As the new year begins, it’s worth considering that according to a recent study by Joanne Rand Whitmore, 26% of people report struggling with a lack of motivation. Whether you struggle with motivation or are looking to boost your own levels, there are various strategies you can try - from personal pep talks to therapy. While small bursts of motivation can help get through the day, week, or year, the NIH found that making reading motivational quotes a habit can improve overall motivational levels for up to 53% of people. In this post, we’ll explore the concept of motivational quotes - how they’re used, whether they work, and more.

Why Motivational Quotes Are Important in our Life

Creative progress and mental strength are typically found through practical application and putting actual skills to work. However, people often need a push to get started on the road to achieving their goals. This way, motivational quotes can be an important resource that will help trigger action while encouraging actionable progress. Motivational quotes are a great way to help inspire ideas and help trigger feelings of hope and progress. Brainstorming is one of the best ways to put forth ideas and move forward, no matter what niche you happen to work in. Brainstorming is also a great way to may progress in your personal life. Inspiration for your ideas come through brainstorming, which can be accomplished in various ways. Finding and using motivational quotes relevant to your goals will help you pull your thoughts together and fuel your goals. These small bits of wisdom are often just enough to help people to regain the focus they need to keep moving forward toward their end goals. 

What are the Benefits of Motivational Quotes?

The benefits of motivational quotes are innumerable. Human thoughts are as diverse as the world is vast. As a whole, our inner thoughts help us reflect on decisions and process ideas generated throughout the day. At the same time, quiet reflection can also be an effective way to fine-tune one’s outlook and perspective. Motivational quotes are not only useful, but they are also beneficial for people from all walks of life. These quotes can help empower a person for success, or they may help center a tumultuous mind. For some people, the benefit of motivational quotes is that it inspires them to push their limits beyond their typical boundaries.

Quotes that encourage, inspire and motivate help to strengthen the mind and improve a person’s disposition. They can encourage action while also offering wisdom and insight. Loss of hope is one of the first steps down the road toward depression, while motivational quotes can help curtail that loss. Many quotes actually serve as a beacon of light that brings happiness and hope where it may have otherwise been lost. Quotes can also teach important lessons or give the reader a different perspective on a given situation. Another benefit of such quotes is that they are easy to consume and allow a swift burst of motivation when time is of the essence.

Do Motivational Quotes Really Work?

Scientific research shows that motivational quotes can make a person feel a sense of accomplishment. This means that motivational quotes work to motivate or inspire and lead to an improved sense of self-worth. While some people may say that feeling like something has been accomplished without actually putting in the work is bad, studies show the opposite. Motivational quotes help to give those lacking the drive or those with lower levels of motivation the desire to excel. