THE 75 MOST

INSPIRING WORDS
TO LIVE BY

http://www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/2016/inspiring-words-live-by/
 Preface
There are many brilliant words that provide
motivation and inspiration. But there are certain
statements that stand out from the rest. Ideas, words,
and sayings that are far more powerful than all the
others.

Some of these powerful words will inspire you to

reach for the stars. They will ignite the fire within
you that fuels your motivation to accomplish a great
number of things. But you can also find words in this
list that will accompany you during times of great
difficulties. These statements will help you to get
back up again whenever life pushes you to the
ground.

Feel free to select your personal favorites in this list.

By integrating your favorite quotes in your day-to-
day life, you will be able to gradually transform your
entire life. The wisdom that can be found within the
lines of these inspiring words provides you with
everything you need to know to be equipped for the
daily battle of life.

Steve Mueller
Robert Downey, Jr. on laserlike focus

“Listen, smile, agree, and then do whatever you

were going to do anyway.”

When pursuing your goals, there will be many

people trying to stop you. Some will try to convince
you that your very dreams are not worth pursuing.
They will tell you that it is impossible for you to
accomplish what you’re trying to achieve. Others
will advise you that it is better to settle for the
ordinary instead of risking something.

No matter what these people are telling you, never

let them convince you to stop pursuing your goals.
If you listen to them, you will one day wake up
living an unfulfilling and unsatisfying life.



1
Paul Brandt on accepting limitations

“Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there’s

footprints on the moon.”

Have the courage to dream big. Challenge existing

perceptions and always seek to set your goals a little
higher with every step you take. Doing so will allow
you to go beyond every limitation there is.



2
Bruce Lee on enduring difficulties

“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength
to endure a difficult one.”

Life can be quite a struggle. There are many

situations in life where you wish that things would
be much easier. During these difficult times, it is
necessary to remind yourself how important it is to
endure. Don’t allow hardship to break you. Instead,
keep fighting and do everything you can to
proactively free yourself from the difficulties you’re
facing.

Only by wishful thinking, nothing will ever be

accomplished. For this reason, see the difficulties of
your life as important opportunities that accelerate
your growth. Remind yourself that everything that
happens to you does ultimately serve you.



3
An unknown hero on an excellent life motto to live
by

“Everything happens for a reason. Everything

leads to something better.”

Whatever happens to you in life can teach you an

important lesson. If you are willing to seek for the
particular reason why something happened, you will
discover meaning in suffering. And once you are
able to draw meaning from difficult experiences,
you will be able to use what happens in order to
grow stronger. This is what life is all about.

Once you’ve internalized these beautiful words to

live by, you will understand that everything that
happens to you – no matter if positive or negative –
leads eventually to something better. If you always
seek for the lessons that life teaches you, you will
ultimately become a stronger, wiser and better
person. Always remember that the strongest
characters are seared with scars.



4
Washington Irving on misfortune

“Little minds are tamed and subdued by

misfortune; but great minds rise above them.”

It is not so important what happens to your life. All

that matters is how you think about it and how you
respond to it. When you’re confronted with
setbacks, difficulties, and misfortunes, you can
always choose to give up. You can always allow
these things to break you. In fact, life will not only
push you continuously to the ground, but it will also
do everything to keep you there.

At the same time, you can also choose not to allow

what happens to break you. If you always get back
up again, no matter how hard life pushes you down,
nothing can ever stop you from pursuing your
dreams.



5
Lance Armstrong on pain

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an

hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will
subside and something else will take its place. If I
quit, however, it lasts forever. That surrender, even
the smallest act of giving up, stays with me. So,
when I feel like quitting, I ask myself, which would
I rather live with?”

Pain is not permanent.

Giving up lasts a lifetime. Many goals in life can

only be accomplished if you are willing to suffer
temporality. In some cases, you will have to make
sacrifices to accomplish your dreams. In other
instances, you have to overcome challenging
obstacles. Whenever it is you’re confronted with,
always remind yourself that you’re doing all these
things for a purpose. Remind yourself that the pain
will eventually subside and something better will
emerge from it.



