earth.” -William W. Purkey
“For the secret of human existence lies not only in living but in knowing what to live for.”-Fyodor Dostoevsky
“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” — Scott Adams
“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” — Roy T. Bennett
“Everything is figureoutable.”— Marie Forleo
“Be positive with every idea surrounding your dreams.” – Israelmore Ayivor
“The most wasted of days is one without laughter.” —E. E. Cummings
“An attitude of positive expectation is the mark of the superior personality.” – Brian Tracy
“Tell yourself how much you love yourself.” – Don Miguel Ruiz
“Choose your dream. Work to the extreme.” —Tyra Banks
“The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.” -Henry Miller
“In a world that wants women to whisper, I choose to yell.” —Luvvie Ajayi
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” — A.A. Milne
“Life is short, and it is here to be lived.” —Kate Winslet
“We know what we are, but know not what we may be.” —William Shakespeare
“All limitations are self-imposed.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
“Yesterday ended last night, today is a brand-new day. And it’s yours.” – Zig Ziglar
“Find joy in everything you choose to do.” – Chuck Palahniuk
“You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.” —Serena Williams
“Recognize what you have inside you.” —Eric Pulier
“The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.” -Neil Gaiman
“Turn every life situation into a positive one.” – Rhonda Byrne
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” —Mahatma Gandhi
“To win big, you sometimes have to take big risks.” —Bill Gates
“The joy of life is becoming a person you are proud of.” —Bill Orender
“I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.” —Florence Nightingale
“Challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a new way to stand.” -Oprah Winfrey
“One has to be positive. When you’re positive, good things happen.” – Deep Roy
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”– Milton Berle
“When you are enthusiastic about what you do, you feel this positive energy.” – Paolo Coelho
“The mere sense of living is joy enough.” – Emily Dickinson
“When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” – Buddha
“An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” – Marthe Troly-Curtin
“Believe in yourself, take on your challenges, dig deep within yourself to conquer fears. Never let anyone bring you down. You got this.” — Chantal Sutherland
“Stay positive in every situation and everything you do.” – Anurag Prakash Ray
“Make a determination that you will live your purpose today.” —Daniel Budzinski
“Love is never wrong.” – Melissa Etheridge
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston Churchill
“If you are positive, you’ll see opportunities instead of obstacles.” – Widad Akrawi
“Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” – George Halas
“There is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future.” – Augustine of Hippo
“There are no regrets in life, just lessons.” — Jennifer Aniston
“Every morning is a chance at a new day.” – Marjorie Pay Hinckley
“Don’t settle for what life gives you; make life better and build something.” — Ashton Kutcher
“Make each day your masterpiece.” – John Wooden
“The mind is everything. What you think you become.” —Buddha
“She remembered who she was and the game changed.” —Lalah Deliah
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” —Albert Einstein
“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” -Winston Churchill
“The two most important days in your life are the day you’re born and the day you find out why.” -Mark Twain
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being.” -Carl Jung
“You can choose to not let little things upset you.” – Joel Osteen
“The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.” —Frank Lloyd Wright
“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” – Jimmy Johnson
“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.” — Jordan Belfort
“When I wake up in the morning, I feel like a billionaire without paying taxes.” – Ernie Banks
“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” – Aristotle
“The warrior knows that her heartbreak is her map.” —Glennon Doyle
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” — Henry Ford
“If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“I dream things that never were and say why not.” —George Bernard Shaw
“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” —Katharine Hepburn
“Don’t be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered.” —Michelle Obama
“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.”—Roald Dahl
“Live for each second without hesitation.” — Elton John
“I realized that I don’t have to be perfect. All I have to do is show up, and enjoy the messy, imperfect, and beautiful journey of my life.” – Kerry Washington
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of others.” – Charles Dickens
“Happiness [is] only real when shared” – Jon Krakauer
“In any situation in life, you always have three choices: you can change it, you can accept it, or you can leave it.” -Naval Ravikant
“A No. 2 pencil and a dream can take you anywhere.” —Joyce Meyer
“Life is not so much what you accomplish as what you overcome.” —Robin Roberts
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” —Aesop
“Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough.” – Emily Dickinson
“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” -Marcus Aurelius
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Confucius
“Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart.” – Roy T. Bennett
“Limit your ‘always’ and your ‘nevers.'” —Amy Poehler
“Don’t wait, the time will never be just right.” – Napoleon Hill
“Do what is true to your soul.” —Malini Saba
