Encouraging word of the day

If you’re reading this article, you’re likely having a rough day. We’re here to give you words of encouragement to finish the day with hope and a lightened heart.

Maybe you’ve had a recent loss or some bad news, or perhaps you’re feeling depressed about something, and you could use some words that motivate and support you.

It could be that your self-esteem has taken a hit, and you just can’t pull yourself out of a self-defeating funk.

Whatever the reason, you’re in need of some uplifting words today — words that throw you a lifeline and provide inspiration and comfort.

Sometimes we awaken in the morning and before our feet hit the floor, we realize we need extra strength and some encouragement for the day to help us get through it.

Life can pummel us with disappointments, challenges, and heartache, and our mood can easily shift from light-hearted to heavy-laden.

Your first reaction may be to push through and ignore your feelings.

You don’t want to feel bad, and you think if you just keep moving, you’ll shake it off. This plan works on occasion, but other times it feels like slogging through quicksand. You have no motivation or desire to do anything.

This is the time when you need some uplifting words and inspiration to reframe your thinking. As you replace negative thoughts with an encouraging word of the day, you’ll find your feelings and mood often follow.

This article contains a list of motivating words that will bring inspiration to you, your family, and your friends. We’ve put together a range of more than 185 encouraging words of inspiration and strength.

50 of the Best Words of Encouragement

Encouraging statements from your spouse, a friend, or a family member can change the way you feel about yourself or your situation.

But there are times when a supportive person isn’t available to give you those uplifting words of encouragement.

Read through the 50 motivating words and quotes below to find a few that resonate with what you are feeling today.

1. “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” ~Arthur Ashe

3. “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” ~Anne Frank

4. “When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.” ~Alexander Graham Bell

5. “Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.”~Helen Keller

6. “When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” ~Harriet Beecher Stowe

7. “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt

9. “I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.” ~Dalai Lama

10. “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” ~Helen Keller

11. “It is by going down into the abyss that we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.” ~Joseph Campbell

12. “In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.” ~Tony Robbins

13. “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” ~Thomas A. Edison

14. “You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” ~C.S. Lewis

15. “Even if you fall on your face, you’re still moving forward.” ~Victor Kiam

16. “Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.” ~Wayne Dyer

17. “Learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over which you have any control: now.” ~Denis Waitley

18. “Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.” ~Thomas Jefferson

19. “The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.” ~Epictetus

20. “Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.” ~Miguel Angel Ruiz

21. “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” ~William James

22. “Learning is the beginning of wealth. Learning is the beginning of health. Learning is the beginning of spirituality. Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.” ~Jim Rohn

23. “I’d rather attempt to do something great and fail than to attempt to do nothing and succeed.” ~Robert H. Schuller

24. “If it is bread that you seek, you will have bread. If it is the soul you seek, you will find the soul. If you understand this secret, you know you are that which you seek.” ~Rumi

25. “Always say ‘yes’ to the present moment. What could be more futile, more insane, than to create inner resistance to what already is? what could be more insane than to oppose life itself, which is now and always now? Surrender to what is. Say ‘yes’ to life — and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you.” ~Eckhart Tolle

26. “Perhaps everything terrible is in its being something that needs our love.” ~Rainer Maria Rilke

27. “Hold on to what is good, even if it’s a handful of earth.” ~Hopi prayer

28. “Let your soul stand cool and composed before a million universes.” ~Walt Whitman

29. “If you are going through hell, keep going.” ~Winston Churchill

30. “Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than suffering itself. And no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dream.” ~Paulo Coelho

31. “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future . . . but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.” ~Buddha

32. “In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.” ~Deepak Chopra

33. “Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression. It is a business asset. It attracts and keeps friends. It lightens human burdens. It is the direct route to serenity and contentment.” ~Greenville Kleisser

34. “What you thought before has led to every choice you have made, and this adds up to you at this moment. If you want to change who you are physically, mentally, and spiritually, you will have to change what you think.” ~Dr. Patrick Gentempo

35. “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, , or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” ~Leo Buscaglia

36. “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” ~Japanese Proverb

37. “Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.” ~Robert Schuller

38. “We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.” ~Kenji Miyazawa

40. “Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment.” ~Stephen Covey

41. “Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that’s where you will find success.” ~Thomas J. Watson

42. “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” ~Maria Robinson

43. “If we did all the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves.” ~Thomas Edison

44. “Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value. ~Albert Einstein

45. “If you don’t value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents — start charging for it.” ~Kim Garst

46. “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” ~John D. Rockefeller

47. “Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” ~Lolly Daskal

48. “All progress takes place outside the comfort zone.” ~Michael John Bobak

49. “When I dare to be powerful – to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” ~Audre Lorde

50. “A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done.” ~Vince Lombardi

Words of Encouragement for Hard Times

Are you going through a particularly challenging time in your life? Sometimes uplifting words are just the lifeline you need to carry on.

These encouraging phrases are meant to be spoken out loud as affirmations to strengthen you and give you hope.

1. I won’t be too hard on myself because I’m doing the best you can.

2. I have the strength and inner wisdom to get through this, and I know I will.

3. Even though things aren’t going as planned, I am grateful for so much in my life. I choose to focus on gratitude.

4. I am determined to look for the best in this situation so that I can learn and grow from it.

5. The pain I am feeling reminds me of my deep desire to heal, so I allow myself to feel the pain and let healing happen.

6. I have overcome so much in the past, and I know I can overcome this. I am strong and resilient.

7. This life change is scary and difficult, but I can adapt and create an even better life for myself.

8. I am strong. I’m intelligent. I’m capable. I’m tenacious. And I will get through this.

9. I choose not to focus on the problem but rather on the solution. I will turn this around.

10. Today is hard and tomorrow might be harder, but I know that things will get better over time because they always do.

11. This situation is a setback, but it doesn’t define me. I am so much more than my mistakes.

12. I have people who love me, a roof over my head, and food on the table. For now, these things sustain me and remind me that I’m okay.

13. I won’t allow the shadow of this difficulty to darken my will to keep going. The sun will come out again.

14. I can choose to be discouraged or to see this as an opportunity to improve. I choose the latter.

15. In spite of this storm in my life, I maintain a calm and confident center. I am at peace knowing that this will soon pass.

16. I make it a point to look for small blessings today and to feel grateful for things I usually take for granted.

17. I recognize that everyone experiences challenges and difficulties. What matters most is how I choose to respond to them.

18. This situation feels unfair and painful, but I have decided to let it go and move forward. I will not let it define who I am or how I feel.

19. When I sit quietly and calm my heart, I know a solution will come to me.

20. I will get through this moment. I will get through this day. I know I’ll survive this and be stronger for it.

Words of Encouragement from the Bible

If you are a religious or spiritual person, or if you want to encourage a friend who shares your faith, you may find the most support from the Bible.

It is filled with verses that will restore you and give you the strength and encouragement you’re seeking.

1. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. — Philippians 4:13

2. Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. — Isaiah 41:10 

3. The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. — Zephaniah 3:17

4.  Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. — Matthew 6:34

5. But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. — Isaiah 40:31

6. Peace I leave with you;my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. — John 14:27

7. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. — 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

8. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. — 1 Corinthians 10:13

9. Those of steadfast mind you keep in peace—because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord God you have an everlasting rock. –Isaiah 26: 3-4 

10. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. — Exodus 15:2

11. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. — 1 Thessalonians 5:11

12. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…” — 2 Corinthians 12:9 

13. Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. — Psalm 55:22

14. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. — Psalm 121:1-2

15. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. — Psalm 46:1

16. Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted. — Isaiah 49:13

17. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. — Matthew 11:28-29

18. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. — John 14:27

19. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. — John 16:33

20. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. — Joshua 1:9

Words of Encouragement For a Friend

Maybe you have a friend who needs a boost. Use this list of inspirational words of encouragement to share with a friend to uplift them.

You can write these words in a card, send them in a text, or create an inspiration jar filled with these words that motivate.

1. “Much of the difference you make tomorrow will start with what you do today.” — Ernie J Zelinski

2. “Do what you can with all you have, wherever you are.” — Theodore Roosevelt

3. “You don’t need to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

4. “Happiness is your responsibility. If you depend or wait for other people to make you happy you will always be disappointed.” — Byron Pulsifer

5. “Press on – nothing 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. Perseverance and determination alone are omnipotent.” — Calvin Coolidge

6. “Risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.” ― Leo F. Buscaglia 

7. “The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you find yourself.” — Mark Caine

8. “What we fear of doing most is usually what we most need to do.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

9. “When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” ― Paulo Coelho

10. “Do your work with your whole heart, and you will succeed – there’s so little competition.” — Elbert Hubbard

11. “Being motivated is more than simply doing the things we have to do. It’s also about identifying and cutting out the things we should stop.” — Andrew Alexander

12. “Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see further.” ― Thomas Carlyle

13. “Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” ― Roy T. Bennett

14. “When you’re at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on.” ― Theodore Roosevelt 

15. “You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” — Woodrow Wilson

16. “You can do no more than you believe you can. You can be no more than you believe you are.” — Norman Vincent Peale

17. “If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

18. “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” —​ Dr. Seuss

19. “It doesn’t matter how many say it cannot be done or how many people have tried it before; it’s important to realize that whatever you’re doing, it’s your first attempt at it.” ― Wally Amos

20. “If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again.” ― Flavia Weedn

21. “Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.” ― Og Mandino

22. “If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.” ― Mary Pickford

23. “Always remember, your focus determines your reality.” ― George Lucas 

24. “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” ― Alan Wilson Watts 

25. “What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.” ― Ralph Marston

26. “Change can hurt, be uncomfortable, and be difficult in the beginning. Remember this English Proverb: Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” ― Lisa Rusczyk

27. “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” — Will Rogers

28. “There is freedom waiting for you,

On the breezes of the sky,

And you ask “What if I fall?”

Oh but my darling,

What if you fly?”

― Erin Hanson 

29. “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection” ― Sharon Salzberg 

30. “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” ― Henry Ford

31. “Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won’t have a title until much later.” ― Bob Goff

32. “Never let the odds keep you from doing what you know in your heart you were meant to do.” ― H. Jackson Brown Jr.

33. “A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” —​ Duke Ellington

34. “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” ― Norman Vincent Peale

35. “The great thing in this world is not so much where you stand, as in what direction you are moving.” ― Oliver Wendell Holmes

36. “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” ― E.E. Cummings

37. “Nothing in life has happened to you. It’s happened for you. Every disappointment. Every wrong. Even every closed door has helped make you into who you are.” ― Joel Osteen

38. “You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality in the mind next to honor.” ― Aristotle

39. “Life, with its rules, its obligations, and its freedoms, is like a sonnet: You’re given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself.” ― Madeleine L’Engle

40. “If you want something you never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.” — Thomas Jefferson

41. “Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.” ― Bo Jackson

42. “Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.” — Theodore Roosevelt

43. “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” ― Nelson Mandela

44. “You can do what you have to do, and sometimes you can do it even better than you think you can.” — Jimmy Carter

45. “Don’t let the expectations and opinions of other people affect your decisions. It’s your life, not theirs. Do what matters most to you; do what makes you feel alive and happy. Don’t let the expectations and ideas of others limit who you are. If you let others tell you who you are, you are living their reality – not yours. There is more to life than pleasing people. There is much more to life than following others’ prescribed path. There is so much more to life than what you experience right now. You need to decide who you are for yourself. Become a whole being. Adventure.” ― Roy T. Bennett

Words of Encouragement for Work

Your job can be the source of a lot of fulfillment, but there are times when it’s just a drag. You don’t feel appreciated or respected, or maybe you feel completely burnt out. Maybe you’re seeking encouraging words for coworkers at your job.

