12 Upbeat Ellen DeGeneres Quotes to Put You in a Good Mood In a funk? Some quotes from comedian and TV personality Ellen DeGeneres can turn your day around.

Whether you want a good laugh or you’re looking for inspiration, there’s no one better to turn to than TV personality, comedian and best-selling author Ellen DeGeneres. While the pop-culture icon has made her way onto everyone’s television set at one point or another, she’s also used her upbeat and out-there personality to help others -- whether it be launching the career of a young artist or raising awareness for an important social cause.

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And if there’s one thing DeGeneres is known for, it’s being true to herself and not letting others get in her way. While her career launched in the late 90s when she starred in her own sitcom, Ellen, it was also during that time that Degeneres publicly came out on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Despite what anyone said about her, DeGeneres ignored any naysayers and went on to have an extremely successful career. By 2003, the popular Ellen Degeneres Show began, and today she’s won a number of awards, including 30 Emmys, 20 People’s Choice Awards and even the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.

From the importance of positivity to living in the moment -- check out these Ellen DeGeneres quotes.

On passion

“Follow your passion. Stay true to yourself. Never follow someone else’s path unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path. By all means, you should follow that.” -- Ellen Degeneres

On time

“Life is short. If you doubt me, ask a butterfly. Their average life span is a mere five to fourteen days.” -- Ellen Degeneres

On happiness

“The thing everyone should realize is that the key to happiness is being happy by yourself and for yourself.” -- Ellen Degeneres

On mindset

“Happiness comes from within. You have the power to change your own mindset so that all the negative, horrible thoughts that try to invade your psyche are replaced with happy, positive, wonderful thoughts.” -- Ellen Degeneres

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On balance

“My point is, life is about balance. The good and the bad. The highs and the lows. The piña and the colada.” -- Ellen Degeneres

On growth

“Be open to learning new lessons, even if they contradict the lessons you learned yesterday.” -- Ellen Degeneres

On being yourself

“I had everything I’d hoped for, but I wasn’t being myself. So I decided to be honest about who I was. It was strange: the people who loved me for being funny suddenly didn’t like me for being… me.” -- Ellen Degeneres

On being unique

“We’re all different people and we’re allowed to be different from one another. If someone ever says you’re weird, say thank you.” -- Ellen Degeneres

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On perseverance

“When I go hiking and I get over the hill, that means I’m past the hard part and there’s a snack in my future. That’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned.” -- Ellen Degeneres

On taking risks

“When you take risks you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important.” -- Ellen Degeneres

On leadership

“Don't worry about what people say about you or think about you. Let the naysayers nay. They will eventually grow tired of naying.” -- Ellen Degeneres

On failure

“It's failure that gives you the proper perspective on success.” -- Ellen Degeneres