We all face challenges, setbacks and difficult periods in life that test our resolve.
In those trying moments, finding the motivation to keep pushing forward can feel impossible.
However, it’s during our darkest hours that we must dig deep to find the strength and resilience to overcome adversity.
To help reignite your inner fire and determination, I’ve compiled 15 of the most powerful, inspirational quotes about persevering through hardships.
These pearls of wisdom from some of history’s greatest thinkers serve as reminders that we all have the ability to triumph over obstacles.
They encourage us to view challenges as opportunities for growth and to never lose sight of hope, even in our most trying times.
So if you’re facing what feels like an uphill battle, let these motivational words be the fuel that keeps you going. Allow them to shift your perspective and instill you with the courage to weather any storm.
Keep these close by for whenever you need that extra push to bring out the absolute best in yourself.
1. “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb
This simple yet profound proverb carries an important message about resilience.
No matter how many times we get knocked down, we must find the strength to keep getting back up.
Success belongs to those who are willing to persevere and keep moving forward despite repeated failures and setbacks. Keep standing up.
2. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
This powerful quote reminds us that it’s easy to show strength and character when things are going smoothly but the true test is how we respond when faced with difficulties and opposition.
Will we crumble under pressure or rise to the occasion? King’s words encourage us to build the type of resolve that shines brightest in adversity.
3. “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” – C.S. Lewis
Challenges in life aren’t meant to break us, but to shape us. Lewis suggests that it’s through overcoming trials and tribulations that we discover what we’re truly made of.
Those tough times mold and prepare us to fulfill our greater purpose.
Embrace the struggles as necessary steps on the path to reaching your full potential.
4. “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” – Maya Angelou
Failure and defeat are inevitable parts of any journey toward success. Angelou’s words remind us that our failures do not define us.
What matters is how we respond to them. With each defeat comes the opportunity to learn more about ourselves and come back even stronger.
Use your failures as stepping stones.
5. “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.'” – Mary Anne Radmacher
We often imagine courage and strength as these big, bold displays of fearlessness but Radmacher points out that sometimes the greatest act of courage is simply the decision to keep going, even when we feel small and weak.
It’s the commitment to take things day by day and never give up. That quiet, unrelenting voice within you is your greatest strength.
6. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela
This quote by the late Nelson Mandela emphasizes that our failures do not negate our success.
In fact, there can be no true success without failure. The ability to rise up every time we are knocked down is the very essence of strength and achievement.
Wear your failures as badges of honor, for they are testaments to your undying determination.
7. “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
Schwarzenegger, who is the epitome of strength in many ways, makes an important distinction with this quote.
He argues that strength isn’t proven or developed through our wins, but through our battles.
Deciding to keep fighting when we feel most like giving up – that is the truest display of inner strength and fortitude.
8. “You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.” – Bob Marley
It’s impossible to know the full depth of our strength and capabilities until we are pushed to our absolute limits.
Marley suggests that we all have untapped reservoirs of power within us that only get activated when we have no other option but to be strong.
Trust that whatever life throws your way, you will rise to the occasion.
9. “Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when the ‘hero’ within us is revealed.” – Bob Riley
In line with the previous quote, Riley argues that challenges don’t make us into someone we’re not – they simply reveal who we’ve been all along.
Think of hard times as the chisel that chips away at everything that is not the hero within you.
Once the dust settles, your inner strength, which has always been there, will be on full display.
10. “Sometimes you don’t realize your own strength until you come face to face with your greatest weakness.” – Susan Gale
Gale’s quote is a testament to the hidden powers we all hold within us. It’s easy to feel strong when we aren’t being tested.
But it’s when we encounter our weaknesses and vulnerabilities head-on that we have the chance to see how strong we truly are.
Embrace opportunities to confront your shortcomings – that’s where your greatest strengths are forged.
11. “Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.” – Steve Maraboli
This quote flips the script on how we often view hardships. We tend to hope for life to get easier but Maraboli argues that challenges will keep coming regardless.
The variable we can control is ourselves. By becoming stronger and more resilient, we make ourselves better equipped to handle anything life throws our way.
The goal isn’t an easy life, but an unshakeable spirit.
12. “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” – Robert H. Schuller
Four simple words that pack a major punch.
Schuller succinctly sums up the essence of resilience with this memorable quote.
No matter how hard things get, we must remember that every challenge is temporary. But the strength we cultivate by making it through hard times – that lasts forever.
Be one of the tough ones.
13. “Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.” – Robert H. Schuller
Another gem from Schuller that provides a helpful reframe for how we view obstacles.
Instead of seeing problems as things that hold us back, this quote encourages us to view them as guides that help us move forward.
Every problem is an opportunity to learn, grow and become better versions of ourselves. Embrace them as part of your journey.
14. “We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.” – Kenji Miyazawa
Leave it to a poet to find the beauty in pain. Miyazawa doesn’t deny the existence of pain and suffering but instead encourages us to use them for our greater good.
Just like a fire can’t burn without fuel, we can’t move forward without something to ignite us.
Allow your pain to be the spark that lights your way.
15. “The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.” – Chinese Proverb
This proverb uses the metaphor of a gem transforming through polishing to illustrate the necessity of hardships in our own development.
Just like a rough stone can’t achieve its full radiance without a bit of friction, we can’t become our best selves without a bit of challenge and opposition. Polish on.
Key Takeaways
- Strength isn’t about avoiding hard times, but rising up to meet them head on
- We all have untapped reservoirs of strength within us that get activated during challenges
- Failure and adversity aren’t setbacks, but opportunities for growth and self-discovery
- The goal isn’t an easy life, but an unshakeable spirit that can weather any storm
- Allow pain and hardships to be the fuel that ignites your journey forward.
Wrapping Up
Life will continue to throw challenges our way – that’s a given but with every trial we face comes the opportunity to dig deeper and become even stronger than we were before.
Use these 15 motivational quotes as reminders of the incredible power and potential that lives inside you.