Whatever the reason you aren’t feeling it at work or you know someone who isn’t, we’re here to support you with some “attaboys” (or girls). Check out these 25 short words of encouragement for work:

1. “Greatness is sifted through the grind, therefore don’t despise the hard work now for surely it will be worth it in the end.” — Sanjo Jendayi

2. “My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition.” – Indira Gandhi

3. The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me? —Ayn Rand

4. “Hard work keeps the wrinkles out of the mind and spirit.” – Helena Rubinstein

5. There will be little rubs and disappointments everywhere, and we are all apt to expect too much; but then, if one scheme of happiness fails, human nature turns to another; if the first calculation is wrong, we make a second better: we find comfort somewhere. — Jane Austen, Mansfield Park

6. “Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.”  — Carlos Castaneda

7. “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” — Steve Jobs

8. Hey there, Mr. Grumpy Gills. When life gets you down do you wanna know what you’ve gotta do?  Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim. —Dory, Finding Nemo

9. “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” — Charles Darwin

10. “Talent means nothing, while experience, acquired in humility and with hard work, means everything.” — Patrick Suskind

11. “If something is wrong, fix it now. But train yourself not to worry, worry fixes nothing.” — Ernest Hemingway

12. “Life’s like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending.” —Jim Hensen

13. “In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” — Thomas Jefferson

14. “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.”

15. “When writing the story of your life, don’t let anyone else hold the pen.”— Harley Davidson

16. “A professional is someone who can do his best work when he doesn’t feel like it.” — Alistair Cook

17. “So many things are possible just as long as you don’t know they’re impossible.” — Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth

18. “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.“ — George Addai

19. “The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real.. it is possible.. it’s yours.” — Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

20. “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” — Michael Jordon

21. “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” — John Quincy Adams

22. “Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goals: my strength lies solely in my tenacity.” — Louis Pasteur

23. “Sometimes it takes a lowly, title-less man to humble the world. Kings, rulers, CEOs, judges, doctors, pastors, they are already expected to be greater and wiser.” — Criss Jami

24. “Work hard and be patient. The rest will follow.” — Unknown

25. Very often, a change of self is needed more than a change of scene. — A.C. Benson

25 Words of Encouragement for Kids

Do you have a child or a student who is feeling lost, insecure, or down about themselves? Maybe you can surprise your child with encouraging messages left in a backpack or lunchbox.

More than anyone, kids need motivation and words of support to build tenacity and resilience.

Help a young person you care about become more confident and happy by sharing these 25 encouraging words for children.

1. “Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine.” — Roy T. Bennett

2. “I don’t love studying. I hate studying. I like learning. Learning is beautiful.” – Natalie Portman

3. “If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” – Roald Dahl

4. “Never give up, for that is the place and time that the tide will turn.” — Harriet Beecher Stowe

5. “Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts. ” – Albert Einstein

6. “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have.” — Jim Rohn

7. “Winning doesn’t always mean being first. Winning means you’re doing better than you’ve done before. ” – Bonnie Blair

8. “Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can do.” – John Wooden

9. “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” – Epictetus

10. “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt

11. “No one is perfect … that’s why pencils have erasers.” — Wolfgang Riebe

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12. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt

13. “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” — Mahatma Gandhi

14. “You always pass failure on the way to success.” – Mickey Rooney

15. “If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it — then I can achieve it.” — Muhammad Ali

16. “Make each day your masterpiece.” – John Wooden

17. “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it ‘the present.’” — Alice Morse Earle

18. “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” — Dr. Seuss

19. “Nothing is particularly hard if you break it down into small jobs.” — Henry Ford

20. “Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you.” — Bethany Hamilton

21. “Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.” — Pamela Vaull Starr

22. “Only surround yourself with people who will lift you higher.”  — Oprah Winfrey

23. “When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.” — George Washington Carver

24. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” — Dr. Seuss

25. “A positive attitude can really make dreams come true – it did for me.” — David Bailey

How will you use these words of encouragement and strength?

Now that you’re armed with 185 encouraging words of inspiration, which ones stood out to you the most? Which ones lifted you up?

Or were you thinking of someone close to you who could benefit from some of your favorites?

Think of all the ways you can use these words to inject new hope and energy into your life and the lives of people you care about. You might consider . . .

• Writing down your favorites on sticky notes and posting them around the house.

• Making your own encouraging words cards that you can send to friends and family.

• Using these uplifting words as daily affirmations and repeating them out loud.

• Printing your favorite phrases on your coffee mug to see it every morning.

• Journaling about one word of encouragement every week.

You’re living proof of the power of words.

And all it took to get you started was this list of encouraging words and phrases.

May they bless you and everyone you come in contact with today. And may you bless others with words of your own.

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Do you often feel discouraged or overwhelmed by life? Like how everything seems to go wrong and you need words of encouragement to get by?

When we were young, we have been taught that life is fun and should be lived to the fullest – one that must be filled with happiness. But as we grow old, we learn that life is not always easy. It becomes a battlefield we have to endure to survive.

