Attitude isn’t just a mood, it’s the undercurrent of how we think, act and move through the world. It shapes our response to setbacks, our ability to work with others and our willingness to keep going when things get tough. A strong, positive attitude doesn’t mean we have to pretend everything’s perfect. It means choosing to show up with confidence and mental strength, even when life throws us the unexpected. The attitude quotes we’ll explore below are more than about just the moment. Rather, they touch on what’s beneath the surface that can lead us to be unstoppable. 

Maybe you’re working on personal growth, chasing a big goal or just trying to stay grounded in a noisy world. In any case, your mindset matters. It can be the thing that shifts your energy, lifts your focus and keeps your feet moving when motivation fades. If that sounds familiar, you might also find value in changing your mindset for success or learning how to overcome a can’t-do attitude. In order to help, we’ve curated these attitude sayings to help you build a mindset that can help lead you to success. 

From positive mental attitude quotes to sayings about effort, leadership and grit, the sections below offer encouragement for wherever you’re at. You might be leading a team, building something from the ground up or just simply trying to speak to yourself more kindly. In any situation, these quotes are a reminder: a strong attitude won’t make life easy, but it will help you handle it better.

Positive Mental Attitude Quotes to Help You Be Unstoppable

Your attitude shapes everything; how you approach problems, how you handle success, how you treat people and yourself. A positive mental attitude doesn’t mean ignoring reality, it means choosing to respond with confidence. In fact, it’s the foundation of resilience and the thing that keeps you going when things feel impossible. These strong quotes on attitude can be your reminders.

• “The power of positive thinking is the ability to generate a feeling of certainty in yourself when nothing in the environment supports you.” —Tony Robbins
• “There is very little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude.” —Napoleon Hill, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude
• “Your past does not equal your future.” —Tony Robbins
• “You are what you think.” —Napoleon Hill, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude
• “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” —Thomas Jefferson

• “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” —Maya Angelou
• “Attitude, not aptitude, determines altitude.” —Zig Ziglar
• “Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” —Zig Ziglar
• “Stormy or sunny days, glorious or lonely nights, I maintain an attitude of gratitude.” —Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter
• “Be on your own side.” —Maya Angelou, in interview with SELF magazine

Related: Powerful Perseverance Quotes to Help You Keep Going

Motivational Quotes for a Positive Attitude Toward Hard Work

Attitude and effort go hand in hand. You can be talented, smart and capable, but without the right attitude towards your hard work, your progress can stall. In addition, a positive, determined winning attitude can make the tough days count while making the good days even better. These motivational, positive attitude quotes on having a winning attitude remind us that grit, optimism and drive aren’t separate from success, they’re what fuel it.

• “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” —Vidal Sassoon
• “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” —Tim Notke
• “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope.” —Helen Keller, Optimism
• “There is no substitute for hard work.” —Thomas Edison
• “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” —Thomas Jefferson
• “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” —Vince Lombardi

• “There is no substitute for hard work. Never give up. Never stop believing. Never stop fighting.” —Hope Hicks
• “Work hard in silence, let success make the noise.” —Frank Ocean
• “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” —Colin Powell
• “The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.” —Harry Golden

Related: Determination Quotes to Power Forward

Inspirational ‘Attitude Is Everything’ Quotes to Gain Determination & Resilience

There’s a reason so many leaders, thinkers and writers say attitude is everything. It’s not just a saying, it’s a truth that shows up again and again. When your mindset is steady and grounded, you can face setbacks, push through challenges and stay committed even when the outcome isn’t certain. Use these “attitude and effort” quotes to help you make it through anything.

• “Attitude reflects leadership, Captain.” —Julius Campbell, “Remember the Titans”
• “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” —Lou Holtz
• “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms… to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” —Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
• “Happiness depends on your mindset and attitude.” —Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
• “A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts… sparks extraordinary results.” —Wade Boggs
• “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” —Scott Hamilton
• “The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.” —Oprah Winfrey
• “A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.” —Jeff Keller, Attitude Is Everything: Change Your Attitude… And You Change Your Life! 
• “Life doesn’t reward those who refuse to expose themselves to difficulties and challenges.” —Jeff Keller, Attitude Is Everything: Change Your Attitude… And You Change Your Life!

• “Your attitude is something that is completely within your control” —Mark Fritz, The Truth About Getting More Done

Short Phrases to Help You Foster a Winning Attitude

Sometimes, all it takes is a short, punchy reminder to shift your mindset back into gear. This section is packed with original, short positive attitude quotes written by SUCCESS® team members. There are no clichés, just quick bursts of truth and encouragement to help you reset or recommit. In fact, you can use them like a mental sticky note. Print one. Memorize a few. Say them out loud when you need to. They’re designed to help you hold onto a strong, steady attitude when everything else feels up in the air.

