Success Quotes: For Life, Motivation, Work, & More

By Nathalie Boutros, Ph.D.
Reviewed by Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.

What does success mean and how can you achieve it? This collection of quotes may help to inspire and motivate you to reach success in your life.

Success Quotes: For Life, Motivation, Work, & More

*This page may include affiliate links; that means we earn from qualifying purchases of products.

Becoming successful can mean different things to different people—creating wealth, achieving fame, building a business, reaching victory. Whatever success means to you, reading quotes from people who have achieved success may inspire and motivate you in your own quest for success. Read on to see if any of these quotes from authors, athletes, entertainers, businesspeople, politicians and other successful individuals can help you achieve success in your life.

Before reading on, if you're a therapist, coach, or wellness entrepreneur, be sure to grab our free Wellness Business Growth eBook to get expert tips and free resources that will help you grow your business exponentially.

Are You a Therapist, Coach, or Wellness Entrepreneur?

Grab Our Free eBook to Learn How to
Grow Your Wellness Business Exponentially!

✓ Save hundreds of hours of time ✓ Earn more $ faster
✓ Boost your credibility ✓ Deliver high-impact content

What Are Success Quotes Helpful For?

Reading quotes about success may inspire you to be your best self. Success quotes may increase your self-confidence, increase your motivation, or help you feel more empowered to take action (Bedrov & Bulaj, 2018). Research has found that exposure to inspirational, motivational quotes may help you in a few different specific ways including:

Reminding you of your agency and ability to exert control.
Prompting you to self-examination and introspection, leading to insight and self-improvement.
Affirming and empowering you by increasing your self-esteem, self-worth, or self-confidence.
Providing you with helpful insight, advice, examples or guidance from people who have achieved success.
Acting as a reality check - reminding you that success may take work and also that success may not require perfection.

Success Quotes For the Day

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

“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.”
― Anthony Robbins

“Determine that the thing can and shall be done and then... find the way.”
― Abraham Lincoln

All-Access Pass - Wellness PLR Content Collection

"Success Is" Quotes

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
― Maya Angelou

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
― Winston S. Churchill

“Success is finding satisfaction in giving a little more than you take.”
― Christopher Reeve

Short Success Quotes

“Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.”
― Salvador Dali

“Your success and happiness lie in you.”
― Helen Keller

“He that can have patience can have what he will.”
― Benjamin Franklin

“What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise”
― Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest

Inspirational Success Quotes

“If you care about what you do and work hard at it, there isn't anything you can't do.”
― Jim Henson, It's Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider

“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

“As my mom always told me, ‘Don’t ever compete against someone else, Simone. You don’t go out there to beat another person. You go out there to do your very best. And if your very best means that you win that competition, that’s the way it should be. If your very best means that you come in third or fourth, that’s fine too. As long as you did your best. You don’t go out there grudgingly and think, Oh, I need to beat the person. No, no, no. You go out there and be the best Simone you can be. And whatever that outcome is, we’ll take it.”
― Simone Biles, Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, a Life in Balance

“A person who doubts himself is like a man who would enlist in the ranks of his enemies and bear arms against himself. He makes his failures certain by himself being the first person to be convinced of it.”
― Alexandre Dumas

“When you stumble, keep faith. And when you're knocked down, get right back up and never listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on.”
― Hillary Rodham Clinton

“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”
― Booker T. Washington, Up From Slavery: An Autobiography

Success Quotes for Motivation

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
― Walt Disney

“Success ... seems to be connected with action. Successful men keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit.”
― Conrad Hilton

“No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment.”
― Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success

“I've been lucky enough now in my life to meet all sorts of extraordinary and accomplished people - world leaders, inventors, musicians, astronauts, athletes, professors, entrepreneurs, artists and writers, pioneering doctors and researchers. Some (though not enough) of them are women. Some (though not enough) are black or of color. Some were born poor or have lives that to many of us would appear to have been unfairly heaped with adversity, and yet still they seem to operate as if they've had every advantage in the world. What I've learned is this: All of them have had doubters. Some continue to have roaring, stadium-sized collection of critics and naysayers who will shout I told you so at every little misstep or mistake. The noise doesn't go away, but the most successful people I know have figured out how to live with it, to lean on the people who believe in them, and to push onward with their goals.”
― Michelle Obama, Becoming

“Fortune does favor the bold and you'll never know what you're capable of if you don't try.”
― Sheryl Sandberg, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

“...it is well known that a vital ingredient of success is not knowing that what you're attempting can't be done.”
― Terry Pratchett, Equal Rites

“Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don't settle for them.”
― Mia Hamm

“No matter how good you get you can always get better, and that's the exciting part.”
― Tiger Woods

“We don’t have to be smarter than the rest. We have to be more disciplined than the rest.”
― Warren Buffett

“Enthusiasm makes up for a host of deficiencies.”
― Barack Obama, A Promised Land

“All the time you're saying to yourself, 'I could do that, but I won't,' — which is just another way of saying that you can't.”
― Richard P. Feynman, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character

Well-Being PLR Courses - Grow Your Business Fast

Success Quotes for Life

“If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut.”
― Albert Einstein

“All my wins are lessons and all my failures are lessons that will one day become wins.”
― Tiffany Haddish, The Last Black Unicorn

