Inspirational Quotes about Life and Struggles

Sometimes we all need to read some inspirational quotes about life and daily struggles. It can help us stay focused on our goals and aspirations. As someone who sees the importance of positive affirmations, I love rereading this list when I’m feeling down.

Inspirational Quotes about Life

a silhouette of a Black woman with afro staring out a tall high rise window during the day — The Views at Moxy NYC Chelsea

Here are 10 quotes about life that are guaranteed to lift your spirits.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” – Maya Angelou
“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” – Dalai Lama
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – Mae West
“Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.” – Hans Christian Andersen
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome.” – Booker T. Washington
“The time is always right to do what is right.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.” – Madam C.J. Walker
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” – Oscar Wilde
“Just don’t give up what you’re trying to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” – Ella Fitzgerald
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” – Maya Angelou
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw
“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” – Langston Hughes
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” – Confucius
“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” – Rosa Parks
“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass

Red roses in background with text that reads, " The purpose of our lives is to be happy. by Dalai Lam

Quotes about Life and Struggles

Life can be hard, but we continue to push forward. Here are a few quotes about the struggle.

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill
“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” – Bruce Lee
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya
“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” – C.S. Lewis
“There are times in life when, instead of complaining, you do something about your complaints.” – Rita Dove
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.” – Maya Angelou
“Life is very interesting. In the end, some of your greatest pains become your greatest strengths.” – Drew Barrymore
“I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” – Michael Jordan
“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” – Joshua J. Marine
“We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandel
“You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.” – Babe Ruth
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“No matter what kind of challenges or difficulties or painful situations you go through in your life, we all have something deep within us that we can reach down and find the inner strength to get through them.” – Alana Stewart