Every great change begins with a self transformation. Let’s get to it.
Self-improvement phrases can express deep truths and can hide a powerful and motivating message .
A good phrase can help us reflect and remind ourselves to keep going, even in the most difficult moments. There are times when we stagnate and, despite wanting to continue growing, the horizon becomes cloudy, making it difficult for us to achieve self improvement.
The essential quotes for self improvement
For this reason, and for those moments when it is difficult for you to move forward, we have compiled a list of phrases that can help you continue learning and growing , and that can help you improve yourself and be a better person.
So keep reading, because here are 120 of the most inspiring phrases that exist, so you can share them with your friends and family. Inspiration to change your lives positively can start right here.
1. Be the change you want to see in the world (Mahatma Gandhi)
This phrase is from Mahatma Gandhi , one of the characters who has most influenced the good people of modern society, those who want peace in the world with all their might. This inspiring figure, the great Hindu thinker, pacifist and politician, makes us reflect on the change in life with each of his phrases.
On the one hand, this phrase refers to the fact that you must take full responsibility for your life to change , and secondly, you must practice what you preach, always in good faith. Therefore, the human being is not a passive being, nor is he a spectator in the face of changes.
In other words, with our actions we change our surroundings. Furthermore, this phrase, like so many Gandhi phrases, refers to the importance of coexistence to build a better world. The individual is the one who must change to change the world. To be a better person you have to take this into account.
2. Change is the law of life. Anyone who only looks to the past or present will miss the future (John F. Kennedy)
This phrase of the thirty-fifth president of the United States of America John F. Kennedy refers to the fact that change is inevitable in human beings. Nothing is forever. Therefore, we must not stay stuck in the past and we must look forward to continue growing.
This is where the importance of closing cycles lies and letting things flow, learning from failures and mistakes , since changes are transcendent in life and slef improvement, so we cannot avoid them
3. Fate mixes the cards, and we play them (Arthur Schopenhauer)
Great phrase left by the famous German philosopher and thinker Arthur Schopenhauer . In life you will find different paths and different options, because destiny will take you one way or another, without you having total control over the infinite variables that condition you.
It is possible that in some way you will find obstacles and difficulties, that is inevitable. Even so, you have the power to overcome them, because you make the decisions and decide if you want to stay there motionless or continue on your way to self-improvement.
4. We should use the past as a springboard and not as a sofa (Harold Macmillan)
This phrase was pronounced by the former British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and follows the same trend as the previous phrase. In other words, we must not remain stuck in the past, but rather the past must be used to continue growing, to continue to surpass ourselves.
Self-improvement has the past as a reference, since experience is important for a better future and to develop our best version .
5. Success consists of going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm (Winston Churchill)
According to this phrase by Winston Churchill (who was British Prime Minister during World War II), the attitude with which we face failures will condition our success in self development and in overcoming the failures that occur in our lives.
Therefore, seeing failures as learning through and for life is beneficial for our well-being . The important thing is to evolve, as you remember this phrase.
6. The best way to predict the future is by creating it (Peter Drucker)
The Austrian philosopher Peter Drucker left us this famous phrase. This phrase has to do with the reciprocal determinism of Albert Bandura , ie the world and a person ‘s behavior cause each other.
As the human being is an active being, he decides about the future. We are all creators of our future, as our actions determine what will happen to us tomorrow . So there are no excuses: let’s get started building a better future today.
7. He who has a reason to live can face all the hows (Friedrich Nietzsche)
One of the most flamboyant and renowned philosophers in the history of mankind, Friederich Nietzsche . Find and internalize your true purpose in life and you can overcome any obstacle or difficulty that comes your way.
In other words, if you manage to make your true motivations in life conscious, this will be important because it will make you more emotionally balanced and more resistant to adversity. One of the foundations for resilience .
8. In our fight for freedom, we only have the truth as our only weapon (Dalai Lama)
This phrase is from the Dalai Lama , a Buddhist spiritual leader . If what you want is to grow as a human being, you need to be a free person.
But not only that, but you must also be sincere and honest with yourself and with others . Integrity and honesty are indispensable qualities for self growth. The truth may be uncomfortable, but it is an important part of the authentic human being.
9. If you want something you never had, you must do something you never did (Anonymous)
This is one of those phrases that refer to change. He goes on to say that if you always do the same thing, the same consequences will occur. It is quite similar to a phrase that Albert Einstein pronounced and that we collected in another compilation of phrases.
Change requires doing different things and having new experiences. Therefore, for self-improvement you have to overcome those fears and do different things .
10. When we cannot change the situation we face, the challenge is to change ourselves (Victor Frankl)
The existentialist psychologist Victor Frankl left us this valuable reflection. You can’t always change what others do. You cannot force people or situations to go in the direction you want.
