Imagine if James Dyson had let his reported 5,127 failed vacuum cleaner prototypes discourage him. He wouldn’t have eventually made billions as the creator of one of the most well-known household vacuum brands today. Or if Oprah Winfrey had let years of childhood tragedy and abuse stop her from realizing her full potential. Even Steve Jobs remained resilient and innovative when he was forced out of Apple, his own company, after several failed projects.
Great leaders serve as a reminder that real growth occurs when a person taps into their inner strength and resiliency in the face of adversity. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a seasoned professional, or embarking on a new path, their stories and wisdom reassure you that you’re not alone. No matter what kind of challenges life throws your way, staying strong and resilient will carry you to something even better. The key is not to give up. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly, and try another. But by all means, try something.”
The 45 inspirational quotes about strength in this article from recognized leaders, famous figures, and innovators will help keep your focus strong and your resilience high, even in times of adversity.
Continue reading to learn:
- Why it matters to remain strong and resilient
- Other ways to exercise inner strength
- The importance of practicing strengths-based leadership
Inspirational Quotes About Strength
- “Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.” —Napoleon Hill
- “Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that’s very important for good health.” —Dalai Lama
- “What makes you different or weird, that’s your strength.” —Meryl Streep
- “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” —Warren Buffett
- “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
- “Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.” —William Ellery Channing
- “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” —Dale Carnegie
- “You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” —Marcus Aurelius
Motivational Quotes for Remaining Resilient
- “With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
- “Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.” —Steve Maraboli
- “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” —Christopher Reeve
- “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” —Robert H. Schuller
- “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” —Thomas Edison
- “Because, you know, resilience—if you think of it in terms of the Gold Rush, then you’d be pretty depressed right now because the last nugget of gold would be gone. But the good thing is, with innovation, there isn’t a last nugget. Every new thing creates two new questions and two new opportunities.” —Jeff Bezos
- “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” —Winston Churchill
Quotes About Strength for Entrepreneurs
- “In the middle of a difficulty lies opportunity.” —Albert Einstein
- “All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.” —Earl Nightingale
- “Don’t worry about being successful but work toward being significant and the success will naturally follow.” —Oprah Winfrey
- “Remember why you started.” —Unknown
- “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” —Walt Disney
- “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” —Napoleon Hill
- “Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” —Dale Carnegie
- “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” —Peter Drucker
- “Every time you state what you want or believe, you’re the first to hear it. It’s a message to both you and others about what you think is possible. Don’t put a ceiling on yourself.” —Oprah Winfrey
- “Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” —Anonymous
Quotes About Strength and Courage
- “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” —Brené Brown
- “Courage is grace under pressure.” —Ernest Hemingway
- “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” —Walt Disney
- “A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” —John A. Shedd
- “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” —Anais Nin
- “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” —Mark Twain
- “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because, without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” —Maya Angelou
- “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
Quotes About Strength and Leadership
- “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” —Ronald Reagan
- “Try to look at your weakness and convert it into your strength. That’s success.” —Zig Ziglar
- “The undertaking of a new action brings new strength.” —Richard L. Evans
- “Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you.” —Misty Copeland
- “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” —Mahatma Gandhi
- “If you don’t have big dreams and goals, you’ll end up working for someone that does.” —Unknown
- “Courage isn’t having the strength to go on—it is going on when you don’t have the strength.” —Napoleon Bonaparte
- “Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” —Nelson Mandela
- “He who believes is strong; he who doubts is weak. Strong convictions precede great actions.” —Louisa May Alcott
- “True leadership lies in guiding others to success—in ensuring that everyone is performing at their best, doing the work they are pledged to do and doing it well.” —Bill Owens
- “Great leaders are not defined by the absence of weakness, but rather by the presence of clear strength.” —John Zenger
- “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” —Ralph Nader
Why Modeling Strength Matters
You cannot be anything you want to be—but you can be a whole lot more of who you already are.
tom rath
Embodying what others need to be inspired requires strong character. It demands confidence amidst uncertainty and fortitude against adversity. It also means modeling strength and courage, even when you feel you don’t have either. Essentially, shifting the focus away from what serves you and concentrating instead on how you serve others is servant leadership. Where a traditional leader might see success as black and white—you got the deal or you didn’t—a servant leader sees success in how his inner strength and efforts have impacted and inspired others. Having this mindset during challenging times will help you to continue moving forward. And moving forward, as we’ve learned from the quotes about strength above, is the only way to achieve great things.
Try exercising inner strength by:
- Reading motivational quotes
- Meditating or praying
- Writing a gratitude list
- Focusing your mind on what’s going well and solutions
- Practicing self-awareness and identifying your strengths and weaknesses
- Spending time with like-minded people
- Remaining open to new possibilities
Lastly, playing to your strengths during difficult times is also important as a servant leader. If one area isn’t working, what’s something you can pivot to and improve? Is there anything you can delegate to your team so you can fully invest your energy into your strengths? Asking yourself these questions and practicing self-awareness will help reveal solutions that will enable you and your team to do your best work and drive the most impact.
Want to learn more about how this leadership style can positively impact your team and how to implement it? Check out:
Strengths-Based Leadership: How to Optimize Your Team’s Abilities.