• “Your mindset is your loudest voice, so make sure it speaks like someone who backs you.”
• “Attitude is the engine. Skill and luck are just passengers.”
• “Stay steady. You don’t need to shout to be strong.”
• “Quit waiting for motivation. Show up with grit instead.”
• “A good attitude won’t hand you results. It hands you the will to earn them.”

• “Keep your head high and your excuses low.”
• “The real flex is effort without complaint.”
• “You can’t fake hunger. It shows in your attitude.”
• “I’m not here to be liked. I’m here to be real, and that’s harder to fake.”
• “Respect is earned. Approval is optional.”

‘Be Unstoppable’ Quotes to Remind You the Effort Is Worth It

What does it mean to be unstoppable? It’s not about pushing blindly or acting like nothing gets to you. It’s about choosing to keep going. Even more, it’s knowing who you are, what matters to you and refusing to quit on it. These attitude quotes are for those moments when doubt creeps in, when progress feels slow or when you just need a jolt of perspective.

• “It is not the critic who counts… The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena… who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming…” —Theodore Roosevelt, Citizenship in a Republic
• “The climb might be tough and challenging, but the view is worth it. There is a purpose for that pain; you just can’t always see it right away.” —Victoria Arlen
• “A little more persistence, a little more effort and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.” —Elbert Hubbard
• “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” —Newt Gingrich
• “Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.” —Napoleon Hill, Napoleon Hill: Collected Works
• “No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment.” —Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success 
• “I don’t stop when I’m tired. I stop when I’m done.” —David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds
• “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” —Jim Ryun

• “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” —Beverly Sills

The Right Attitude Makes the Hard Stuff Worth It

We don’t always feel motivated, but we can choose our mindsets. While a good attitude won’t fix everything, it can change how you face it. Let these attitude quotes stay with you when things get loud, messy or uncertain. After all, the right attitude isn’t just about being positive. It’s about being steady, focused and ready to keep going. And that’s what can make you truly unstoppable.

This article was updated in August 2025. Photo by Kinga/Shutterstock

We ultimately become what we habitually do. If your daily habits aren’t moving you forward, they are holding you back. Here are four widespread examples of the latter that often drain people of their true potential, day after day, and some strategies for turning things around if you’re currently stuck in that cycle…

1. Most of us hold on too tight for too long.

Twenty years ago, when Marc and I were just undergrads in college, our psychology professor taught us a lesson we’ve never forgotten. On the last day of class before graduation, she walked up on stage to teach one final lesson, which she called “a vital lesson on the power of perspective and mindset.” As she raised a glass of water over her head, everyone expected her to mention the typical “glass half empty or glass half full” metaphor. Instead, with a smile on her face, our professor asked, “How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?”

Students shouted out answers ranging from a couple of ounces to a couple of pounds.

After a few moments of fielding answers and nodding her head, she replied, “From my perspective, the absolute weight of this glass is irrelevant. It all depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two, it’s fairly light. If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache. If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor. In each case, the absolute weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.”

As most of us students nodded our heads in agreement, she continued. “Your worries, frustrations, disappointments, and stressful thoughts are very much like this glass of water. Think about them for a little while and nothing drastic happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to feel noticeable pain. Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralyzed, incapable of doing anything else until you drop them.”

Think about how this relates to your life and your recent endeavors over the past year or so.

If you’ve been struggling to cope with the weight of what’s on your mind, it’s a strong sign it’s time to let go and put the figurative glass down.

2. Most of us try to control everything.

We must remind ourselves that we can’t calm life’s storms. What we can do is calm ourselves, and the storms will eventually pass. The most powerful and practical changes happen when we decide to take control of what we do have power over, instead of craving control over what we don’t.

So be honest with yourself: How often did you aim for full control this past year?

It’s OK. But it’s time for a release…

As you read these words, you are breathing. Stop for a moment and notice this breath. You can control this breath, and make it faster or slower, or make it behave as you like. Or you can simply let yourself inhale and exhale naturally. There is peace in just letting your lungs breathe, without having to control the situation or do anything about it. Now imagine letting other parts of your body breathe, like your tense shoulders. Just let them be, without having to tense them or control them.

Now look around the room you’re in and notice the objects around you. Pick one, and let it breathe. There are likely people in the room with you too, or in the same house or building, or in nearby houses or buildings. Visualize them in your mind, and let them breathe.

When you let everything and everyone breathe, you just let them be, exactly as they are. You don’t need to control them, worry about them, or change them. You just let them breathe, in peace, and you accept them as they are… so you can find inner calmness, and be on your way. This is the foundation of what letting go is all about. It can be a life-changing practice. (Note: Marc and I discuss this in more detail in the Adversity chapter of “1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently”.)

3. Most of us tell ourselves stories.

Many of the biggest misunderstandings in life could be avoided if we simply took the time to ask, “What else could this mean?” A wonderful way to do this is by using a reframing tool we initially picked up from research professor Brene Brown, which we then tailored through our coaching work with students and live event attendees. We call the tool The story I’m telling myself. Although asking the question itself—“What else could this mean?”—can help reframe our thoughts and broaden our perspectives, using the simple phrase The story I’m telling myself as a prefix to troubling thoughts has undoubtedly created many “aha moments” for our students and clients in recent times.