6
Another unknown person on difficulties in life

“When something bad happens, you have three

choices. You can either let it define you, let it
destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you.”

How you think about difficult times can greatly

impact your entire life. If you think that life is
designed to punish you, you will never overcome the
role as a helpless victim. However, if you are
convinced that life is designed to teach you
important lessons, nothing will ever bring you out of
balance.



7
Dr. Seuss on being who you are

“Be who you are and say what you feel because
those who mind don’t matter and those who matter
don’t mind.”

The people who truly matter will always accept you

the way you are. So why should you try to be
someone else for people who don’t even matter?



8
LeBron James on greatness

“Talent is given, greatness is earned.”

There are so many people who are incredibly

talented, yet make nothing of it. They have become
used to relying on their talents, which prevents them
from ever accomplishing greatness. Only those who
are willing to use their talents in order to pursue
greatness will ever accomplish truly outstanding
things in life.



9
Rocky Balboa on life

“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a

very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to
your knees and keep you there permanently if you
let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as
life. But it ain’t about hard you hit; it’s about how
hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.”

I’m always amazed at the incredible motivational

power of the words Rocky Balboa, portrayed by
Sylvester Stallone, speaks to his fictional son in the
movie Rocky. And everything he says in his
wonderful speech is absolutely true. There’s no use
in complaining about how hard life has hit you.
Doing so will never get you anywhere. Instead, give
your very best to brace all the energy you have left
to push yourself up again from the ground.



 10 
Mark Twain on regret

“Twenty years from now you will be more

disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than
by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines,
sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds
in your sails. Explore, dream, discover.”

You will always regret 100% of the chances you

didn’t take. Even more so, the regret you experience
for not doing something will always outweigh the
temporary pain a failure causes.



 11 
Robert Brault on enjoying the little things

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look
back and realize they were the big things.”

It often times takes quite some work to truly

appreciate the little things in life. But once you are
able to discover all the small joys and all the small
wonders in your life, your entire perception of life
begins to change. Instead of ever chasing more, you
will begin to realize how beautiful your life already
is. It will help you to understand that you already
have everything you need to live a happy and
fulfilled life. So, take yourself some time to ponder
about the true value of all the little things in your
life. Learn to be grateful about all these wonderful
aspects of your life and you will free yourself from
the never – ending pursuit of ever more.



 12 
Steve Jobs on changing the world

“The people who are crazy enough to think they

can change the world, are the ones who do.”

When you are exceptionally ambitious, you will

always be confronted with naysayers. They will tell
you that whatever you’re trying to accomplish is not
possible. These are the people who will greatly
insult you for your courage to dream. There will be
no word of encouragement from these people – that
is until you have accomplished your mission and
every single one of them slaps you on the back,
telling you that they always knew you could make
it.

If people don’t believe in your dreams, show them

that you can make your vision a reality.



 13 
Confucius on things that cannot be done

“Men who say it cannot be done should not

interrupt men doing it.”

In addition to what was being said in page 13, it is

also worthwhile to point out to think twice before
you tell a friend or a family member that it’s
impossible for them to achieve their dreams.



 14 
Mary Engelbreit on affecting change

“If you don’t like something, change it; if you

can’t change it, change the way you think about
it.”

Aren’t these incredibly powerful words to live by?

Change whatever you don’t like about your life. And

if you are confronted with something that you
cannot change, start thinking differently about it.
Ultimately, the way you think shapes your entire
life. Your thoughts decide whether you see your
failures and imperfections as terrible enemies that
drag you down or if you see them as important
stepping stones on your road to success. All this
shows how incredibly important it is to learn to think
positively about in life. Your thoughts can make or
break you, so start seizing control of this
magnificent power that lies in your hands.