“I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.”
― Oprah Winfrey

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

“For me, becoming isn’t about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self. The journey doesn’t end.”
― Michelle Obama, Becoming

“I was taught to strive not because there were any guarantees of success but because the act of striving is in itself the only way to keep faith with life.”
― Madeleine Albright, Madam Secretary: A Memoir

“The problem, often not discovered until late in life, is that when you look for things in life like love, meaning, motivation, it implies they are sitting behind a tree or under a rock. The most successful people in life recognize that in life they create their own love, they manufacture their own meaning, they generate their own motivation. For me, I am driven by two main philosophies, know more today about the world than I knew yesterday. And lessen the suffering of others. You'd be surprised how far that gets you.”
― Neil deGrasse Tyson

Success Quotes for Students

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it's normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
― Ira Glass

“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

“One of the greatest things you have in life is that no one has the authority to tell you what you want to be. You're the one who'll decide what you want to be. Respect yourself and respect the integrity of others as well. The greatest thing you have is your self image, a positive opinion of yourself. You must never let anyone take it from you.”
—Jaime Escalante”

Success Quotes for Work

“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.”
― Thomas A. Edison

“We think, mistakenly, that success is the result of the amount of time we put in at work, instead of the quality of time we put in.”
― Arianna Huffington, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder

“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

Success Quotes for Women

“Women need to shift from thinking "I'm not ready to do that" to thinking "I want to do that- and I'll learn by doing it.”
― Sheryl Sandberg, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead

“I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others.”
― Amelia Earhart

“Be the alligator girl. Be whatever your dreams and your luck will let you be. Wear your green cornflakes with pride. Snarl at the crowds, and do your best to make them flinch. Give them a quarter's worth of wonder.”
― Dolly Parton, Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business

Well-Being PLR Article Packages - Grow Your Business Fast

Success Quotes for Entrepreneurs

“I do not like to repeat successes I like to go on to other things.”
― Walt Disney

“Grow with discipline. Balance intuition with rigor. Innovate around the core. Don't embrace the status quo. Find new ways to see. Never expect a silver bullet. Get your hands dirty. Listen with empathy and overcommunicate with transparency. Tell your story, refusing to let others define you. Use authentic experiences to inspire. Stick to your values, they are your foundation. Hold people accountable, but give them the tools to succeed. Make the tough choices; it's how you execute that counts. Be decisive in times of crisis. Be nimble. Find truth in trials and lessons in mistakes. Be responsible for what you see, hear, and do. Believe.”
― Howard Schultz, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

Success Quotes for Business

“Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, "Make me feel important." Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.”
― Mary Kay Ash

“In the world of business, the people who are most successful are those who are doing what they love.”
― Warren Buffet

“In this ever-changing society, the most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart. They are real and sustainable. Their foundations are stronger because they are built with the strength of the human spirit, not an ad campaign. The companies that are lasting are those that are authentic.”
― Howard Schultz, Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
― Bill Gates

Success Quotes for Teams

“I'm a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the heart to let him down.”
― Abraham Lincoln

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”
― Andrew Carnegie

“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”
― Phil Jackson

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”
― Michael Jordan

“Anyone who imagines they can work alone winds up surrounded by nothing but rivals, without companions. The fact is, no one ascends alone.”
― Lance Armstrong, It's Not about the Bike: My Journey Back to Life

“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”
― Bill Gates

Failure to Succeed Quotes

“I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.”
― John D. Rockefeller

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

“I think for anyone to become good at something, they have to fail a lot too. And they have to be completely unafraid to fail or they'll never make it to the next level.”
― Amy Schumer, The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo

“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

“Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.”
― Robert T. Kiyosaki, Rich Dad, Poor Dad

“When you take risks you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important.”
― Ellen DeGeneres, Seriously... I'm Kidding

“The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That's real glory. That's the essence of it.”
― Vince Lombardi

Key to Success Quotes

“The secret to success is constancy of purpose.”
― Benjamin Disraeli

“Enthusiasm is a vital element in individual success.”
― Conrad Hilton

“Flaming enthusiasm, backed by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success.”
― Dale Carnegie

“The path to success is to take massive, determined action.”
― Anthony Robbins

“The key to success is failure”
― Michael Jordan

“Action is the foundational key to all success.”
—Pablo Picasso

Articles Related to Success Quotes

Want to learn more? Here are some related articles that might be helpful.

Products Related to Success Quotes

Here are some goodies that may help motivate you to succeed.

Final Thoughts on Success Quotes

There are many different paths to success. Those who have reached success in business, sports, entertainment, politics, or other parts of life, often have valuable words of wisdom that may motivate and inspire you in your own quest for success. In the collection of quotes presented in this article, successful people reflect on the things they consider important to their success. A few themes emerged about the values, traits, and characteristics important to success. Some of these themes include perseverance, authenticity, hard work, and dedication. You may be able to achieve success in your life by adopting and incorporating some of these values.

Don't Forget to Grab Our Free eBook to Learn How to
Grow Your Wellness Business Exponentially!

References

Bedrov, A., & Bulaj, G. (2018). Improving self-esteem with motivational quotes: opportunities for digital health technologies for people with chronic disorders. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 2126.