Maxime is the founder and chief editor of WisdomQuotes. He has been collecting quotes since 2004. His goal? To help you develop a calm, peaceful and powerful mind. Learn more about him on his about page.
I’ve been collecting and using quotes since 2004.
And one thing I’ve learned is this:
the most effective and inspiring quotes are the shortest.
Here are 130 of the best short quotes that will inspire you faster than watching 13 YouTube videos.
Are you ready for great one-liners, simple thoughts, and wise sayings to start your day?
Let’s begin!
You can totally do this.
Take the risk or lose the chance.
No pressure, no diamonds. Thomas Carlyle
We can do anything we want to if we stick to it long enough. Helen Keller
Stay foolish to stay sane. Maxime Lagacé
Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong. Winston Churchill

Try again. Fail again. Fail better. Samuel Beckett
Impossible is for the unwilling. John Keats
Once you choose hope, anything’s possible. Christopher Reeve
I can and I will.
The fastest road to meaning and success: choose one thing and go all in. Maxime Lagacé
Don’t tell people your plans. Show them your results.

Good things happen to those who hustle. Anaïs Nin
Go forth on your path, as it exists only through your walking. Augustine of Hippo
When nothing goes right, go left.
He who is brave is free. Seneca
Prove them wrong.
Related
- 100 Positive Quotes To Uplift Yourself
- 77 Life Lessons Quotes (To Learn And Grow)
- 57 Life Goes On Quotes That Will Move You
Are you enjoying the quotes so far?
Keep reading to discover even more great ones by Steve Jobs, Gandhi, Socrates, Picasso, etc.
I’ve been indulging myself in short inspirational quotes every day since 2004.
In fact, short sentences, mantras, and positive self-talk have changed my life completely.
Before my girlfriend died in a car accident, I was upbeat, confident, and felt I could truly change the world.
Then, suddenly, I was depressed and confused. It lasted years.
I remember my sister asking, “Is everything alright Max?”.
The answer was simple: “no.”
I wasn’t unable to enjoy life as before.
So what happened?
I discovered books, blogs, and quotes.
In a way, they became my guide and inspiration.
The more I was reading them, the better I felt.
Eventually, I started my own website to share that joy and passion for beautiful short words.
A few years later, it became WisdomQuotes, the website you’re reading right now.
I hope quotes will do the same for you.
The Best Short Quotes
No guts, no story. Chris Brady
Screw it, let’s do it. Richard Branson
Boldness be my friend. William Shakespeare
My life is my message. Mahatma Gandhi
Keep going. Be all in. Bryan Hutchinson
Dream big. Pray bigger.
Leave no stone unturned. Euripides
Stay hungry. Stay foolish. Steve Jobs
And so the adventure begins.
If you want it, work for it.
You can if you think you can. George Reeves
Whatever you are, be a good one. Abraham Lincoln
Broken crayons still color.
Grow through what you go through.
Do it with passion or not at all.
If it matters to you, you’ll find a way. Charlie Gilkey
She believed she could, so she did.
The past does not equal the future. Tony Robbins
Forget about style; worry about results. Bobby Orr
Dream without fear. Love without limits.
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Success is the child of audacity. Benjamin Disraeli
Whatever you do, do with all your might. Marcus Tullius Cicero
If you’re going through hell, keep going. Winston Churchill
We are twice armed if we fight with faith. Plato
Every noble work is at first impossible. Thomas Carlyle
You matter.
Open your mind. Get up off the couch. Move. Anthony Bourdain
Be faithful to that which exists within yourself. André Gide
Let him that would move the world first move himself. Socrates
Persistence guarantees that results are inevitable. Paramahansa Yogananda
Each day provides its own gifts. Marcus Aurelius
I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees. Euripides
The true success is the person who invented himself. Al Goldstein
The wisest mind has something yet to learn. George Santanaya
Fall seven times, stand up eight. Japanese proverb
Part 2. Short Inspirational Quotes That ARE…
Very Short Quotes (For Tattoos, Mantras, etc.)
Go!
Love.
Begin.
Let go.
Breathe.
Slow down.
Let it be.
Go for it.
I love you.
Choose joy.
Choose happy.
Take it easy.
Be in the now.
Live the moment.
Keep going.
Do it. With love.
Keep your chin up.
Follow your heart.
Never stop dreaming.
Now is all you have.
Keep moving forward.
Love more. Worry less.
Nothing lasts forever.
Work hard. Stay humble.
Enjoy the little things.
The best is yet to come.
Collect moments – not things.
Feel the fear and do it anyway.
Deep Small Quotes
Be a voice. Not an echo.
Seek the seeker. Ramana Maharshi
Silence is an answer too.
Every wall is a door. Ralph Waldo Emerson
If youth knew; if age could. Sigmund Freud
Time is the soul of this world. Pythagoras
Life is short, death is forever. Chuck Palahniuk
Stars can’t shine without darkness.
Be who you needed when you were young.
It takes a long time to become young. Pablo Picasso
Innocence is courage and clarity both. Osho
Find what you love and let it kill you. Charles Bukowski
I am not young enough to know everything. Oscar Wilde
You’ve gotta know what death is to know life. Jack Kevorkian
Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today. Will Rogers
God provides the wind, but man must raise the sails. Augustine of Hippo
Character, like a photograph, develops in darkness.
Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth. Pablo Picasso
The truth isn’t always beauty, but the hunger for it is. Nadine Gordimer
The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship. William Blake
Hearts are wild creatures, that’s why our ribs are cages.
Your faith can move mountains and your doubt can create them.
The knowledge of happiness brings the knowledge of unhappiness. Swami Vivekananda
There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward. Kahlil Gibran
It’s so strange that autumn is so beautiful, yet everything is dying.
You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop. Rumi
When you’re happy you enjoy the music, when you’re sad you understand the lyrics.
When you’ve seen beyond yourself, then you may find, peace of mind is waiting there. George Harrison
If you do it for competition you’re screwed. If you do it for love you have a chance. Maxime Lagacé
Wise Short Quotations and Phrases
You have to be odd to be number one. Dr. Seuss
Please all, and you will please none. Aesop
The fool wonders, the wise man asks. Benjamin Disraeli
A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor.
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.
A man can’t ride your back unless it’s bent. Martin Luther King Jr
Don’t raise your voice. Improve your argument.
There is no saint without a past, no sinner without a future. Augustine of Hippo
Failure is success if we learn from it. Malcolm Forbes
Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice. Henry Ford
It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. Henry David Thoreau
What counts can’t always be counted; what can be counted doesn’t always count. Albert Einstein
It’s no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense. Mark Twain
The man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd. James Crook
Some people are so poor, all they have is money. Jack Kerouac
Concentration is the ability to think about absolutely nothing when it is absolutely necessary. Ray Knight
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt. Mark Twain
Related: 100 Words of Wisdom From The Best Minds (Ever)
Part 3. Conclusion
Love the life you live. Live the life you love. Bob Marley
Let’s recap:
- Life is short. Be patient with results and impatient with actions.
- You can accomplish lots of things. Commit to ONE and give it your 100%. Then go to the next.
- Choose hope and positivity. But remember: it will not be easy.
- Stop overthinking. Planning is fine, but life gets better when you trust more.
- The life you’re living right now is the only one you’ll ever have. So GO!
Further Readings
- Topic: Life
- 100 Life Quotes That Will Inspire You
- 100 One Word Quotes (For Quick Inspiration)
- 101 Two Word Quotes (Find Motivation And Inspiration)
- 155 Of The Most Famous Quotes Of All Time
- 120 Inspirational Quotes For Teens To Cheer Yourself Up
- 100 Inspirational Quotes For Women To Empower You
- 130 Inspirational Quotes For Men
- 100 Deep Quotes That Will Make You Think
- Thought of the Day – 150 Inspiring Quotes For Reflection
- Simple Living: 30 Ways To Simplify Your Life
- 21 Life-Changing Questions To Ask Yourself Today
- 15 Life-Changing Books That Will Empower You
- 73 Life Tips To Live Your Best Life
Hope you liked these short inspirational quotes! If you did, share one of them with a friend today!
What’s your favorite short quote? Please let us know in the comment section below!
Table Of Contents
Part 1
Top 17 Images
Best Quotes
Part 2
Short Inspirational Quotes That ARE
Very Short
Deep
Wise
Part 3
Conclusion
Pin this image!
You have compiled a gem! I was looking for inspiration for a sibling business venture about to launch and your website delivered many options without clutter and irritating pop ups. Thank you!
This makes me smile, Sarah! 😊
It’s one of the goals of WisdomQuotes: to have a clean and pleasant website for people.
Thank you,
Maxime
Thank you for compiling these great quotes in an easy format. No ads popping up asking me to click to continue made this experience calm. I noted down some quotes to reflect on thru the year. Thanks again.
Happy you liked Esther!
I also hate when there are so many ads and popups the experience becomes irritating.
That’s one of the reasons I made WisdomQuotes this way! 🙂
I ran across all your quotes and I have decided that as an activity Director at a care facility I’m going to put one of these up every day in the dining room. I think they will love them
Thank you for doing this, Karen.
Trying to inspire others is a great deed!
Best,
Maxime
It has been a great pleasure reading your awesome collection of quotes…loved each one of them.
My favourite one…Love more, worry less.
Thank you, Neena!
Worrying is so much easier than loving.
We must live intentionally.
Best,
Maxime
It’s amazing how a few words can often have a large impact. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Caney!
Indeed, words are powerful. They have the capacity to change our moods, minds and life.
Best,
Maxime
Awesome compilation of wisdom and knowledge. I came here intending to just write down a couple good ones but ended up printing the entire page.
Thank you Mark!
Can’t expect more than that from a comment 🙂
This made me happy.
Glad you liked.
Best,
Maxime
Slava Ukraine!!!
You’re right Sanne!
Thank you
Such beautiful quotes! Thank you for sharing with us!
Thank you Laura!
Glad you liked them 🙂
Maxime
I like to give a quote to my team at work each week with assignments we work on. Thanx SO MUCH for having such easy, short yet meaningful messages. I am set for the the whole year AND SOME!! 🙂
You’re are doing something important, Angela.
Thank you for doing that! 🙂
Maxime
I am From India. Your quotes are just speechless. It creates happiness and gives a glimpes of meaningful life. Truly appreciating👍.
Thank you so much.
Glad you liked them! 🙂