40 Motivational Quotes to Keep Moving Forward

It is natural to need some external motivation from time to time, even at work. Whether it’s the end of the week or you’re just getting started, sometimes it’s tough to stay focused. These times are nothing like we have ever experienced, but the greatest way to move forward is to keep a positive attitude. These inspiring quotes will help you power through your work week. You’ve got this!

Motivation/Attitude:

  • “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” —Paulo Coelho
  • “Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.” —Dalai Lama
  • “Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly.” —Stephen R. Covey
  • “I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go.” – Langston Hughes
  • “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” —Mark Twain
  • “Do or do not. There is no try.” —Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back
  • “One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren't enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with much less stress.” —Viggo Mortensen

Viggo Mortensen quote against black and white seascape. "One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren't enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully we will get it done quicker and with less stress."

Balance:

  • “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” —Stephen Covey
  • "You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win." —Zig Ziglar
  • “It is no good getting furious if you get stuck. What I do is keep thinking about the problem but work on something else” —Steven Hawking
  • "Reflect on what you do in a day. You may have never realized how some simple, harmless activities rob you of precious time." —Vivek Naik
  • “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” —Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Stevenson quote on black and white photo of a cup of coffee and office supplies. "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant."

Creativity:

  • "To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it." —Kurt Vonnegut
  • "Creativity involves breaking out of expected patterns in order to look at things in a different way." —Edward de Bono
  • “Create with the heart; build with the mind.” —Criss Jami
  • “Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity.” —Bo Bennett
  • “Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never reach it” —Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali quote over green foliage. "Have no fear of perfection, you'll never reach it."

Words to Remember:

  • “We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends and living our lives.” —Maya Angelou
  • "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'" —Mister Rogers
  • “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” —Albert Camus
  • “The human capacity for burden is like bamboo – far more flexible than you’d ever believe at first glance.” —Jodi Picoult
  • “Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it’s less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you’ve lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that’s good.” —Elizabeth Edwards
  • “The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” — Robert Jordan

Robert Jordan quote over forest scene. "The oak fought the wind and was broken. The willow bent when it must and survived."

Have Hope:

  • “The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.” ― Barbara Kingsolver
  • “So when you feel like hope is gone, look inside you and be strong, and you'll finally see the truth, that a hero lies in you” ―Mariah Carey
  • “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul - and sings the tunes without the words - and never stops at all.” ―Emily Dickinson
  • “Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there’s no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.” ―Laini Taylor
  • “Hope begins in the dark. The stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don’t give up.” – Anne Lamott

Anne Lamott quote over stars in the sky. "Hope begins in the dark. The stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, dawn will come. You wait and watch and work, you don't give up."

Moving Forward:

  • “Nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all.” ―Peter Drucker
  • "Focus on being productive instead of busy." ―Tim Ferriss
  • "If you don't pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves." ― David Allen
  • “A wind that blows aimlessly is no good to anyone.” ― Rick Riordan
  • "What looks like multitasking is really switching back and forth between multiple tasks, which reduces productivity and increases mistakes by up to 50 percent." ―Susan Cain
  • "Don't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going." ―Sam Levenson

Sam Levenson quote over a cup of coffee. "Don't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going."

Preparing for Success:

  • "Effective performance is preceded by painstaking preparation" ―Brian Tracy
  • "You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." ―Martin Luther King
  • “Tomorrow becomes never. No matter how small the task, take the first step now!” ―Tim Ferriss
  • “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.” ―Stephen Keague
  • “Amplifying what is great within you will accelerate your life faster than fixing what you think ‘limits’ you.” ―Brendon Burchard
  • “The question isn’t who is going to let me, it’s who is going to stop me.” ―Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand quote over a photo of a dandelion. "The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me."

40 Motivational Quotes to Keep Moving Forward.
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