Inspirational Quotes: For Women, Men, Teachers, Kids, & More

By Justine Saavedra, M.S.
​Reviewed by Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.
Learn how inspirational quotes can help your mental well-being and discover quotes for work, life, and more.
*This page may include affiliate links; that means we earn from qualifying purchases of products.
Have you ever felt a lack of motivation to work towards your goals and dreams? If so, you might benefit from getting some inspiration. Inspiration is the feeling that happens when you feel moved to action because of an experience. A strong burst of inspiration may even be accompanied by feelings like goosebumps or an urge to cry because of how moved you are.​​
Common inspirational experiences:   
  • Watching a beautiful sunset.
  • Hearing a song that moves you to tears.
  • Seeing your child do something new for the first time.

I draw most of my inspiration from nature. Magnificent mountain sunsets often remind me of the beautiful, fleeting nature of life. Quotes are another great source to draw inspiration from. Keep reading to learn how inspirational quotes can help your psychological health and discover quotes for teachers, kids, friends, and more.

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What Are Inspirational Quotes?

Inspirational quotes are short sayings meant to ignite a spark within you. Sometimes, the right word at the right moment might be all you need to make a change in your life. Many well-known quotes come from powerful political, educational, or humanitarian figures whose life experiences and perspectives are greatly valued. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Theodore Roosevelt, and Rosa Parks are all examples of historical figures with widely-recognizable quotes attributed to them.

Video: How To Get Inspired

What Are Inspirational Quotes Helpful For?

There are times that you may become discouraged or downtrodden due to life obstacles you encounter. Inspirational quotes can be helpful during these times to remind you of all the positive impact you have on the world. When integrated into treatment programs, inspirational quotes have been shown to help adults with stress, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse (Bedrov & Bulaj, 2018). 
​
Inspirational quotes can increase:
In addition, inspirational quotes have been used as a tool to help students learn English as a second language (Al-Jarf, 2021). Students reported that they enjoyed using the quotes as a way to enhance their understanding of the English language rather than in “dry” textbooks. This means that inspirational quotes can have both educational and clinical benefits.

Below, you will find a short compilation of popular inspirational quotes for a variety of people and situations. Once you find a quote that resonates with you, try making it your phone’s background or writing it on a post-it and sticking it to your mirror for an extra boost of encouragement when you need it the most. 

Short Inspirational Quotes

  • “Whatever you are, be a good one.”—Abraham Lincoln
  • “Fall seven times, stand up eight.”—Japanese Proverb
  • “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”—Theodore Roosevelt
  • “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”—Eleanor Roosevelt
  • “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m possible!'”—Audrey Hepburn 
  • “If you dream it, you can do it.”—Walt Disney
  • “Turn your wounds into wisdom.”—Oprah Winfrey
  • “Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.”—James Dean

Inspirational Quotes About Life

  • ​"If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one."—Dolly Parton
  • “Don't be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.”―Roy T. Bennett
  • "The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot."—Michael Altshuler
  • "I believe we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom."—Rosa Parks
  • "Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself."—William Faulkner

Funny Inspirational Quotes

  • "To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone."—Reba McEntire
  • "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose."—Dr. Seuss
  • “Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”—Will Rogers
  • “Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.”—Truman Capote
  • “There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.”—Roger Staubach
  • “Optimist: someone who figures that taking a step backward after taking a step forward is not a disaster, it’s more like a cha-cha.”—Robert Brault

Inspirational Quotes for Women

  • “Well-behaved women rarely make history.”—Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
  • “I raise up my voice—not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard… We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.”—Malala Yousafzai
  • “Be the woman who fixes another woman’s crown without telling the world it was crooked.”—Leslie Littlejohn
  • "We have to teach our girls that they can reach as high as humanly possible."—Beyonce
  • "A strong woman looks a challenge dead in the eye and gives it a wink."—Gina Carey
  • “What’s the greatest lesson a woman should learn? That since day one, she’s already had everything she needs within herself. It’s the world that convinced her she did not.”—Rupi Kaur ​

Inspirational Quotes for Men

  • “A great man is hard on himself; a small man is hard on others.”—Confucius
  • “We need men who can dream of things that never were.”—John F. Kennedy
  • “The first step to being a good man is this: You must deeply feel the burden of the stones some else [is] carrying.”—Mehmet Murat ildan
  • “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”—Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • “The stronger a man is, the more gentle he can afford to be.”—Elbert Hubbard
  • “You will earn the respect of all men if you begin by earning the respect of yourself.”—Musonius Rufus.

