Need a little inspiration or a quick pick me up? Perhaps a longer-term attitude adjustment? You’ll find just what you need in this jumbo-size list of quotes on the power of positive thinking.
You may call it positive thinking, positive attitude, positivity, or optimism. It’s all about seeing the glass as half-full! When we learn that we can’t control all of our circumstances but we CAN control our reactions, we begin to move in a direction of positivity.
The quotes collected here come from Aesop and Oprah, Marcus Aurelius and Zig Ziglar, and so many others. Each one encourages you to seek out the positive in life.
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What is the power of positive thinking?
Positive thinking, or an optimistic attitude, is the practice of focusing on the good in any given situation.
This mindset doesn’t mean you ignore reality or make light of problems. It simply means you approach the good and the bad in life with the expectation that things will work out, and that there is good to be found in every situation and circumstance.
Positive thinking means making the most of potential obstacles, trying to see the best in other people, and viewing yourself and your abilities in a positive light.
Quotes That Will Inspire You With Positivity
- “One small positive thought can change your whole day.” Zig Ziglar
2. “Each day provides its own gifts.” Marcus Aurelius
3. “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” Helen Keller
4. “Say something positive, and you’ll see something positive.” Jim Thompson
5. “We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.” Dr. Maya Angelou
6. “The good news is that every morning we have the choice; not to be controlled by circumstances nor our past but by purposely designing our day, hence our lives better. Not to react to life but to respond with love.” Bernard Kelvin Clive
7. “Just for the record darling, not all positive change feels positive in the beginning.” S. C. Lourie
8. “You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” A. A. Milne
9. “Just as one candle lights another and can light thousands of other candles, so one heart illuminates another heart and can illuminate thousands of other hearts.” Leo Tolstoy
10. “There is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.” Amanda Gorman
11. “Do your little bit of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” Archbishop Desmond Tutu
12. “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” Walt Disney
13. “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Fred Rogers
14. “If you see someone without a smile today, give ’em yours.” Dolly Parton
15. “Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.” Anne Frank
16. “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Aesop
17. “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” Marcel Proust
18. “Every strike brings me closer to a home run.” Babe Ruth
19. “You know you can always help to make each day a special day by just your being yourself. You grow in your own way; everyone does. That’s one reason each one of us is different and special and people can like us exactly as we are.” Fred Rogers
20. “A joyful rebellion is you living differently not because you’re mad at how things are but because you are swelling with joy at the thought of how things could be.” Kid President
21. “There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” Edith Wharton
22. “Misery might love company, but so does joy. And joy throws much better parties.” Billy Ivey
23. “To love yourself as you are is a miracle, and to seek yourself is to have found yourself, for now. And now is all we have, and love is who we are.” Anne Lamott
24. “To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” Thich Nhat Hanh
25. “I can’t change the world but I can change the world in me.” Bono
26. “Every day may not be good… but there’s something good in every day.” Alice Morse Earle
27. “There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t.” John Green
28. “Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!” Anne Frank
29. “A positive attitude causes a chain of reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results.” Wade Boggs
30. “I truly believe in positive synergy, that your positive mindset gives you a more hopeful outlook, and belief that you can do something great means you will do something great.” Russell Wilson
31. “I’m convinced of this — Good done anywhere is good done everywhere. For a change, start by speaking to people rather than walking by them like they’re stones that don’t matter. As long as you’re breathing, it’s never too late to do some good.” Dr. Maya Angelou
32. “Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.” Seneca
33. “Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you.” Mary Lou Retton
34. “The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” Oprah Winfrey
35. “It makes a big difference in your life when you stay positive.” Ellen DeGeneres
36. “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” Dalai Lama
37. “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” Leonard Cohen
38. “Stay positive and happy. Work hard and don’t give up. Be open to criticism and keep learning. Surround yourself with happy, warm and genuine people.” Tena Desae
39. “Extraordinary things are always hiding in places people never think to look.” Jodi Picoult
40. “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” Desmond Tutu
41. “As we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence actually liberates others.” Marianne Williamson
42. “If you see the world and yourself through a lens smudged by negativity, then you’ll find much misery. If you look outwards and inwards through lens brightened by positivity you’ll find much to be happy and appreciative about.” Henrik Edberg
43. “It’s amazing. Life changes very quickly, in a very positive way, if you let it.” Lindsey Vonn
44. “Train your mind to see the good in every situation.” Unknown
45. “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” Mahatma Gandhi
46. “Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” Nathaniel Hawthorne
47. “You do not find the happy life. You make it.” Thomas S. Monson
48. “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.” John Lennon
49. “Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” Roy T. Bennett
50. “Don’t forget to tell yourself positive things daily! You must love yourself internally to grow externally.” Hannah Bronfman
51. “What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
52. “Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.” Dalai Lama
53. “The joy of life is becoming a person you are proud of.” Bill Orender
54. “The power of imagination makes us infinite.” John Muir
55. “The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” Bertrand Russell
56. You’re off to great places, today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.” Dr. Seuss
57. “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
58. “One day or day one. It’s your choice.” Unknown
59. “In every day, there are 1,440 minutes. That means we have 1,440 daily opportunities to make a positive impact.” Les Brown
60. “Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.” Francesca Reigler
61. “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” Mae West
62. “I never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun.” Katherine Hepburn
63. “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” Omar Khayyam
64. “Staying positive does not mean everything will turn out okay. Rather, it means you will be okay no matter how things turn out.” Unknown
65. “Whatever is worrying you right now—forget about it. Take a deep breath, stay positive and know things will get better.” Unknown
66. “The things you’re waiting and hoping for tend to arrive at the most unexpected moments.” Unknown
67. “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Maria Robinson
68. “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” Colin Powell
69. “You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.” Joyce Meyer
70. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will create the fact.” William James
71. “A good laugh is sunshine in the house.” William Makepeace Thackeray
72. “My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud.” Henry Rollins
73. “It’s your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and don’t take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver.” Betty White
74. “A positive attitude is something everyone can work on, and everyone can learn how to employ it.” Joan Lunden
75. “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” Abraham Lincoln
Read More:
- 10 Action Steps to Keep You on the Sunny Side of Life
- 40 Gratitude, Appreciation, and Thankfulness Quotes
- Life Lessons That Make Us Better People
- Finding Happiness in Simplicity: 101 Ideas to Make You Smile
Final Thoughts on 75 Quotes on the Power of Positive Thinking
Whether you just seek a bit of instant motivation or are looking for a change in life perspective, the wisdom collected here can help you move forward on a path of positivity.
Which quote is your favorite?
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