When you’re feeling unmotivated! Inspiring words from great figures and famous people
Have you ever found that when you want to start something—or when there’s something you have to do—you just can’t get your energy or motivation up? It’s not that you don’t want to do it, but you just can’t get yourself moving… and sometimes time just slips away and you start to panic, right? So this time, I’ve put together a list of motivational quotes from great figures and famous people for you to remember in those moments.
They’re all words that will remind you of how you felt when you decided to do your best, so I’m sure they’ll be helpful!
When you can’t get motivated! Inspiring words from great figures and famous people (1–10)
The goddess of fate favors those who act boldly.Niccolò Machiavelli
These words, which emphasize the importance of taking constant action, come from Niccolò Machiavelli, the Italian political thinker known for The Prince.
“Bold and proactive” describes the stance of moving on to the next step without stopping even after achieving one goal, and Machiavelli said that when you take action, fate turns in your favor.
Many people fear failure, feel unable to move from where they are, or have reasons that keep them from acting; but in such moments, let these words spur you on—and try taking action, even if it’s something small to start with.
Great achievements are not made by a momentary impulse, but are accomplished through the accumulation of small things.Vincent van Gogh
When visible results are small, it can feel like your efforts aren’t paying off, and we all tend to seek big achievements that could be called great feats.
These are words left by Vincent van Gogh that present a way of thinking about what is needed to accomplish such feats.
He says that the only path to results considered great is to keep putting in effort and steadily accumulating small outcomes; great feats are never achieved by a momentary impulse.
Rather than charging straight at a grand goal, his words encourage us to start small and build up step by step.
Chase your dreams—even if you fail, it’s okay. Things will work out somehow.Maya Angelou
There are countless famous quotes about dreams and failure, and most of them are affirmative about failure.
In this saying by the American writer Maya Angelou, failure is also spoken of in a positive light.
Just as there is a Japanese proverb, “Failure is the mother of success,” many great figures around the world have said things like, “If you can learn something from it, it isn’t a failure,” and they also tell us, “It’s worse to do nothing out of fear of failure.” Her words, too, encourage those who chase their dreams, saying much the same: “Things will work out, so don’t be afraid to fail—give it a try.” If you’ve been unable to take that first step toward your dream, try believing in these words.
No matter how long it takes, that’s not the issue. What matters is having a goal.Eudora Welty
“I’m working hard toward my dreams and goals, but things just aren’t moving the way I hoped…”—we all have moments when we feel anxious or discouraged like that.
In those times, these gentle words from the American writer Eudora Welty remind us, “It doesn’t matter how long it takes.” She tells us that what truly matters is to keep moving forward with a goal, no matter how much time it takes to make it real.
It’s a message that helps us not to rush the outcome, but to keep taking steady steps, one by one.
If you make effort a habit, you’ll be able to succeed without much hardship.Ryune-ya
It’s hard to keep putting in effort day after day, and there may be moments when your fluctuating emotions make you run away from it.
These are the words of Rionya, explaining what mindset helps us keep building effort.
We can’t sustain effort because we’re doing something that wasn’t part of who we were before; if we turn it into something like a habit or a reflex, we can keep at it without strain.
It’s important to endure and continue until it becomes a habit, and once it does, it makes you feel that success is within reach.
Our lives are worth only as much as the effort we put into them.François Mauriac
It’s hard to imagine how sustained effort will affect your life until the results become visible.
These are words from François Mauriac, a French writer, that prompt us to reflect on what life looks like beyond our efforts.
He tells us that the value of a life is determined by the accumulation of efforts made along the way, and that we should keep striving without regrets so we can feel our lives are truly valuable.
Even when results aren’t visible and uncertainty sets in, his words encourage us to keep making steady efforts, little by little.
It is not power or intelligence, but steady effort that is the key to unlocking one’s abilities.Winston Churchill
How do you think you can make the most of your abilities? Winston Churchill, who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, shared the answer in these words.
The method, he said, is steady, persistent effort.
Many great figures throughout history have emphasized the importance of hard work, and he, too, taught that effort matters above all else.
If you’re currently struggling to fully tap into your abilities, feeling stuck in your growth, or facing a wall you can’t seem to get past, trust in these words and keep putting in the effort without giving up.
Do not fear taking on challenges; fear not challenging yourself.Michael Jordan
Failure is an inseparable part of pursuing your dreams.
Even the great figures who left their mark on history experienced countless failures before achieving their feats.
What they all had in common, however, was that they kept challenging themselves.
Among the words of Michael Jordan—affectionately known as the god of basketball—there is a famous quote about how to face dreams and goals.
He said, “What you should fear is not challenging yourself,” emphasizing the importance of taking on challenges above all else.
His words give us the courage to confront ourselves and strive toward our dreams and goals without fearing failure.
If you firmly hold on to your dream and your purpose—what you aim for—then the way forward will surely open.Mahatma Gandhi
It was Mahatma Gandhi, known as the father of India’s independence, who emphasized the importance of having clear dreams and goals.
He said, “If you hold firmly to your dreams and goals, things will surely move in the right way.” There are many famous quotes around the world with similar meanings, and they likewise tell us that by first setting the destination and then doing what needs to be done to reach it, we can make it a reality.
When you find it hard to get motivated, start by setting your dreams and goals.
When you are given a dream, you are always given the power to make it come true. But to do so, you must put in the effort.Richard Bach
There are times when we get self-deprecating and feel we can’t move forward, thinking, “No matter what I do, I probably can’t make my dream come true.” But the American writer Richard Bach says that the very moment you set a dream, you already carry within you the potential to realize it.
He also adds that effort is indispensable for that to happen.
In other words, he’s saying that as long as you put in the effort, your dream will surely come true.
Hearing these words makes you want to get moving right away, doesn’t it?