The human story has remained the same for as long as humanity has existed. Our humble beginnings are peppered with missteps, mistakes, and mishaps.
But we also know that staying the same – never changing – never challenging – is not what the human experience is about.
So if you’re facing a tough challenge in your life – a mountain you must climb or valley you must cross – this article is for you.
You know deep within you that the only direction is forward and the only action is to keep moving – you just need some motivation to do so.
So here are 25 quotes from successful people who all understood that to keep moving forward is to fully experience life, no matter what.
Michelle Obama | American First Lady (2009-17), Attorney, and Author
“Don’t ever make decisions based on fear. Make decisions based on hope and possibility. Make decisions based on what should happen, not what shouldn’t.”
Michelle Obama
Olga Korbut | Olympic Gold Medalist
“Don’t be afraid if things seem difficult in the beginning. That’s only the initial impression. The important thing is not to retreat; you have to master yourself.”
Olga Korbut
Arianna Huffington | The Huffington Post Co-Founder, Thrive Global CEO, and Author
“But you have to do what you dream of doing even while you’re afriad.”
Arianna Huffington
Susan Wojcicki | YouTube CEO
“Things are always changing. Part of being successful here is being comfortable with not knowing what’s going to happen.”
Susan Wojcicki
Martin Luther King, Jr. | Minister and Activist
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Theodore Roosevelt | 26th President of the United States
“In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing to do, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
Theodore Roosevelt
Ellen DeGeneres | Comedian, Television Host, Actress, Writer, and Producer
“You just have to keep driving down the road. It’s going to bend and curve and you’ll speed up and slow down, but the road keeps going.”
Ellen DeGeneres
Albert Einstein | Physicist and Nobel Prize Winner
“Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
Albert Einstein
Oprah Winfrey | Television Producer, Actress, and Author
“Don’t worry about being successful but work toward being significant and the success will naturally follow.”
Oprah Winfrey
Alyson Noel | Author
“The only thing a person can ever really do is keep moving forward. Take that big leap forward without hesitation, without once looking back. Simply forget the past and forge toward the future.”
Alyson Noel
Alexander Graham Bell | Inventer, Scientist and Engineer
“When one door closes, another opens, but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”
Alexander Graham Bell
Denis Waitley | Motivational Speaker and Author
“Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energy moving forward together towards an answer.”
Denis Waitley
Pantea Kalhor | Author
“Let’s dare to promote ourselves to better ‘us’ by working hard and moving forward instead of regretting and rewinding the past.”
Pantea Kalhor
Mary Kay Ash | Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc. Founder
“Do you know that within your power lies every step you ever dreamed of stepping and within your power lies every joy you ever dreamed of seeing? Within yourself lies everything you ever dreamed of being. Become everything that God wants you to be. It is within your reach. Dare to grow into your dreams and claim this as your motto: Let it be me.”
Mary Kay Ash
Eleanor Roosevelt | Political Figure, Diplomat and Activist
“Women are like teabags. We don’t know our true strength until we are in hot water.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
Steve Jobs | Apple Inc. Co-founder
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”
Steve Jobs
Cassandra Sanford | KellyMitchell CEO
“If this is something that you really want to do, if you believe in it…simply keep forging forward because success will come.”
Cassandra Sanford
Denise Duffield-Thomas | Author and Entrepreneur
“Start today by imagining the life you want in the future and taking one practice step towards it.”
Denise Duffield-Thomas
David DeNotaris | World Champion Athlete, Author, and Speaker
“Dissatisfaction is a great starting point, for it is right there that we have the most power, strength, and energy to push change through.”
David DeNotaris
Les Brown | Motivational Speaker
“Are the people around you holding you back or empowering you to move forward? If your life is going nowhere, take a look at the group of people you hang around with.”
Les Brown
Jim Rohn | Entreprenuer, Author and Motivational Speaker
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
Jim Rohn
Germany Kent | Entrepreneur, Journalist, and Author
“If you feel stuck, move. You’re not a tree.”
Germany Kent
Walt Disney | Entrepreneur, Animator, Writer, and Film Producer
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
Walt Disney
Shonda Rhimes | Television Producer, Screenwriter, and Author
“Ditch the dream and be a doer, not a dreamer, whether or not you know what your ‘passion’ might be. The truth is, it doesn’t matter. You don’t have to know. You just have to keep moving forward. You just have to keep doing something, seizing the next opportunity, staying open to trying something new.”
Shonda Rhimes
When you look at the successful people in the world, remember that they all started off making mistakes.
But they didn’t stop, they didn’t give up, and they didn’t quit.
Hopefully, their inspiring words will help you to keep moving forward, no matter what.