Here’s how it works: The story I’m telling myself can be applied to any difficult life situation or circumstance in which a troubling thought is getting the best of you. For example, perhaps someone you love (husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc.) didn’t call you or text you when they said they would, and now an hour has passed and you’re feeling upset because you’re obviously not a high enough priority to them. When you catch yourself feeling this way, use the phrase: The story I’m telling myself is that they didn’t call me because I’m not a high enough priority to them.

Then ask yourself these questions:

• Can I be absolutely certain this story is true?
• How do I feel and behave when I tell myself this story?
• What’s one other possibility that might also be true?

Challenge yourself to think better on a daily basis — to challenge the stories you subconsciously tell yourself and do a reality check with a more objective mindset.

4. Most of us say yes too often.

We all have ongoing opportunities and obligations, but a healthy and productive routine can only be found in the long run by properly managing your yeses. And yes, sometimes you have to say “no” to really good opportunities and obligations. You can’t always be agreeable — that’s how people take advantage of you. And that’s how you end up taking advantage of yourself too. You have to set clear boundaries!

You might have to say no to certain favors, work projects, community associations, volunteer groups… coaching your kid’s sports teams, or some other seemingly worthwhile activity. I know what you’re thinking: it seems unfair to say no when these are very worthwhile things to do — it pains you to say no! But you must, because the alternative is that you’re going to do a half-baked, poor job at each one, be stressed out, feel like you’re stuck in an endless cycle of busyness, and eventually you’ll reach a breaking point.

Truth be told, the main thing that keeps so many of us stuck in a debilitating cycle of overwhelm is the fantasy in our minds that we can be everything to everyone, everywhere at once, and a hero on all fronts. But again, that’s not reality. The reality is you’re not Superman or Wonder Woman — you’re human and you have limits. So you have to let go of that idea of doing everything, pleasing everyone, and being everywhere.

In the end, you’re either going to do a few things well, or everything poorly. That’s the truth.

A four-step exercise for building better habits:

If you feel like your daily habits have held you back in recent times, this actionable closing exercise is for YOU.

Choose any area in your life that you want to improve, and then:

1. Write down the specific details about your current circumstances. (What’s bothering you? Where are you stuck? What do you want to change?)
2. Write down your answer to this question: What are the daily habits that have contributed to your current circumstances? (Be honest with yourself. What are you doing regularly that actually contributes to the situation you’re in?)
3. Write down a few specific details about the “better circumstances” you’d like to create for yourself. (What would make you feel good? What does an improved situation look like for you?)
4. Write down your answer to this question: What are the (new) daily habits that will get you from where you are to where you want to be? (Think about it. What small, daily steps will help you gradually move forward from point A to point B?)

Now it’s your turn…

Yes, it’s your turn to not fall back into your old regrettable habits and patterns of living simply because they’re more comfortable and easier to access. It’s your turn to remember that you’re changing certain habits and patterns for a reason: to improve your life and make the very best of what’s ahead — because you can’t move forward if you keep falling back.

But before you go, please leave Marc and me a comment below and let us know what you think of this essay. Your feedback is important to us.

Which one of the points above resonated the most today?

Finally, if you haven’t done so already, be sure to sign-up for our free newsletter to receive new articles like this in your inbox each week.

Tony Robbins says only massive, determined actions will stop us from making the same bad decisions that have kept us where we aTony Robbins has spent decades helping people transform their mindset, take bold action and achieve success. From bestselling books like Awaken the Giant Within to seminars like “Unleash the Power Within,” his strategies are rooted in clarity, action and belief. Tony Robbins quotes reflect his powerful work and can provide incredible motivation. 

He teaches that only massive, determined action can break the cycle of poor decisions and limiting beliefs. What bad habits are holding you back? What stories do you keep telling yourself?

Starting today, shut down negative thoughts and focus on achieving the dreams you know you’re capable of. Use these quotes as fuel to propel you forward.

This collection features some of Tony Robbins’ most powerful quotes—some iconic, some lesser known—all grounded in his teachings on success, mindset, identity and purpose.

Some of the Best Tony Robbins Quotes for Massive Motivation

Tony Robbins is synonymous with motivation. His powerful delivery, deep empathy and real-life strategies make his words resonate with people from all walks of life. The following quotes are some of his most iconic and ideal for anyone in need of a spark.

• “The path to success is to take massive, determined action.” —Tony Robbins
• “It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” —Tony Robbins
• “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” —Tony Robbins
• “Success is doing what you want, when you want, where you want, with whom you want as much as you want.” —Tony Robbins
• “The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment.” —Tony Robbins 
• “Most people fail in life because they major in minor things.” —Tony Robbins
• “Whatever you hold in your mind on a consistent basis is exactly what you will experience in your life.” —Tony Robbins
• “Your past does not equal your future.” —Tony Robbins

Related: Tony Robbins: The Holy Grail of Investing

Famous Tony Robbins Quotes on Change

Change is at the heart of Tony Robbins’ work. Whether it’s transforming your health, relationships or career, Robbins believes change starts from within—and can happen in an instant.

