The Very Best Motivational And Personal Productivity Quotes On The Planet
This is meant to be an exhaustive list of the very best motivational and personal productivity quotes in existence. Over time, as it builds in size, my hope this that will be a great recourse for those who need a motivational boost and/or some fresh insight into the challenges of personal productivity. So to reach this status as the very best motivational and personal productivity quotes around, I need YOU to help in the process. I would like for you to share with us what you believe to the the very best motivational and personal productivity quotes. The ones that have really made a positive impact on your life.
The way this works is simple. The comments below have the ability to initiate direct replies to any one specific comment. They can go 6 deep which means that one comment can have up to 5 replies. I’m am allowing each commenter to have their own grouping of up to 6 total comments (all connected by direct replies). You can only post 3 total quotes and then use the other 3 spots for you own personal thoughts about the quote. Maybe you can expand on the quote or tell us why you feel it is one of the best quotes around. Also, I would encourage you to include at least one quote that is your own, if you have one that you deem worthy to make this list of the very best. Don’t be shy, WOW us with your amazing insight!
An example of this layout would be as follows:
Comment #1: “Quote” ~ Quote Author
Reply #1 to Comment #1: Personal thoughts/insight.
Reply #2: “Quote” ~ Quote Author
Reply #3 to Reply #2: Personal thoughts/insight.
Reply #4: “Quote” ~ Quote Author
Reply #5 to Reply #4: Personal thoughts/insight.
Sorry if this seems complicated, but it’s super simple. Just lay out 3 of the very best motivational and personal productivity quotes on the planet and reply to each one with your own insight and do so by sticking to your boundary of on comment grouping. The point of this list is the be clearly focused on sharing the best quotes, not holding conversations, so try to keep your comments focused on that goal. This list is intended to be a growing resource for inspiration, insight and all out motivation. So let’s make it that way!
I’m going to start by sharing some quotes from a man who has had a lot of impact on many people’s lives and who has said many powerful things to boost our motivation and personal productivity. His name is Zig Ziglar and here are 8 of his quotes that I believe simply and clearly sum up this very subject.
“You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” ~ Zig Ziglar
This is something I struggle with. I seem to split achievement and helping others into two separate categories. But I’m finding that these two actions couldn’t be any more interconnected. Sure, you can be a tyrant and get what you want, but few of us want that. And the fact is, people aren’t stupid. Our intentions our as clear as day and those around us are inspired by honesty, a positive outlook and the desire to make OTHERS successful, not just have the whole pie to ourselves.
“The greatest good we can do for others is not just to share our riches with them, but to reveal theirs.” ~ Zig Ziglar
Along the same lines as the first quote, this one represents a passion I’ve had ever since I started seeking success in my own life. Nothing inspires me more than being able to help another human being see their own unique abilities and the amazing possibilities that lie ahead. It goes along the lines of the idea that if you, “Give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day, but if you teach a man how to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime.” (OK, so I kind of snuck two in their… 
)
“It is your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude.” ~ Zig Ziglar
It may sound a bit corny to some, but I can’t think of a more simple and direct way of summing up motivation and the idea that success comes to those with the highest tolerance to friction, not the highest IQ score.
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing.. that’s why we recommend it daily.” ~ Zig Ziglar
I LOVE this one. How many of us get motivated to do something and then become SHOCKED when that drive doesn’ t last. We have to CONSTANTLY reconnect to our passion and drive, reminding ourselves why we are moving in a particular direction. Fail to do so and we’ll find ourselves stranded on the side of the road with no gas station in sight.
“You are what you are and where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You can change what you are and where you are by changing what goes into your mind. “ ~ Zig Ziglar
Between our self talk, the TV/Internet and the people around us, we are constantly bombarded by manipulation. Just by changing what goes INTO our minds, we can change so much of what comes out of them.
