120 Life Sayings To Guide Your Journey
Life is full of ups and downs, twists and turns. As we make our way through this complex journey, guidance and wisdom are invaluable companions. This article aims to provide some of that guidance through 120 life sayings that offer lessons, insights and food for thought.
The sayings are organized into several topics that reflect many aspects of human experience – relationships, challenges, possibilities, values and more. Whether you’re navigating new situations or reflecting on life so far, there is a saying here for you. Not every saying will resonate with every person, but it’s hoped that many will strike a meaningful chord or two.
This diverse collection of maxims and words of advice come from various eras and cultures. Some may be familiar, while others introduce new perspectives. The sayings don’t claim to have definitive answers for living, but they celebrate the shared human experiences of learning, growing and finding meaning along the way. With optimism, humility and an open mind, perhaps each reader will find a gem or two to carry with them on their own remarkable journey.
1. Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer.” – Arnold Toynbee – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – Mae West – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” – John Lennon – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“Every new day is a chance to change your life.” – Anonymous – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” – Dalai Lama – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” – Maya Angelou – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” – Confucius – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.” – Henry David Thoreau – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“A wise person does at once, what a fool does at last. Both do the same thing; only at different times.” – Chinese Proverb – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” – Alan Watts – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” – African Proverb – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“Worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe.” – Mark Twain – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“Do one thing every day that scares you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“Good things come to those who hustle.” – Anthropic – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“The best revenge is living well.” – Anonymous – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.” – Goethe – Daily Inspiration for Changing Days
2. Words of Wisdom for Your Path Forward
“Trust that there are no mistakes, only lessons. The challenges you face today will make you stronger tomorrow.” – Unknown
“Take things one step at a time, and enjoy the little details. The grand scheme will come together.” – Anonymous
“Home isn’t where you’re from, it’s where you find light when all grows dark.” – Proverb
“Success isn’t about the end result; it’s about what you learn along the way. Keep an open mind and heart.” – Saying
“It’s okay if you don’t know your purpose right away. As long as you know how to row your own boat, you’ll find your way.” – Proverb
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” – Corrie Ten Boom
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.” – Steve Jobs
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” – Seneca
“You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.” – Winston Churchill
“Bloom where you’re planted.” – Anonymous
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Pablo Picasso
“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.” – Rumi
“Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once.” – Lillian Dickson
“Good things come to those who hustle.” – Saying
“Clear eyes, full heart, can’t lose.” – Friday Night Lights
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.” – Walt Whitman
“The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today.” – Elbert Hubbard
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” – Rabindranath Tagore
3. Motivational Quotes for Times of Transition
“The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.” – Berber Proverb
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” – Helen Keller
“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” – John Lennon
“The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.” – Rabindranath Tagore
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.” – Dr. Seuss
“Blossoms may fall, but the roots remain deep in the Earth.” – Japanese Saying
“The worst time to have a heart is when everything seems heartless.” – Paulo Coelho
“The biggest adventure you can have is to live the life of your dreams.” – Oprah Winfrey
“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.” ― C.S. Lewis
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” – Seneca
“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” – Unknown
“The best way out is always through.” – Robert Frost
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” – Maya Angelou
“Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.” – Roger Miller
“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vidal Sassoon
“Don’t be discouraged. It’s often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock.” – Unknown
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
“Changes will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” – Barack Obama
4. Timeless Sayings for Moments of Reflection
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why it is called the present. – Unknown
Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm. – Winston Churchill
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana. – Unknown
Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you started. – Nido Qubein
The words that come from the heart enter the heart. – Unknown
Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much. – Oscar Wilde
Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles; it takes away today’s peace. – Unknown
It’s always too early to quit. – Norman Vincent Peale
Don’t let the past steal your present. – Dwight L. Moody
Live like you’ll die tomorrow. Learn like you’ll live forever. – Unknown
You either get bitter or you get better. It’s that simple. You either take what has been dealt to you and allow it to make you a better person, or you allow it to tear you down. – Rita Mae Brown
When something really bad happens, two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity. And I’m not completely sure about the universe. – Unknown
One day or day one. You decide. – Unknown
Not every storm comes to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path. – Unknown
A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. – English Proverb
Every ending is a new beginning. We just don’t know it at the time. – Mitch Albom
If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else. – Booker T. Washington
Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. – Rumi
If you love something, let it go free. If it comes back to you, it’s yours forever. If it doesn’t, then it was never meant to be. – Unknown
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. – Unknown
5. Inspirational Phrases to Light Your Way
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese Proverb
“You must do the things you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.” – Walt Whitman
“Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“I will prepare and some day my chance will come.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” – George Addair
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” – Helen Keller
“When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Fall seven times and stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb
“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” – Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
“Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.” – Mary Kay Ash
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
“Tough times never last, but tough people do.” – Robert H. Schuller
“There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” – Victor Hugo
“Do one thing every day that scares you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
6. Short Life Lessons for the Road Ahead
‘Don’t wait – the time will never be just right.’ – Napoleon Hill
‘Fall down seven times, get up eight.’ – Japanese Proverb
‘Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift – that’s why it’s called the present.’ – Master Oogway
‘Life is a journey to be experienced, not a problem to be solved.’ – Unknown
‘Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.’ – Winston Churchill
‘If you can dream it, you can do it.’ – Walt Disney
‘Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.’ – Mark Twain
‘Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.’ – Vince Lombardi
‘Dream big and dare to fail.’ – Norman Vaughan
‘Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.’ – George Bernard Shaw
‘You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.’ – Oprah Winfrey
‘Fall seven times and stand up eight.’ – Japanese Proverb
‘It always seems impossible until it’s done.’ – Nelson Mandela
‘Success seems to be connected to action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they never quit.’ – Conrad Hilton
‘You can’t change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.’ – Jim Rohn
‘Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.’ – Salvador Dali
‘Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can do.’ – John Wooden
‘Go after your dreams – they will become your reality some day.’- Amit Ray
‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.’ – Winston S. Churchill
‘Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.’ – Albert Einstein
Conclusion
Living an impactful life takes wisdom and guidance. The 120 sayings discussed in this article provide invaluable insights from different thinkers throughout history. Whether related to relationships, personal growth or life’s bigger questions, reflecting on these quotes can help navigate life’s challenges along our journey. While no saying holds all the answers, considering their meanings may spark thoughtful self-evaluation or increase understanding of others. I encourage taking the time to revisit those that resonate most with you or a loved one struggling now. Let these words from those who came before be a source of encouragement, direction and inspiration as you continue your path.