• “Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.” —Tony Robbins
• “The secret to handling change is to focus on progress. If you can make progress on a regular basis, then you feel alive.” —Tony Robbins
• “The truth is that we can learn to condition our minds, bodies and emotions to link pain or pleasure to whatever we choose. By changing what we link pain and pleasure to, we will instantly change our behaviors.” —Tony Robbins
• “Your life changes the moment you make a new, congruent and committed decision.” —Tony Robbins
• “Using the power of decision gives you the capacity to get past any excuse to change any and every part of your life in an instant.” —Tony Robbins
• “Lasting change is different than merely having a goal. You don’t always reach your goals, but you always get your standards.” —Tony Robbins 
• “Raising your standards is the number one thing that will change your life, business, finances and relationships in the long term.” —Tony Robbins
• “Progress equals happiness.” —Tony Robbins

Related: New World, New You: Tony Robbins Shows You How to Rise Above and Thrive

Inspirational Quotes From Tony Robbins on Focus & Mindset

Tony Robbins teaches that success begins in the mind. The way you think and what you focus on shapes your emotions, actions and ultimately your outcomes. Cultivating a resilient, empowering mindset is a major theme in his work.

• “Where focus goes, energy flows.” —Tony Robbins
• “Improving focus and concentration starts with changing your mindset.” —Tony Robbins
• “Visualize yourself late in life, sitting in your rocking chair and telling some younger people about your incredible life.” —Tony Robbins
• “The only way to create a breakthrough is to change your emotional state and rewrite your personal story.” —Tony Robbins
• “Determine what gives your life a sense of purpose, and connect everything you do back to that purpose.” —Tony Robbins
• “Focus on actionable strategies you can employ to be successful, such as making a Massive Action Plan (MAP).” —Tony Robbins
• “Think big, but set incremental SMART goals…. And don’t forget to celebrate your accomplishments.” —Tony Robbins
• “Carve out periods of time where you remove distractions from the picture.” —Tony Robbins

Fast fact: Tony Robbins has coached Serena Williams, Leonardo DiCaprio and Bill Clinton.

Positive Sayings by Tony Robbins About Taking Action

Tony Robbins emphasizes that transformation only occurs when we move, both mentally and physically. Taking action is the bridge between goals and achievement.

• “When the going gets tough, many people will choose to avoid, deny or escape… rather than insisting on success by taking unrelenting, massive action.” —Tony Robbins
• “Do you easily give up or resolve to follow through? The meanings we assign to events influence what actions we take as a result.” —Tony Robbins
• “It’s our decisions, not our conditions, that ultimately shape the quality of our lives.” —Tony Robbins 
• “At any moment the decision you make can change the course of your life forever.” —Tony Robbins
• “Success and failure are not overnight experiences. It’s the small decisions along the way that cause people to fail or succeed.” —Tony Robbins
• “Often we allow ourselves to become caught in a mental trap of seeing enormously successful people and assuming they are where they are because they possess some special gift.” —Tony Robbins
• “There is no secret you don’t already have access to. In truth, the greatest gift that extraordinarily successful people have over the average person is their ability to get themselves to take action.” —Tony Robbins

Fast fact: Robbins’ seminar “Date with Destiny” spans six intense days and can cost upwards of $5,000.

Words of Wisdom From Tony Robbins on Growth, Goal Setting and Identity

From finding your true purpose to building momentum, Tony Robbins is a master at helping people understand who they are and what they truly want. These quotes dig deeper into themes of identity, growth and clarity.

• “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” —Tony Robbins
• “Having goals is the fundamental key to success. Setting goals helps us grow and expand, pushing ourselves to transform in ways that, just maybe, we never imagined.” —Tony Robbins
• “It’s not about achieving the goal. It’s about who you have to become in order to achieve the goal. The juice is in the growth.” —Tony Robbins
• “Growth in days, not decades. Discover the proven path to getting everything you want.” —Tony Robbins
• “You have the ability to architect your life’s experience by setting goals for yourself and taking massive action to achieve them.” —Tony Robbins
• “The process of setting goals works a lot like your eyesight. The closer you get to your destination, the greater clarity you gain.” —Tony Robbins
• “Skill is a power that allows you to complete a goal, but psychology is the state that empowers you to create and maintain vision.” —Tony Robbins
• “Most people understand the power of setting goals…. But what if those goals are leading you somewhere you don’t want to go?” —Tony Robbins

Fast fact: Tony Robbins uses a technique he calls “priming” every morning; a mix of breathing, visualization and gratitude.

