Let’s face it, no matter how excited you are about a project or a goal in life, there are always moments when you need to remind yourself that you are going to make it .

I’m sure you have those days when, despite the achievements you’ve already made, you feel like sitting on the couch and watching TV, instead of getting down to the business of handing in that college assignment.

  • Don’t miss our compilation of motivational films: “The 20 best motivational and self-improvement films”

Motivation: the undeniable key to success

To be successful, it is necessary to motivate yourself despite experiencing one of those days when you would throw in the towel . Life has its good moments and its bad moments, but you have to stay there, relentlessly, at the bottom of the barrel trying to keep fighting for what makes us happy.

  • You can consult our practical guide to stay motivated: “The 10 keys to motivate yourself”

Whether it’s a self-fulfilment goal, a job assignment, a football game you’re losing or a moment when you shouldn’t look back when your heart has been broken, you, like everyone else, need an extra of motivation .

Phrases that will help you motivate yourself and achieve your goals

Moving forward begins with yourself, by believing it and reminding it, especially in the most delicate moments.

When you start to think that the challenge is too big for you or you have doubts about your abilities to achieve it, i ntend to repeat these phrases to give yourself a little push or simply use them as a source of inspiration .

1. Make sure your worst enemy does not live between your two ears

The decision to throw in the towel or move on is yours. So and send yourself positive messages so you can move on , because otherwise you won’t achieve what you set out to do.

2.Failure is the way to start over, but smarter

Failures are a great opportunity to learn , because if you take it as a learning experience, you may not make the same mistakes as in the past.

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

Success does not come by itself, but requires a lot of work . So get on with it, because if you want something, something costs you.

4.Don’t count the days, make the days count

This is one of those phrases to motivate you to live the present . There are two ways of living life: counting the days without enjoying the moment or making each day an unforgettable memory.

5.Today is going to be your big day

Personally, I love this phrase. Reminding yourself that today is your day, can help you see life from a positive perspective . A recent study showed that optimists are more successful in the workplace than cynics.

6.Happiness is not a given. It comes from your own actions

This phrase from the Dalai Lama , so in keeping with Buddhist philosophy, reminds you that in order to change your environment, the first thing you must do is change yourself . If you do things to improve your day-to-day life, sooner or later, your day-to-day life will improve.

7.Everything is practical

The mythical soccer player Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as ” Pelé “, once uttered this famous motivational phrase. In those moments when you think you don’t have enough skill to achieve something, remind yourself that “everything is practice”. No one is born taught.

8.You may like the lessons or find them irrelevant and silly, but there are no mistakes, just lessons

This phrase from Benjamin Franklin should be memorized, because helps you remember that even the worst moments can be learned . Facing failure in a positive way is the best way to recover as soon as possible and keep fighting for what makes you happy.

9.This is your moment

Now is the only time you’re gonna be able to live. Your moment is now, not yesterday or tomorrow . Therefore, put all your efforts into the present moment so that the next present moments will be as good as this one. A phrase very present in the Mindfulness philosophy.

10.Every day gives you a new opportunity

This is one of those phrases that you should remember just when you get out of bed and then face the day as if it were the last day you will ever live. Every day gives you different opportunities, so take advantage of them .

11.The sky is the limit

The sky is unreachable and is the only limit that exists . This much-used motivating phrase means that “if you want to achieve something, you can achieve it with a lot of effort”. It is widely used and repeated among sportsmen and women.

12.Your will is always under your control, so nothing can stop you

The only one who can achieve your goals is you. If something affects your determination it is because you allow it .

13.Destiny mixes up the cards, and we play them

This phrase from the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer refers to the fact that destiny can put you on different paths in life or can present you with different obstacles, but we make the decisions and we decide the path to follow .

14.Convictions have the power to create and the power to destroy

This phrase is widely used in the world of coaching, and refers to the fact that beliefs and convictions help us or prevent us from achieving our objectives . For coaches, beliefs that are positive in achieving goals are called “empowering beliefs”. On the contrary, beliefs that become an obstacle are called “limiting beliefs”.

15.The best pleasure in life is doing the things that people say we can’t do

We live in a society that shows us the way to go. The happiest people are those who know their motivations and fight for them. When you do the things you enjoy, you enter the Flow State. This sentence tells you to fight for what will make you happy, regardless of what others tell you .