“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” —Tony Robbins
“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The only joy in the world is to begin.” – Cesare Pavese
“Where there is love there is life.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Learn to love yourself enough to be happy in your own company.” – Samantha Camargo
“We have to teach our girls that they can reach as high as humanly possible.” —Beyonce
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” —Lao Tzu
“Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair…” – Susan Polis Schutz
“Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon” – Winnie the Pooh
“Love yourself more, you’ll never regret it.” – Ann Marie Molina
“It’s almost always possible to be honest and positive.” – Naval Ravikant
“In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision.” – Dalai Lama
“Each day provides its own gifts.” —Marcus Aurelius
“Hold onto your old friends. Kiss your mama. Admit what your dreams are.” —Maya Rudolph
“We can truly love one another once we love who we are.” –Angela C. Santomero
“Be yourself and people will like you.” —Jeff Kinney
“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” — Mother Teresa
“You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.” —Oprah Winfrey
“Once you know who you are, you don’t have to worry anymore.” —Nikki Giovanni
“Hard times may have held you down, but they will not last forever. When all is said and done, you will be increased.” — Joel Osteen
“When you cease to dream you cease to live.” —Malcolm Forbes
“Hope is the most exciting thing there is in life.” —Mandy Moore
“All you need is love.” – Paul McCartney
“Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.” – Mother Teresa
“Every moment is a fresh beginning.” —T.S. Eliot
“There were times I was underestimated a lot. It gave me a unique benefit.” —Elaine Welteroth
“Life is very interesting … In the end, some of your greatest pains become your greatest strengths.” -Drew Barrymore
“You will not determine my story. I will.” —Amy Schumer
“Nothing is impossible. The word itself says “I’m possible!” – Audrey Hepburn
“Don’t be like the rest of them darling.” —Coco Chanel
“The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work.” -Oprah Winfrey
“‘No’ today doesn’t mean ‘no’ tomorrow.” —Yvonne Orji
“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.” – Anne Frank
“May your troubles be less and your blessings be more.” —Irish Blessing
“Cut yourself off from the past and the future and live in the present, and your life becomes a song and a dance.” -Osho
“In order to write about life first you must live it.”– Ernest Hemingway
“Most people are nice when you finally see them.” —Harper Lee
“Life is a flower of which love is the honey.” — Victor Hugo
“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” —Omar Khyyam
“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” —Robin Williams
“There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.” —Buckminster Fuller
“A positive attitude awakens inner strength, energy, motivation, and initiative.” – Remez Sasson
“Joy blooms where minds and hearts are open.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie
“The aim of life is self-development. To realize one’s nature perfectly — that is what each of us is here for.” -Oscar Wilde
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” -Maya Angelou
“Extraordinary things are always hiding in places people never think to look.” —Jodi Picoul
“Do the best, give the best and leave the rest to run after you.” – Garima Yonzon
“Whoever is happy will make others happy too.” —Anne Frank
“Do good, live in the most positive and joyful way possible every day.” – Roy T. Bennett
“We love because it’s the only true adventure.” – Nikki Giovanni
“As you know, life is an echo; we get what we give.” — David DeNotaris
“Simplicity makes me happy.” – Alicia Keys
“If I got rid of my demons, I’d lose my angels.” —Tennessee Williams
“Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others.” —Rosa Parks
“To know oneself, one should assert oneself.” –Albert Camus
“Mostly, the world sees you the way you see yourself.”– Lisa Nichols
“You do not find the happy life. You make it.” —Thomas S. Monson
“The past is gone. Today is full of possibilities.” – Karen Casey
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” —Mahatma Gandhi
“Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Especially not yourself.” —Mindy Kaling
“If you have the ability to love, love yourself first.” – Charles Bukowski
“Life is the first gift, love is the second, and understanding the third.” – Marge Piercy
“Whatever you are, be a good one.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass but about learning to dance in the rain.” — Vivian Greene
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is a quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.” -Mary Anne Radmacher
“Every day is a new opportunity to change your life and be who you want to be.” —Demi Lovato
“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” – Rumi
“I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” —Estée Lauder
“Learn to let go. That is the key to happiness.” – Buddha
“Joy is not in things; it is in us.” – Richard Wagner
“A life worth living might be measured in many ways, but the one way that stands above all others is living a life of no regrets.” -Gary Keller
“Do good and good will come to you.” —Adam Lowy
“Life is really simple, but men insist on making it complicated.” — Confucius
“A friend may be waiting behind a stranger’s face.” —Maya Angelou
“Happiness is a state of activity.” – Aristotle
“Jump in with both feet and be brave.” —Sujit Choudhry
“Make your life matter and have fun doing it.” —Aaron Hurst
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” —Dr. Seuss
“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” —Amelia Earhart