“If you don’t have daily objectives, you qualify as a dreamer.” ~ Zig Ziglar
OK, so this might not qualify as the most powerful quote to have ever graced our visual receptors, but I believe that it holds a truth that we need to be aware of. I relate so much to this quote because I am SUCH a dreamer. Part of what makes me such a driven person is the fact that I can see so much possibility on the horizon. I day dream about great things, but with out a daily road map of what I need to do to actually REACH those wonderful destinations, I’m nothing more than a day dreamer, living in the mirage of my own made up metropolis. (And you can QUOTE me on that! )
“The major difference between the big shot and the little shot is the big shot is just a little shot who kept on shooting.” ~ Zig Ziglar
The essence of motivation and the results of personal persistence!
“You need a plan to build a house. To build a life, it is even more important to have a plan or goal.” ~ Zig Ziglar
Many of us live our lives under the illusion that a life is just a mix of whims and chance. That somehow our location in 10 years is up to the direction of the wind. We need to map out our desired destinations, learn the ins and outs of our abilities and then harness the many great opportunities around us to push ahead. We may not have complete control over the obstacles just ahead, but our heading is absolutely determined by our own personal decisions.
Choose wisely!
You have 3 slots to share what you believe to be the very best motivational and personal productivity quotes on the planet. Don’t feel the need to do so all at once. Feel free to come back months from now and lay down your next great quote.
And whether or not you share anything with us, I hope this page becomes a powerful resource for motivation, inspiration and personal productivity insight. That you may be driven to passionately push ahead as you pursue a life that is an extraordinary act in the making!
Eric
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“People tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will descend like fine weather if you’re fortunate. But happiness is the result of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly.”
— Elizabeth Gilbert
Positively Present’s last blog post..getting to know you
“The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be.”
— Marcel Pagnol
Positively Present’s last blog post..getting to know you
This is an awesome quote and soooooo true!!!
I know, that’s a great one!
Eric
“Remember, happiness doesn’t depend upon who you are or what you have, it depends solely upon what you think.”
— Dale Carnegie
Positively Present’s last blog post..getting to know you
These are three I’ve especially liked over the past month, they’re anonymous ones from a page-a-day calendar:
Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing those you hold well.
Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons.
Don’t live in the past— you have already been there.
John’s last blog post..Book Review: The Truth of the Cross
We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and a mystery.
- H. G. Wells
“We must become the change we want to see in the world.” – Mohandas Gandhi
“Don’t complain about the snow on your neighbor’s roof when your own doorstep is unclean.”- Confucius.
“Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”
These are my favorites, because in the end it’s all about results. What you do determines what you build.
“Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. Talent will not;
nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not;
unrewarded genius is almost legendary. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Perseverance and determination alone are omnipotent.”
-President Calvin Coolidge
Jake | Revive Your Life’s last blog post..Work Got You Down? Unload the Overload!
I’m not sure if what I have to share qualifies as a motivational or personal productivity quote. But the newest one that I really like is a Buddhist saying that “the finger pointing to the moon is not the moon”. It simply means that a person has to experience his/her own truths. What other people say, even those written in religious texts, are just guides. There is every need to search within for the answers.
Evelyn Lim’s last blog post..Lessons Learned From The Law of Attraction
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. -Helen Keller
I am capable of what every other human is capable of. -Maya Angelou
You have your colors, you have your brushes, paint paradise and walk right in. -Nikos Kazantzakis
We should all just smell well and enjoy ourselves more. -Cary Grant
Tess The Bold Life’s last blog post..My Kid Did Something Bold & Thrilling
“It is in our moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” –Anthony Robbins
Stephen – Rat Race Trap’s last blog post..To Think or Not to Think – Your Fundamental Life Decision
I have found through the years to stop dreaming and just do. I have dystonia and dysphonia so my greatest quote is”PERSEVERANCE” the greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it!. Think to the future, not the past. Bless you all
“Behind me is infinite power, before me is endless possibility, around me is boundless opportunity.” Simple Truths
Stephen – Rat Race Trap’s last blog post..To Think or Not to Think – Your Fundamental Life Decision
“Forget yesterday. It’s gone and you will never get it back. Focus on making today a day you will not regret tomorrow.” –Stephen Mills
Stephen – Rat Race Trap’s last blog post..To Think or Not to Think – Your Fundamental Life Decision
Nice idea Eric! I have a couple of simple ones which I’d like to share.