Let These Words From Tony Robbins Guide Your Next Step

Tony Robbins quotes aren’t just phrases to memorize, they’re guiding principles meant to be lived. You could be launching a business, rebuilding your mindset or simply seeking motivation, either way, Robbins offers clarity and confidence in every word. Use these quotes as daily affirmations or just a source of encouragement when you need to reignite your purpose.

With the right mindset, strong goals and massive action, anything is possible.

Photo from Stewart Cohen

We ultimately become what we habitually do. If your daily habits aren’t moving you forward, they are holding you back. Here are four widespread examples of the latter that often drain people of their true potential, day after day, and some strategies for turning things around if you’re currently stuck in that cycle…

1. Most of us say yes too often.

We all have ongoing opportunities and obligations, but a healthy and productive routine can only be found in the long run by properly managing your yeses. And yes, sometimes you have to say “no” to really good opportunities and obligations. You can’t always be agreeable — that’s how people take advantage of you. And that’s how you end up taking advantage of yourself too. You have to set clear boundaries!

You might have to say no to certain favors, work projects, community associations, volunteer groups… coaching your kid’s sports teams, or some other seemingly worthwhile activity. I know what you’re thinking: it seems unfair to say no when these are very worthwhile things to do — it pains you to say no! But you must, because the alternative is that you’re going to do a half-baked, poor job at each one, be stressed out, feel like you’re stuck in an endless cycle of busyness, and eventually you’ll reach a breaking point.

Truth be told, the main thing that keeps so many of us stuck in a debilitating cycle of overwhelm is the fantasy in our minds that we can be everything to everyone, everywhere at once, and a hero on all fronts. But again, that’s not reality. The reality is you’re not Superman or Wonder Woman — you’re human and you have limits. So you have to let go of that idea of doing everything, pleasing everyone, and being everywhere.

In the end, you’re either going to do a few things well, or everything poorly. That’s the truth.

2. Most of us try to control everything.

We must remind ourselves that we can’t calm life’s storms. What we can do is calm ourselves, and the storms will eventually pass. The most powerful and practical changes happen when we decide to take control of what we do have power over, instead of craving control over what we don’t.

So be honest with yourself: How often did you aim for full control this past year?

It’s OK. But it’s time for a release…

As you read these words, you are breathing. Stop for a moment and notice this breath. You can control this breath, and make it faster or slower, or make it behave as you like. Or you can simply let yourself inhale and exhale naturally. There is peace in just letting your lungs breathe, without having to control the situation or do anything about it. Now imagine letting other parts of your body breathe, like your tense shoulders. Just let them be, without having to tense them or control them.

Now look around the room you’re in and notice the objects around you. Pick one, and let it breathe. There are likely people in the room with you too, or in the same house or building, or in nearby houses or buildings. Visualize them in your mind, and let them breathe.

When you let everything and everyone breathe, you just let them be, exactly as they are. You don’t need to control them, worry about them, or change them. You just let them breathe, in peace, and you accept them as they are… so you can find inner calmness, and be on your way. This is the foundation of what letting go is all about. It can be a life-changing practice. (Note: Marc and I discuss this in more detail in the Adversity chapter of “1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently”.)

3. Most of us tell ourselves stories.

Many of the biggest misunderstandings in life could be avoided if we simply took the time to ask, “What else could this mean?” A wonderful way to do this is by using a reframing tool we initially picked up from research professor Brene Brown, which we then tailored through our coaching work with students and live event attendees. We call the tool The story I’m telling myself. Although asking the question itself—“What else could this mean?”—can help reframe our thoughts and broaden our perspectives, using the simple phrase The story I’m telling myself as a prefix to troubling thoughts has undoubtedly created many “aha moments” for our students and clients in recent times.

Here’s how it works: The story I’m telling myself can be applied to any difficult life situation or circumstance in which a troubling thought is getting the best of you. For example, perhaps someone you love (husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, etc.) didn’t call you or text you when they said they would, and now an hour has passed and you’re feeling upset because you’re obviously not a high enough priority to them. When you catch yourself feeling this way, use the phrase: The story I’m telling myself is that they didn’t call me because I’m not a high enough priority to them.

Then ask yourself these questions:

• Can I be absolutely certain this story is true?
• How do I feel and behave when I tell myself this story?
• What’s one other possibility that might also be true?

Challenge yourself to think better on a daily basis — to challenge the stories you subconsciously tell yourself and do a reality check with a more objective mindset.

4. Most of us rarely let go.

Twenty years ago, when Marc and I were just undergrads in college, our psychology professor taught us a lesson we’ve never forgotten. On the last day of class before graduation, she walked up on stage to teach one final lesson, which she called “a vital lesson on the power of perspective and mindset.” As she raised a glass of water over her head, everyone expected her to mention the typical “glass half empty or glass half full” metaphor. Instead, with a smile on her face, our professor asked, “How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?”

Students shouted out answers ranging from a couple of ounces to a couple of pounds.

