The 20 best inspirational quotes to motivate you when you feel stuck

Motivation may be fleeting, but inspirational quotes can still help you gain perspective and get moving! I have compiled my 20 favorite inspirational quotes to motivate you when you feel stuck.

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-Updated January 2022

I'm a sucker for inspirational quotes. I know that determination and dedication are what keeps you going in the long haul, but reading motivational quotes totally works to get me inspired and working towards a goal.

It's easy to feel stuck in life, unsure where you're going, or what your next step should be. I put together my twenty favorite inspirational quotes so you can find the ones that motivate you the most and put it on a post-it somewhere you see it daily and keep getting reminded of what you're working for!

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"If you don't like where you are, move. You're not a tree." -Unknown

I just love this quote. I definitely have a habit of feeling stuck or bad about my life when I see vacation pictures on Facebook, even though I live 15 minutes from the beach which is what most people travel to find. This reminds me that if I want a change, I need to make that happen myself. I'm not gonna learn how to play the guitar or be in the shape I want or become a better dancer without putting in any work. 

"Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day." -Alice Morse Earle

This was my favorite quote in my early twenties. Writing in my gratitude journal definitely helps to remind me about the good things I have in my life and the positive things I do each day -- and it also inspires me to do things to be proud of and happy to look back on when I go to bed.

52-WEEK GRATITUDE JOURNAL

"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor."
​                                        -Franklin D. Roosevelt

If I could reverse or undo certain things I've done or had happen to me in my life, I would, but the truth is that I learned a lot from these experiences. I would not be who I am today without them. I'm sad for all the pain I've gone through, but I'm pretty proud of who I've become because of and in spite of it all.

Photo by Bobby Burch

"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." -George Bernard Shaw

How beautiful is this? Everything we do forms us and create a new version of ourselves, so the question is: who do you want to be? If you want to be a person who plays guitar, then play the guitar. If you want to be a runner, go run. If you want to be self-employed, do research and do the first actionable step. If you want to be a well-read person, read. It's simple, really.

• 1 easy mind shift to become who you want to be

"Mistakes are proof that you're trying." - Unknown

If you don't do anything, you may not make mistakes (although isn't that a mistake in itself?), but what do you have to show for your time? Mistakes show that you at least cared enough to give it a shot, and hopefully, you stood back up and tried again! "Do it again, and do it right," as the Swedish saying goes.

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." -Oscar Wilde

I so feel this one! A strong motivator for me is to have memories to look back on both at the end of the day and the end of my life. I don't want to just float through life, which is very easy to do sometimes with work and other responsibilities. I want to remember my life as something I didn't take for granted, but enjoyed and made the best of. This is a tough one when you're struggling with depression and other mental health issues, since they can make it so hard to just make it through the day. But it is a very worthy goal to fight for.

"You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there's still going to be somebody who hates peaches." -Dita von Teese

You really can't please everyone! Focus on:

• does it make YOU happy?
• does it hurt anyone?

And if the answers are A) Yes and B) No, then go for it! If someone's upset it's kind of their problem, not yours. You can only be responsible for your own life and reactions.

• Don't care what other people might think -- Just do it!

Photo by LuAnn Hunt

"A ship is safe in harbor, but that is not what ships are made for." -John A. Shedd

This one goes along the same lines; we do just fine simply existing and going through our day-to-day lives. But we have so much more potential! We can be dancing, running, making art, starting a business, having friends over for dinner, and travel. We are able to do so many things that we just take for granted but never do. So why not change that? Think about what kind of person you would like to be, what you're able to do (because this can vary widely on illnesses, money, etc.), and set up a plan to make it happen.

"I never look back, darling. It distracts from the now." -Edna Mode

This may be a quote from The Incredibles, but it's so true. I spend way too much time thinking about past grievances and embarrassing things I've done, when I could focus that energy on improving my current life instead. This one is really hard to beat with anxieties, but that's where breathing techniques and audiobooks come in.

"A year from now you will wish you had started today." -Karen Lamb

This quote is classically used as fitness motivation, but it goes for all aspects of your life. You're never gonna get better unless you practice or do it, and the "perfect time" will just never happen. There will always be work, travel, kids, chores, *insert reason here*, so why not start today? It doesn't have to be something big, either. Just do one push-up, one minute of meditation, one minute of practicing the piano. It will all lead you forward and build momentum.

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." -Oscar Wilde

It's all about perspective and how you choose to look at your life. Having a gratitude journal is a great way to focus on the positive things you've got going on, no matter how small they are. Some days I'm only grateful for the dog being cute and I had a good lunch, and that's okay. 

