180+ Words of Encouragement to Lift Your Spirits

If you have been having a bad day or have been feeling down lately, know that “this too shall pass.” You’re not alone in what you’re feeling, either. Hopefully, these quotes and words of encouragement will brighten your day and help motivate you to become your best self. Or, if your friend is in need of some encouraging words, these could be of help. You might recognize some of these encouraging quotes, whether if they were said by your favorite celebrity or from a classic Disney movie. Nonetheless, these words of encouragement can be a guiding light for all.

Encouraging Quotes About Compassion and Kindness

“If you’re feeling helpless, help someone.” — Aung San Suu Kyi

“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” – Scott Adams

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” – Princess Diana

“Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.” – Barbara De Angelis

“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.” – Amelia Earhart

“We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” – Ronald Reagan

“In your twenties, you’re becoming who you’re going to be and so you might as well not be an asshole.”―Cheryl Strayed

“No one has ever become poor by giving.” — Anne Frank

“One love, one heart, one destiny.”― Bob Marley

“Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life.” – Jackie Chan

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.”― Plato

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”― Dalai Lama XIV

Words of Encouragement About Forgiveness and Moving On

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” ―Mark Twain

“When you choose to forgive those who have hurt you, you take away their power.” ―Anonymous

“You don’t have to hold onto the pain to hold onto the memory.” ―Janet Jackson

“Without forgiveness, there’s no future.” ―Desmond Tutu

“Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could have been any different.” ―Oprah

“There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.” ―Bryant H. McGill

“Throughout life people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too.” ―Will Smith

“Before we can forgive one another, we have to understand one another.” ―Emma Goldman

Words of Encouragement About Courage, Strength, and Confidence

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion with one’s courage.” — Anaïs Nin

“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” — Malala Yousafzai

“The most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence.” — Blake Lively

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

“I think the best way to have confidence is not to allow everyone else’s insecurities to be your own.” — Jessie J

“You got a dream and you gotta protect it…If you want something, go get it, period.” ―Will Smith

“I’m stronger than I thought I was. My favorite phrase has been ‘This too shall pass.’ I now understand it really well.” — Robin Roberts

“Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” — Helen Keller

“Courage, dear heart.” — C.S. Lewis

“You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality in the mind next to honor.” — Aristotle

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion with one’s courage.” — Anaïs Nin

Words of Encouragement For Growth and Change

“Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.” ―Og Mandino

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” — Mahatma Gandhi

“If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.” —Gail Sheehy

“I love who I’ve been, but I really love who I’m becoming…” ―Dulce Ruby

“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” ―Wayne Dyer

“Every success story is a tale of constant adaption, revision and change.” —Richard Branson

“The great solution to all human problems is individual inner transformation.” —Vernon Howard

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” ―Stephen Hawking

“Let him that would move the world first move himself.” ―Socrates

Words of Encouragement For Female Empowerment

“A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.” — Diane Mariechild

“It is very important to know who you are. To make decisions. To show who you are.” — Malala Yousafzai

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” — Marie Curie

“I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” ―Estée Lauder

“The most powerful women are always the ones you don’t see coming.” ―Shahida Arabi

“We need women at all levels, including the top, to change the dynamic, reshape the conversation, to make sure women’s voices are heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.”―Sheryl Sandberg

“There’s something so special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer.” ―Rihanna

“I have learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values – and follow my own moral compass – then the only expectations I need to live up to are my own.” ―Michelle Obama

“A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” ―Coco Chanel

“Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it the more natural it becomes to not let my fears run me.” ―Arianna Huffington

“The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you’re very strong, be extremely kind, and above all, be humble.” ―Serena Williams

“I found that ultimately if you truly pour your heart into what you believe in — even if it makes you vulnerable — amazing things can and will happen.” – Emma Watson

“Women have to harness their power—it’s absolutely true. It’s just learning not to take the first no. And if you can’t go straight ahead, you go around the corner.” ―Cher

Words of Encouragement On Knowledge and Learning

“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” ―Robin Williams

“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.”―Ronald E. Osborn

“The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you.” – B.B. King

“In your thirst for knowledge, be sure not to drown in all the information.” ―Anthony J. D’Angelo

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. ―John F. Kennedy

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ―Mahatma Gandhi

“Knowledge, like air, is vital to life. Like air, no one should be denied it.” – Alan Moore

“The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.”― Herbert Spencer

“Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or self-confidence.”― Robert Frost

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin

“He who learns but does not think is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.” – Confucius

