Some days, getting out of bed in the morning is not only a Herculean act of courage but an exercise in faith. A faith that is sometimes blind, hoping that everything will be alright and, if it isn’t, well, we just have to get up, face the day, try again and hope for the best next time. But if we lack the drive and attitude, to do better, try harder, or look at the brighter side (which is easier said than done), we need something to feed our souls, to help sustain us in order to soldier on. This inspiration might come in the form of a quote so that when we can’t muster the positive attitude from within ourselves, we can to look for words of encouragement from the outside.

I’m not a big believer in self-help or daily morning affirmations sold to me by some new age guru with nothing in their lives to show that their words hold any true, honest value. However, I am a firm believer in trying to find answers, solace, and encouragement from admirable people, who’ve set an example for us to follow. Those who spoke from true belief, thought, and who stuck to their principles when they were tested.

Those old philosophers still hold the key to most of life’s questions, but so do more contemporary people who have earned a place in history too, dead or alive now, having been exemplary in some way. Those, I do listen to. Those, we should all perhaps listen to. Because they too suffered, as we do, and fought every day, as we do, not only to survive the day but to accomplish their dreams. Their words can empower, enlighten and fuel us to keep going and go after what we want. And this, my friends, might be not only material things but our quest for happiness, which is a universal mission we all aspire to obtain.

I chose these personalities and quotes based on how we can all relate to the subject matter.  I also personally admire their accomplishments. These quotes can guide us when we simply don’t feel up to the task of living another day. Because, sometimes a word or a phrase can click within us and inspire us to face our daily battles with strength, remember we are not alone and perhaps even smile.

“If it is nothingness that awaits us, let us make an injustice of it, let us fight against destiny, even without hope of victory.”

• Miguel de Unamuno

 

“For neither good nor evil can last forever; and so it follows that as evil has lasted a long time, good must now be close at hand.”

• Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

 

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

• Steve Jobs

 

“My biggest motivation?  Just to keep challenging myself.  I see life almost like one long university education that I never had.”

• Richard Branson

 

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

– Maya Angelou

 

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

– Maya Angelou

 

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

– Mark Twain

 

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

– Wayne Dyer

 

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.”

– William James

 

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”

– Theodore Roosevelt

 

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

– Dalai Lama

 

“Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.”

– Winston Churchill

 

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

– T.S. Eliot

 

“I could not, at any age, be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt

 

“Many people die at twenty-five and aren’t buried until they are seventy-five.”

– Benjamin Franklin

 

“He who has a ‘why’ to live can bear almost any ‘how’”

– Friedrich Nietzsche

 

And if all else fails, call a good friend and chat it out or perhaps feel empowered to write your own inspiring quotes in an effort to lift up yourself and your loved ones. Who knows? You could be quoted yourself someday, an inspiration to others going through struggles in life.