 15 
Suzy Kassem on having dreams

“A heart without dreams is like a bird without

feathers.”

Those who dare to dream are courageous enough to

overcome their fears.



 16 
Albert Einstein on being a genius

“Everyone is a genius. But, if you judge a fish on

its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life
believing it is stupid.”

Every man and woman hold the potential for

greatness. However, this greatness may not always
be recognized by others, especially not when only
superficial metrics are applied. If you only judge
people based on their intelligence, academic
accomplishments, or wealth, you may not be able to
see the huge potential that lies – sometimes dormant
– in all those who are not wealthy and not educated.



 17 
Kurt Cobain on being ridiculed

“They laugh at me because I’m different; I laugh

at them because they’re all the same.”

If you have the courage to stand out from the crowd,

you will often be considered “odd” or “different.”
But the real question you have to ask yourself is if it
is really worthwhile to give up your individuality, to
give up everything that defines you, just to be like
everyone else.



 18 
J. K. Rowling on failure

“It is impossible to live without failing at

something, unless you live so cautiously that you
might as well not have lived at all – in which case,
you fail by default.”

Trying to avoid any kind of risk comes at a price:

regret. If you allow your fear of failure to stop you
from pursuing your dreams, you will sooner or later
come to regret that you did not have the courage to
overcome your fears. Sometimes in life, you simply
have to risk something in order to affect beneficial
changes.



 19 
Confucius on the importance to keep going

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as

you do not stop.”

Every journey – even the longest voyage – starts

with one tiny little step. There are some people who
are amazed at the beauty of a certain destiny (i.e., a
goal), which is why they immediately start running
towards it. They might even boast how fast they are
coming closer to their destination.

None of this really matters. All that matters is that

you continue to pursue your own goals – at your own
pace. Don’t let other people’s accomplishments
discourage you from taking one step after another.
One day you will realize that you have come much
further by setting one foot in front of the other than
all those who sprinted for some time until they
quickly ran out of breath.



 20 
Ingvar Kamprad on achievement

“The most dangerous poison is the feeling of

achievement. The antidote is to every evening think
what can be done better tomorrow.”

The feeling of achievement opens room for

complacency. If you do not continuously seek for
opportunities to grow or to improve something, your
victories will quickly be outdated.



 21 
Ray Kroc on forcing luck

“Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat,

the luckier you get.”

Luck is not something that automatically comes to

you when you’re at home. Many times in life, you
have to go out and force your luck. The more
diligently you pursue your goals and the more effort
you are willing to invest, the more often will your
efforts be accompanied by “lucky coincidences.”



 22 
Paolo Coelho on achieving your dreams

“There is only one thing that makes a dream

impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”

As was already mentioned, your fear of failure is the

greatest enemy that stands in-between you and your
dreams.



 23 
Joshua J. Marine on challenges

“Challenges are what make life interesting and

overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”

Without occasionally challenging yourself, you will

never grow as a person. Only by confronting and
overcoming difficulties, you will become stronger
and more experienced.



 24 
Lao Tzu on patience

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is

accomplished.”

Many things in life can only be accomplished when

you are patient. If you are willing to invest time and
effort, you will eventually bring these things to
fruition. However, those who long for instant results
will quickly become discouraged by the lack of
outcomes.



 25 
Aldous Huxley on happiness

“Happiness is not achieved by the conscious

pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product
of other activities.”

Happiness cannot be pursued. Happiness is a choice.

If you choose to be happy, nothing will ever be able
to crumble your long-term happiness. At the same
time, if you’re able to find happiness within,
changes in the world around you affect your
happiness less and less.



 26 
Michael A. Singer on inner freedom

“Only you can take inner freedom away from

yourself, or give it to yourself. Nobody else can.”

There lies great power in the realization that no

person can ever take your inner freedom away from
you.



 27 
Maya Angelou on wonderful days

“This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one

before.”

Isn’t this a beautiful attitude to live by?



