My Top 10 Inspirational Quotes
Finding the right inspirational quotes can be important to refueling my encouragement tank. Words from songs, movies, books, poems, or even live presentations can all catch my heart and lift my spirits.
Over the years I have encountered some of these inspirational quotes that have helped me stay focused and at peace even when things around me were a raging storm.
My Favorite 10 Inspirational Quotes
#1 Press On
x– Calvin Coolidge.
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
I have had a version of this post above my desk since junior high school. It has been a constant reminder to keep on going.
#2 The Road Not Taken
…
By Robert Frost
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
My husband presented a framed copy of this poem for our second anniversary. I read it three or four times a day and each time I read through it I am encouraged to take my unique path.
#3 The Little Prince
And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me . . . when you look up at the sky at night . . . you – only you – will have stars that can laugh.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
I met the Little Prince when I was in high school. His words have helped heal my heart of losses – most recently my mother. Each night when the sky is clear and I can see the stars, I feel all of those that have gone on laughing with me.
#4 Hope for the Flowers
Once you are a butterfly, you can really love – the kind of love that makes new life. It’s better than all the hugging caterpillars can do.
Trina Paulas
The adventure of Strip and Yellow has been an endearing reminder to me that if I want to fly then change must occur. It can be scary and it may even seem dark but it will be worth it.
#5 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.
Gandalf
There are times when I get so caught up in things that I have no control over that I lose my direction. This moment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy helps bring the focus back to where it should have been all along.
#6 Once Upon a Time
But you became a villain. ‘Cause that’s what villains do… they make themselves happy at the expense of others. But it just makes them more unhappy.
Snow White
The villain wants his happy ending – he deserves his happy ending – but in the end he did what he wanted instead of what was best for others – which is why he was the villain in the first place. Others must be a priority in my journey.
#7 Star Wars
Do, or do not. There is no “try.”
Yoda
Simple words for a powerful idea. I can do it or I can choose not to do it – it really is no more complicated than that.
#8 Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
Ferris Bueller
For me, these words and this movie are a constant reminder that I need to enjoy the journey.
#9 Creed (official trailer)
See this guy staring back at you. That’s the toughest opponent you will ever face.
Rocky Balboa
The person that hinders my journey the most is the one looking back at me from the mirror. I can let me get in the way or I can get out of the way and make room for my possibilities.
#10 10 Things I Hate About You
Don’t let anyone ever make you feel like you don’t deserve what you want.
Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger)
Other people will try to break me down – that is the nature of the world. It is my choice to accept that or to keep going forward.
In the end, the words that stick with you can be the most powerful weapon (for or against) that you take on your journey. Fill your pack with inspirational quotes and words of hope.