For example, if we have a problem with someone, first of all we must step back and look at ourselves , because that is what we can really change. It may be that a situation affects us negatively and depresses us, but if we change the way we perceive it, that is, if we do not see it as something negative, it may not affect us as much.
This is one of the principles of self development, that is why it is important that one empowers oneself in the situations that are presented to us. The path to well-being is in oneself and, in many cases, it is born from our own loneliness and our self-reflection . Both change and self growth are individual processes, in which responsibility, wanting to change and, finally, action, combine to lead us to success.
More reflections and famous quotes to keep you going
If you still want to enjoy famous quotes that tell us about self-improvement, you can keep reading.
11. Only one thing makes a dream impossible: the fear of failure (Paulo Coelho)
12. Start doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you will find yourself doing the impossible (Fernando de Asis)
13. When life offers you a lemon, squeeze it and make lemonade (Clement Stone)
14. Only those who dare to have great failures end up achieving great success (Robert F. Kennedy)
15. You do not get ahead by celebrating successes but by overcoming clamorous failures (Orison Marden)
16. One today is worth two tomorrows (Benjamin Franklin)
17. The small actions of each day make or break character (Oscar Wilde)
18. Not wanting is the cause, not being able to be the pretext (Seneca)
19. Whoever transforms himself, transforms the world (Dalai Lama)
20. I think that self growth has a lot to do with the ability to act (Beverly D’Angelo)
21. The true seeker grows and learns, and discovers that he is always the main responsible for what happens (Jorge Bucay)
22. Why be content with living in tow when we feel the desire to fly? (Hellen Keller)
23. There is only one person who can decide what I am going to do, and that is myself (Orson Welles)
24. The biggest mistake a person can make is to be afraid of making a mistake (Elbert Hubbard)
25. Face the sun and the shadows will be behind you (Mahorí proverb)
26. Our time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life (Steve Jobs)
27. The greatest glory is not to win, but to get up when we have fallen (Nelson Mandela)
28. Nothing in life should be feared, only understood. It is time to understand more, to fear less (Marie Curie)
29. Always transform a negative situation into a positive one (Michael Jordan)
30. A little knowledge that acts is much more valuable than having knowledge and not acting (Khalil Gibrán)
31. You always have to try to be the best, but never believe yourself the best (Juan Manuel Fangio)
32. If you can imagine it you can achieve it, if you can dream it you can become it (William Arthur Ward)
33. If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do, keep moving forward (Martin Luther King Jr.)
34. The difference between winning and losing is often to quit (Walt Disney)
35. Man never knows what he is capable of until he tries (Charles Dickens)
36. Nothing good happens that was not once a dream (Cari Sandburg)
37. Perform each of your actions as if it were the last of your life (Marco Aurelio)
38. Love sees roses without thorns (German proverb)
39. To love a person is to learn the song in his heart and sing it to him when he has forgotten it (Anonymous)
40. It is not what you have, but how you use what you have that makes the difference (Zig Ziglar)
41. The tragedy in life is not not reaching your goals. The tragedy in life is not having goals to achieve (Benjamin E. Mays)
42. Twenty years from now you will regret the things you did not do, so let go of the ropes and sail out of your comfort zone , find the wind in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover (Mark Twain)
43. You will never be able to cross the ocean until you have the courage to stop seeing the coast (Cristóbal Colón)
44. 80% of success consists of showing up to the appointment (Woody Allen)
45. Life doesn’t last forever. Live the. Love Hurts. Love Envy hurts you. Ignore it. Good memories, keep them in your heart (Hindu proverb)
46. Life is 10% what happens to us, and 90% how we react to it (Charles Swindoll)
47. If you do not design your own life plan, there are many options that you will fall into that of others. And guess what awaits you? probably very little (Jim Rohn)
48. Life is what happens next to you while you make other plans (John Lennon)
49. The greatest spectacle in the world is a man of effort fighting against adversity (Oliver Goldsmith)
50. Whoever stops fighting for his dream abandons part of his future (Anonymous)
51. Discipline is man’s best friend, because it leads him to realize the deepest longings of his heart (Mother Teresa of Calcutta)
52. It is okay to celebrate success but it is more important to pay attention to the lessons of failure (Bill Gates)
53. Become someone you never would have believed you could be (Anonymous)
54. I honestly believe that it is much better to fail at something you love than to succeed at something you hate (George Burns)
55. I have come here to win. The others are already participating (Anonymous)
56. Don’t stop until you feel proud (Anonymous)
57. Life is very hard, but so are you (Stephanie Bennett Henry)
58. Others will forget what you said, others will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel (Maya Angelou)
