There are times in daily life when you feel down—like when you have a fight with a friend, go through a heartbreak, or make a mistake at work.
If it’s something you can solve by thinking it through, that’s great.
But aren’t there times when, no matter how much you think, only negative thoughts come to mind and you just can’t stay positive?
This time, we’re sharing words that can save you in those tough moments—phrases to remember when things are hard.
We’ve compiled a wide range, from gentle words that offer comfort to powerful ones that push you forward.
Find the ones that resonate with you!
- It soothes a cornered heart! Words to say to someone who’s mentally exhausted.
- Words that embrace a wounded heart... Comforting sayings by great and notable figures
- Words to remember when you feel like running away—phrases to rally a weakened heart.
- A prescription for a weary heart! What comforting words can support and reassure you?
- Words that gently illuminate a downcast heart—the kind that make you happy from that very moment.
- Words from great and famous people that make you forget negativity in an instant!
- Tears overflow and won’t stop. A collection of moving quotes that gently reach the heart.
- Words that gently wrap around a heart that has grown cold... heartwarming words.
- Even a single word can save your heart! Uplifting, happy words that make you feel positive
- Powerful yet gentle, words that save the heart... Encouraging words that lift you up in tough times.
- Powerful words give you a push! Words that help you try even harder than before.
- [Heart-Touching] Quotes That Keep You Going Anytime! Fiery Words That Push You Forward
- Heartwarming words, a single phrase gently lights up your tomorrow.
Words to Remember When You're Feeling Down: Comforting Phrases for Tough Times (1–10)
If you can learn from failure, that failure is a success.Malcolm Forbes
Do you know how to turn failure into success? Malcolm Forbes, known as the publisher of the business magazine Forbes, offered this answer.
According to him, when you learn from failure, it stops being mere failure and can actually be called success.
As the saying goes, “Failure is the mother of success.” No matter how many times you fail, the lessons you take from those failures become the path to your next big success.
If you’re feeling down after a setback, try believing in these words.
Do not compare yourself to anyone else in this world. Doing so is an insult to yourself.Bill Gates
There are times when we get discouraged by comparing ourselves to others—thinking we can’t do something as well as that person, or that unlike them, we messed up.
But this quote says that putting ourselves down like that is the same as insulting and hurting ourselves.
Some of you may have been struck by these words from Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft.
On top of feeling down, to then hurt yourself further by comparing yourself to others—there’s no way that should be acceptable! Don’t compare yourself to others.
You are you, and you should treat yourself with care.
No matter how many times a person fails, as long as they don’t lose the courage to try once more, they will surely make something of themselves.Konosuke Matsushita
On the path of challenge, we are bound to encounter failures, and those failures can sometimes bring us to a halt.
Here are words from Konosuke Matsushita—often called the God of Management—that rouse the courage to recover from such setbacks and to keep challenging ourselves without giving up.
Above all, he emphasizes the spirit captured in the Kansai dialect phrase mou ippen, meaning “once more.” If we hold this in our hearts and keep pressing forward, he says, we will someday seize success.
His words clearly convey the importance of learning from failure and, above all, of not stopping our progress.
Happiness is always decided by your own heart.Mitsuo Aida
These are the words of Mitsuo Aida, who was active as a poet and calligrapher, that resonate especially when you find yourself wondering whether you are truly happy.
He speaks to us, saying that whether we feel any event as happiness or unhappiness depends on our own hearts, not on someone else’s judgment.
It also feels like a call to see things positively—if we keep thinking on the bright side, even ordinary days can turn into something fulfilling.
It’s a quote we want to remember on anxious days, one that helps turn our feelings forward.
If you’ve done the best you can, worrying won’t improve the situation. I worry about many things, but I don’t worry about water overflowing from a dam.NEW!Walt Disney
These are the words of Walt Disney, founder of a dreamland that heals everyone’s heart.
The more earnestly you devote yourself to something, the more worries you’ll have.
You start fretting about this and that, and it can feel like your heart is being crushed by anxiety.
That’s only because you’re facing things sincerely—it’s not a bad thing.
Still, as this quote suggests, sometimes it’s important to let go of your worries.
And even if those worries do come true, if you’ve done everything you could, you’ll likely be able to accept that it would have turned out that way no matter what you did.
Every event has meaning. The work of life is to understand that meaning.NEW!Suzanne Somers
There are times when, amid the daily rush of work and life, we ask ourselves what we want to do and how we want to live.
In such moments, a quote from Suzanne Somers, an American entrepreneur and actress, can nourish a tired heart.
When things are hard, thinking that this experience will surely help your future self can lift your spirits and spark new thoughts.
Because she endured breast cancer and continued to show a forward-looking way of life, her words may be all the more empowering.
All misfortunes are nothing but stepping stones to the future.NEW!Thoreau
When something unfortunate happens, it can feel like the rest of your life will be nothing but bad.
This quote shines a warm path of light into such a darkened heart.
What counts as misfortune differs from person to person, but in many cases we imagine failure or setback.
Things don’t go smoothly, unforeseen mishaps occur… By seeing them as stepping stones to the future, we can keep facing forward without giving up.
That’s what Thoreau’s words teach us.
If we think of misfortune as a step toward the next stage, we can surely take it in a positive light.
If you keep looking down, you won’t be able to find a rainbow.NEW!Sir Charles Spencer “Charlie” Chaplin
When we’re feeling down, we tend to look down…
This is a famous quote by Chaplin that I’d like you to remember at such times.
Rainbows are said to be a sign of good luck, and seeing one makes you feel fortunate, doesn’t it? In this quote, he encourages us to keep looking forward while reminding us not to miss the rainbow.
Rather than a blunt “Do your best,” it resonates precisely because it uses a gentle, indirect expression—“missing the rainbow.” It’s a quote that feels like someone quietly sitting beside you in support.
No one anywhere becomes happy through envy.NEW!Baltasar Gracián
Everyone feels envy from time to time.
But when it turns into jealousy and makes you hostile toward others, you may end up pushing your own happiness farther away.
Comparing yourself with others isn’t bad, but harboring ill feelings just because you can’t be like them is misplaced.
Constant jealousy wears down your heart and keeps you from seeing your own strengths.
Keep this quote by the philosopher Baltasar Gracián close to your heart, and keep pursuing challenges that lead to your own happiness, not to defeating someone else.
There are, of course, days when your heart hurts.NEW!Ma Rainey
All kinds of things happen in life.
At times you’ll be struck by misfortune that makes you wonder, “Why is this happening?” You may feel it’s unfair, but that’s life—there’s no use lamenting it.
I feel that this quote by blues singer Ma Rainey teaches us the importance of accepting life’s daily ups and downs just as they are.
Bad times don’t last that long, so there are simply days like that! Remember this quote and try to get through them.