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Create the Life You Desire With These 14 Transformative Quotes

Turning over a new leaf and reinventing ourselves can be an imposing task, and far too often we let our fears of the unknown stand in the way of achieving our highest potential. Many people would sooner settle for complacency rather than risk disappointment, but it’s only when we step outside of our comfort zones that we can truly flourish, even if there are hiccups and setbacks along the way.

One of the most powerful feelings that tends to keep us from greatness is the worry that we’re “too late” to transform our lives. Our minds are infiltrated with thoughts such as, “I should have started saving in my 20s,” or “I should have started working out in my 30s,” which can discourage us from taking that first step.

While yesterday may have been a good time to start, today is no less worthy. The only failure is never starting at all.

May these 14 powerful quotes inspire you to begin your own journey of self-improvement and personal discovery. If we can find the courage, one day we can all look back on our lives and be glad we finally took those leaps of faith.

No star is ever lost we once have seen, / We always may be what we might have been.
Adelaide Anne Procter

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If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.
Maya Angelou

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If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything, is ready, we shall never begin.
Ivan Turgenev

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How hurtful it can be to deny one’s true self and live a life of lies just to appease others.
June Ahern

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Things do not grow better; they remain as they are. It is we who grow better, by the changes we make in ourselves.
Swami Vivekananda

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The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
Jack London

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Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.
Anaïs Nin

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Do not despise the bottom rungs in the ascent to greatness … If you wish to reach the highest, begin at the lowest.
Publilius Syrus

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The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.
Marie Kondo

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Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.
Carl Jung

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

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The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt

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Do not try to fix whatever comes in your life. Fix yourself in such a way that whatever comes, you will be fine.
Sadhguru

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It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.
Lewis Carroll

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Featured image credit: Bonnie Schiffman Photography/ Archive Photos via Getty Images

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About the Author
Bennett Kleinman
Bennett is a staff writer at Optimism as well as a freelance comedy writer. He's based in New York City.
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