Inspirational Quotes for Work

  • "I learned the value of hard work by working hard."—Margaret Mead
  • “Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work, one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.“—Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”—Thomas Edison
  • “Hard work spotlights the character of people. Some turn up their sleeves. Some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.”—Sam Ewing
  • “Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you’re willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it.” —Lou Holtz

Inspirational Quotes for Managers

  • “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”—Richard Branson
  • “If you’ve created a work culture where vulnerability isn’t ok, you’ve also created a culture where innovation and creativity aren’t ok.”—Brené Brown

Inspirational Quotes for Teachers

  • “Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.”—Malcolm Forbes
  • “In teaching, you cannot see the fruit of a day's work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years.”—Jacques Barzun
  • “I never teach my pupils, I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.”—Albert Einstein
  • “You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.”—Clay P. Bedford
  • “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”—William Ward

Inspirational Quotes for Students

  • “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”—Malcolm X
  • “Skill is only developed by hours and hours of work.”—Usain Bolt
  • “Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.”—Chinese Proverb
  • “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.”—B.B. King
  • “A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers.”—Helen Keller

Inspirational Quotes for Kids

  • “Even though you’re growing up, you should never stop having fun.”—Nina Dobrev
  • “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”—Dr. Seuss
  • “Never let the fear of striking out stop you from playing the game.”—Babe Ruth
  • “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”—A.A. Milne
  • “Be Silly, Be Honest, Be Kind.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Inspirational Quotes for Friends

  • “One of the things you can give and will not cost you any money is friendship.”—Catherine Pulsifer
  • “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.”—Walter Winchell
  • “When the world is so complicated, the simple gift of friendship is within all of our hands.”—Maria Shriver
  • “The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.”—Elisabeth Foley
  • "A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”—William Shakespeare

Inspirational Quotes on Success

  • “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.”—Newt Gingrich
  • "If you set your goals ridiculously high and it's a failure, you will fail above everyone else's success."—James Cameron
  • "I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.”— Frank Lloyd Wright
  • "Success isn't always about greatness. It's about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come."—Dwayne Johnson
  • "Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."—Winston S. Churchill

Inspirational Quotes on Happiness

  • “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
  • “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”—Mahatma Gandhi
  • “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or objects.”—Albert Einstein
  • “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.”—Seth Godin
  • "If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes."—Andrew Carnegie

Inspirational Quotes on Mental Health

  • “Being able to be your true self is one of the strongest components of good mental health.”—Lauren Fogel Mersy
  • “There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.”―John Green
  • “My dark days made me stronger. Or maybe I already was strong, and they made me prove it.”—Emery Lord
  • “Recovery is not one and done. It is a lifelong journey that takes place one day, one step at a time.”—Unknown
  • “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”―Leonard Cohen

Inspirational Quote Videos

Instead of reading inspirational quotes, you may want to try listening to them in the following videos.

Video: Inspirational Quotes About Life

Video: 1 Hour of Inspirational Quotes (Calmly Spoken for Sleep, Meditation, ASMR)

Articles Related to Inspirational Quotes

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Books Related to Inspirational Quotes​

If you’d like to keep learning more, here are a few books that you might be interested in.

​Products Related to Inspirational Quotes​

And here are a few related products that you might be interested in.

Final Thoughts on Inspirational Quotes

Inspirational quotes are nuggets of wisdom that usually come from well-respected historical, or current, figures. These nuggets can help ignite a spark in you if you feel that your motivation or zest for life is waning. They are not meant to be a stand-alone treatment but can be helpful as an additional tool for people who suffer from mental illness and can increase confidence, motivation, empowerment, and life satisfaction (Bedrov & Bulaj, 2018). 

What might be an inspirational quote to you, won’t be to someone else, and vice versa. Keep searching until you find a few quotes that resonate with you. Once you have your inspirational quotes identified, try writing them on a post-it and leaving them where you can easily see them. If you are struggling, these little pieces of encouragement throughout your day might be the extra boost of inspiration that your mind needs. 

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