16.The pain is temporary, it can last a minute, an hour or a day. When the pain goes away, something else takes its place, but if you give up, the pain will last forever

Pain is an unpleasant sensation, but it is part of life . You must accept the pain and move on because better times will come.

17.Only those at risk can know how far they can go

This sentence pronounced in one of the films “Rocky”, starring Silvester Stallone , refers to “whoever does not try, will never know where he could have gone”.

18.The desire to win is important, but the desire to prepare is vital

Although this phrase is more commonly used in the world of sport, it can be used in any area of life. Achieving a goal always requires progress and, on many occasions, there may be times when you want to throw in the towel. Remembering that the goal is the end of a long road and exposed to difficulties , can be useful.

19.I have failed again and again in my life: that is why I have succeeded

Michael Jordan himself once uttered this phrase. What the “king of basketball” reminds us of is that, even a figure like him has had failures and misses that have allowed him to grow and become who he is . Did you know that Jordan is one of the most missed players in the history of the league?

20.Good fortune favors the bold

This phrase refers to the fact that if you are brave enough to try to achieve what you set out to do, you will surely succeed. Nothing will stand in the way of you stopping . Fortune will have been sought by you, it will not come by itself.

21. The best way to predict the future is to create it

Peter Drucker , on the future and its possibilities of creation. An inspiring phrase that connects the predisposition to act with the appearance of a better tomorrow . The future is yours and therefore you must take responsibility for shaping it.

22. Be the change you want to see in the world

Gandhi expresses himself in these terms when talking about the relationship between personal and social change .

22. It always seems impossible until it is done

One of the famous phrases of Nelson Mandela . A reflection on the limits, sometimes objective and sometimes imaginary, of what can be done.

23. It is difficult to overcome a person who never gives up

Babe Ruth , mythical American baseball player, on the ability to overcome. This is or one of those motivational phrases that can be used by sportsmen and women as well as entrepreneurs in the business world .

24. To succeed, we must first believe that we can succeed

This sentence by Nikos Kazantzakis emphasizes preparing body and mind to move effectively towards a goal.

25. Failure is the spice of success

One of the writer’s best motivational phrases Truman Capote . The concept of “success” only makes sense if there is an idea of “failure” to which we can counteract it.

26. Excellence is not an act, it is a habit

Aristotle , one of the most classical Greek philosophers, talks about his idea of virtue as something that should be part of a person’s daily life, rather than being spread throughout our lives as if it were an unusual element. A reflection that will please the most perfectionist people.

27. If you don’t like the way things are, change them

Jim Rohn talks about the possibility of improving our context almost as if it were an imperative . Sign that it can be done.

28. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take

Wayne Gretzky , about the need to try it as something that, in itself, enriches us by expanding our potential. One of his best known motivational phrases.

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

Eleanor Roosevelt , about our way of managing self-esteem and relativizing the importance of criticism .

30. No masterpiece has been created by a lazy artist

Anonymous. A motivating phrase about effort and the ability to be persistent.

31. If you don’t fight for what you want, don’t be sorry for what you lose

A famous anonymous quote. If you are not able to sacrifice yourself to achieve your dreams, you have nothing to reproach existence with .

32. Strength does not come from bodily ability, but from the will of the soul

This popular phrase of Mahatma Gandhi reminds us that our mind has much more strength and will than our body.

33.Without dreams to come true, life has no meaning

It may sound a bit exaggerated, but the truth is that if we don’t have illusions and aspirations, it’s difficult to go on living.

34. The man well prepared for the struggle has already achieved half a victory

The author of Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes, made this reflection on the capacity for sacrifice.

35. The true seeker grows and learns, and discovers that he is always primarily responsible for what happens

Argentine author Jorge Bucay reminds us of the importance of knowing what our locus of control is.

36.Sometimes when you innovate you make mistakes. It is best to admit them and focus on perfecting other ideas

Steve Jobs, Apple’s creative genius, leaves us this sentence to remind us that errors are part of the path .

37. If you are afraid of failing, you will probably fail

The incredible basketball player Kobe Bryant reveals an important aspect about mentality: either you go out to win or you don’t have to try .

