The 100 Most Famous Quotes of All Time: Timeless Wisdom to Inspire and Motivate You

We all need a little inspiration and motivation from time to time, and what better way to find it than through the words of the greats who have come before us? In this post, we've compiled a list of the 100 most famous quotes of all time, covering everything from love and success to perseverance and leadership. But we won't just leave you with a laundry list of quotes - we'll also provide additional context and analysis to help you fully appreciate the wisdom and insights contained within each one.

Quotes by Famous People

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. -Nelson Mandela The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. -Walt Disney 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. -Steve Jobs If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor. -Eleanor Roosevelt If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough. -Oprah Winfrey If you set your goals ridiculously high and it's a failure, you will fail above everyone else's success. -James Cameron Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. -John Lennon

Best Quotes of All Time

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. -Mother Teresa When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on. -Franklin D. Roosevelt Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else. -Margaret Mead Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. -Robert Louis Stevenson The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. -Eleanor Roosevelt Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. -Benjamin Franklin The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart. -Helen Keller It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. -Aristotle Whoever is happy will make others happy too. -Anne Frank Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

The best quotes contain messages that provide wisdom we can carry with us every day and inspire us to be our best selves. Let these words fill you with hope and give you the motivation to keep going, even when things are hard. 

1. "Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier." -Mother Teresa 

2. "When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on." -Franklin D. Roosevelt 

3. "Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else." -Margaret Mead 

4. "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." -Robert Louis Stevenson 

5. "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." -Eleanor Roosevelt

6. "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." -Benjamin Franklin 

7. "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart." -Helen Keller 

8. "It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light." -Aristotle 

9. "Whoever is happy will make others happy too." -Anne Frank 

10. "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Famous Quotes About Life

You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated. -Maya Angelou The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. -Nelson Mandela In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. -Abraham Lincoln Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. -Babe Ruth Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. -Helen Keller Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. -Thomas A. Edison You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. -Dr. Seuss

When life gets tough, it's easy to give up hope. These famous quotes are a reminder that life is beautiful and we should live it to the fullest. 

11. "If life were predictable it would cease to be life and be without flavor." -Eleanor Roosevelt 

12. "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." -Abraham Lincoln 

13. "Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood." -Ralph Waldo Emerson 

14. "You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated." -Maya Angelou

15. "Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game." -Babe Ruth 

16. "Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not." -Oscar Wilde 

17. "The only impossible journey is the one you never begin." -Tony Robbins 

18. "In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love." -Mother Teresa 

19. "Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile." -Albert Einstein 

20. "The purpose of our lives is to be happy." -Dalai Lama

Free Resource

300+ Quotes and Image Templates

A compilation of famous quotes and visual display templates.

21. "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." -John Lennon 

22. "You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." -Mae West 

23. "Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air." -Ralph Waldo Emerson 

24. "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined." -Henry David Thoreau 25. "The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." -Nelson Mandela

26. "Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." -Confucius 

27. "May you live all the days of your life." -Jonathan Swift 

28. "Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale." -Hans Christian Andersen 

29. "Do not let making a living prevent you from making a life." -John Wooden 

30. "Life is ours to be spent, not to be saved." -D. H. Lawrence

Inspirational Quotes About Life

Keep smiling, because life is a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about. -Marilyn Monroe Life is a long lesson in humility. -James M. Barrie In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. -Robert Frost Love the life you live. Live the life you love. -Bob Marley Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all. -Helen Keller You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. -Dr. Seuss Life is made of ever so many partings welded together. -Charles Dickens 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. -Steve Jobs Life is trying things to see if they work. -Ray Bradbury Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. -Thomas A. Edison

Sometimes life throws you a curveball and it can be hard to figure out the best course of action. That's where these inspirational quotes come in. Whether you're stuck in a creative rut or feeling down after a professional setback, these words can help give you the boost you need to move forward. 

31. "Keep smiling, because life is a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about." -Marilyn Monroe 

32. "Life is a long lesson in humility." -James M. Barrie 

33. "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." -Robert Frost 

34. "Love the life you live. Live the life you love." -Bob Marley 

35. "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." -Helen Keller 

36. "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose." -Dr. Seuss 

37. "Life is made of ever so many partings welded together." -Charles Dickens

38. "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." -Steve Jobs 

39. "Life is trying things to see if they work." -Ray Bradbury 

40. "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." -Thomas A. Edison

Road to Success Quotes

Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts. -Winston S. Churchill Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it. -Henry David Thoreau The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. -Walt Disney If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time. -Steve Jobs The secret of success is to do the common thing uncommonly well. -John D. Rockefeller Jr. I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have. -Thomas Jefferson The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. It's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere. -Barack Obama

Everyone experiences failure at some point in their life — even the most successful people. Although failure can be discouraging, it's important to never give up and keep going. Let these quotes motivate you to continue working toward your goals and be the most successful version of yourself. 