Some days, things do not happen the way you want them to be. They fall apart, and you start to worry. Worse, you feel discouraged and lonely, thinking that there is no other way to straighten things up.

It is okay not to feel okay.

Psychologists even believe that experiencing challenges and feeling negative emotions sometimes help to keep your mind, body, and soul healthy. The balance between your positive and negative emotions is what makes you human.

You need to feel weak for you to be strong. Your failures, while they do not define you as a person, determine your success.

But how do you get back on track?

Simple: you need to have support and encouragement. You need to be surrounded by people and things that can serve as your pillars in overcoming whatever life throws at you.

While it is essential to keep yourself together (on your own), it doesn’t harm actually to get the back-up you need to start anew. Your friends, family, colleagues, and some words of encouragement are all you need to pull through.

This post is a list of uplifting words that may help you encourage yourself, your friend, or even the people in your workplace. We have gathered 161 words of encouragement that can brighten up your day and bring you positivity.

These words, even if just words, can be powerful. Encouraging means instilling courage – a brave act that is sometimes more compelling and effective than motivation.

Words of encouragement can help you think straight and get back on your feet. They are not just for you to ponder on, but for you to use as well whenever a friend is in need. They work for everyone – anytime, anywhere.

First, we give you words of support and strength that may uplift your spirit and give you the courage you need. They are words of inspiration and encouragement from people who have experienced their own struggles and eventually turned the tides.

As Mahatma Gandhi has put it, strength is not measured by physical capacity. It is determined by the number of times you fall, backed up with the bravery to stand, and finally change the game.

Let’s get to these motivational quotes you can share with a friend….

Words of Encouragement and Strength

1. “Sometimes, you face difficulties not because you’re doing something wrong, but because you’re doing something right.”
2. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
3. “Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come.
4. “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”– Arnold Schwarzenegger
5. “Sometimes you don’t realize your own strength until you come face to face with your greatest weakness.” – Susan Gale

1. “At any given moment you have the power to say: This is not how the story is going to end.” – Christine Mason Miller
2. “Instead of giving yourself a reason why you can’t, give yourself a reason why you can.”
3. “Practice like you’ve never won. Perform like you’ve never lost.” – Bernard F. Asuncion
4.  “Don’t let how you feel make you forget what you deserve.”
5. “Do not be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.”
6. “It’s through adversity that you find the strength you never knew you had.”– Christie Brinkley
7. “Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing.”– L.M. Montgomery
8. “Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it.”– Jacques Prevert
9. “Courage isn’t having the strength to go on. It is going on when you don’t have strength.”– Napoleon Bonaparte
10.  “The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.”  – Nelson Mandela

1. “You have the audacity to live a bold life.”
2. “Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.”– Oprah Winfrey
3. “Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.”– Rikki Rogers
4. “Soon, when all is well, you’re going to look back on this period of your life and be so glad that you never gave up.”
5. “Hey, little fighter, soon things will be brighter.”
6. “You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.”– Babe Ruth
7. “When the world says ‘Give up!’, Hope whispers, ‘Try one more time.’”
8. “This, too, shall pass.”
9. “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”– Mahatma Gandhi
10. “Everyone has inside them a piece of good news. The good news is you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is.”– Anne Frank

Everyone has inside them a piece of good news. The good news is you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is.”– Anne Frank

1. “Everything you need to accomplish your goals is already in you.”
2. “Sometimes when you are in a dark place you think you have been buried, but actually you have been planted.”
3. “It always seems impossible until it is done.”– Nelson Mandela
4. “Soon, when all is well, you’re going to look back on this period of your life and be so glad that you never gave up.”– Brittany Bergunder
5. “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”– Confucius
6. “Life is very interesting. In the end, some of your greatest pains become your greatest strengths.”– Drew Barrymore
7. “Never apologize for being sensitive or emotional. Let this be a sign that you’ve got a big heart and aren’t afraid to let others see it. Showing your emotions is a sign of strength.”
8. “You’re allowed to scream, you’re allowed to cry, but do not give up.”
9. “Sometimes, you have to get knocked down lower than you have ever been to stand back up taller than you ever were.”

Sometimes, you have to get knocked down lower than you have ever been to stand back up taller than you ever were.”

Some people say that you will never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. Perhaps this is true.

We only realize that we are strong when we stumble upon challenges in life, and there is no other way to overcome these challenges except to become strong and face them with all might.

But should this strength end in you? If you were able to triumph over your failures, would it not be nice to have your friends experience the same thing?

Indeed, words have the power to encourage anyone who is need – not only you but even your friends.

Whether a person is going through a major problem in his life or merely losing confidence in himself, sincere yet straightforward and uplifting words of encouragement will undoubtedly improve anyone’s perspective in life.

1. “When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place.”
2.  “God gave you this life because he knew you were strong enough to live it.”
3.  “Just because you are soft doesn’t mean you are not a force. Honey and wildfire are both the color gold.” – Victoria Erickson
4.  “Stop beating yourself up. You are a work in progress.”
5.  “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.”  – C.S. Lewis

1. “There’s much more ahead of you. You’ll get through this.”
2. “If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not making decisions.” – Katherine Hepburn
3. “Everything will be OK in the end, if it’s not OK, it’s not the end.”
4.  “Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” – Oprah
5. “You’re in a storm right now. I’ll hold your umbrella.”
6.  “It will pass, we can ride it out together.”
7.  “Promise that you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.”
8. “Just because something isn’t happening for you right now, it doesn’t mean it never will.”
9. “The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.”— Vince Lombardi