38.To succeed your desire to achieve must be greater than your fear of failure

The African-American actor and presenter Bill Cosby tells us that in every successful house there is a brave man who overcame his fear of failure .

39. If you fell yesterday, get up today

The British philosopher H. G. Wells, in addition to his brainy texts, was known to leave us pearls in the form of phrases, like this one .

40. Execute your knowledge with the mastery of the keeper

Phrase of the psychologist and coach Jonathan Garcia-Allen, in which he introduces a paradox: the most skilled individuals are those who have the attitude to keep learning day after day.

41. It is not enough to think about it, it is not enough to propose it, the essential thing is to carry it out

Anonymous phrase. Any big company needs to move from idea to action. Ideas alone are not good for much .

42. Motivation is not born of inspiration, but of hard work and eventual failures

The sociologist Juan Fernando Trecet explains the merit of continuing to insist in spite of the obstacles that the path may present .

43. No struggle, no progress

Frederick Douglass about the extent to which in order to move forward one has to lose the fear of expressing one’s point of view and of fighting for what is considered good. Hard work has its rewards.

44. If we are growing, we will always be outside our comfort zone

John C. Maxwell argues that progress always involves a portion of effort .

45. Man must live and create

Albert Camus puts the human being at the centre of the process of building his own life.

46. If you can dream it, you can do it

Zig Ziglar, about the immense range of possibilities we have .

47. Positive actions combined with positive thinking produce success

Shiv Khera phrase that underlines the importance of having thoughts followed by actions .

48. The secret of moving forward is to start

The more pragmatic Mark Twain makes it clear that the attitude with which a project is undertaken is decisive for making it develop as it should.

49. Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it

Charles R. Swindoll’s sentence in which emphasizes our capacity of decision and the control we have over what we live .

50. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.

Samuel Beckett, on the need to accept failure as part of the process of moving forward.

51. Let each man exercise the art he masters

Aristophanes argues that all people have their own skills and strengths , and that conditions can always be created to bring these out.

52. Dream big and dare to fail

Norman Vaughan, on the need to overcome initial fears and to avoid analysis paralysis when you have high aspirations.

53. Make every day your masterpiece

A motivating phrase from John Wooden applicable to everyday life.

54. Light up tomorrow with the present

One of those motivational phrases that emphasize the importance of creating future possibilities from work in the here and now. The quote is from Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

55. Do what you can do, wherever you are, with what you have

A quote by Theodore Roosevelt that could be interpreted as “no excuses are worthwhile”.

56. To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing

Elbert Hubbard points out what would happen if we were totally consistent with the philosophy of avoiding certain types of damage .

57. The best dreams occur when you are awake

Cherie Gilderbloom, on the need to know how to be alert to detect opportunities .

58. The harder I work, the luckier I am

A motivating sentence by Gary Player in which we are reminded that luck does not come out of nowhere, but from the opportunities we create .

59. Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear

A motivating sentence by George Addair in which encourages you to overcome your initial fears .

60. Hard times never last long, but hard people do

Robert H. Schuller talks about l a human capacity to overcome bad moments . A capacity that is known as resilience.

61. If you are going through a bad time, just keep going

The famous British leader left us this valuable and motivating reflection.

62. The most dissatisfied clients should be your greatest inspiration for learning

The software magnate Bill Gates leaves us a reflection that should make us think about the way to carry out a business successfully .

63. You do not need to have a company of 1,000 employees to develop your idea

Larry Page stresses again the advantages of owning your own destiny .

64. There is no barrier, lock, or obstacle you can impose on the freedom of your mind

The writer Virgina Woolf talks about the infinite potential of the human mind .

65. Genius consists of 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration

Phrase of the great Thomas Alva Edison. Success is based much more on effort than on talent . Or perhaps on a combination of both factors.

66. The best investment is one that does not need to be made

Business tycoon Donald Trump surprises us with this unintuitive thought.

67. If our motivation was money, we would have sold Google and been on the beach

Google founder Larry Page leaves us another interesting sentence.

68. If you do not have a clear competitive advantage, do not compete

Jack Welch leaves us this realistic reflection on entrepreneurship .

69. Successful people are ordinary people who made an extraordinary decision

Success and failure, a matter of sacrifice.