 28 
Dennis P. Kimbro on life

“Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we

react to it.”

No matter what happens to you in life, it all boils

down to how you’re going to react to it. You cannot
change what happens. But you can always influence
how you respond to it. There are many who allow
setbacks and failures to discourage them. Don’t be
one of them! Instead, use whatever happens to you
as a stepping stone to success. This kind of attitude
will help you to realize one day that all the
difficulties you were confronted with in your life
ultimately became the fundament upon which you
build a successful and fulfilling existence.



 29 
Rae Smith on falling apart

“Never be afraid to fall apart because it is an

opportunity to rebuild yourself the way you wish
you had been all along.”

It’s possible that trials and tribulations will rain

down upon you during certain stages of your life.
Wild storms will wreck havoc in your entire life,
leaving nothing but ruins. These situations are
incredibly difficult and extremely unpleasant. But
one day you will realize that something stronger has
emerged from the ashes.



 30 
Ron Carpenter, Jr. on ignorance

“A teachable spirit and a humbleness to admit your

ignorance or your mistake will save you a lot of
pain.”

If you go through life with open eyes, if you are

always honest with yourself and if you always admit
your errors, you can spare yourself many painful
lessons.



 31 
Les Brown on other people’s opinion

“Don’t let someone else’s opinion of you become

your reality.”

In many cases, it can be quite beneficial to listen to

other people’s opinion. However, if you are not
careful, others will impose their – sometimes
negative – opinion about you to such a great extent
on you that it will seem as if it’s true.



 32 
Frank Lynn on comparing yourself

“Do not compare. You paint differently because

you are different.”

Never compare yourself to other people.

Comparisons are never just. You are simply far too
individual to fairly compare yourself to others. Even
further, you almost always lack the right metrics to
properly compare your accomplishments with those
of another person. As a result, comparisons only
cause discontent. The only one you should ever
compare yourself with is your former self.



 33 
John Lennon on the key to life

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told

me that happiness was the key to life. When I went
to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when
I grew up. I wrote down “happy.” They told me I
didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them
they didn’t understand life.”

These words to live by are so beautiful that there

really is nothing to add!



 34 
H. Jackson Brown, Jr. on criticizing others

“Let the refining and improving of your own life

keep you so busy that you have little time to criticize
others.”

If you spend all your time being obsessed about the

imperfections of other people, you may not have
enough time to properly address your own.



 35 
Dejan Stojanovic on walking the talk

“Words rich in meaning can be cheap in sound

effects.”

There are many people who explain their dreams

and goals in the most illustrious ways possible. But
only a small minority actually puts these words into
action.



 36 
Henry Ford on having faith in yourself

“Whether you think you can, or you think you

can’t – you’re right.”

If you believe in yourself, if you are convinced that

you can accomplish your goals, you are much more
likely to succeed eventually.



 37 
Henry Rollins on scar tissue

“Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue.”

Difficulties and setbacks may leave many emotional

scars behind. With time, however, you will realize
that these very experiences contributed in a
miraculous way to your growth as a person.



 38 
Robert Greene on treating others politely

“Never assume that the person you are dealing

with is weaker or less important than you are. If
you want to turn people down, it is best to do so
politely and respectfully, even if you feel their
request is impudent or their offer ridiculous.”

The way you treat others is incredibly important.

Don’t let other people’s misbehavior or misconduct
tempt you to behave in a similar way.



 39 
George Bernard Shaw about finding yourself

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about

creating yourself.”

Life is not about learning to discover your purpose.

It is about learning to create your purpose in life. No
one will hand you a definition of who you are and
who you should become. Similarly, it is very
unlikely that you will all of a sudden stumble across
your purpose in life. It takes time and effort to
actively create your purpose in life and to define
who you are.



 40 
The Dalai Lama on not getting what you want

“Remember that not getting what you want is

sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.”

Not getting what you want can be quite annoying.

