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100 inspiring and motivating phrases in English

100 inspiring and motivating phrases in English

April 2, 2024

We all have goals, objectives and illusions that keep us alive. Those dreams that we fight for daily. But, sometimes, it is not always easy to follow the gun and we have to remind ourselves what differentiates successful people from those who are not.

There are many famous people who have pronounced or written phrases full of motivating meaning throughout history. Short phrases that, despite their apparent simplicity, say a lot and have a great inspiring power, because they are capable of deluding us in an instant.

Related article: "60 motivating phrases to focus on success"

Motivating phrases in English

Along the following lines you can find a list of motivating and inspiring phrases in English , so you can remind yourself what motivates you, or use them as a "WhatsApp" or "Facebook" status. Do not miss it!


1. The best way to predict the future is to invent it

Translation: The best way to predict the future is to create it

Alan Kay he reminds us that each one is an engineer of his destiny. We ourselves build our future.

2. Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out

Translation: Things work best for those who get the most out of how things turn out

A phrase from John Wooden . Life sometimes does not go as we wanted, but if we know how to take advantage of these experiences, we can use them to our advantage to grow and improve.

3. To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong

Translation: To live a creative life, we must lose the fear of being wrong

Many people are afraid of uncertainty and are not able to leave their place of comfort. In this way, they will never be creative.


4. If you are not willing to risk the usual you will have to settle for the ordinary

Translation: If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary

A phrase from Jim Rohn . Great things happen when we take risks and abandon comfort.

5. Trust because you are willing to accept the risk, not because it's safe or certain

Translation: Trust because you are willing to accept the risk, not because it is safe or accurate

Accept the true risk to achieve your goals. Nobody is going to give you anything .

6. Eighty percent of success is showing up

Translation: 80% of success is to appear

A phrase with a touch of irony. As usual in Woody Allen . To achieve things you have to move and act.

7. I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that will not work

Translation: I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that do not work

Another ironic phrase about motivation. Errors serve to learn and improve, it reminds us Thomas A. Edison .


8. If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got

Translation: If you do what you have always done, you will obtain what you have always obtained

To achieve new and exciting things you have to change habits and the way you act.

9. Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm

Translate: Success consists of going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm

It is easy to collapse in the face of failure. The winners get up and continue fighting as many times as necessary. A phrase from Winston Churchill .

10. If opportunity does not knock, build a door

Translation: If the opportunity does not call, build a door

Nobody is going to give you anything in this life. If you want something with all your strength, fight for it every day.

11. The dreamers are the saviors of the world

Translation: Dreamers are the saviors of the world

Ordinary people think like the vast majority. James Allen It reminds us that special people are those who dream daydreams.

12. You can not have a positive life and a negative mind

Translation: You can not have a positive mind and a negative mind

It is impossible to have a positive mindset if you have a negative mind. So think positive and eat the world.

13. With love and patience, nothing is impossible

Translation: With love and patience, nothing is impossible

Love and patience are two of the essential values ​​of authentic successful people in life.

14. There are no shortcuts to any place worth going

Translation: There are no shortcuts to any place worth going

Shortcuts are not good if you want to do things well and achieve your goals. Step by step you will achieve your goals if you work daily

15. Who seeks shall find

Translation: The one who seeks finds

This phrase of Sophocles is similar to another popular phrase: "Whoever follows it gets it".

16. A goal is a dream with a deadline

Translation: A goal is a dream with a deadline

A nice phrase from Napoleon Hill . The objectives are dreams that one day can be achieved.

17. The best dreams happen when you're awake

Translation: The best dreams happen when you are awake

Fantasies are fine, but there is nothing like wanting something and reaching it.

18. Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity

Translation: Trust dreams, because in them lies the key to eternity

It is impossible to be happy if we do not fight or achieve our wishes. A phrase from Khalil Gibran .

19. Happiness is when you think, what do you say, and what do you do in harmony

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony

A great phrase Mahatma Gandhi, which reminds us one of the great truths of personal development.

20. Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail

Translate: Create and act as if it were impossible to fail

Another of the principles of personal development is to leave behind limiting beliefs. Believing that it is possible is the way to success.

