Inspiring and Motivational Quotes

Words of inspiration can come from a variety of sources and can lift your spirits when you need it most.  My company shares a ‘quote of the day’ on our Intranet site everyday for employees to read and enjoy.  I always start my day by reading this quote and am often surprised that I get an inspiring message just when I need it most and it always gives me a much needed boost to start the day in a positive direction.  There are inspirational quotes on just about every subject under the sun, whether you are suffering the loss of a loved one; needing courage to face a particularly difficult challenge; or issues you may be facing at work; but the point is there is an inspirational quote that can speak to your heart in any situation.  The challenge for us all is to open our hearts and minds to these inspirations.  As you read over these quotes you will recognize some, but read them again with an open heart and mind, because the difference it can make in your life can only be positive.

These quotes remind me to have faith in God and remember that He has a plan for my life; to have faith in myself and my abilities that God has given me; faith in my family and friends and remember that they are a great source of support for me.  I have always believed that you can make your own destiny, you are presented with choices to make each day, and you yourself make these choices that have lasting effects on your life.  We are given the opportunity everyday to start over or begin making positive changes in our lives, we have the power to change our situation; and should always remember each day if a gift and we should make the most of it.  It may be as simple as saying to yourself “I choose to have a great day today”.  This is what I tell myself every morning on my way to work; and at the end of those not-so-great days, I tell myself that tomorrow is another chance! These inspiring quotes sometimes give me the courage to try something that I had not tried before because I was afraid of failing.  Try finding an inspiring quote every day and you may find yourself with a new outlook on life. 

Faith-
•          Its lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges. Muhammad Ali 

Courage & Strength-
•          If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.  Thomas Edison
•          When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hand on.  Franklin D. Roosevelt
•          Don’t ask for a light load, ask for a stronger back.  Anonymous

Parenting-
•          We should never permit ourselves to do anything that we are not willing to see our children do.  Anonymous
•          Your children become what you are; so be what you want them to be.  David Bly
•          To understand your parents’ love you must raise children yourself.  Chinese Proverb

Determination, Action, Initiative & Preparedness-
•          You can do what you have to do, and sometimes you can do it even better than you think you can”.  Jimmy Carter
•          A failure establishes only this, that our determination to succeed was not strong enough.  John Christian Bovee
•          The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.  Vince Lombardi
•          The more you prepare, the luckier you appear.  Anonymous
•          The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.  Vince Lombardi
•          Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, this time more wisely.  Anonymous
•          The only job where you start at the top is digging a hole.  Anonymous
•          The toughest part of getting to the top of the ladder is getting through the crowd at the bottom.  Anonymous
•          Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.  Ann Landers
•          If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to it.  Jonathan Winters
•          Acknowledge that you failed, draw your lessons from it, and use it to your advantage to make sure it never happens again.  Michael Johnson
•          You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.  Irish Proverb
•          There is a time to let things happen, and a time to make things happen.  Thomas Edison
•          People often say that motivation doesn’t last.  Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.  Zig Ziglar

Love & Friendship
•          Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes.  Anonymous
•          A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway.  Fr. Jerome Cummings

Leadership-
•          The pessimist complains about the wind.  The optimist expects it to change.  The leader adjusts the sails.  John Maxwell
•          The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not followers.  Ralph Nader
•          The best leader brings out the best in those they have stewardship over.  J. Richard Clarke

Giving Back-
•          Your talent is God’s gift to you.  What you do with it is your gift back to God.  Anonymous
•          Sacrifice is giving up something good for something better.  Anonymous
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Self-Improvement-
•          Your thoughts are the architects of your destiny.  David O. McKay
•          If you don’t learn from mistakes, there’s no sense making them.  Anonymous
•          Defeat is not defeat unless accepted as a reality – in your own mind.  Bruce Lee
•          If the going is real easy, beware, you may be headed down hill.  Anonymous
•          It is never too late to be what we might have been.  George Eliot
•          Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.  So throw off the bowlines; sail away from the safe harbor and catch the wind in your sails.  Explore. Dream Discover.  Mark Twain
•          Change your thoughts and change your world.  Norman Vincent Peale
•          We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance.  Harrison Ford
•          You must be the change you wish to see in the world.  Mahatma Ghandi
•          He who flings mud loses a lot of ground.  Anonymous
•          Accept challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.  George S. Patton
•          There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.  Aldous Huxley
•          Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.  Eleanor Roosevelt
•          In the end it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.  Abraham Lincoln
•          Happiness is not a destination; it is a method of life.  Burton Hills
•          Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.  Thomas Edison