“The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.”— Vince Lombardi

1.  “Be gentle with yourself. You’re doing the best you can!”
2. “Your spirit has the energy, strength, and stamina of 10,000 horses.”
3.  “Always remember that your present situation is not your final destination. The best is yet to come.”
4.  “Take a deep breath, it’s just a bad day not a bad life.”
5. “It has been tough, but people are still cheering for you.”
6. “For every failure, there’s an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.” – Mary Kay Ash
7. “Never dwell on one obstacle for too long. Tomorrow is another day.”
8. “You are stronger than you know. More capable than you ever dreamed. And you are loved more than you could possibly imagine.”
9. “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”– Maya Angelou

“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.”– Maya Angelou

1. “Don’t be discouraged. It’s often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock.”
2. “People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do.”– Lewis Cass
3. “Your life is your message to the world. Make it inspiring.”
4. “Defeat is simply a signal to press onward.”– Helen Keller
5. “Every day may not be a good day, but there is good in every day.”
6. “Winning is coming in fourth, exhausted and encouraged – because last time you came in fifth.”– Denis Waitley

“Winning is coming in fourth, exhausted and encouraged – because last time you came in fifth.”– Denis Waitley

1. “You have a greater potential than anyone who has ever lived before you! But you’ll never “make it” by sitting on your duff and telling the world how great you’re going to be, starting tomorrow.”– Og Mandino
2. “It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always.”– Oprah Winfrey
3. “Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles, and the bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. Your decision to be, have and do something out of the ordinary entails facing difficulties and challenges that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else.”– Brian Tracy
4. “And you ask ‘What if I fall?’ Oh but my darling, what if you fly?”– Erin Hanson
5. “Someday, you will become filled with so much happiness that it heals every part of you.”
6. “Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.”– George Patton

“Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.”– George Patton

Just like how your friends supported you when you needed them, return the favor and be their foundation in their most desperate times.

Sometimes, silence is all that they need. But more often than not, they just need a friend who will tell them the words they need to hear.

Additionally, your words of inspiration and strength need not be limited to your friends and family. With such power to encourage, you can even spread positive vibes in your workplace (or to a friend struggling over his work or business).

Sure, work can be daunting at times. When we don’t live up to other people’s expectations (or our own expectations), we tend to get sad and disappointed.

This is why we likewise need positive messages for work that may help us persevere more to achieve our goals.

Words of Encouragement for Work

1.  “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”– Albert Einstein
2. “Believe you can and you are halfway there.”– Theodore Roosevelt
3. “Refuse failure. No matter how difficult the obstacles, find a way to around them.”– JJ Goldwag
4. “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”– Robert Louis Stevenson
5. “Challenging work only comes to those who can handle the pressure.”
6. “Sometimes people seem to be doing better than you. They may seem to be way ahead of you in hitting some goals that you may not be close to achieving, but never be bothered by it. Just keep on working hard and carrying on with the steady pace that works best for you.”– Chikamso Efobi
7. “Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” – Harper Lee

1.  “Greatness is sifted through the grind, therefore don’t despise the hard work now for surely it will be worth it in the end.”– Sanjo Jendayi
2.  “When you are inspired in your work, everything seems to fall into place.”– Wayne Dyer
3. “Success only comes to those who dare to attempt.”– Mallika Tripathi
4.  “Positive thinking is like fuel to the car. It will keep you energized throughout your work.”– Abder-Rahman Ali
5.  “You will never plow a field if you only turn it over in your mind.” – Irish Proverb
6. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”– Steve Jobs

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”– Steve Jobs

1.  “Believe in yourself. Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.”– Helen Keller
2.  “As long as they are well-intentioned, mistakes are not a matter for shame, but for learning.”– Margaret Heffernan
3. “It’s not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life; it is how you handle what happens to you.”– Zig Ziglar
4. “Happiness is the real sense of fulfillment that comes from hard work.”– Joseph Barbara
5. “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”– Colin Powell
6. “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.”– Michael Jordan
7. “Strive not to be a success but rather to be of value.”– Albert Einstein
8. “Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.”– Carlos Castaneda

“Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.”– Carlos Castaneda

1. “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, you ought to set up a life you don’t need to escape from.”– Seth Godin
2. “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”– Charles Darwin
3. “Those who say it can not be done, should not interrupt those doing it.”– Chinese Proverb
4. “You are not your resume, you are your work.”– Seth Godin
5. “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”– H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”– H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

1. “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right!”– Henry Ford
2. “When writing the story of your life, don’t let anyone else hold the pen.”– Harley Davidson
3. “A professional is someone who can do his best work when he doesn’t feel like it.”– Alistair Cook
4. “Your limitation — it’s only your imagination.”
5. “Great things never come from comfort zones.”
6. “When you change your thoughts, you change your world.”– Norman Vincent Peale
7. “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”– Beverly Sills

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”– Beverly Sills

Be the person to bring strength during difficult times. Use the words listed above to prompt zeal and confidence in the hearts of your workmates and friends.

Finally, before we conclude this post, we would like to share with you some spiritual words of encouragement. These inspirational messages are spiritual quotes from the Bible, which you or your friends may use in times of distress and helplessness.

There are times when you only need spiritual uplifting words of encouragement and healing. You may or may not believe in the Bible, but you may want to consider the power of the following biblical passages.

