Article image

20 of the Most Popular Quotes of All Time

Philosophers, scientists, leaders, artists — all of these and more have spoken words that echo through the years. Whether we’re looking for encouragement or the strength to get through a tough day, the right advice can make all the difference. Of course, some words have more staying power than others, whether due to the inspiring figure behind them or how deeply they resonate with us on a personal level.

Though the internet has made it easier to stumble on quotes that are inaccurate, misattributed, or just plain made-up, the quotes gathered here are verified morsels of wisdom that have survived the test of time. Savor each piece of insight, and see which ones stay with you.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao Tzu

Share Quote

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Share Quote

There are always flowers for those who want to see them.
Henri Matisse

Share Quote

You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
Eleanor Roosevelt

Share Quote

Well-behaved women seldom make history.
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Share Quote

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
Wayne Gretzky

Share Quote

The time is always ripe to do right.
Martin Luther King Jr.

Share Quote

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
W.E. Hickson

Share Quote

Whatever you are, try to be a good one.
William Makepeace Thackeray

Share Quote

That which does not kill us makes us stronger.
Friedrich Nietzsche

Share Quote

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
Helen Keller

Share Quote

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.
Maya Angelou

Share Quote

Action is the antidote to despair.
Joan Baez

Share Quote

Speak your mind — even if your voice shakes.
Maggie Kuhn

Share Quote

The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.
Dolly Parton

Share Quote

The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.
Amelia Earhart

Share Quote

Fear is stupid. So are regrets.
Marilyn Monroe

Share Quote

Every moment is a fresh beginning.
T.S. Eliot

Share Quote

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
Steve Jobs

Share Quote

Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration.
Thomas Edison

Share Quote

Featured image credit: Theo Wargo/ Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Author image
About the Author
Paola Bennet
Paola Bennet is a writer based in Brooklyn, NY. She writes a fortnightly newsletter that treasures the mundane, called Small Histories. Find her on Instagram @paolafbennet.
Play more header background
Play more icon
Daily Question
Fill in the blank: "___ is a very powerful thing, more powerful than intellect." - Steve Jobs

More Inspiration

happiness theme icon

A genuinely happy person is one who has rendered others happy.

separator icon
Daisaku Ikeda
motivation theme icon

The great tragedy of life is not that men perish, but that they cease to love.

separator icon
William Somerset Maugham
hope theme icon

You can't lead the people if you don't love the people. You can't save the people, if you don't serve the people.

separator icon
Cornel West
love theme icon

It’s the artists who do the dreaming for society.

separator icon
Méret Oppenheim
wisdom theme icon

Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.

separator icon
Bertrand Russell
happiness theme icon

All experience is great providing you live through it.

separator icon
Alice Neel
motivation theme icon

My dark days made me strong. Or maybe I already was strong, and they made me prove it.

separator icon
Emery Lord
hope theme icon

You must not try to make love definite. It is the divine accident of life.

separator icon
Sherwood Anderson
love theme icon

Don't allow your rituals to become ruts.

separator icon
Todd Henry
wisdom theme icon

Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.

separator icon
Ludwig van Beethoven
happiness theme icon

Falsehood is so easy, truth so difficult.

separator icon
George Eliot