59. Education is not learning data, but teaching your mind to think precisely (Albert Einstein)
60. We cannot help everyone, but each individual can help someone (Ronald Reagan)
61. It doesn’t matter how slow you go, as long as you never stop (Confucius)
62. Falling is an accident. Not wanting to get up off the ground is a choice (Anonymous)
63. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent (Eleanor Roosevelt)
64. I have not come into the world to remain in average performance. I have come to stand out (Anonymous)
65. 90% of all who fail are not really defeated, they just give up (Paul J. Meyer)
66. Stumbling is not bad … becoming fond of the stone, yes (Paulo Coelho)
67. The power of imagination makes us infinite (John Muir)
68. One finds limits by pushing oneself (Herbert Simon)
69. You have to expect great things from yourself before achieving them (Michael Jordan)
70. In the midst of the difficulty lies the opportunity (Albert Einstein)
71. If not us, who? If not now when? (John F. Kennedy)
72. Always give the best you have. What you plant now, you will reap later (Og Mandino)
73. If you think you can, you can (John Burroughs)
74. Self-confidence is the first secret of success (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
75. Strength does not come from bodily capacity, but from the will of the soul (Gandhi)
76. If you don’t fight today, don’t cry tomorrow (Anonymous)
77. Men are not made from easy victories, but from great defeats (Ernest Henry Shackleton)
78. Don’t just sit around waiting for things to come to you. Fight for what you want, take responsibility for yourself (Michel Tanus)
79. The measure of what we are is what we do with what we have (Vince Lombardi)
80. People are unhappy with uncertainty. You have to learn to live with her (Timothy Ferriss)
81. Give it light and the darkness will disappear by itself (Erasmus of Rotterdam)
82. Enthusiasm moves the world (Arthur Balfour)
83. If you are still breathing, do not stop learning (Lailah Gifty Akita)
84. No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world (Robin Williams)
85. S i have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants (Isaac Newton)
86. Nothing takes as long to arrive as what never begins (Alain Joule)
87. There is nothing more powerful in the world than an idea whose time has come (Víctor Hugo)
88. Instead of being worried because they don’t know you, worry that you are really worth knowing (Confucius)
89. After all the effort, all the sacrifice, comes the sweet victory, which is just another stage on the way (Anonymous)
90. More than being passionate about our profession, we should professionalize our passion (Arturo Pérez-Reverte)
91. Experience is not what happens to us, but what we do with what happens to us (Aldous Huxley)
92. Everything is difficult before it is easy (Goethe)
93. The ignorant affirms, the wise doubt and reflect (Aristotle)
94. There is no worse misfortune than underestimating your adversaries (Lao Tzu)
95. There is nothing that I am so afraid of as fear (Michel Eyquem de Montaigne)
96. Life begins and ends, but you have the opportunity to make incredible things happen in this period of time (Anonymous)
97. In a sigh you will realize that all the effort invested was worth it, one way or another (Anonymous)
98. The world is not in danger by bad people but by those who allow evil (Albert Einstein)
99. It is better to act exposing yourself to regret it than to regret not having done anything (Giovanni Boccaccio)
100. If you don’t like the way you’re walking, start building another (Dolly Parton)
101. Don’t let life discourage you; everyone who is where he is had to start where he was (Richard L. Evans)
102. All we have to decide is what to do with the time we have been given (JRR Tolkien)
103. A joyful spirit makes life flowery, a sad spirit makes events fade (Solomon)
104. When the stars go down, how sad it is to lower your eyes to see them! (Antonio Porchia)
105. Sometimes your joy causes your smile, but there are also times when your smile can cause you joy (Thich Nhat Hanh)
106. Never count the years, just count the memories! (Anonymous)
107. Beauty is a state of mind (Émile Zola)
108. You should fight to live life, to suffer it and also to enjoy it. Life can be wonderful if you are not afraid of it (Anonymous)
109. If you have built castles in the air, your work is not lost; now lay the foundations under them (George Bernard Shaw)
110. If it is good to live, it is still better to dream, and best of all, to wake up (Antonio Machado)
111. Fate does not reign without the secret complicity of instinct and will (Giovanni Papini)
112. I will seize fate by grabbing it by the neck. It will not dominate me ( Ludwig van Beethoven)
113. A man is nothing other than what he makes of himself (Jean Paul Sartre)
114. Patience is a tree with bitter roots but very sweet fruits (Persian proverb)
115. Great souls have wills; the weak only wishes (Chinese proverb)
116. What your heart feels today, your head will understand tomorrow (Anonymous)
117. Demand a lot from yourself and expect little from others. This way you will save yourself troubles (Confucius)
118. If you are looking for different results, do not always do the same (Albert Einstein)
119. If you don’t act like you think, you will end up thinking like you act (Blaise Pascal)
120. Life was not made to understand it, but to live it (George Santayana)