21. Do not count the days, make the days count

Translation: Do not count the days, make the days count

Make each day a special day. To achieve the objectives you also have to live in the present and enjoy it.

22. If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission

Translation: If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission

They are your dreams. So do not ask anyone's permission to fight for them. Nobody will make you happier than you achieve them.

23. Always turn to negative situation into a positive situation

Translation: Always convert a negative situation into a positive one

Michael Jordan , the legendary star of the NBA, reminds us that failures are a normal part of life. You have to know how to take advantage of them.

24. The most effective way to do it, is to do it

Translation: The most effective way to do it is to do it

A phrase by Amelia Earhart. To achieve the goals, we must act.

25. When you do what you fear most, then you can do anything

Translation: When you do what you fear most, then you can do anything

When you overcome your great fears, there are no impossible.

26. No pain, no gain

Translation: No pain no reward

A mythical phrase used by athletes. To achieve the goals, you have to work hard.

27. A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes

Translation: A man is nothing other than the product of his thoughts, what he thinks is what he becomes

Another great phrase from Mahatma Gandhi . Our own mind is of great importance in achieving success, because limiting beliefs are great obstacles. Let's think positive.

28. A day of worry is more than a week of work

Translate: A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work

A phrase from John Lubbock . Like the previous one, it also reminds us that we have to think positive, because thinking negative is very exhausting.

29. Make each day your masterpiece

Translation: Make your masterpiece every day

A phrase from John Wooden . Work every day to achieve your great work.

30. If you have everything under control, you're not moving fast enough

Translation: If you have everything under control, you do not move fast enough

Another ironic phrase about motivation and inspiration. You have to do different things to get different results.

31. If there is no struggle, there is no progress

Translation: If there is no struggle there is progress

A phrase from Frederick Douglass , similar to the phrase "no pain, no gain".

32. It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light

Translation: It is during our darkest moments when we must focus to see the light

A phrase of the Greek philosopher Aristotle . The difficult moments serve to learn and reflect.

33. Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds

Translation: Without hard work, nothing grows except weeds

Without effort and hard work, the rewards do not arrive. You have to give a little each day to achieve the goals.

34. The power of imagination makes us infinite

Translation: The power of imagination makes us infinite

A phrase from John Muir which reminds us that imagination is powerful.

35. Never let your memories be bigger than your dreams

Translation: Never let your memories be greater than your dreams

To achieve great goals, think big. If you really want it, fight for it.

36. Do not raise your voice, improve your argument

Translation: Do not raise your voice, improve your argument

An inspiring phrase how we should treat others. You have to reason things. Impulsivity is not a good counselor.

37. Try it again. Fail again. Fail better

Translation: Try again. Fails again. Fails better

Failures are learnings for life. I'm sure the next time you try, you'll have learned the lesson.

38. I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse

Translation: I attribute my success to this: I never make excuses

We must move forward despite the adversities. And most importantly, be realistic and do not look for excuses.

39We become what we think about

Translation: We are what we think

What we think has an effect on our behavior. If we think positive, our attitude will be positive.

40. We know what we are, but we know not what we may be

Translation: We know what we are, but not what we could be

This sentence of William Shakespeare It makes reference to that we are the ones who decide what we want to be.

41. You must do the things you think you can not do

Translation: You must do the things you think you can not do

A phrase from Eleanor Roosevelt . If you want to learn and grow, do different things. Things you are not used to doing.

42. Well done is better than well said

Translation: Well done is better than well said

For Benjamin Franklin When you have a goal, you have to carry it out. Words are useless. The important thing is the action.

43. Once you choose hope, anything's possible

Translation: When you choose hope, everything is possible

They say that hope is the last thing that is lost. The same thinks Christopher Reeve with this phrase.

44. I would rather die of passion than of boredom

Translation: I prefer to die of passion than of boredom

The artist Vincent van Gogh One day he left us this sentence for the story. Better to give everything for a good cause than to sit around doing nothing.

45. Change your thoughts and you change your world

Translation: Change your thoughts and change your world

Which means Norman Vincent Peale with this phrase is that our thoughts determine how we act.

46. ​​Enthusiasm moves the world

Translation: Enthusiasm moves the world

Arthur Balfour He expresses with this phrase that there is nothing better to act than to be enthusiastic.