41. "The secret of success is to do the common thing uncommonly well." -John D. Rockefeller Jr. 

42. "I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." -Thomas Jefferson 

43. "Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." -Winston S. Churchill 

44. "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." -Walt Disney

45. "Don't be distracted by criticism. Remember — the only taste of success some people get is to take a bite out of you." -Zig Ziglar 

46. "Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." -Henry David Thoreau 

47. "I never dreamed about success, I worked for it." -Estee Lauder 

48. "Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes but they don't quit." -Conrad Hilton 

49. "There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." -Colin Powell 

50. "The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. It's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere." -Barack Obama 

51. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." -Franklin D. Roosevelt 

52. "It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation." -Herman Melville 

53. "Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don't wish it were easier; wish you were better." -Jim Rohn 

54. "The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same." -Colin R. Davis 

55. "I failed my way to success." -Thomas Edison 

56. "If you set your goals ridiculously high and it's a failure, you will fail above everyone else's success." -James Cameron

57. "If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time." -Steve Jobs 

58. "A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him." -David Brinkley 

59. "Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out." -John Wooden 

60. "Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value." -Albert Einstein 

61. "Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great." -John D. Rockefeller 

62. "Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing." -Abraham Lincoln 

63. "Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." -Winston Churchill 

64. "You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job and not be paid for it." -Oprah Winfrey

65. "If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work." -Thomas J. Watson 

66. "If you genuinely want something, don't wait for it — teach yourself to be impatient." -Gurbaksh Chahal 

67. "The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary." -Vidal Sassoon 

68. "If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary." -Jim Rohn 

69. "Before anything else, preparation is the key to success." -Alexander Graham Bell 

70. "People who succeed have momentum. The more they succeed, the more they want to succeed and the more they find a way to succeed. Similarly, when someone is failing, the tendency is to get on a downward spiral that can even become a self-fulfilling prophecy." -Tony Robbins

Most Famous Quotes

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. -Wayne Gretzky Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right. -Henry Ford I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear. -Rosa Parks I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples. -Mother Teresa Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, ‘I'm possible!' -Audrey Hepburn The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me. -Ayn Rand The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Need some words of encouragement? Look no further than these famous quotes from some of the greatest leaders, thinkers, and innovators of all time. 

71. "Believe you can and you're halfway there." -Theodore Roosevelt 

72. "The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." -Ralph Waldo Emerson 

73. "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." -Maya Angelou 

74. "The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." -Ayn Rand

75. "Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is." -Vince Lombardi 

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

77. "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." -Wayne Gretzky 

78. "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples." -Mother Teresa 

79. "You become what you believe." -Oprah Winfrey 

80. "The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity." -Amelia Earhart 

81. "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." -Anne Frank 

82. "An unexamined life is not worth living." -Socrates 

83. "Everything you've ever wanted is on the other side of fear." -George Addair

84. "Dream big and dare to fail." -Norman Vaughan 

85. "You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try." -Beverly Sills 

86. "Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it." -Charles Swindoll 

87. "Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, ‘I'm possible!'" -Audrey Hepburn 

88. "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop." -Confucius 

89. "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." -Henry Ford 

90. "Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears." -Les Brown 

91. "I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear." -Rosa Parks

92. "I didn't fail the test. I just found 100 ways to do it wrong." -Benjamin Franklin 

93. "If you're offered a seat on a rocket ship, don't ask what seat! Just get on." -Sheryl Sandberg 

94. "I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse." -Florence Nightingale 

95. "I would rather die of passion than of boredom." -Vincent van Gogh 

96. "If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough." -Oprah Winfrey 

97. "Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning." -Gloria Steinem 

98. "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve." -Napoleon Hill 

99. "First, have a definite, clear practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends; wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end." -Aristotle 

100. "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover." -Mark Twain More Quotes on Life When you're having trouble finding motivation, reading the words of other people can give you the boost you need.