But more often than not, there is more than meets
the eye. Not getting what you want can prove to be
an opportunity to try something new. Perhaps it is
even an encouragement for you that you need to try
much harder in order to get what you want. Even
further, it could also be a chance to pursue more
meaningful goals in your life. Many years later you
might even come to the conclusion that whatever
you desired was not even worth pursuing.



 41 
Henry Ford on obstacles

“Obstacles are those things you see when you take

your eyes off the goal.”

Where most people see obstacles and difficulties,

the great only see opportunities.



 42 
William Bruce Cameron on counting
accomplishments

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and

not everything that counts can be counted.”

There are many people who do nothing else in their

lifetime than amassing (countable) possessions.
Their great successes and accomplishments can be
measured pretty accurately. However, only a few of
their actions did really matter. At the same time,
there are many people performing extremely
important services that really matter. These are the
people whose lives really count. No matter if these
people firefighters, nurses, or paramedics.



 43 
Eleanor Roosevelt on great minds

“Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss

events. Small minds discuss people.”

Let’s not focus too much attention on what other

people – especially celebrities – are doing.



 44 
Arthur Schopenhauer on truth

“Every truth passes through three stages before it

is recognized. In the first, it is ridiculed. In the
second, it is opposed. In the third, it is regarded as
self-evident.”

Unfortunately, this is the difficult path that the truth

has to take until it is finally revealed to the public.



 45 
Mark Twain on small people

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your

ambitions. Small people always do that, but the
really great makes you feel that you, too, can
become great.”

If you listen too much to those who try to talk down

on your ambitions, you’ll eventually wind up
believing them.



 46 
Confucius on finding a profession

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to

work a day in your life.”

Finding a job that you really love is perhaps one of

the most rewarding things in life.



 47 
E. Lockhart on your perception of the world

“See the world as it is, not as you wish it would be.”

It is quite difficult to see things as they are. In fact,

it can even be painful to face the truth. However, this
is the only approach that will ultimately set you free.



 48 
Josiah Gilbert Holland on finding the royal road

“There is no royal road to anything. One thing at

a time, all things in succession. That which grows
fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly
endures.”

By taking one step at a time, you will arrive much

faster in your destination than by wishful thinking
about a royal road.



 49 
T. D. Jakes on the past and present

“Don’t allow your past or present condition to

control you. It’s just a process that you’re going
through to get you to the next level.”

Never look back on what happened in the past. Use

the present moment to create a better future.



 50 
Vicki Corona on measuring life

“Life is not measured by the amount of breaths you

take, but by the moments that take your breath
away.”

Wonderful, just wonderful!



 51 
Zig Ziglar on greatness

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have

to start to be great.”

Always remember that you never start as an expert

in whatever you do. All you need to do is to
overcome any kind of procrastination that stops you
from taking one step after another towards
accomplishing greatness.



 52 
Audrey Hepburn on the word “impossible”

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m

possible’.”

Some challenges may seem impossible to overcome.

But if you persist long enough, you’ll be able to see
the opportunities that help you to overcome all the
difficulties.



 53 
Ralph Waldo Emerson going where the path leads

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead

where there is no path and leave a trail.”

If you always go where everyone else is going, you

will always accomplish what everyone else is
accomplishing.



 54 
Vince Lombardi on perfection

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase

perfection, we can catch excellence.”

It is not so important to attain perfection. What is

important is that striving for perfection allows you
to eventually attain excellence and greatness.



 55 
Farrah Gray on building your dreams

“Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire

you to build theirs.”



 56 
John D. Rockefeller, Jr. on making promises

“I believe in the sacredness of a promise, that a

man’s word should be as good as his bond; that
character – not wealth or power or position – is of
supreme worth.”

Another important thought that is tremendously

neglected in this modern day and age.



 57 
James Arthur Ray on reaching your destination

“Often what may appear as a detour in life is

actually the most direct and empowering path to
your destination.”

Not every failure is a negative thing. Sometimes you

will realize months or even years later that only with
this setback was it possible to finally accomplish
your goal.