47. All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them

Translation: All our dreams can become reality if we have the courage to persecute them

Great phrase of the emblematic Walt Disney . Courage is essential to move forward in difficult times.

48. Do not judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant

Translation: Do not judge every day by what you harvest, but by the seeds that you sow

Achieving the objectives or achieving the goals is the result of daily work.

49. It is by acts and not by ideas that people live

Translation: People live by acts, not by ideas

What makes the difference is not having many ideas, but carrying them out and materializing them.

50. If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change

Translation: If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change

The expert in positive psychology, Wayne Dyer , affirms with this phrase that if we change our way of thinking, our attitudes and how we see the world will also change.

51. I will go anywhere as long as it is forward

Translation: I will go anywhere, as long as it is forward

This sentence of David Livingston It is similar to the phrase: "Do not look back or to gain momentum".

52. The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn

Translation: The creation of a thousand forests is in an acorn

The objectives are achieved with the work of each day, affirms Ralph Waldo Emerson .

53. Everything you can imagine is real

Translation: Everything you can imagine is real

A phrase from Pablo Picasso . To what you visualize, you can achieve it if you dedicate yourself to it.

54. Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself

Translation: Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself

You create your life with your effort. So get to work on it.

55. Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts

Translation: Success is not the end, failure is not fatal: the courage to continue what counts

A phrase for the history of Winston Churchill . Falling is not the end of the world, as long as you have the courage to continue.

56. You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough

Translation: You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough

You have to strive for what you want because we will not have more opportunities to do it.

57. We live with the scars we choose

Translation: We live with the scars that we choose

We decide what affects us and what does not when it comes to moving forward.

58. Opportunities do not happen, you create them

Translation: Opportunities do not happen, you create them

The opportunities do not come alone, we are the ones who have to look for them.

59. Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people

Translation: Great minds argue over ideas: ordinary minds argue over events, small minds argue over people

A phrase pronounced by Eleanor Roosevelt about what makes intelligent people different.

60. Good things come to people who wait, but better things come to those who go out and get them

Translation: Good things come to the people who wait, but better things come to the people who go out to look for them

Patience is a quality that makes us great.But going out to fight for our goals makes us huge.

61. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent

Translation: No one can make you feel inferior without your consent

Another phrase from Eleanor Roosevelt . We can decide what affects us.

62. The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do

Translation: Those who are so crazy to think that they can change the world, are the ones who change it

Think big means leave the norm and think differently.

63. The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success

Translation: The distance between madness and genius is measured only with success

Many great people have something that makes them special and different. Success takes you from madness to being admired.

64. No masterpiece was ever created by a lazy artist

Translation: No work of art was ever created by a lazy artist

Work and effort pay off in the long run.

65. If you can not explain it, you do not understand it well enough

Translation: If you can not explain it in a simple way, you did not understand it enough

The great Albert Einstein . Only if we are able to teach someone something is that we understand it.

66. Do one thing every day that scares you

Translation: Do something that scares you every day

A phrase that expresses the importance of daily work and perseverance.

67. What's the point of being alive if you do not at least try to do something remarkable

Translation: What is the purpose of being alive if you do not try to do something memorable

The most beautiful thing in this life is to fight for what makes you happy and makes you be alive.

68. Your problem is not the problem. Your reaction is the problem

Translation: Your problem is not the problem. Your reaction is the problem

Another motivating phrase that talks about limiting beliefs.

69. Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower

Translation: Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower

Steve Jobs , the founder of Apple. Innovation is an essential characteristic of good leaders.

70. There are two types of people who will tell you that you can not make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed

Translation: There are two types of people who will tell you that you can not make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid of your success

Do not listen to what they tell you. Be true to your dreams, because who will make you happy is you.

71. I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have

Translation: I realize that the more I work, the more luck I have

Another phrase about persistence and hard work. If you do not play, you do not win.

72. Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated every day

Phrase of Robert Collier . Daily work is the key to success. The continuous efforts make the difference.

73. All progress takes place outside the comfort zone

Translate: Progress is outside the comfort zone

The comfort zone may seem like a very comfortable place, but it does not allow you to grow.

