It’s not easy doing something out of the ordinary. Whether you’re thinking of doing something new, just getting started, or beginning to see signs of success, there will always be moments of self-doubt. There will be times when you question whether it’s all worth it or you should just give up.
If you’re feeling discouraged, look to these quotes by innovators past and present to motivate you when times get difficult. I know that they have helped me immensely and I continue to use them as a reminder that persevering is the best way to succeed.
I hope that you will get as much out of these quotes as I do. Read them whenever you need something to lift you up, and help someone else out by sharing these quotes with them.
1. “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.” — Steve Jobs
2. “Don’t find fault, find a remedy.” — Henry Ford
3. “Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” — Alexander Graham Bell
4. “I always knew I was destined for greatness.” — Oprah Winfrey
5. “As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death.” — Leonardo da Vinci
6. “To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.” — Bruce Lee
7. “When you’ve got 10,000 people trying to do the same thing, why would you want to be number 10,001?” — Mark Cuban
8. “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don’t let yourself be lulled into inaction.” — Bill Gates
9. “I think a lot of young people have incredible ideas and incredible insights, but sometimes they wait before they go give their life to something. What I did was just to start a little earlier.” — Elizabeth Holmes
10. “It’s important to be willing to make mistakes. The worst that can happen is that you become memorable.” — Sara Blakely
11. “Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.” — Guy Kawasaki
12. “If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out.” — Mark Zuckerberg
13. “The secret to successful hiring is this: look for the people who want to change the world.” — Marc Benioff
14. “Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.” — Steve Jobs
15. “Energy and persistence conquer all things.” — Benjamin Franklin
16. “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” — Henry Ford
17. “Always deliver more than expected.” — Larry Page
18. “I began to believe that building a business was the greatest opportunity for making an impact.” — Elizabeth Holmes
19. “Risk more than others think is safe. Dream more than others think is practical.” — Howard Schultz
20. “I’m black, I don’t feel burdened by it and I don’t think it’s a huge responsibility. It’s part of who I am. It does not define me.” — Oprah Winfrey
21. “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” — Walt Disney
22. “The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence.” — Nikola Tesla
23. “One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.” — Henry Ford
24. “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.” — Richard Branson
25. “It’s not about money or connections — it’s the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone…And if it fails, you learn from what happened and do a better job next time.” — Mark Cuban
26. “You CAN have it all. You just can’t have it all at once.” — Oprah Winfrey
27. “Learn from yesterday, live for day, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” — Albert Einstein
28. “Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.” — Richard Branson
29. “When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.” — Elon Musk
30. “Either you run the day or the day runs you.” — Jim Rohn
31. “The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” — Robert Byrne
32. “Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas.” — Marie Curie
33. “Timing, perseverance, and ten years of trying will eventually make you look like an overnight success.” — Biz Stone
34. “For a successful entrepreneur it can mean extreme wealth. But with extreme wealth comes extreme responsibility. And the responsibility for me is to invest in creating new businesses, create jobs, employ people, and to put money aside to tackle issues where we can make a difference.” — Richard Branson
35. “The media wants overnight successes (so they have someone to tear down). Ignore them. Ignore the early adopter critics that never have enough to play with. Ignore your investors that want proven tactics and predictable instant results. Listen instead to your real customers, to your vision and make something for the long haul. Because that’s how long it’s going to take, guys.” — Seth Godin
36. “Great companies are built on great products.” — Elon Musk
37. “When you cease to dream you cease to live.” — Malcolm Forbes
38. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” — Thomas Edison
39. “I am one of those who think like Nobel, that humanity will draw more good than evil from new discoveries.” — Marie Curie
40. “If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.” — Reid Hoffman
41. “Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.” — Robert Schuller
42. “Jealousy’s a weak emotion.” — Jay Z
43. “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” — Benjamin Franklin
44. “Work like there is someone working 24 hours a day to take it all away from you.” — Mark Cuban
45. “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” — Helen Keller
46. “If I’d had some set idea of a finish line, don’t you think I would have crossed it years ago?” — Bill Gates
47. “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” — Isaac Newton
48. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” — Leonardo da Vinci
49. “What I know is, is that if you do work that you love, and the work fulfills you, the rest will come.” — Oprah Winfrey
50. “You may delay, but time will not.” — Benjamin Franklin
When you reach obstacles and don’t know how to get over them, refer to these quotes. All these people have all faced difficulties and doubts from both themselves and the people around them, yet have still managed to find their way to success in their fields.
Reading an article is one thing. Taking what you’ve read and putting it into action is another. What are you waiting for? The possibilities are out there, if you have the courage to go after them.
Originally published on Medium.
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