After a few moments of fielding answers and nodding her head, she replied, “From my perspective, the absolute weight of this glass is irrelevant. It all depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two, it’s fairly light. If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache. If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor. In each case, the absolute weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.”

As most of us students nodded our heads in agreement, she continued. “Your worries, frustrations, disappointments, and stressful thoughts are very much like this glass of water. Think about them for a little while and nothing drastic happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to feel noticeable pain. Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralyzed, incapable of doing anything else until you drop them.”

Think about how this relates to your life and your recent endeavors over the past year or so.

If you’ve been struggling to cope with the weight of what’s on your mind, it’s a strong sign it’s time to let go and put the figurative glass down.

A four-step exercise for building better habits:

If you feel a like your daily habits have held you back in recent times, this actionable closing exercise is for YOU.

Choose any area in your life that you want to improve, and then:

1. Write down the specific details about your current circumstances. (What’s bothering you? Where are you stuck? What do you want to change?)
2. Write down your answer to this question: What are the daily habits that have contributed to your current circumstances? (Be honest with yourself. What are you doing regularly that actually contributes to the situation you’re in?)
3. Write down a few specific details about the “better circumstances” you’d like to create for yourself. (What would make you feel good? What does an improved situation look like for you?)
4. Write down your answer to this question: What are the (new) daily habits that will get you from where you are to where you want to be? (Think about it. What small, daily steps will help you gradually move forward from point A to point B?)

Now it’s your turn…

Yes, it’s your turn to not fall back into your old habits and patterns of living simply because they’re more comfortable and easier to access. It’s your turn to remember that you’re changing certain habits and patterns for a reason: to improve your life and make the very best of what’s ahead — because you can’t move forward if you keep falling back.

But before you go, please leave Marc and me a comment below and let us know what you think of this essay. Your feedback is important to us.

Which one of the points above resonated the most today?

Finally, if you haven’t done so already, be sure to sign-up for our free newsletter to receive new articles like this in your inbox each week.

“In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.” ~Abraham Maslow

Have you ever wondered what true personal development requires? What it truly takes to change your life?

I have, and it’s a question I have been asking myself for years.

As someone who was on a journey that could better be described as personal decline than personal development, I felt stuck living a life I hated.

Around two years later, after having improved or completely changed every aspect of myself that I didn’t like, I can honestly say I am a totally different person.

My confidence went from not being able to go to my local supermarket to speaking to hundreds of people every day.

My self-belief went from thinking I’d never leave the job I hated to believing and striving for financial freedom.

My discipline went from being unable to stick to any exercise routines and diets to being in the best shape of my life.

I don’t share all this to brag—I share it to inspire anyone who feels stuck to finally become the person they know, deep down, they can be.

It’s not only from personal experience that this obsession of mine has grown but also from seeing people around me who are always attempting to change for the better but just can’t seem to make it last.

From my own experience and observations of others, I’ve learned that certain qualities are essential for lasting change.

Having all five will not guarantee you’ll be successful, but not having all of them guarantees won’t succeed.

Without further delay, here are five things you’ll need to finally become the person you want to be.

1. Responsibility

Without the ability to take responsibility, all other principles are useless.

By not taking responsibility for your situation, you give all your power to the external factors or people that you blame, leaving yourself helpless.

If you can’t take responsibility for something, you can’t change it.

Taking responsibility isn’t blaming yourself; it’s taking accountability for whatever situation you find yourself in now, regardless of how you got there.

I used to blame my childhood for who I was, but how does this help me in any way? It didn’t. Instead, it kept me the same—a person I wasn’t proud of.

I didn’t blame myself for it, but I took responsibility for how I was going to deal with it moving forward. This allowed me to finally take action, and my life improved greatly as a result.

2. Self-belief

If you don’t believe you can change, are you even going to try?

That’s why, to grow, you must first believe you’re capable of it, and to do this, you have to take action.

If you’re anything like I used to be, doubting your ability to break free from your situation and tired of endlessly repeating affirmations to yourself in the mirror, it’s time to get some evidence.

This teaches the brain that really you are capable of achieving the goals you set. Without evidence, you’ll never truly believe that anything has changed, because without it, what makes this time any different from the last?

But how do we get that evidence?

This is all about starting small. It’s setting smaller goals or challenges, ones that you may even doubt you can achieve, and then working diligently until you succeed.

This could be anything from waking up an hour earlier every day to taking daily cold showers. Whatever it may be, do it until you’ve gained irrefutable evidence that you’ve succeeded at something you didn’t think you could do.

From here, you set slightly bigger goals, achieve them, and repeat.

Eventually, you’ll prove yourself wrong so many times, you’ll have no choice but to believe you can do anything.

3. Discipline

Personal development is hard, and if you quit when things get hard, you’ll never succeed.

As I said, my levels of discipline used to let me down constantly. Whenever something got difficult, I’d let the uncomfortable feelings overwhelm me until I’d quit altogether.