74. People often say that motivation does not last. Well, neither does bathing. That's why we recommend it daily

Translation: Some people say that motivation is not lasting. Well, neither is bathing. That's why we recommend it daily

You have to constantly motivate yourself to keep going despite adversity.

75. The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary

Translation: The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary

A phrase from Vidal Sassoon . Success is achieved by working very hard.

76. Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears

Translation: Many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears

It is not emotionally healthy to live life with fears and without fighting for what one wants.

77. It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see

Translation: What matters is not what you see, but what you see

It is not the events themselves that affect you, but how you perceive them.

78. Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it

Translation: Success is loving yourself, loving what you do and loving how you do it

Real success is not in material things. But to achieve the things that one desires from the heart.

79. Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect

Translation: When you are on the side of the majority, it is time to stop and reflect

A phrase from Mark Twain . When you follow the same path as the others. Stop to think if you are really following your dreams.

80. If you genuinely want something, do not wait for it. Teach yourself to be impatient

Translation: If you want something in a genuine way. Teach yourself to be impatient.

One must know what it is that motivates him, regardless of what motivates the rest of society.Education, many times, does not take into account the real talent, creativity or what people are passionate about.

81. There is only one happiness in this life, to love and to be loved

Translation: There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved

George Sand, about the need to love and be loved to create happiness.

82. The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have

Translation: What we are is what we do with what we have

Vince Lombardi, in one of his reflections about the individual identity.

83. A smile is happiness that you will find under your nose

Translation: A smile is happiness that you will find under your nose

Something as simple as smiling can make a difference. One of the most inspiring English phrases, whose author is Tom Wilson.

84. Success is where preparation and opportunity to meet

Translation: Success is where preparation and opportunity come together

Bobby Unser points out the need to take into account the two ingredients of success: elk that we can control and the one that can not.

85. You can not have a positive life and a negative mind

Translation: You can not have a positive life and a negative mind

Joyce Meyer talks about the need to start creating a better life based on our ideas.

86. Success in management requires learning as fast as the world is changing

Translation: Success in management requires learning as quickly as the world changes

Warren Bennis understands progress as a process of constant learning.

87. The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it

Translation: The best way to pay for a great time is to enjoy it

Enjoy the moment is the best appreciation of the most special moments. A reflection by Richard Bach.

88. The secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda

Translation: The secret of success is determined by our day-to-day agenda.

Long-term successes are built on custom. A phrase by John C. Maxwell.

89. Keep your face always towards the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you

Translation: Keep your face always towards the light of the Sun, and the shadows will fall to your back

Walt Whitman talks about the posder who may suppose having a positive outlook on things.

90. Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom

Translation: Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom

Thomas Jefferson emphasizes the importance of intellectual honesty.

91. Turn your wounds into wisdom

Translation: Transform your wounds into wisdom

Oprah Winfrey talks about resilience.

92. If you have not criticized you'll likely have no success

Translation: If you do not have critics you probably will not succeed

Malcolm X, about a curious symptom that is progressing. the critics.

93. Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud

Translation: try to be the rainbow in another person's cloud

Making someone happy is good for creating shared well-being. A reflection of Maya Angelou.

94. It's in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped

Translation: It is at your moments of decision that your destiny adopts its form

A phrase by Tony Robbins about the way in which we create our future based on our choices.

95. It's not what you look at what matters, it's what you see

Translation: It is not what you look at that matters, but what you see

Henry David Thoreau, in one of his inspiring reflections on the power of the imagination.

96. Start wide, expand further, and never look back

Translation: Start with amplitude, expand beyond and never look back

A poetic phrase by Arnold Schwarzenegger about personal growth.

97. Always seek out the seed of triumph in every adversity

Translation: Always seek the seed of triumph in every adversity

Also in the darkest moments there are potentialities. One of the most motivating English phrases by Og Mandino

98. You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fear

Translation: You always have two options: your commitment against your fear

Sammy Davis, Jr. emphasizes conflicts of interest that may exist in oneself.

99. The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams

Translation: The greatest adventure you can embark on is living the life of your dreams

Oprah Winfrey points out the courage that is needed to carry out the dreams.

100. Light tomorrow with today!

Translation: Light up tomorrow with today!

Elizabeth Barrett Browning talks about the possibilities of finding answers to the future in the present.

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