These short, powerful quotes and inspirational sayings can help you achieve success, build self-esteem, and develop deeper self-love.
Life can be really tough. Even though it’s beautiful and lovely much of the time, anxiety, depression, and other life challenges can take a serious toll on our mental wellness and make us feel unworthy, doubtful, and scared. While it’s so easy (and perfectly understandable!) to let our negative thoughts take over, reciting these daily positive affirmations can help lift us up and make us feel more confident, successful, healthier, and happier.
These inspirational sayings and short quotes — from self-help personalities, global humanitarians, and mental health champions like Oprah Winfrey, Brené Brown, Deepak Chopra, Maya Angelou, and Nelson Mandela — can be written down in a journal or recited first thing in the morning after saying your daily prayers. Another idea: Write a few of these inspiring phrases on a piece of paper and tack them up on your mirror. Better yet, memorize a few of your favorite positive quotes or mental health affirmations from this list and make one of them your very own mantra.
Positive affirmations are for any time and for everyone (from kids and teens to men and women) to learn how to practice self-kindness, reduce stress, and set yourself up for greater success. Studies show that self-affirmation can make a positive impact on your mental wellness, so there's really no downside to giving it a try. No matter the reason you want to start saying daily affirmations today — maybe you're having a bad mental health day or your self-esteem is at an all-time low — this list is bound to serve as a much-needed pick-me-up and lead to positive change.
1
Angela Davis
“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” Those words were said by the now 80-year-old Angela Davis, who fostered change in the 1970s and beyond as a feminist and activist.
2
Dalai Lama
In his incredibly popular book, The Art of Happiness, The Dalai Lama wisely wrote, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
3
Oprah Winfrey
There is never a shortage of “Oprah-isms” to live by, but here’s a positive affirmation shared in a 2018 article: “The answers keep unfolding as your life expands, if you’re willing to see things for what they are — and what they can be.”
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4
Diane von Furstenberg
As a self-made woman of the 1970s and the inventor of the wrap dress, Diane Von Furstenberg (now a Target designer!) once said, “You are the one that possesses the keys to your being. You carry the passport to your own happiness.”
5
Glennon Doyle
“The braver I am, the luckier I get,” was written by author and activist Glennon Doyle in her inspiring book Untamed.
6
Janelle Monáe
In the song “Q.U.E.E.N.” by Janelle Monáe, she shares these empowering lyrics: “Even if it makes others uncomfortable, I will love who I am.”
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7
Maya Angelou
Even though she passed over a decade ago, poet Maya Angelou’s words continue to serve as powerful positive affirmations. In her book Letter to My Daughter, she wrote these beautiful words: “Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud.”
8
Louise Hay
The late self-help author Louise Hay, who came up with positive affirmations long before they were cool, once wrote, “I choose to make the rest of my life the best of my life.”
9
Brené Brown
Everyone’s favorite self-help author and professor, Brené Brown wrote this quote in her book Daring Greatly: “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
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10
Beyoncé
"I don't like to gamble, but if there's one thing I'm willing to bet on, it's myself.” You said it, Beyoncé, the singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur who’s now taking a turn as a country music artist.
11
Malala Yousafzai
In her book I Am Malala, Malala Yousafzai, the inspiring education advocate and Nobel Peace Prize winner wrote, “Life isn't just about taking in oxygen and giving out carbon dioxide.”
12
Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington, the CEO of Thrive Global and founder of The Huffington Post, wrote in her book Thrive, “Living in a state of gratitude is the gateway to grace.”
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13
Deepak Chopra
“The most creative act you will ever undertake is the act of creating yourself,” a wise phrase that self-help and alternative medicine advocate Deepak Chopra wrote in his book The Way of the Wizard: Twenty Spiritual Lessons for Creating the Life You Want.
14
Michelle Obama
At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, First Lady Michelle Obama first shared a phrase that we still love: “When they go low, we go high.”
15
Carl Jung
The famous psychologist Carl Jung once said these powerful words on self-discovery: “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are."
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16
Serena Williams
Serena Williams, the queen of tennis turned entrepreneur (with so much chutzpah), is quoted saying, “You have to be fearless to have success."
17
Thích Nhất Hạnh
The peace-loving Vietnamese Zen master and author Thích Nhất Hạnh wrote, “The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it,” in his book Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life.
18
Blake Auden
Award-winning modern poet and author Blake Auden wrote, “Every now and then, you will fall apart, and maybe that’s okay because you can leave behind those pieces you don’t need when you put yourself back together.”
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19
Ram Dass
Spiritual teacher and author Ram Dass once shared these words that can pacify those hectic days: “The quieter you become, the more you can hear.”
20
Tara Brach
“The boundary to what we can accept is the boundary to our freedom.” Psychologist and Buddhist meditation teacher Tara Brach wrote this affirmation in her beloved book Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha.
Shelby Deering
Shelby Deering is a lifestyle writer who specializes in decor, home tours, wellness, travel, vintage, and feel-good stories for national publications. She’s from Madison, Wisconsin, and when she’s not writing, you’ll find her running local trails, shopping flea markets, or going for walks with her husband and corgi.