“I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.” — William Ernest Henley
Greg’s last blog post..3 Free Online Tools for Keeping Your Stuff Organized
“…Happen to things, don’t let things happen to you…” — Stephen Covey
Greg’s last blog post..3 Free Online Tools for Keeping Your Stuff Organized
Last one….
“We are what we frequently do.” — Aristotle
Greg’s last blog post..3 Free Online Tools for Keeping Your Stuff Organized
“Life should be embraced, not merely endured.” ~Karen Chaffee
This is a quote of my own. I believe it with all my heart. None of us were put on earth to suffer and only suffer, but to learn, to create, to help others, to embrace all that life freely offers even in the worst moments.
Karen Chaffee
“Let this be the criteria by which you measure all things: Is this an act of love?” ~unknown
I wish I knew with whom to credit this quote. It has stuck by me since the first time I read. I practice it daily now. It makes as much sense as anything ever seen as a way to peace, confidence, and a clear conscience. How much better would the world be should everyone in it embrace this credo?
Karen Chaffee
“Whatever we think about and thank about, we bring about.” Wayne Dyer
We can only change and improve our lives by changing our way of thinking.
The following 3 quotes actually mean the same thing but put into different words by different people, and one of them is my own. They are what have created the greatest impact in life thus far.
“You don’t have to get it right, you just have to get it going!” – Mike Litman
“You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great.” – Les Brown
“Stop worrying about what you don’t know. Focus instead on what you already know even if they don’t add up to much. Because you never know what you can achieve with what you already know until you take actions!” – Mark Foo
The first two were what got me to stop procrastinating and get down to work to set up my own personal development blog. The last one was what I eventually came up with to give myself the last burst of courage to get going.
So, if anyone of you is still stuck, draw courage from the 3 quotes and get yourself on the move, NOW!
Cheers~
Mark
Mark Foo | TheBigDreamer.com’s last blog post..The 77 Traits Of Highly Successful People – Part 5/5
I find this one inspiring….
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies WITHIN us.” ~ R.W. Emerson
“If you do it, you’ll regret it, if you don’t, you’ll regret it. Either way, you’re going to regret it so you might as well just do it.” -unknown
Katie’s last blog post..Puppy Training Games
This is one I live by:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.~ Reinhold H. Niebuhr
I’m a quote addict, so this kind of invitation to share ‘favourites’ fries my brain! Too many good quotes, so little time. Sorry, Eric!
Oh, just thought of another one: The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark. ~ Michaelangelo.
janice’s last blog post..Redefine the Recession and Revitalise Your Spirit
Hey, love your site. I recently made a YouTube Motivational Video with famous quotes. It can be found here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ImGNZQ2jRM I’d appreciate it if you approve this comment!
“Do, or do not. There is no try.”
Yoda
Seamus Anthony’s last blog post..How To Find Your True Life Purpose (And Make It Pay)
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass… it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” -Unknown
Kathy’s last blog post..If That Don’t Beat All
This quote is for those of us who put off doing things until a “better” time in our lives… when we have more money, when we have more time, when the current “storm” in our life passes. This quote reminds me to joyfully do the things that are important to me regardless of my present circumstances, because this short life is one “storm” after another!
Kathy’s last blog post..If That Don’t Beat All
The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.
-Steven Covey
Kathy’s last blog post..If That Don’t Beat All
This quote reminds me to be specific when setting a goal and keep it in focus. I find myself getting sidetracked and off-course because I tend to forget where I’m headed and why I’m headed there! When I remind myself that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing, I actually remember what the “main thing” is (my goal).