70. You’ll never get ahead if you always think about revenge.

Pierre Bonard, on the need to turn the page and not get bogged down in bad times

71.Nothing on this earth can stop a man who possesses the right mental attitude to achieve his goal. Nothing on this earth can help man with the wrong mental attitude

Former US President Thomas Jefferson explains his vision of success.

72.When you stop dreaming you stop living

Malcolm Forbes, on the need to keep dreaming and aspiring to change the world.

73.We actually compete with ourselves, we have no control over the performance of others

A phrase from Pete Cashmore that can be applied both in the business world and in almost any facet of life.

74.The role of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers

Ralph Nader, on how leaders should influence the human group .

75. You can’t choose how you’re going to die, or when. You can only decide how you’re going to live. Now

Joan Baez in an essential existential phrase.

76.If you are clear about what you want, the world responds with clarity

A Loretta Staples motivational phrase with a fundamental principle for achieving success in life.

77. Writing is a craft that is learned by writing

Feminist writer Simone de Beauvoir gives us one of the keys to prosperity. If you want to learn about a subject, simply dedicate yourself to it body and soul .

78.If you are not confident, you will always find a way not to win

The sprinter Carl Lewis emphasizes the vital importance of having confidence in oneself in order to focus on success.

79.If you think something is impossible, you will make it impossible

A mythical phrase inspired by Bruce Lee, the most famous martial arts fighter in history.

80.There are films that I would like to forget, however, even those films taught me something

The Spanish actor Antonio Banderas explains that, even in the least memorable moments, we can draw positive lessons for our lives .

81.Whether you think you can do it or not, in both cases you are right

Henry Ford, in a phrase that may leave us thinking for a while.

82.Only one thing makes a dream impossible: the fear of failure

An inspiring phrase brought to us by the writer Paulo Coelho.

83.The biggest mistake a person can make is to be afraid of making a mistake

Elbert Hubbard also emphasizes the importance of making mistakes as part of vital learning.

84.Not wanting is the cause, not being able is the pretext

Philosophical phrase about Seneca. The lazy ones make excuses, while the brave ones never fail .

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

Wise phrase where there is one, from Alan Key. He who invents the future has everything in his hands .

86.Things are not said, they are done, because in doing them they are said alone

The brilliant filmmaker Woody Allen values actions much more than words .

87.If you don’t fight today, don’t cry tomorrow

A famous anonymous quote that warns us of the need to avoid procrastination and to move forward day by day towards our dreams .

88. Why be content with living on the run when we feel the desire to fly?

Hellen Keller insists on letting our imagination run wild, with no limits or strings attached.

89.Good luck is only the pretext of failure

An anonymous phrase but with an absolutely authentic meaning.

90. Today you are going to conquer the sky, without looking at how high the ground is

This is another quote from an unknown author but one that can inspire us to move forward in spite of the obstacles.

91. All triumphs are born when we dare to begin

A start, a decision, is the first step towards success . Quote from Eugene Ware.

92. If you don’t work for your dreams, someone will hire you to work for theirs

A reflection of Steve Jobs, Apple’s creative genius. Applicable in working life, but also in any other aspect of existence .

93. Fear is the greatest disability of all

Speaker Nick Vujcic, in one of his most inspiring sentences. Overcoming fear means starting to fight for dreams .

94. Never expect a positive result by having a negative attitude

Anonymously authored reflection that should make us think about how we face certain challenges.

95. If you don’t climb the mountain you will never be able to enjoy the landscape

The Chilean poet recognizes that the honeys of success only come after a sustained effort in time .

96. Those who have the privilege of knowing have the obligation to act

The scientist and intellectual reference of the 20th century Albert Einstein leaves us this valuable reflection.

97. Life is nothing but a succession of opportunities to survive

Gabriel García Márquez, in a phrase that we can interpret in different ways.

98. If you fall and get up, you didn’t fall. You just got a boost

Alejandro Jodorowski, in an excellent metaphor that fills us with energy to move forward .

99. Whoever wants to do something finds a way, whoever does not want to do anything finds an excuse

A motivating traditional Arab proverb.

100. You deserve your dream

An imperative phrase that was born from the mind of the brilliant Octavio Paz.

101. Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a nightmare

A motivating Chinese proverb. Action must be based on a deep reflection on what we want to do in life .

102. Our dreams can become reality if we want them badly enough to go after them.

Great reflection of Walt Disney, a person who reached his dreams and made millions of children’s imagination fly.

103. Every thought is a seed. If you plant rotten seeds, do not count on picking delicious apples.

Australian artist Bill Meyer, on positive thinking.

104. If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.

Don’t just sit there, the opportunity doesn’t arise, it’s created.

105. If you know what you’re worth, go and get what you deserve.

You’re capable of doing whatever you want in life.

106. Wherever your imagination goes, your eyes will go.

If you could think of it, you could make it happen .

107. There are no unfinished projects, only changes of plan.

You also learn from mistakes, using that material to make further progress.

108. The moment you have the idea is the kilometer 0 of the route you will take.

The moment when it all begins.

109. Talent is only a discipline applied to practice.

There is no need to mitigate a phenomenon known to all: the mixture between practice and discipline.

110. To commit to a practice schedule is to have walked halfway.

Knowing how to manage time efficiently is key to achieving our goals.

111. Throw yourself into it, and if you put enough effort into it, you will find yourself halfway there.

At first it seems like the goal is very far away, but with practice, the distances get shorter very quickly.

112. Effort, confidence in oneself and not suffering for what they will say: the recipe to shine with their own light.

A summary of what is needed to develop to the fullest.

113. Think about who you could be: that is more stimulating than any energy drink.

Imagining and fantasizing never hurts, as long as it doesn’t serve as an excuse to escape.

115. If you believe in your possibilities, you will believe in your ability to self-evaluate.

Knowing how to stop and think coldly about our situation is part of the road ahead.

116. Do not run: take firm steps to get far.

Focusing on the simplest and most concrete tasks is the basics of learning.

117. Going after a target is not so much like hunting as like growing: start little by little, and the reward will come.

A slow process but one that depends more on us than on chance.

118. No office can contain the imagination of a motivated human being.

A torrent of motivation that overflows the routines.

119. Real athletes are not obsessed with competition: they concentrate on getting the best out of their feet.

The competition is secondary, the important thing is to do it in the best way possible within the possibilities of each one.

120. Reach the top of your aspirations, look down and decide if you are a peak or a hill.

A seemingly simple choice, but one with many implications.

121. If not everyone excels at something, it is because few know what a single year of regular practice can do.

Small details make all the difference.

122. There is no cold night that freezes the heart of one who thinks of getting up early for training.

The anticipation of the practice should be, in itself, something that motivates us.

123. What separates you from reaching your goal is a thin wall of glass called passivity.

An attitude that, if combated, leaves us free.

124. Don’t depend on comparing yourself with others to be happy, but don’t forget to test yourself to see how happy you can be.

Experimenting with each other’s skills is stimulating and satisfying.

125. You can’t control whether there will be others better than you or whether it will rain tomorrow when you go to train: focus on everything else.

You don’t have to make excuses for doing nothing.

126.Everyone can dream of reaching the top. Starting to work on it, much less: that is the real barrier.

The first steps are the truly decisive ones.

127. Knowing how to adapt to the path will take you far.

The ability to know how to take the hits and assume that there will be unpleasant surprises , allows us to move forward.

128. There are more elegant ways to win, but they all involve cheating, and not winning at all.

Beyond appearances is what is really challenging.

129. If you succeed, may it be for you and for those who gave you support.

Behind your attempts to reach your goals are you and everyone who helped you.

130. If you do it to make progress and not for banal reasons, the first failure will not stop you.

Knowing how to look at the long term is fundamental in managing defeats.

131. You can do everything you have seen done: it is the magic of learning.

A summary of this psychological ability that allows us to transform ourselves.

132. Those who have brought their abilities to their fullest potential know what life is all about.

Another philosophy of life, born from one’s own experience.

133. Realizing that the prejudices of others have come to paralyze you helps to know why you should not stop today.

To look back and see how others tried to stop us is liberating to know that today they no longer have power over us.

134. Do it and prove them wrong, but above all, prove yourself.

The real motivations lie in oneself.

135. Imagine where you’d be now if you’d started early yesterday.

A simple way to understand the value of time.

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