Photo by Greg Rakozy

"We accept the love we think we deserve."
​                                       -Stephen Chbosky

This quote is from his book The Perks of Being a Wallflower (that you definitely should read btw, if you haven't -- trigger warning: suicide, assault). Sometimes the reason we stay in crappy relationships is because we simply don't think we deserve any better. Sometimes the reason we don't make an effort to improve ourselves or get to a better life is because we think we are where we deserve to be.

PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER - PAPERBACK

"Worrying is like paying a debt you don't owe."
​                                                     -Mark Twain

Anyone with anxiety (myself included) will heavily agree with this one. But just because you know that something isn't logical doesn't mean that you can stop. That's why I'm trying so hard to find ways to make it better and that I can share with you guys.

• How to schedule your day when you're easily overwhelmed
• Top 10 tips on how to travel with anxiety​

"The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel." -Steven Furtick

I wasn't exactly the coolest kid in school, so when I moved to Spain after graduation I took great joy in posting pictures and updates about all the amazing things I was doing while everyone else continued their studies. It's understandable, and it can often challenge you to do things you otherwise wouldn't just to get bragging rights.

But being on the other side of that can be tough -- you see pictures from others' vacations, wedding ceremonies, parties, cute toddlers, and you ask yourself, "Why am I never doing anything fun? What am I doing with my life?" But you never see the sacrifices made to pay for the vacation, the sleepless nights with the baby, or the drama in the girls' bathroom that ended the night in tears. It's important to remember that this is only what they want the world to see, and that they are people too (without flattering filters). Take it as inspiration and keep working on your own goals. 

Photo by Benjamin Manley

"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite."
​                                                     -Stephen Chbosky

Another gem from The Perks of Being a Wallflower. My take on this is that certain moments seem to stretch out and last forever, and while they are happening, you imagine how you will remember it. These moments are the ones to strive for. It goes beyond a great picture to put on Instagram -- you know it's something you want to remember vividly when you're old.

"Whether you think you can or you can't, you're probably right." -Henry Ford

The word of 2018 seemed to be "mindset" (or maybe it's just because I'm hanging out in a bunch of entrepreneur Facebook groups). They all claim that the most important thing you need to succeed with your business is the right money-making mindset.

Now, I don't really believe this, because there are a lot of factors that go into success. But I do think that they're on to something, because when I'm feeling motivated and excited about my business I get SO MUCH DONE and I write the most inspired posts. If you go into something thinking that it's no use even trying, of course you'll fail. Put on some peppy music, put a smile on your face (real or not, it helps anyway), and tell yourself that you can do this.

"Not all those who wander are lost." -J.R.R. Tolkien

Classic, but for a reason. It usually goes for traveling and the ones with a wanderlust mindset, but I think it hits home for a lot of other things, too. Just because you're trying to figure out what you're doing with your life doesn't mean that you are lost. Just because you don't have a house, kids, and a marriage doesn't mean that you don't know what you're doing. We all have different paths, and our journeys look different. That's what makes it interesting.

Photo byCaleb Jones

"Kindness is always fashionable, and always welcome." -Amelia Barr

It's easy to become a bit self-absorbed sometimes (or if you're depressed, you might not even have energy or ability to be kind to yourself). But by focusing on another person and giving out kindness, no matter how small a gesture or word, you actually give kindness to yourself. It makes you feel good and inspires you to continue the day in a positive light.

• How to easily make someone's day
• ​Random acts of kindness -- inspiration & 10 easy ideas

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." -Charles R. Swindoll

As someone with a lot of anxiety, I feel this. A seemingly small thing going wrong can have the power to ruin the whole day, even though I hate this reaction in myself. My sometimes naughty puppy has actually taught me to handle setbacks with more grace -- now, when I come home and find something he's destroyed, my reaction is "Ooh no. Well that's gone" and I shrug and clean it up. In the beginning I would react very strongly and morn the loss of it, but over time (and by learning to never leave things we really like at puppy-height) I now let myself have a moment of sadness and then acknowledge that it's nothing I can do about it. This way it might have happened to me, but by reacting well to it I can go about the rest of my day like it didn't.

"We're all stories, in the end, just make it a good one eh?" -Doctor Who

This is one of my main motivations to do things -- I want to have tons of fun memories to look back at and be able to retell. No one really knows why we're here, but I think it's to make a good story. Be a good person, do cool things, take chances, have dreams and follow them, learn from your mistakes, and try to make it a good one.

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Related articles:

• Stuck in a rut? Try doing weekly challenges!
• Top 10 tips on how to travel with anxiety
• How to create vision boards for the life you want

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