Kathy’s last blog post..If That Don’t Beat All
“A man exists for a generation, but his name lasts to the end of time.” -Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure
Consolidate Student Loans’s last blog post..Better Financial Management With Loan Consolidation
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
-Dr. Wayne Dyer
Sunny Jamiel’s last blog post..18 Truths about Life You Must Know without Having a Heart Attack
I am enjoying all of these Great Quotes
Here are a few of my own –
“There are No Mistakes….. Only Discoveries!” ~ Ellie Walsh
“Knowing how to communicate with others – is the road to a Happy Life…..
Knowing how to communicate with yourself – is the road to Bliss!” ~ Ellie Walsh
“Who you are Being…..tells me much more than what you are Doing” ~ Ellie Walsh
Ellie Walsh – Living the Law of Attraction’s last blog post..Law of Attraction Carnival #50
“If you only think about yourself – how much money can I make, what can I buy, how nice is my house, what kind of fancy car do I have? – over the long term, I think, you get bored. I think your life becomes diminished. The way to live a full life is to think: What can I do for others!”
- Barack Obama
Watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkhZbSLAaaU&feature=related
Here are some of my favorites:
When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Very often, that individual is crazy.
Dave Barry
(We have to keep a sense of humor!)
The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it’s the same problem you had last year.
John Foster Dulles
(Because we need progress)
Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known.
Garrison Keillor
(Because we need wisdom)
“I am what I am today because of the choices I made yesterday.”
I tell myself this throughout the day and it helps stay focused when decisions come about.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”
- Mark Twain
For me, the quote from James J Corbett the fighter:
Fight One More Round
“You become a champion by fighting one more round. When things are tough, you fight one more round.”
So when I am stumped, I would remember to fight one more round.
It is a simple quote this is. One round of boxing is 3 minutes, so I put my effort for 3 minutes, then go for another 3 minutes, then go on and pretty soon I just go on for longer without counting.
“Conquer yourself. Do your homeworks. That the biggest chalenge you have to accomplish” – Me
“Don’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream the farther you get.”
-Michael Phelps
(My personal favorite.)
You are a natural. Why is it so hard to see? May be it’s just b’coz you keep on looking at me.
-Kung Fu Panda(Movie Title Song)
“If you don’t have daily objectives, you qualify as a dreamer.” ~ Zig Ziglar
love this one more then others
Very nice blog..!! Well loved the Quotes..!! In short – Its awesome..!
thanks for this type of article.after a along surfing i got this one.thanks again.
“The Truly Educated Never Graduate”
(I saw this on a bumper sticker and cannot find the author)
I try to live my life by this quote.
Best,
Bob Bessette
“Happiness is not about having what you wish but wishing all that you have”
Octavian Paler -Romanian writer and philosoph
“Many people are like the boatman,they row but with the back at the future”
Henri Coanda -Romanian inventor of reaction engine
“God gave us the WORD so we can hide our thoughts”
Niccolo Machiavelli
To me, this quote embodies the idea that we have to work to be happy. Happiness isn’t easy and it isn’t something that most people are just born with. Even if they are, bad things will happen and they will experience pain and they will have to work to overcome unhappiness. As Gilbert says, you have to participate in happiness relentlessly.
Positively Present’s last blog post..getting to know you
As my blog’s title suggests, I’m pretty focused on living in the present moment. It’s hard not to look back at the past and either romanticize it or place blame on it. It’s also hard not to focus on the future, on what we want to have/be/do. As hard as I work at it, it’s definitely difficult to always embrace the present moment and to realize how good it really is. This quote reminds me to focus on the now and to focus on it in a positive way.
Positively Present’s last blog post..getting to know you
Attitude is everything, and Carnegie makes this clear in this quote. No matter what we have to deal with in life, we can always control how we think about situations, people, things, and ourselves. It’s not easy to have a positive attitude about everything, but it definitely impacts your life in an amazing way if you try to see the positive. Be positive! Be present! (Those are my wonderful insights for all of you).
Positively Present’s last blog post..getting to know you
I think the quote pretty much says it all. The overriding trait that allows for success is perseverance, not all of the other things in life that we think will allow us to succeed.
Jake | Revive Your Life’s last blog post..Work Got You Down? Unload the Overload!