Anything worth pursuing will get hard at some point. That’s inevitable. Therefore, being successful with personal development requires the ability to feel uncomfortable but keep going anyway.

Discipline allows you to do just that; it frees you from the prison of discomfort.

Just like self-belief, you can build discipline by starting small and working your way up.

Choose something difficult, something uncomfortable, and do it anyway.

You can kill two birds with one stone here by using something like a daily cold plunge or exercise to grow your self-belief and build discipline simultaneously.

Discipline is like a muscle; it can grow, and the bigger it gets, the more it can handle.

4. Consistency

Without consistency, your chances of creating meaningful results are slim.

I used to expect results instantly. I wanted results the moment I began something. This was not only unrealistic but often impossible.

It was the lack of discipline and the inability to remain consistent that contributed to most of my quitting.

Over time, I realized it wasn’t the luckiest, smartest, or even most talented people who were the successful ones. The people who showed up every single day and refused to quit were the ones with all the success.

One single water drop hitting a rock does absolutely nothing, but eventually, it carves and shapes the rock. The same can be said for going to the gym or anything else in life; it’s the consistent effort over time that gets you in shape.

And so, I applied it to my own life and finally started seeing the results I desired.

If you want change, you have to trust the process and show up every single day. Once you see the results that consistency gets you, you’ll no longer be relying on faith but on concrete evidence, making it much easier to show up when you least feel like it.

5. Focus 

In today’s world, it has become extremely difficult to avoid all the noise. With a pocket full of distractions, remaining focused has never been so hard.

With social media, endless notifications, and more content than we could ever possibly consume, it’s enough to derail even the most focused among us. This is why it’s essential to ensure your thoughts and actions align with your goals.

If you’re easily distracted, you’ll find yourself buying into new shiny opportunities over and over again, keeping yourself at the starting line.

You’ll either be too distracted watching useless content or too easily influenced to stick to one thing at a time—and both will keep you from succeeding.

The longer I spent doing just that, the more I realized that every path is hard, and for every path come hundreds of differing opinions on which way is best. Only when I stuck to one thing and focused on doing it well did I finally see results.

So, if you want to finally become the best version of yourself and achieve your goals, you’ll need to limit distractions, stay committed to your journey, and focus on mastering one thing at a time.

—

So there you have it, the five fundamentals of personal development. It’s time to go take action and become your best self, one small step at a time.

About James Davies

James Davies is the author of GrowthHub, a weekly blog that delivers amazing and interesting self-improvement insights and ideas. He began his journey into developing himself after managing to overcome a lifelong anxiety disorder in an actionable way, which sparked his interest in what changes a person for the better. James explores these ideas through practice and action and shares them by writing articles to help others do the same.

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Successful people usually don’t achieve success by accident. It’s often in how they think and what they do that makes a difference. After all, success isn’t just about achieving goals—it’s about cultivating the habits, mindsets and actions that lead to consistent growth and fulfillment. While the goal might be the ultimate prize, we should feel successful every step we take in the right direction. 

These successful people quotes, many from high achievers and well-known leaders in various industries, can inspire and guide others on their path to success. By internalizing these messages, we can shift our perspectives, adopt more effective habits and cultivate the mindset necessary to achieve our own version of success.

Quotes on What Successful People Do

What are the things that successful people do? From planning for success to daily goal-setting, those who are high achievers take different approaches to help them get ahead. Success is more than just having a positive mindset; it’s about the actions you take and the steps you make each day. These quotes about success and growth show the steps that successful people take to reach their goals, whether in their personal or professional life. 

• “The path to success is to take massive, determined action.” —Tony Robbins
• “Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.” —Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
• “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” —Elinor Smith, Aviatrix
• “Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” —Coco Chanel, Believing in Ourselves: The Wisdom of Women
• “Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” —Sun Tzu, The Art of War
• “Whatever the mind can of man conceive and believe, it can achieve.” —Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice
• “If you care about what you do and work hard at it, there isn’t anything you can’t do if you want to.” —Jim Henson, It’s Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider
• “When you take risks you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important.” —Ellen DeGeneres, Seriously… I’m Kidding
• “Successful people do daily what unsuccessful people do occasionally. They practice daily disciplines. They implement systems for their personal growth. They make it a habit to maintain a positive attitude. ”—John Maxwell, Good Leaders Ask Great Questions

Related: “When One Door Closes, One Door Opens” Quotes for a Positive Outlook

Quotes on Business, Success and Growth from Successful People

Succeeding in business can look like a lot of different things—getting a promotion, winning a new client, receiving praise from a boss or something else. Sometimes success can be as small as remembering a task that’s slipped to the wayside. These business and success quotes will inspire you to achieve, one step at a time. They might also show you just how successful people lead as well. 