“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” ―Eleanor Roosevelt

“Learning never exhausts the mind.” – Leonardo da Vinci

“Every day is a good day. There is something to learn, care and celebrate.”― Amit Ray

Words of Encouragement On Fear and Overcoming Challenges

“People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed. Never throw out anyone.” — Audrey Hepburn

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” — Rosa Parks

“When there is no struggle, there is no strength.” — Oprah

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” — Judy Garland

“Soon, when all is well, you’re going to look back on this period of your life and be so glad that you never gave up.” — Brittany Burgunder

“In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” — Albert Einstein

“Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.” — Helen Keller

“When life knocks you down, try to land on your back. Because if you can look up, you can get up.” — Les Brown

“It is time for us all to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever – the one who recognizes the challenges and does something about it.” — Vince Lombardi

“Sometimes when you’re in a dark place you think you’ve been buried, but actually been planted.” ―Christine Caine

“I know for sure that what we dwell on is what we become.” — Oprah Winfrey

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”―Walt Disney

Words of Encouragement About Success and Hard Work

“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” — Amelia Earhart

“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not making decisions.” — Catherine Cook

“Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get.” — Ingrid Bergman

“I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” — Estée Lauder

“Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” — Oprah

“People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.” ―Paulo Coelho

“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” — Norman Vincent Peale

“Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.” ―Albert Einstein

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

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” — Henry Thoreau

“It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always.” —Oprah Winfrey

“The best revenge is massive success.” — Frank Sinatra

“Take pride in how far you have come. Have faith in how far you can go. But don’t forget to enjoy the journey.” -Michael Josephson

Words of Encouragement About Never Giving Up

“Soon, when all is well, you’re going to look back on this period of your life and be so glad that you never gave up.” — Brittany Burgunder

“Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.” — Bo Jackson

“Never, never, never give up.” ―Winston Churchill

“It always seems impossible until it is done.” — Nelson Mandela

“Everything you lose becomes something you are profoundly grateful for. With time, you see that it was not the path. It was what was standing in your way.” ―Brianna Wiest

“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” — Ella Fitzgerald

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” — Thomas A. Edison

“Never let the odds keep you from doing what you know in your heart you were meant to do.” — H. Jackson Brown Jr.

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” ―Eleanor Roosevelt

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

“Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come. Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won, and all the fears you have overcome.”― N.R. Walker

“You do not find the happy life. You make it.” — Camilla Eyring Kimball

“Some days are like this. And the only way to get through them is to remember that they are only one day, and that every day ends.”― David Levithan

Words of Encouragement About Love and Friendship

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” —Mother Teresa

“One’s life has value so long as one attributes value to the life of others, by means of love, friendship, indignation and compassion.” —Simone De Beauvoir

“It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to your friends.” — J.K. Rowling

“Do not seek the because—in love there is no because, no reason, no explanation, no solutions.” ―Anais Nin

“Do you want to meet the love of your life? Look in the mirror.” ―Byron Katie

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” ―Mother Teresa

“The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love.” ―Hubert Humphrey

“I hope you find something real, because nothing is more beautiful than loving someone who loves you back. Nothing is more beautiful than loving someone who builds you a home in their heart.”―Bianca Sparacino

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” ―Dale Carnegie

“Love is a friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good times and bad, it settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.” — Ann Landers

“A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge.” ―Thomas Carlyle

“One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives.” ―Euripides

“A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.” ―Elbert Hubbard

“A friend is a gift you give yourself.” —Robert Louis Stevenson

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” ―Anais Nin

“Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.” ―Zora Neale Hurston

Words of Encouragement About Optimism and Perspective

“You learn something out of everything, and you come to realize more than ever that we’re all here for a certain space of time, and, and then it’s going to be over, and you better make this count.” —Nancy Reagan

“When you notice that you’re having negative thoughts about how all of this is going to pan out, you need to remind yourself that you are not a very good fortune teller.” —Donna W. Hill

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.” —Helen Keller

“Learn to look for the good in every moment of your life.” ―Cheryl Ann McDowel

“Keep your sunny side up, keep yourself beautiful, and indulge yourself.” —Betsey Johnson

“If you don’t have any shadows you’re not in the light.” —Lady Gaga

“I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.” —Anne Frank

“Inspiration comes from within yourself. One has to be positive. When you’re positive, good things happen.” —Deep Roy

Words of Encouragement About Self-Love and Self-Care

“Self-care is allowing yourself to appreciate the moment for what it is, instead of wishing it was something else.” ―Sharon Pearson

“Everyone has inside them a piece of good news. The good news is you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is.” —Anne Frank