Words of Encouragement from the Bible

1. “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”– Isaiah 41:10
2. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”– Matthew 6:34
3. “He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.”– Isaiah 40:29
4. “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”– 1 Corinthians 10:13
5. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”– Deuteronomy 31:6
6. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear, but He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”– 2 Timothy 1:7
7. “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” – 1 Corinthians 15:58

1. “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”– 2 Corinthians 12:10
2.  “Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.” – Romans 12:12
3. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”– 2 Corinthians 4:16
4. “For the Lord will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught.”– Proverbs 3:26
5. “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” – Psalm 55:22
6. “Our faith can move mountains.” – Matthew 17:20
7.  “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”– 1 Corinthians 16:13
8.  “Rise up … take courage and do it.”– Ezra 10:4
9. “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”– Galatians 6:9

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”– Galatians 6:9

1. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”– James 1:2-4
2. “God promises to make something good out of the storms that bring devastation to your life.” – Romans 8:28
3.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”– Proverbs 3:5
4. “This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.”– Psalm 119:50
5. “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”– Isaiah 40:31

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”– Isaiah 40:31

1. “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.”– Psalm 23:1
2. “I look up to the mountains – does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!”– Psalm 121:1-2
3. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”– James 1:5
4. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”– Philippians 4:6-7
5. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”– Matthew 11:28

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”– Matthew 11:28

1. “What is the price of five sparrows – two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”– Luke 12:6-7
2. “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”– 1 Peter 5:7
3. “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”– Matthew 7:7
4. “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”– Philippians 4:13
5. “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!”– Psalm 31:24
6. “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.’”– Mark 10:27
7. “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.”– Psalm 120:1
8. “With God all things are possible.”– Matthew 19:26
9. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”– Lamentations 3:22-23

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”– Lamentations 3:22-23

More Words of Encouragement

1. “A champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.” – Serena Williams
2. “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” – George Eliot
3. “The only time you run out of chances is when you stop taking them.” – Alexander Pope
4. “Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.” – Dr. Benjamin Spock
5. “Life isn’t finding shelter in the storm. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” – Sherrilyn Kenyon
6. “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean
7. “You must do the things you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
8. “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” – Milton Berle
9. “When the wrong people leave your life, the right things start happening.” – Zig Ziglar
10. “Instead of letting your hardships and failures discourage or exhaust you, let them inspire you.” – Michelle Obama
11. “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein
12. “So far you’ve survived 100% of your worst days. You’re doing great.”

So far you’ve survived 100% of your worst days. You’re doing great.”

1. “Failure is success in progress.” – Albert Einstein
2. “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
3. Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe
4. “Don’t worry about all of the steps. Begin.” –  Bob Goff
5. “If you want something different, you are going to have to do something different.” – Jack Canfield
6. “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Christian D. Larson
7. “If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” – Dale Carnegie
8. “I know from experience that you should never give up on yourself or others, no matter what.” – George Foreman
9. “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” — Mahatma Gandhi
10. “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” — Napoleon Hill
11. “No matter what you’re going through, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” — Demi Lovato
12. “Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” — Maya Angelou

Final Thoughts on Words of Encouragement

When life throws you rocks, throw back with words. You are more than what you were made for. Don’t allow yourself to fall and never get back on track. Live the life you deserve.

More important, spread positivity. Once you reclaim your grip, share your experiences to the world. Let your friends, family, workmates, and everyone know that they can be strong again, too.

Have you been in a really stressful situation lately? We’d love to hear about your experience. Feel free to share your story in the comment section below.

Can you relate to any of the quotes and affirmations stated above? We’d love to know which one.

Likewise, if you like any of the images in this post, why not share it through your favorite social media platform? That will be greatly appreciated.

Well, I hope you got value from these words of encouragement. Perhaps they will guide you on the path to helping you love life.

And if you want more positive words of encouragement, be sure to check out these blog posts:

• 65 Words of Encouragement to Your Husband to Lift Him Up
• 101 Words of Encouragement for Men to Help When They’re Struggling
• 55 Good Luck Words of Encouragement for a Job Interview

Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then check out and recite these 57 affirmations for success.

Sometimes we just need a bit of support and help to feel and do better again.

So today I’d like to share a collection of the best words of encouragement that I’ve found over the years.

145 supportive, kind and encouraging quotes that will help to:

• Lift you or a loved one up on a bad day (or a week when life is hard and you need to stay strong).
• Encourage you to take a leap and chance into something better.
• Kick-start your personal growth if you’re in a rut.
• Direct your thoughts and emotions into a more positive, motivated and centered headspace once again.

That is the first part of this post.

In the second part I’ll share my own 5 favorite words of encouragement that help me when I’m having a tough day, week or month.

Words of Encouragement for a Bad Day (or Week)

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Tough times never last, but tough people do.”
– Robert H. Schuller

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.”
– J.K. Rowling

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.”
– Marie Curie

“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent in doing nothing.”
– George Bernard Shaw

“Make up your mind that no matter what comes your way, no matter how difficult, no matter how unfair, you will do more than simply survive. You will thrive in spite of it.”
– Joel Osteen

“A man may fail many times but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.”
– John Burroughs

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”
– Albert Camus

“Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”
– Carl Bard

“Anyone can hide. Facing up to things, working through them, that’s what makes you strong.”
– Sarah Dessen

“If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again.”
– Flavia Weedn

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.”
– Helen Keller

“When you’re feeling your worst, that’s when you get to know yourself the best.”
– Leslie Grossman

“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see in truth that you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”
– Kahlil Gibran

“In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”
— Albert Einstein

“Fall seven times, stand up eight.”
– Chinese Proverb

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you do and damned if you don’t.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
– Michael Jordan

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
– Winston Churchill

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”
– Henry Ford

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly.
So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
– Theodore Roosevelt

“Life’s real failure is when you do not realize how close you were to success when you gave up.”
– Unknown

“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

“I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ’Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.”
– Thomas Paine

