“Inner strength” is a somewhat nebulous concept. Unlike physical strength, which can be developed in a gym or by chopping logs à la Rocky Balboa, inner strength is purely mental. It comprises psychological resources such as willpower, courage, and self-discipline.
And while physical strength is fairly easy to measure at any time, whether by lifting weights or tossing a caber, our inner strength often lies dormant and untested until we really need it. Inner strength is less ostentatious, quietly helping us overcome our personal trials and tribulations. It allows us to hurdle all manner of obstacles — and, perhaps most importantly, it lends us the vigor and resilience to never give up, to pursue our dreams no matter what life throws our way.
When we’re able to tap into and nurture our inner strength, it can be a constant, dependable asset and assist us in reaching new heights. As Maya Angelou once said, “Nothing can dim the light which shines from within."
Here are 18 quotes from Marcus Aurelius, Mariah Carey, and more to light your way and make you aware of your own deep well of inner strength.
Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look there.Marcus Aurelius
Although men are accused for not knowing their own weakness, yet perhaps as few know their own strength. It is, in men as in soils, where sometimes there is a vein of gold which the owner knows not of.Jonathan Swift
By fighting the difficulties in which one finds oneself, an inner strength develops from within our heart, which improves in life’s fight.Vincent Van Gogh
Go within every day and find the inner strength so that the world will not blow your candle out.Katherine Dunham
The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.Ernest Hemingway
I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all the time.Anna Freud
Few men during their lifetime come anywhere near exhausting the resources dwelling within them. There are deep wells of strength that are never used.Richard E. Byrd
As you seek the inner strength that helps you not only to endure but to overcome, do not look for what you can get, but for what you have been given, and for what you can give.Peter J. Gomes
It is worth remembering that the time of greatest gain in terms of wisdom and inner strength is often that of greatest difficulty.Dalai Lama
At times to think of one’s outer helplessness is good, but to think always of one’s inner strength is infinitely better.Sri Chinmoy
From separation and loss, I have learned a lot. I have become strong and resilient, as is the case of almost every human being exposed to life and to the world. We don't even know how strong we are until we are forced to bring that hidden strength forward.Isabel Allende
Trying to impose the past on the present will never wipe out the threat of being hurt. That happens only when you find the security of your own being, which is love. Motivated by the truth inside you, you can face any threat because your inner strength is invulnerable to fear.Deepak Chopra
The kind of beauty I want most is the hard-to-get kind that comes from within — strength, courage, dignity.Ruby Dee
You build inner strength through embracing the totality of your experience, both the delightful parts and the difficult parts.Pema Chödrön
The only way to affect outcomes and thrive in our lives, is to find the eye in the hurricane, and act from that place of inner strength.Arianna Huffington
If you're willing to put yourself and your dreams on the line, at the very least you'll discover an inner strength you may not have known existed.Kurt Warner
The strength you've insisted on assigning to others is actually within yourself.Lisa Alther
You really have to look inside yourself and find your own inner strength, and say, “I’m proud of what I am and who I am, and I'm just going to be myself.”Mariah Carey
Featured image credit: Leonardo Cendamo/ Hulton Archive via Getty Images
