10 Optimistic and Inspiring Quotes How we confront our challenges is precisely what makes us great.
By Zach Cutler •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Life is filled with difficulties. How we confront our challenges is precisely what makes us great. Nobody ever reached greatness on a silver platter. This is true in any aspect of life, including running a business.
In the midst of challenges, be inspired by these words of wisdom to help transform for the better:
1. You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. -- C.S. Lewis
Age is just a number. Success is based on the will to achieve and persist through struggles. Although new ideas are typically associated with the young, innovation isn't restricted by age. C.S. Lewis didn't publish his classic Chronicles of Narnia until 1950 -- he was more than 50 years old at the time.
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2. Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. -- Thomas A. Edison
In the face of failure, entrepreneurs have two choices: give up or try again. Those who use failure as their greatest motivator succeed. At the breaking point -- just before giving up -- is when entrepreneurs often push through to the next level and find the solution they were seeking.
3. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop. -- Confucius
We all know the story of the tortoise and the hare, and its lesson still rings true in business. Achievement doesn't need to happen at lightning speed. Slow progress is still success. Continue to move forward at any speed.
4. The secret of getting ahead is getting started. -- Mark Twain
Inertia is everything. Those who are moving are more likely to keep moving. Those who keep pushing things off will likely keep pushing them off.
5. Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible. -- Dalai Lama
Kindness isn't necessarily the first thing that comes to mind in business. Entrepreneurship is often associated with a ruthless attitude. But the truth is, success isn't truly success if people are hurt along the way. Kindness is invaluable in all endeavors, including entrepreneurial ones.
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6. There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. -- Albert Einstein
Have gratitude. Live life not appreciating anything, or appreciating every little thing. Take a second at the end of the day to appreciate having woken up that morning, and for all the blessings in life.
7. The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference. -- Elie Wiesel
Take a stand. Don't let life slip by while being indifferent. Try to care and put heart into everything, including entrepreneurial endeavors.
8. It's the will that's awakened in the darkness, that brings us to a more permanent light. -- Doniel Katz
When going through a struggle, a deep will to get through it and succeed can be awakened. That awakened will can then provide the strength that brings us to an even brighter light -- a better place -- than we were at before the struggle ensued.
Entrepreneurship isn't for the faint of heart -- everything that can go wrong will, and then some. The only way to succeed is to push through struggles.
9. Birds make great sky-circles of their freedom. How do they learn it? They fall, and falling, they're given wings. -- Rumi
There will never be the perfect time to start something. Learning and succeeding requires jumping in. It will be scary. It will feel like falling. But taking the leap is the only way to get somewhere significant.
10. How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. -- Anne Frank
Remember the big picture. Don't be selfish. Think about how the business can help others. How can the idea make the world a better place?
What are some of your favorite optimistic quotes? Share them in the comments section below.
