When it comes to finding inspiration in life, many of us turn to uplifting and motivating quotes. Whether we hear a line in a movie that sticks with us, read a passage in a book that we commit to memory, or listen to a verse in a song that stands out, we all have different quotes in life that encourage and energize us. Sometimes, these quotes have the power to influence the way we live, how we approach the world around us, and how we carry ourselves.
5 Quotes to Live By For A Mindful Outlook On Life
You might be thinking that’s giving a bit too much power to a handful of words and phrases, but I strongly disagree. I have a whole bunch of quotes that I personally strive to live by. Some of them put me in the best mood.
Others lift me up when I am going through a tough time. Some of these quotes inspire me to work harder. Others remind me I am right on track and to keep moving forward.
The point is, quotes have the potential to guide us to be our best selves, and at GenTwenty, that’s our mantra. If you need a strong quote to inspire or motivate you, I encourage you to borrow one of these.
Quote #1: “Life is short.”
This might feel like an obvious place to start, but this quote could not be truer: life is so short. This quote has been said and repurposed by many famous people over the years: Mark Twain, William Shakespeare, and Helen Keller, just to name a few.
While I don’t have one single person to point to and thank for this reminder, the point is this: life is fleeting. We all only have a handful of years on this planet and you never know when your last day is right around the corner.
I remind myself that life is short any time I question whether I should set a new goal, buy something I really want, or travel to a new place. It can be far too easy to fall into the mindset that responsibilities come first and you have to budget every little thing in life, but it’s okay to treat yourself and take advantage of opportunities that come your way. Life’s too short to say no to things you love, want, need, and enjoy.
Quote #2: “Everything you want is on the other side of consistency.”
I believe I initially read this quote (or a rendition of it) in Mark Manson’s bestseller The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck but I couldn’t find the page number and the internet didn’t prove to be helpful when I tried researching it. If Manson wasn’t the original person to say this quote, my apologies.
In any case, I love this quote for a lot of reasons. For starters, it’s incredibly logical. We can’t reach our goals unless we’re consistently working toward them. Secondly, it’s powerfully motivating.
It’s the reminder we need to keep chugging along because when we’re consistent we’re rewarded. For example, in order to lose weight, you have to consistently burn calories and make healthy food choices. You can’t put in the work for 90 days and then stop.
There’s no endpoint; consistency is where the work happens and when you’ll be rewarded. Finally, this quote proves you get out what you put into something. It doesn’t overpromise success or happiness; rather, it grounds your routine and insists that you can have what you want in life only when you stick to the process to get there.
Quote #3: “Happiness is not a destination.”
This is another fabulous quote that has been repurposed and re-stated over the years by many different people, therefore attributing it to the original person is difficult to do. I find this quote incredibly inspiring and refer back to it often. We all get too caught up in what’s coming next in life.
The next milestone we’ll hit in our relationships, at work, in our personal journeys, and so on. It’s tricky to remember to be happy right where we are instead of looking ahead to the next place we might find happiness. I often have to remind myself that I will never find happiness in a person, place, or thing.
Rather, happiness is part of the journey of life and it ebbs and flows. Every single day cannot be positive and happy.
We have to face storms to better appreciate the sunny days. And so I work hard to enjoy the moment I’m in and feel happy when happiness consumes and remind myself to stop looking for it somewhere else.
Quote #4: “If you don’t like where you are, move. You are not a tree.”
Finally, a quote with credit! This quote comes from Jim Rohn and is one of my absolute favorites. I interpret this quote literally and figuratively.
Literally speaking, we have the freedom and ability to physically move wherever we want to go. We’re not stuck living in one place forever just as we’re not tied to working at one company forever. I use this quote to inspire me to make a change to my physical environment any time I feel like I’ve outgrown a place or no longer feel happy where I am.
Figuratively speaking, I also think this quote can be interpreted as we don’t have roots set in most facets of our lives. We’re not tied down to most things, including emotional ties, so we can always choose to move on when relationships no longer serve us or we’re not happy or fulfilled. The main takeaway for me is that I have the ability to walk away from places, relationships, environments, situations, etc. because I am not tied to anything in any kind of cemented way. I can choose to move away or move on if and when I want.
Quote #5: “What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?”
To end strong, this quote from Erin Hanson is a very popular one, and for good reason. It has all the ingredients that make a strong quote stand the test of time: it’s poetic, meaningful, inspirational, motivational, and looks great on a coffee mug, t-shirt, framed picture, and more.
I like this quote so much because it reminds me to take chances in life. We never know when taking a risk will end up being the best thing for us. Too many of us, myself included, assume we’ll fail or make a fool of ourselves if we try something new but more often than not we learn something about ourselves when we take that risk.
It doesn’t even matter what the chance is on: a new job you think you’re under-qualified for; a new city you want to try living in where you don’t know anyone; a relationship that you might be hesitant to pursue based on past experiences; the list goes on and on. When I am presented with an opportunity to try something new, my mind always goes straight to self-doubt and the assumption I’ll fail, but this quote reminds me that I might have a positive outcome if I take the chance. And at minimum, I’ll learn something new.
Discover what motivates you!
These are only a handful of the quotes that inspire me to work hard, be happy, and live life to the fullest. There are countless movies, television shows, songs, and books full of lines and phrases I find motivating and I try my best to write them down when I’m able to so I can refer back to them and be re-inspired.
Do you do the same? Tell us what quotes motivate you! Share your favorites in the comments.
About the Author
Rachael is a University of Southern Maine graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a minor in Sociology. She remotely works full-time as a Senior Content Marketing Specialist for Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. In her leisure time, Rachael enjoys traveling with her husband, finding the next Netflix series to binge, and taking too many photos of her dogs Jax and Kai. Rachael is obsessed with chapstick, favors the Oxford comma, and is a proud Mainer. You'll likely find her exploring New England + beyond.