20 Motivational Quotes for Meaningful Life

Quotes are very powerful. They are only a bunch of words however while you contemplate over them they reveal powerful ideas. It tends to be simplistic and easy to remember. Quotes have the power to motivate, inspire and encourage. It has an amazing ability to change the way we feel about life. Reading quotes daily will actually boost your mood and lift your spirits.

Here, I have compiled a list of the best motivational quotes with their meaning. So, you can start your day by taking control of your thoughts, thinking positively and setting new goals. I hope these quotes will give you a boost when you need it the most.

1) Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. – Maya Angelou

To be a rainbow in someone’s cloud means to cultivate kindness as a daily practice in your life. This is a beautiful quote which inspires me to make a small difference in someone’s life today. It is about bringing a smile to the face of someone who is going through a tough time of their life. It’s all about kindness, purity of the heart, unselfishness, humility and the joy of giving.

2) Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines. – Robert H. Schuller

Problems, challenges, hardships, failures and mistakes are an integral part of our lives which help us to grow. The truth is that problems are not implied to stop us in our tracks, rather they can be seen as guidelines for us to assess our current approach. They help us rectify ourselves and guide us in the right direction. So, look at the brighter side of facing problems in life.

3) No pressure, no diamonds. – Thomas Carlyle

In this managerial quote, Thomas Carlyle says that people are facing pressure associated with family, job, finance, health, professional expectation etc. But pressure can energize and inspire us to perform and achieve at the best level and make us more productive like diamonds. Diamonds are produced when materials that contain carbon are exposed to very high pressure and produce something extremely valuable. So, take advantage of high pressure to improve ourselves.

4) One way to break up any kind of tension is good deep breathing. – Byron Nelson

Deep Breathing is a relaxing technique that many people practice every day which will help them to reduce their stress, promote positivity, relax their mind and body. For anybody that’s feeling stress, try out deep breathing exercises to reduce tension.

5) Every moment is a fresh beginning. – T.S Eliot

This quote reminds us that nothing is meant to last forever. No matter what happened to you yesterday, you can start over what you have because every day is a new beginning and every moment is a new journey. A new beginning comes with a lot of new chances and opportunities. So, make the next morning a fresh beginning and do the same tomorrow.

6) A happy soul is the best shield for a cruel world. – Atticus

In this quote, Atticus says that the world can seem like such a cruel and unloving place at times, this is a good reminder to keep our shield happy which is our soul. It is important that we make ourselves happy, strong and confident enough to face any problems because you cannot deny that bad things happen. We should know how to keep our soul happy. It’s about looking inside and having conversations with you.

7) Turn your wounds into wisdom. – Oprah Winfrey

This quote explains that we are not meant to stay wounded. We are supposed to move through our tragedies and challenges. If you could turn your wounds into wisdom, your mistakes into lessons, then you become fearless in any situation. This gives you strength and confidence to face any difficulty that comes your way. It makes you stronger day by day.

8) Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. – Charles R. Swindoll

In this quote, Charles says that attitude is everything; it is what shapes our beliefs and our desires. The way we react to our circumstances becomes the most intriguing part in shaping our lives. We are always in control of our emotions despite any given situation. For a peaceful life, accept your realities as they are with a positive attitude and don’t wish things were different.

9) If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way. – Napoleon Hill

In this motivational quote, Napoleon Hill says that never be shamed, discouraged or depressed if you don’t accomplish your biggest goal at the first step. Start by doing small steps that can lead you towards your major goal. You must give efforts to achieve those small things in your life and try to do them with great respect and dignity.

10) One cannot step twice in the same river. – Heraclitus

In this quote, Heraclitus reminds us that continuous change is the essential feature of the universe and the two situations are not exactly same. Just as water flows in a river, you cannot step into the same river twice because the water you stepped into the first time has disappeared downstream by the second time you step in. All the things in human life are changing and no longer the same when you hit it the second time. It means that the same actions may not give the same results when repeated.

11) The unexamined life is not worth living. – Socrates

In this quote, Socrates says that we have to examine our life means we have to set a goal. If we don’t think about our goals and purpose of existence, we will lose the direction of our life. Such kind of life cannot provide any value to you which is not worth living. So examine yourself and exit the rat race you are stuck in. Your life will become wonderful with no regrets.

12) Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. – Confucius

In this beautiful quote, Confucius tells the internal beauty of a person which cannot be seen by everyone, only few of them will be able to see. It depends on your heart and mind. Everyone and everything is beautiful in their own way but only a few appreciate their beauty. To see something beautiful, first you need to have a beautiful sight.

13) Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. – Anais Nin

When you are fearless, the possibilities of achievement in life appear to be infinite and your life automatically expands. On the other side, if you become scared of failure or rejection, you limit the number of possibilities and your life shrinks drastically. So, be courageous.

14) A jug fills drop by drop. – Buddha

This motivating Buddha quote helps you remember to pause and celebrate your progress by having patience, no matter how much time it will take. You can achieve your goal by your continuous effort just like filling a jug.

15) For every minute you are angry you lose 60 seconds of happiness. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

In this inspiring quote, Ralph tells us about being happy all the time and keeps anger aside. Anger can lead to discomfort, sorrow and self-harm to our lives. Every moment we passed by will never come back. So, stay calm and enjoy your life with full of positivity and happiness instead of holding on resentment or anger.

16) Let it hurt. Let it bleed. Let it heal. And let it go. – Nikita Gill

In this quote, Nikita Gill reminds us if something bad happens to your life, let it hurt for a while, then take a break from your pain and start the healing process. It means release it from your mind, stop thinking, worrying about it and move on in life.

17) Fashion your life as a garland of beautiful deeds. – Buddha

This meaningful quote, Buddha teaches us that giving value to do one act of kindness each day. As our kind actions affect the lives of others, we feel more compassionate, confident, and useful in our life. It will also help us to enhance our overall sense of purpose and identity.

18) The tongue like a sharp knife; it kills without drawing blood. – Buddha

In this beautiful quote, Buddha says if you hurt someone by your words purposefully, it could be stuck on their mind forever. Perhaps they can forgive you for what you said but they can’t forget it. That is why it is so important to be mindful of the words we say to people.

19) Life is like a piano. What you get out of it depends on how you play it. – Albert Einstein

This quote explains if you want to learn piano, you have to do long practice and great efforts with patience. No one can perfectly play from the start as it takes time to produce pleasant music. The journey of life is the same like piano. If you keep working on your goal, you will eventually get better results.

20) Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty. ― Socrates

In this quote, Socrates says that contentment leads to a state of well being and happiness. Artificial poverty leads to luxurious life. It means people own everything in the world still they are not able to purchase happiness. He believes that people can find peace and contentment in living simply.

Hope these quotes will help to motivate you in your life. Please feel free to share your thoughts and experience in the comment section.

Thank you so much for your kind support.

Nirali.