Encouraging quotes for when you're feeling down. Words that give you the strength to rise again.
I messed up at work, I got a bad grade on a test, I had a fight with a friend…
When we’re living our lives, there are bound to be times when we feel down.
In this article, we’ll introduce famous quotes we hope you’ll read when you’re feeling low.
We’ve gathered words that offer meaning to failure, encourage you by saying there’s no need to be discouraged, and remind you to cherish yourself—messages that can lift you up from many different angles.
When you want some gentle words of encouragement, be sure to check these out!
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Inspiring quotes for when you're feeling down. Words that give you the strength to stand back up (51–60)
Do not abandon the hero within your soul.Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche, a classical philologist often interpreted as a representative thinker of existentialism.
His famous words, “Do not abandon the hero in your soul,” convey the importance of valuing yourself.
Everyone possesses talents and potential within, but when we compare ourselves to others or face a string of setbacks, our spirits can break.
However, if you give up on yourself, that’s when everything truly ends.
These words teach us to believe in ourselves to the very end.
Even if you’re knocked down 99 times, all you need is to stand up the 100th time.Vincent van Gogh
If you’re pursuing your goals and dreams, you’ll probably fail many times.
When you fail, you can lose confidence and think, “It’s impossible for me.
I should just quit.” At times like that, remember this quote from Van Gogh: “If you fall down 99 times, get up the 100th.” With that attitude, you can overcome any failure.
They say failure is the mother of success and essential for growth, so don’t be afraid to fail—keep challenging yourself.
The only people who never make mistakes are those who do nothing.Theodore Roosevelt
I think everyone has experienced being paralyzed by the fear of failure.
Once you start thinking, “What if I fail…?” your thoughts spiral in a negative direction, and you end up even less able to do anything.
However, Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, said, “The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.” In other words, as long as you take action, everyone will inevitably fail to some extent, so there’s no need to fear failure.
If you’re struggling to take action toward your dreams or goals, or if you’re feeling down after a setback, let these words encourage you to look forward.
Our duty is not success. It is to keep moving forward, undaunted by failure.Robert Louis Stevenson
“Failure is the mother of success” and “Consistency is power” are well-known proverbs, and many great figures around the world have left numerous quotes that echo these ideas.
Robert Louis Stevenson, the British novelist, also left famous words in line with these proverbs.
He spoke of the importance of challenging yourself without fearing failure and, even if you do fail, not giving up there—continuing to move forward by learning from your mistakes.
If you’re feeling down because you’ve failed, I hope you won’t break here; stand up again and keep going.
Quotes that encourage you when you're feeling down. Words that give you the strength to rise again (61–70)
No one will be troubled if I put an end to my insignificant thoughts.Virginia Woolf
Do you ever find yourself trapped in endless, unanswerable worries, unable to act the way you want because your own fixations get in the way, or tossed around by your own thoughts? At times like that, the British novelist Virginia Woolf advised us to boldly stop thinking altogether.
If you believe that what’s going on in your head is trivial and only serves to limit your actions, following her words and choosing not to think might bring you some relief.
What matters is not that you never fall, but that you get back up quickly.Shigeta Saitō
Known affectionately as “Mota,” psychiatrist Shigeta Saito was also an essayist and a dynamic public speaker.
His famous saying, “What matters is not avoiding collapse, but getting back up quickly,” teaches us what true strength is.
In life, we may face obstacles and hardships that knock us down.
At such times, rather than condemning ourselves as weak and giving up, this message reminds us that what truly matters is the strength to stand up again and again.
I don’t think about anything I can’t control. There’s no point in dwelling on it. I focus only on what I can do.Hideki Matsui
When something unpleasant happens or you run into a wall, all sorts of thoughts race through your mind, right? In moments like that, I’d like you to pause and consider: what percentage of those worries are actually within your control? Hideki Matsui—Godzilla himself, who excelled both in Japan and abroad—once said he doesn’t think about things he can’t control.
If you find yourself dwelling on matters you can’t do anything about, why not stop spending energy on them and instead throw yourself into what you can do right now, right in front of you?