“No great improvements in the lot of mankind are possible until a great change takes place in the fundamental constitution of their modes of thought.”
-John Stuart Mill
Jake | Revive Your Life’s last blog post..Work Got You Down? Unload the Overload!
This quote really hits home with me. I find that very often, I need to change the way I think about something before I can begin to understand it and make improvements. To me, this quote is suggesting that we need to be “out of the box” thinkers in order to make significant improvements.
Jake | Revive Your Life’s last blog post..Work Got You Down? Unload the Overload!
“Leap and the net will appear.”
-Julia Cameron
Jake | Revive Your Life’s last blog post..Work Got You Down? Unload the Overload!
This quote is quite simple, but very meaningful. It’s all about faith and taking that first step!
Jake | Revive Your Life’s last blog post..Work Got You Down? Unload the Overload!
I think this simple statement distills the essence of responsibility for your own circumstances. This quote by Tony forces you to accept that you decide your destiny. The universe, your parents, your genes, your family, your friends, your employer, your neighbor, the government, etc. do not decide. YOU decide.
Stephen – Rat Race Trap’s last blog post..To Think or Not to Think – Your Fundamental Life Decision
I think this is simply beautiful and powerful. In one sentence it speaks to the power, possibility, and opportunity that we as individuals have. I think it speaks for itself.
Stephen – Rat Race Trap’s last blog post..To Think or Not to Think – Your Fundamental Life Decision
That’s mine and I like the last sentence best.
Stephen – Rat Race Trap’s last blog post..To Think or Not to Think – Your Fundamental Life Decision
This one is from the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley. The author wrote the poem from his hospital bed while suffering from tuberculosis. While the poem is rather dark, the ending quote I felt was pretty inspiring.
To me, this symbolizes that I, and I alone, can control my life.
Greg’s last blog post..3 Free Online Tools for Keeping Your Stuff Organized
As with my last post, this quote is about ownership of one’s actions. I believe a lot of people let the events around them control how they run their lives. We let others consume our time, take our money, and tell us how we should be.
This quote, I feel, is a call to action to take control of life. By “happening to things” we can change ourselves and the world.
Greg’s last blog post..3 Free Online Tools for Keeping Your Stuff Organized
Those Greeks, I tell you, were on the ball.
So much of who we are and what we do is shaped by our habits. If we don’t reflect on our habits, we are bound to keep repeating them day in and day out, which to me is a very boring life indeed! I feel through constant, reflective thinking we have the ability to continually develop and grow.
This quote I think sums this feeling up in 6 simple words.
Greg’s last blog post..3 Free Online Tools for Keeping Your Stuff Organized
This might seem like a weird way to motivate yourself, but this is the only motivational quote that has actually made a long-term difference in my life. Used to be that, whenever I was considering trying something new, I would ask myself, “What if I mess up? What if I look stupid?” Now I just keep this quote in mind and ask “will I regret NOT doing this?” I’ve lost track of all the cool stuff I’ve done that I would have missed out on if not for this.
Katie’s last blog post..Puppy Training Games
Janice, the Michaelangelo quote is one of my favorites! It’s the first one that came to mind as I read through this page (and it was also the very first tweet that I sent out). I like it because it speaks to how we can actually underestimate ourselves by “settling” for good enough instead of striving to be the best that we can be.
Carolina’s last blog post..trueidealist: @ChangeEvnglst Hi, if you’re interested in "Design is the Problem" check out this interview. Very interesting. http://bit.ly/WRJcS
To me this means simply make up your mind to do something, work out what needs to be done then actually do it. If people ask say “I am doing it” and back up your statement with action. If you say “I’m trying” what you mean is you believe you will probably fail. To try may be better than not trying at all (or it may not be) but if somebody tried to do something, it means they failed.
To not do is not to do. To try is not to do. Only to do is to do. It sounds best if you say that like Bruce Lee
Seamus Anthony’s last blog post..How To Find Your True Life Purpose (And Make It Pay)