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”
– Samuel Beckett

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”
– Arnold Schwarzenegger

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
– Christopher Reeve

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

“Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.”’
– Hermann Hesse

“Remember that failure is an event, not a person.”
– Zig Ziglar

“At any given moment you have the power to say: This is not how the story is going to end.”
– Christine Mason Miller 

“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

Words of Encouragement for Work or School

“Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.”
– Dale Carnegie

“Think of many things; do one.”
– Portuguese proverb

“Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.”
– Richard Branson

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”
– Stephen King

“Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. Rich people can’t buy more hours. Scientists can’t invent new minutes. And you can’t save time to spend it on another day. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you’ve wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow.”
– Denis Waitley

“You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.”
– George Lorimer

“If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it.”
– Olin Miller

“In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing to do, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
– Theodore Roosevelt

“Follow effective actions with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.”
– Peter Drucker

“I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.”
– Florence Nightingale

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”
– Michael Jordan

“Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all.”
– Peter Drucker

“If you don’t pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.”
– David Allen

“Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.”
– George Bernard Shaw

“Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.”
– Albert Einstein

“The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.”
– Benjamin Disraeli

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.”
– Napoleon Bonaparte

“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”
– Abraham Lincoln

“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.”
– Thomas Jefferson

“Much of the stress that people feel doesn’t come from having too much to do. It comes from not finishing what they started.”
– David Allen

“Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.”
– Oprah Winfrey

“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.”
– Albert Einstein

“If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six hours sharpening my ax.”
– Abraham Lincoln

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
– Dale Carnegie

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
– Mark Twain

“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.”
– Bruce Lee

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
Herman Cain

“Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down.”
– Charles F. Kettering

“Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost legendary. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Perseverance and determination alone are omnipotent.”
– Calvin Coolidge

Words of Encouragement for a Loved One

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”
– Buddha

“When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”
– Harriet Beecher Stowe

“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
– Marcus Aurelius

“That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest.”
– Henry David Thoreau

“You’re always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company.”
– Diane Von Furstenberg

“Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it.”
– Ann Landers

“Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.”
– Arthur Golden

“Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of a greater or equal benefit.”
– Napoleon Hill

“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”
– Maya Angelou

“It takes courage to love, but pain through love is the purifying fire which those who love generously know. We all know people who are so much afraid of pain that they shut themselves up like clams in a shell and, giving out nothing, receive nothing and therefore shrink until life is a mere living death.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

“The unhappy derive comfort from the misfortunes of others.”
– Aesop

“Never idealize others. They will never live up to your expectations. Don’t over-analyze your relationships. Stop playing games. A growing relationship can only be nurtured by genuineness. “
– Leo F. Buscaglia

“Life is very interesting. In the end, some of your greatest pains become your greatest strengths.”
– Drew Barrymore

“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.”
– Lucille Ball

“A healthy self-love means we have no compulsion to justify to ourselves or others why we take vacations, why we sleep late, why we buy new shoes, why we spoil ourselves from time to time. We feel comfortable doing things which add quality and beauty to life.”
– Andrew Matthews

“I found in my research that the biggest reason people aren’t more self-compassionate is that they are afraid they’ll become self-indulgent. They believe self-criticism is what keeps them in line. Most people have gotten it wrong because our culture says being hard on yourself is the way to be.”
– Kristen Neff

“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”
– Napoleon Hill

“Happiness is a state of activity.”
– Aristotle

“The way to love anything is to realize that it may be lost.”
– Gilbert K. Chesterton

“All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”
– Walt Disney

“Whenever you’re in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude.”
– William James

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
– Dale Carnegie

“If you would be loved, love, and be loveable.”
– Benjamin Franklin

“Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

“What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.”
– Confucius

“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.”
– Catherine Ponder

“If you aren’t good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone, since you’ll resent the time and energy you give another person that you aren’t even giving to yourself.”
– Barbara De Angelis

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
– Rumi

“When the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold. They believe that when something’s suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful.”
– Barbara Bloom

“Love is not only something you feel, it is something you do.”
– David Wilkerson

“Every person has to love at least one bad partner in their lives to be truly thankful for the right one.”
– Unknown

“You know it’s love when all you want is that person to be happy, even if you’re not part of their happiness.”
– Julia Roberts

“’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”
– Alfred Lord Tennyson

“Just because it didn’t last forever, doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth your while.”
– Unknown

“The pleasure which we most rarely experience gives us greatest delight.”
– Epictetus

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassions, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”
– Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

“Don’t brood. Get on with living and loving. You don’t have forever.”
– Leo Buscaglia

Words of Encouragement for a Happy Life

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
– Marcus Aurelius

“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.”
– Dalai Lama

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
– Buddha

“Maxim for life: You get treated in life the way you teach people to treat you.”
– Wayne Dyer

“If you want happiness for an hour — take a nap.’
If you want happiness for a day — go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year — inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime — help someone else.”
– Chinese Proverb

“To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.”
– Soren Kierkegaard

“It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.”
– Dale Carnegie

“When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

“If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.”
– Bruce Lee

“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.”
– Epictetus

“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet.”
– James Oppenheim

“You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
– Wayne Gretzky

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.”
– Robert Collier

“The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.”
– Albert Ellis

“Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.”
– Wayne Dyer

“It’s been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.”
– L.M. Montgomery

“Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it.”
– William Feather

“I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.”
– Groucho Marx

“There are more things to alarm us than to harm us, and we suffer more often in apprehension than reality.”
– Seneca

“If you are too busy to laugh, you are too busy.”
– Proverb

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”
– Frederick Keonig

“Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life. Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism.”
– David M. Burns

