Motivational quotes can be easy to dismiss, especially when they sound like something printed on a coffee mug. There are people who despise motivational quotes, and one will guess they may have been subjected to some really bad ones. But real inspirational quotes are like poetry that you can actually apply, and that works. The right words can stay with you, provided you do more than simply read them.

20 Motivational Quotes to Inspire You to Live Better

These are quotes that may be uncomfortable, funny or even difficult to hear, but each carries a truth worth pausing over—and, perhaps, living by.

1.  There is no greater harm than that of time wasted — Michelangelo

2.  It is never too late to be who you might have been — George Elliott

3. The greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing — Steve Jobs

3. Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try one more time — Thomas Edison

4. Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It’s courage to continue that counts — Winston Churchill

5. The only cure for grief is action — George Henry Lewes

6. Dream as if you will live forever. Live as if you will die tomorrow — James Dean

7. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no point in being a damn fool about it — W C Fields

8. You grow up the day you have your first real laugh–at yourself — Ethel Barrymore

9. There is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness — Han Suyin

10. I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate — George Burns

 11. The ‘good life’ begins when you stop wanting a better one — Nkosiphambili E. Molapis

 12. To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all —Oscar Wilde

13. Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence ― Albert Einstein

14. Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility ― Sigmund Freud

15. I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life.” I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel ― Maya Angelou

 16. Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

17. Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone ― Pablo Picasso

18. Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect ― Mark Twain

19. By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest — Confucius

20. Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue — Buddha

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