“Slow down and enjoy life. It’s not only the scenery you miss by going too fast – you also miss the sense of where you are going and why.” -Eddie Cantor
“You were put on this earth to achieve your greatest self, to live out your purpose, and to do it courageously.” -Steve Maraboli
“What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.” -Albert Pine
“My best successes came on the heels of failure.” —Barbara Corcoran
“I think if you just look at life in a positive way, positive things will happen.” – Jake Owen
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop
“Today is a new day, the first day of the rest of your life.” – Abbie Hoffman
“How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you.” – Rupi Kaur
“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” —Abraham Lincoln
“Let your creativity be a river, not a destination.” —Elizabeth Gilbert
“We may not have hit the peak yet, but we are on the journey up.” —Brian Nhira
“I dwell in possibility.” —Emily Dickinson
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” —Mae West
“Boss up and change your life.” —Lizzo
“Sometimes, life will kick you around, but sooner or later, you realize you’re not just a survivor. You’re a warrior, and you’re stronger than anything life throws your way.” -Brooke Davis
“You never fail until you stop trying.” – Albert Einstein
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Think and wonder. Wonder and think.” —Dr. Suess
“Salvation lies within.” —Warden Samuel Norton
“Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” – Muhammad Ali
“I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint—and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.” -Oprah Winfrey
“Stay strong as you live your life story and remember your blessings, no matter what circumstances you face.” -Dr. Damary M. Bonilla-Rodriguez
“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” -E.M Forster
“Love is a game that two can play and both win.” – Eva Gabor
“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” —Mahatma Gandhi
“Let us literally live from moment to moment.”—Mahatma Gandhi
“Say something positive, and you’ll see something positive.” —Jim Thompson
“The power of imagination makes us infinite.” —John Muir
“Ditch the dream and be a doer.” —Shonda Rhimes
“Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.” —Dalai Lama
“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” —Maya Angelou
“You go in with a positive attitude and stay there.” – Shelley Long
“Surround yourself with positive people.” —Rod Rohrich
“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” — Joshua J. Marine
“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” – Bruce Lee
“Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in.” —Hillary Clinton
“Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.” — Roy T. Bennett
“The truly rich are those who enjoy what they have.” —Yiddish Proverb
“Have faith in yourself and in the future.” – Ted Kennedy
“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” — Forrest Gump
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” -Maya Angelou
“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.” – Dalai Lama
“It makes a big difference in your life when you stay positive.” – Ellen DeGeneres
“I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done.” —Lucille Ball
“Step out of the history that is holding you back. Step into the new story you are willing to create.” -Oprah Winfrey
“The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.”– Frank Sinatra
“Happiness never decreases by being shared.” —Buddha
“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” — Christian D. Larson
“When you’re positive, good things happen.” – Deep Roy
“I think positive emotion trumps negative emotion every time.” – Leonardo DiCaprio
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” —Walt Disney
“You can be everything. You can be the infinite amount of things that people are.”— Kesha
“You carry so much love in your heart. Give some to yourself.” – R.Z.
“The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep.” – Rumi
“You can have it all. Just not all at once.” —Oprah Winfrey
“You have to train your brain to be positive just like you work out your body.” – Shawn Achor
“The healthiest response to life is joy.” — Deepak Chopra
“Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” – Zig Ziglar
“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln
“We love the things we love for what they are.” – Robert Frost
“We all have two lives. The second one starts when we realize we only have one.” —Confucius
“The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” —Ayn Rand
“Love yourself enough to set boundaries.” – Anna Taylor
“Happiness is a how; not a what. A talent, not an object.” – Herman Hesse
So that is it for our list of Uplifting Quotes. We hope you found the perfect one for you!
For more great ideas, check out our other lists of Two Word Quotes, Three Word Quotes, Daily Positivity Quotes and Have a Good Day Messages.
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About the Author
Laynni Deir
I am Laynni Deir, writer and editor of Purely Lists. There are times when you are looking for inspiration or aren’t sure what to say and I am committed to providing lists of the best quotes, sayings, messages, puns or captions for any occasion. Whether you are looking for a positive quote, a message for a card, a fun saying for a letter board or caption for your next post or story, you will find the perfect option here.
The goal of Purely Lists is to provide a comprehensive and diverse set of lists to cover every situation from holidays and celebrations to uplifting quotes and general motivation. Whether you are looking for something deep and profound, funny and foolish or positive and encouraging, we strive to offer easy, fast and accessible options.