 58 
Richard Carlson on the things that matter

“Ask yourself this question, will this matter a year

from now?”

Most things that upset us won’t even matter a month

from now. So why even bother?



 59 
Frank Zappa on deviating from the norm

“Without deviation from the norm, progress is not

possible.”

Have the courage to stand out from the crowd!



 60 
Wayne Dyer on conflict

“Conflict cannot survive without your

participation.”

By internalizing these important words to live by

you will realize that it lies greatly in your own hands
whether or not a conflict starts to arise in your life.



 61 
Michael Jordan on making it happen

“Some people want it to happen, some wish it

would happen, others make it happen.”

Wishful thinking will never get anything done. If

you really want to see a dream realized, it takes
diligent work to make it happen. Only by taking a
proactive approach you will ever be able to let your
dreams become a reality. Otherwise, they will
remain what they always were – dreams.



 62 
Milton Berle on creating opportunities

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”

As already mentioned, there are many situations in

life where you need to force your luck. If you don’t
see any opportunities in your present situation,
become active and create those opportunities.



 63 
Roy L. Goodman on happiness

“Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a

destination.”

Don’t make your happiness dependent on the

outcome of your actions. Learn to be happy at this
very moment.



 64 
Albert Einstein on solving problems

“We cannot solve our problems with the same

thinking we used when we created them.”

The mental attitude responsible for many of the

world’s problems must be changed first if we want
to affect long-lasting changes on this planet.



 65 
Aristotle on entertaining thoughts

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to

entertain a thought without accepting it.”

This approach also helps you to remain open to new

ideas and thoughts that are presented to you.



 66 
Henry Ford on facing difficulties

“When everything seems to be going against you,

remember that the airplane takes off against the
wind, not with it.”



 67 
Unknown person on true wealth

“The richest man is not he who has the most, but

he who needs the least.”

The richest person on this planet may not be as

happy as the one who has learned to let go of the
pursuit of their insatiable desires.



 68 
Erma Bombeck on making use of your talent

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I

would hope that I would not have a single bit of
talent left and could say, I used everything you
gave me.”

Don‘t let your various talents lay dormant. Actively

encourage their unfoldment.



 69 
Plato on wise men

“Wise men speak because they have something to

say; fools because they have to say something.”

There are many situations in life where it is better to

remain silent.



 70 
Jamie Paolinetti on limitations

“Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use

our imaginations, our possibilities become
limitless.”

Many of the limitations we are confronted with are

self-imposed. If you learn to identify one limitation
after another, you can greatly accelerate your
growth.



 71 
Henry Rollins on reinventing yourself

“I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention.

To not be like your parents. To not be like your
friends. To be yourself. To cut yourself out of
stone.”

Being yourself is the key to true authenticity.



 72 
William Arthur Ward on discovering greatness

“Greatness is not found in possessions, power,

position, or prestige. It is discovered in goodness,
humility, service, and character.”

These are the characteristics of truly great people.

Possessions, wealth, and power do not necessarily
contribute to a person’s greatness.



 73 
Edward Everett Hale on not refusing to stop

“I am only one; but still, I am one. I cannot do

everything; but still, I can do something; and
because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to
do the something that I can do.”

Don’t allow feelings of powerlessness to stop you

from making a contribution in this world. Just
because you can affect little does not mean you’re
unable to affect anything. Even the slightest
contribution is worthwhile.



 74 
Maurice Switzer on staying silent

“It is better to remain silent at the risk of being

thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of
it.”

At the same time, it helps you to avoid overly

emotional responses that you may regret later on.



 75 
 Conclusion Quote

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”

 Alan Kay

 76 
STEVE MUELLER

Steve is the founder of Planet of Success, the #1

choice when it comes to motivation, self-growth
and empowerment. This world does not need
followers. What it needs is people who stand in
their own sovereignty. Join us in the quest to live
life to the fullest!