Positive Thinking Quotes: For Life, Today, & More

By Kelsey Schultz, Ph.D. Candidate
​Reviewed by Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.

Positive thinking is important for a happy, healthy life, but it isn’t always easy. Read on for positive thinking quotes of all kinds to help you improve your outlook. 

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A life characterized by happiness, love, and fulfillment is a basic human desire. This kind of life, the “good life”, may feel unattainable at times. Negative life events like being betrayed by a romantic partner, struggling to find a job, or grieving the loss of a loved one can lock us into a perspective of the world as a wretched, miserable place or a perspective of ourselves as wretched, miserable beings. In these times it’s hard to recognize that our perception shapes our experience. 

As Anais Nin says, “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” In other words, when we expect the world to be hostile, it is; when we expect ourselves to fail, we do. But this also means that when we expect to find love and magic and beauty, we find it, and when we embrace our humanity, our failures become valuable lessons that help us grow into better people rather than condemnations or evidence of our worthlessness.
​
This is the power of positive thinking. We can change our whole world by simply thinking about it differently. Though positive thinking can’t prevent or erase disappointment and heartbreak, it can help us find meaning, healing, and peace in hard times.

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What is Positive Thinking? (A Definition)

Among researchers, positive thinking is generally considered to be an attitude characterized by optimism and the disposition to find hope and joy (Naseem & Khalid, 2010). Positive thinkers tend to move through the world with wonder, curiosity, and gratitude. They are less prone to symptoms of depression and are able to respond well to stressful situations. Negative thinking, in contrast, is marked by pessimism, relentless self-criticism, and the tendency to see oneself as a victim in a hostile world.

Why Positive Thinking Is Important

Positive thinking can have enormous benefits for our health and well-being. Research has shown that positive thinking is associated with the following psychological and physical health benefits (Naseem & Khalid, 2010):

• Improved ability to cope with stress
• Reduced symptoms of depression
• Improved cardiovascular health
• Lower blood pressure
• Improved immune functioning
• Longer life
• Increased creativity and problem-solving ability
• Improved interpersonal relationships and social support networks

Toxic Positivity
For as helpful as positive thinking can be, it can be taken to a damaging extreme. You’ve probably heard of this “no bad days” attitude referred to as “toxic positivity”. Toxic positivity is the mindset that, regardless of the situation, one should never be unhappy (Bosveld, 2021). This approach leaves no room for sadness, doubt, or fear (all of which can be perfectly healthy emotions in moderation). 

It isn’t surprising that people are inclined to adopt this framework. Not only are we bombarded with messaging through social media that pathologizes not feeling like a ray of sunshine, but positivity of this sort also gives us a good reason to ignore all emotions except for the good ones.

Although the “positive vibes only” perspective is attractive, it isn’t necessarily helpful. When we deny all negative feelings, we are diminishing the richness and the validity of our human experience. It’s more helpful (and sustainable) to be as positive as possible while also accepting that it’s okay to not be okay sometimes.

Positive Thinking Quotes on Life

One of my favorite positive thinking quotes on life is this one from Albert Einstein.

• “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein
  

 
When Einstein uses the word “miracle” he isn’t necessarily referring to divine intervention. Rather he is using it to describe an event that is astoundingly improbable. For example, consider the fact that you are you, here, now, and not any of the other 7.8 billion people across the planet at present or any of the billions that have come before us. And then consider all of the conditions that had to be just right, all of the events that had to unfold exactly as they did and not any of the other infinite ways they could have, over the 13.8 billion years since the origin of the universe to create the person you are at this moment reading this article on the internet. When you think about it from that perspective, something as simple as doing exactly what you’re doing right now can be absolutely miraculous.
 
There are a number of other brilliant minds who have expressed similar sentiments. Here are a few more quotes that will help you find wonder and gratitude in your daily life:
 

• “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” – Carl Sagan
  

• “To see a world in a grain of sand
  

and a heaven in a wild flower,
hold infinity in the palm of your hand
and eternity in an hour.” – William Blake
 

• “I cannot pretend I am without fear. But my predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved; I have been given much and I have given something in return; I have read and traveled and thought and written. I have had an intercourse with the world, the special intercourse of writers and readers. Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.” – Oliver Sacks
  
• “Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love.” - Fyodor Dostoevsky​
  

Positive Thinking Quotes for Today

Taking life one day at a time is a great way to maintain a positive outlook. These quotes from poet, Mary Oliver, and Zen Master, Thich Nhat Han, offer a beautiful perspective for the start of your day:
 

• “Hello, sun in my face. Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields...watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness.” ― Mary Oliver

 

• “Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh

 
Daily affirmations can also be a helpful way to start your day with positivity. Here are a few examples of daily affirmations:
 

• “I am in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing.” – Louise Hay

 

• “I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.” – Audre Lord

 

• “I’m better than I used to be. Better than I was yesterday. But hopefully not as good as I’ll be tomorrow.” – Marianne Williamson

Short Positive Thinking Quotes

Here are a few great positive thinking quotes that are short enough for you to use as a mantra or just to repeat to yourself whenever you need a little reminder:
​

• “If you can change your mind, you can change your life.” – William James

 

• “Because you are alive, everything is possible.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

 

• “The purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and greater things.” – Reiner Maria Rilke

 

• “Much of the secret of life consists in knowing how to laugh, and also how to breathe” – Alan Watts

 

• “Suffering is part of our training program for becoming wise.” – Ram Dass

 

• “There are some things so serious that you have to laugh at them.” – Niels Bohr

 
For more short positive thinking quotes, check out this great video:

Video: Quotes to Help You Stay Positive

Funny Positive Thinking Quotes

As the American poet, Joy Harjo once said, “One trick of survival is the development of a tremendous sense of humor.” To help contribute to that aim, here are a few humorous positive thinking quotes to make you smile:
 

• “The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper” – Bertrand Russel

 

• “A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” – Herm Albright

 

• “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar

 

• “The stone age didn't end because the world ran out of stones” – Niels Bohr

Cute Positive Thinking Quotes

• “Instructions for living a life.
  

Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”
― Mary Oliver
 

• “If you are always trying to be normal, you’ll never know how amazing you can be.” – Maya Angelou
  

 

• “You cannot stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn
  

Happy Positive Thinking Quotes

• “Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together” – Brene Brown

 

• “May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful and don't forget to make some art – write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.” – Neil Gaiman

 

• “Go out into the world where your heart calls you. The blessings will come, I promise you that. I wish for you the insight to recognize the blessings as such, and sometimes it's hard. But you'll know it's a blessing if you are enriched and transformed by the experience. So be ready. There are great souls and teachers everywhere. It's your job to recognize them.” – Sy Montgomery​

Famous Positive Thinking Quotes

• “The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.” – Oprah Winfrey
  

 

• “There is always light. If only we're brave enough to see it. If only we're brave enough to be it.” – Amanda Gorman
  

 

• “Where there's hope, there's life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again.” – Anne Frank
  

 

• “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
  

 

• “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m possible’.” – Audrey Hepburn
  

 

• “If you are positive, you’ll see opportunities instead of obstacles.” – Confucius
  

Positive Quotes for Negative Thinkers

If you’re anything like me, negative thoughts are easy to come by. It can be hard to accept the brevity and impermanence of existence, the limits of this one life that we get, and the recognition of how very small we are when compared to the entirety of the universe while maintaining a positive attitude. This is where the concept of “radical acceptance” can come in handy. 

Radical acceptance is a sort of “yes, and” response to the existential weight of reality. Yes, suffering is real, and sentience is a miracle. Yes, I make mistakes I feel ashamed of, and I am precious and worthy of love. Here are a few quotes that capture the essence of radical acceptance that might be helpful for other negative thinkers:

• “We are unusual and tragic and divine.” – Dave Eggers
• “Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don’t give up.” – Anne Lamott
• “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor.” -Ram Dass
• “You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.” – Brene Brown

• “The most beautiful part of your body

is where it’s headed. & remember,
loneliness is still time spent
with the world.”
― Ocean Vuong
 
I also want to share a couple of quotes from the TV show The Good Place that I often reflect on when I’m finding positivity challenging:
 

• “I guess all I can do is embrace the pandemonium, find happiness in the unique insanity of being here, now.” – Eleanor Shellstrop (Season 3, Episode 12)

 

• “You said that every human is a little bit sad all the time because you know you’re going to die. But that knowledge is what gives life meaning.” – Michael (Season 4, Episode 12)

 
And finally, a quote from my favorite moment in the show. One of the characters, Michael, is having an existential crisis and is lamenting about attending a party saying that,
 

• “Parties are mere distractions from the relentlessness of entropy. We’re all just corpses that haven’t yet begun to decay.”

 
To which another character responds,
 

• “Yeah, but… balloons!”

 
This exchange perfectly encapsulates radical acceptance to me. They are essentially saying ‘Yes, life is fleeting, and existence can feel absurd and overwhelming, but there is so much fun to be had and so many marvelous moments to experience.’ In challenging times I often find comfort in saying to myself, “yeah, but balloons.” ​

Articles Related to Positive Thinking Quotes

​Want to learn more? Check out these articles:​​​

• ​​​Positive Quotes For Life, Work, & Morning
• Success Quotes: For Life, Motivation, Work, & More​
• Happiness Quotes: For Life, Love, & Every Day
• False Positivity: Definition, Examples, & Explanation

Books Related to Positive Thinking Quotes​

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

• ​Motivational Books: 365 Days of Positive Thinking: A motivational quote-a-day to increase productivity and bring positive thinking into your life
• A Year of Positive Thinking for Teens: Daily Motivation to Beat Stress, Inspire Happiness, and Achieve Your Goals
  
• Positive Thinking Quotes: 365 Inspirational, Affirmations and Success Quotes to Change Your Brain Change Your Life
  

Products Related to Positive Thinking Quotes​

And here are some other products you may be interested in.

• 10 Pieces Inspirational Wall Posters Motivational Quote Posters Positive Affirmation Art Posters with 80 Glue Point Dots for Classroom, Living Room, Office
• Smiles by Julie - Positive Thinking Quotations In a Jar. An Inspirational, Motivational Quote for every day of the Month
• 300 Pack Positive & Motivational Quote Cards

Final Thoughts on Positive Thinking Quotes

Positive thinking is important for a happy, healthy life. When we are having a hard time cultivating a positive outlook, it can be helpful to refer to quotes that distill positivity into a form that makes sense to us and resonates with us. Keeping a list of positive thinking quotes is a little like creating your own personal scripture to which you can refer when you are feeling lost. I hope some of these quotes can aid in your endeavor to move through the world with a positive mindset like they have mine.

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References

• ​Bosveld, E. (2021). Positive Vibes Only : The Downsides of a Toxic Cure-All.
• Naseem, Z., & Khalid, R. (2010). Positive Thinking in Coping with Stress and Health outcomes: Literature Review. Journal of Research and Reflections in Education, 4(1), 42–61.

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