• “Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.” —Zig Ziglar
• “If you talk about it, it’s a dream. If you envision it, it’s possible. If you schedule it, it’s real.” —Tony Robbins
• “Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, ‘What’s in it for me?’ ” —Brian Tracy
• “In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can.” —Nikos Kazantzakis
• “If you try and lose then it isn’t your fault. But if you don’t try and we lose, then it’s all your fault.” —Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game
• “Don’t confuse poor decision making with destiny. Own your mistakes. It’s ok; we all make them. Learn from them so they can empower you!” —Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

• “Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.” —Robert T. Kiyosaki, Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Related: The Ultimate Guide to Bulletproof Habits

How Successful People Think: Quotes to Inspire a New Mindset

Successful people cultivate mindsets that focus on growth, resilience and purpose. They view setbacks as opportunities to learn, embrace challenges as pathways to improvement and maintain unwavering belief in their goals even when faced with obstacles. These quotes on what makes a person successful show how self-reflection, gratitude practices and a commitment to lifelong learning will help you achieve. They give a few clues on how successful people think to help inspire all of us, too. 

• “Your success and happiness lie in you.” —Helen Keller, Out of the Dark: Essays, Lectures, and Addresses on Physical and Social Vision
• “I’m a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn’t have the heart to let him down.” —Abraham Lincoln
• “At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets.” —Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

• “Our greatest fear… should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” —Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
• “Persistence. Perfection. Patience. Power. Prioritize your passion. It keeps you sane.” —Criss Jami, Killosophy
• “Success, after all, loves a witness, but failure can’t exist without one.” —Junot Díaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Related: 6 Qualities of Wildly Successful People 

Words from Successful People: Sayings for the Keys to Success

The road to success is not always straight. It’s often bumpy, with lots of detours, sharp turns and even cliffs on one side. From these “road to success” quotes and “keys to success” sayings, we can learn that a step in the right direction is a step towards success. It might feel insurmountable, but you can’t get there without taking that first step. 

• “Persistence overshadows even talent as the most valuable resource shaping the quality of life.” —Tony Robbins

• “Failures are the stairs we climb to reach success.” —Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
• “To be successful, you need friends, and to be very successful, you need enemies.” —Sidney Sheldon, The Other Side of Midnight
• “The way of success is the way of continuous pursuit of knowledge.” —Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich
• “It is said we learn more from our failures than our successes.” —Holly Black, The Wicked King
• “To succeed, planning alone is insufficient. One must improvise as well.” —Isaac Asimov, Foundation

SUCCESS® Exclusive Quotes from Successful Men and Women  

What makes someone successful can vary from person to person; after all, we each have our own unique definitions of success. However, these exclusive quotes from SUCCESS® show some common themes among great leaders and high achievers that help highlight what it takes to be successful.

• “Of course, technical skills matter. But if you want to lead a team effectively, your emotional intelligence will make or break your success. It’s about creating an environment where vulnerability is seen as strength, where personal stories become powerful teaching tools and where facing our fears together becomes the pathway to something extraordinary.” —Amy Somerville 
• “I think there’s a difference between successful and unsuccessful people in the way they particularly think about approaching something new. I think unsuccessful people, when they have a big dream and start thinking about what’s going to be required to accomplish that dream, they get very limiting in their beliefs about themselves and what’s possible.” —Brendan Burchard

• “[We’ve] all missed this hidden first step to personal growth and change…. Before you can take control of your own life, you must first stop trying to control everybody else’s.” —Mel Robbins
• “I remember when I was in a room with massively successful people, and yet I wasn’t vulnerable enough to say, ‘Hey, I don’t know this, but can you teach me this?’ Imagine if I had done that in my 20s? Imagine where I would be now. The people in that room were Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and various Hollywood celebrities.” —Daymond John 
• “Success is a result of good judgment; good judgment is a result of experience, in most cases. And what about experience? Yes, experience is most often a result of bad judgment. So here’s the good news: The experience gained from bad judgment and bad decisions is unbelievably valuable—it’s priceless! —Tony Robbins

Unique Sayings on Success

If you are looking for successful people quotes to use for affirmations, check out these short quotes originally written by SUCCESS® contributors. They offer inspiration to motivate change within yourself and achieve your goals. 

• The secret to success is to focus more on progress than perfection.
• Success does not come to you; you go to it.
• The only limit to your success is the belief that you can’t achieve it.

• Dream big, start small, but most importantly, start now.
• Every failure is a stepping stone to the success you’re building.
• Success is built on the lessons learned from every setback.
• Success begins the moment you decide to take the first step.
• Success is the sum of small efforts repeated daily, not a single monumental effort.
• Success requires consistency, not perfection.
• To succeed, focus on progress, not applause.
• Success is not what you get but who you become in the process.

Inspiring Success Through Words and Actions

Success is more than reaching a destination—it’s the journey of continuous growth, learning and resilience. These “success is no accident” quotes serve as powerful reminders that the path to success is paved with persistence, purpose and an unrelenting drive to keep moving forward. Let these words not only motivate you but also serve as a guide to building a life defined by meaningful progress and lasting impact.

This article was updated May 2025. Photo by Face Stock/Shutterstock