69 Responses to “The Very Best Motivational And Personal Productivity Quotes On The Planet”

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  1. “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

  2. “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

  3. “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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. “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.

  7. “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!

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. “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

    • Pam

      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

  11. “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

  12. “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

  13. 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

  14. “…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

  15. Last one….

    “We are what we frequently do.” — Aristotle

    Greg’s last blog post..3 Free Online Tools for Keeping Your Stuff Organized

  16. “Life should be embraced, not merely endured.” ~Karen Chaffee

  17. 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

  18. “Let this be the criteria by which you measure all things: Is this an act of love?” ~unknown

  19. 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

  20. “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.

  21. 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

  22. Lotus

    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

  23. “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

  24. 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

  25. 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!

  26. “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)

  27. “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

  28. 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

  29. 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

  30. 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

  31. “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

  32. “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

  33. 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

  34. Oliver

    “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

  35. Randy

    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)

  36. Jeremy

    “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.

  37. “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

  38. Timbul P

    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.

  39. meli

    “Conquer yourself. Do your homeworks. That the biggest chalenge you have to accomplish” – Me

  40. Mariana

    “Don’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream the farther you get.”
    -Michael Phelps
    (My personal favorite.)

  41. 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)

  42. “If you don’t have daily objectives, you qualify as a dreamer.” ~ Zig Ziglar
    love this one more then others

  43. Very nice blog..!! Well loved the Quotes..!! In short – Its awesome..!

  44. thanks for this type of article.after a along surfing i got this one.thanks again.

  45. “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

  46. claude

    “Happiness is not about having what you wish but wishing all that you have”
    Octavian Paler -Romanian writer and philosoph

  47. claude

    “Many people are like the boatman,they row but with the back at the future”
    Henri Coanda -Romanian inventor of reaction engine

  48. claude

    “God gave us the WORD so we can hide our thoughts”
    Niccolo Machiavelli

  49. 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

  50. 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

  51. 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

  52. 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!

  53. “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!

  54. 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!

  55. “Leap and the net will appear.”

    -Julia Cameron

    Jake | Revive Your Life’s last blog post..Work Got You Down? Unload the Overload!

  56. 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!

  57. 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

  58. 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

  59. 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

  60. 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

  61. 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

  62. 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

  63. 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

  64. 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

  65. 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)

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