“To be kind to all, to like many and love a few, to be needed and wanted by those we love, is certainly the nearest we can come to happiness.”
– Mary Stuart

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
– Aesop

“Try a thing you haven’t done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time to figure out whether you like it or not.”
– Virgil Thomson

“Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.”
– Michael Jordan

“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
– Marthe Troly-Curtin

“The first recipe for happiness is: avoid too lengthy meditation on the past.”
– Andre Maurois

“You can’t really be strong until you can see a funny side to things.”
– Ken Kesey

“Success isn’t permanent and failure isn’t fatal.”
– Mike Ditka

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”
– Zig Ziglar

“Loving people live in a loving world. Hostile people live in a hostile world. Same world.”
– Wayne Dyer

“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow. It only saps today of its joy.”
– Leo Buscaglia

”Spend eighty percent of your time focusing on the opportunities of tomorrow rather than the problems of yesterday.”
– Brian Tracy

“Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt

“The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.”
– Buddha

“I’ve come to believe that all my past failure and frustrations were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living I now enjoy.”
– Anthony Robbins

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
– Harriet Tubman

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.”
– Jack Canfield

“There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
– Anaïs Nin

“The happiest people in the world are those who feel absolutely terrific about themselves, and this is the natural outgrowth of accepting total responsibility for every part of their life.”
– Brian Tracy

“The best way to succeed in this world is to act on the advice you give to others.”
– Unknown

“When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint on the clouds of doubt,
And you can never tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar.
So, stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit
It’s when things go wrong that you mustn’t quit.”
– Edgar A. Guest

“A year from now you may wish you had started today.”
– Karen Lamb

“Follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.”
– Joseph Campbell

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
– Mark Twain

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children… to leave the world a better place… to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

My Own 5 Favorite Words of Encouragement

1. Be realistic about your expectations to make your dream a reality.

When I feel disappointed or discouraged about how things are going with one of my goals or dreams then one thing that helps me and encourages me to keep going instead of giving up is this:

To tap into realistic expectations.

How do I do that?

Well, first I take a couple deep breaths to just calm down and center my mind.

Then I remind myself to not listen to:

• Advertising and voices close to me or further away in the world that promises me quick and super-easy results.
• The words and thoughts of perfectionism that sometimes bubble up within and outside of myself and that tell me that I must not make any mistakes or have any setbacks or failures.

And I remind myself to listen to people who have gone where I want to go. That’s where I find the realistic words of encouragement and reasonable expectations.

By listening to what they have to say in person or via books, podcasts, videos or websites I won’t get an exact step-by-step guide towards my goal.

But I’ll get a realistic and pretty accurate guidance on my journey.

Because I’ll get it from the people who already know what works and what does not (or works less well). And can tell me how I may sometimes stumble and fall and how much time my journey may realistically take.

2. It’s healthy and helpful to sometimes just let it out.

When I don’t feel like giving it one more shot or the path forward towards my goal simply seems insurmountable then one thing that truly helps is to just open up about it.

So I talk about it with my wife, a parent or a friend.

Sometimes I just vent and figure things out for myself as he or she listens.

At other times we discuss the issue at hand and he or she helps me to find a more grounded perspective again and to plan for how to move forward.

This renews my energy and motivation to keep going. And often helps me to find a smarter and better path towards where I want to go.

3. Remind yourself daily WHY you are doing what you are doing.

This is so easy to forget as you go through your daily life. And so you may lose your motivation and get off track.

Here’s one thing that helps me when I get stuck in such a place:

Find your top 3 reasons why you are doing what you are doing.

Maybe it’s to:

• Keep your family supported, safe and healthy.
• Live healthier and longer so you can watch your kids grow up or simply be able to experience more of life.
• Travel and see the world and meet the people in it.

Whatever your answers may be, write them down.

I prefer to do it on a piece of paper. Or as a daily reminder on my smart phone. If I add the reasons to a paper note then I put it where I cannot avoid seeing it every day. Like the bottom of my computer screen.

Having such a reminder helps me to stay on track and to keep moving forward even on days when I feel unmotivated, lazy or low.

4. Tell yourself: just for today!

Here’s a little tip that I learned from Brian Tracy more than 10 years ago.

I tell myself: Just for today I will XX!

Replace that XX with what you will do just for today. Such as going out running, eating a healthy and reasonably sized dinner or working on your essay for school.

I get two good benefits from doing this:

• The step or task feels lighter and my inner resistance to get it done lessens. Because now I’m just focusing on doing it today. And not also on the times I’ve done it in the past or the times I’m likely to do in the coming days, weeks and months.
• If I am creating a new habit then I’m reminded that I do not have to do this by using willpower for the rest of my life. After I have strung together 30 days or so of doing it – running, flossing or eating a healthy dinner – then the habit will have become pretty automatic and it’s just another normal part of my life.

5. It’s always darkest before the dawn.

Finally, one thought and word of encouragement that has helped me many times when things have been truly tough.

It has kept me from giving up and on track until things have turned around.

Because I have found it to be true.

When things have been at the lowest point in my life not matter if that was with my physical fitness, my dating life when I was single, my business or just my motivation and drive in life something has always happened.

Oftentimes simply because being at such a low point has forced me to make a change in how I go about things.

When you’re at such a point then don’t have much choice and you say to yourself: “enough is enough”. And then you are open to bigger changes and new perspectives.

But maybe also because life seems to have a sort of balance. If I just keep on going and keep on taking action.

Instead of doing nothing and just giving up.

Because if I keep on moving forward – step by small or sometimes tiny step – something positive always happens.

This way of thinking helps me to keep going when I don’t feel like it.

And it brings me some comfort even when things look pretty dark.