“Self-love for me means accepting who I am and dealing with the perceived flaws that I live with.” ―Malebo Sephodi

“Selfishness at the expense of others is bad. Self-care for the betterment of others is good.” ―Richie Norton

“Beauty is when you can appreciate yourself. When you love yourself, that’s when you’re most beautiful.” —Zoe Kravitz

“Accept yourself. Love yourself as you are. Your finest work, your best movements, your joy, peace, and healing come when you love yourself. You give a great gift to the world when you do that. You give others permission to do the same: to love themselves. Revel in self-love. Roll in it. Bask in it as you would sunshine.” –Melodie Beattie

“We’re all a beautiful, wonderful work in progress… Embrace the process!”―Nanette Mathews

“You can’t live the life you owe yourself without living it loudly, boldly, and without apology.” ―Natalia Vela

“For those of you who struggle with guilt regarding self-care, answer this question: What greater gift can you give to those you love than your own wholeness?” ―Shannon Tanner

“If we truly loved ourselves, we’d never harm another. That is a truly revolutionary, celebratory mode of self-care.” ―Sharon Salzberg

“Self-Care is the secret ingredient to Soldier care in a recipe that yields many servings of effective leadership.”―Donavan Nelson Butler

“The value of self-care and self-love is often underestimated. It starts with you. You can’t give what you don’t have.” ― Izey Victoria Odiase

“It is only when we feel deprived that we resent giving to others. Self-care does not mean you stop caring about others; it just means you start caring more about you. Start thinking about yourself more and others less. Since you have a choice between taking care of someone else, or giving to yourself, try choosing yourself sometimes.” ―Beverly Engel

Quotes and Words of Encouragement From Disney Movies

“You don’t have time to be timid. You must be bold and daring.” ―Lumière, Beauty and the Beast

“You control your destiny — you don’t need magic to do it. And there are no magical shortcuts to solving your problems.” ―Merida, Brave

“Always let your conscience be your guide.” ―Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio

“Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one.” ― Grandmother Willow, Pocahontas

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” ―Walt Disney

“If you focus on what you left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead.” ―Gusteau, Ratatouille

“Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.” ― Lilo & Stitch

 “Because when I look at you, I can feel it. And I look at you and I’m home.” ― Dory, Finding Nemo

“No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.” ―Cinderella

“The very things that hold you down are going to lift you up.” ―Dumbo

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.” ―Walt Disney

“Love is putting someone else’s needs before yours.” ―Frozen

“Any day spent with you is my favorite day. So, today is my new favorite day.” ― Pooh, Winnie The Pooh

“You must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul.” ―Ratatouille

 “The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.” —The Emperor, Mulan

 “The only way to get what you want in this world is through hard work.” ―Tiana, The Princess and the Frog

 “Some people are worth melting for.”―Olaf, Frozen

“I never look back, darling! It distracts me from the now.”―Edna Mode, The Incredibles

“The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it.”―Rafiki, The Lion King

 “You’re only a fool if you give up.”―Aladdin

“You want something done, you’ve got to do it yourself.” ―Sebastian, The Little Mermaid

“Ladies do not start fights, but they can finish them.”―The AristoCats

“Your identity is your most valuable possession. Protect it.”―Elastigirl, The Incredibles

“The things that make me different are the things that make me.”―Piglet

“A true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart.”―Zeus, Hercules

“If you cannot say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.” ―Thumper, Bambi

“Even miracles take a little time.”―Fairy Godmother, Cinderella

“The seaweed is always greener in somebody else’s lake.” ―Sebastian, The Little Mermaid

Other Quotes and Words of Encouragement For Motivation

“Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.” —Martha Graham

“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” ―Katharine Hepburn

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” ―Mark Twain

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” ―Albert Einstein

“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are an entire ocean in a drop.” ―Rumi

“The best thing about existence is that any moment in time can be a point of beginning to anything! In other words, every moment of our life holds a key for the unknown or the closed doors of new paths!”―Mehmet Murat Ildan

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” ―Charles R. Swindoll

“Every closed door isn’t locked and even if it is…YOU just might have the key! Search within to unlock a world of possibilities!”―Sanjo Jendayi

“I decided, very early on, just to accept life unconditionally; I never expected it to do anything special for me, yet I seemed to accomplish far more than I had ever hoped. Most of the time it just happened to me without my ever seeking it.” ―Audrey Hepburn

“Life has got all those twists and turns. You’ve got to hold on tight and off you go.” ―Nicole Kidman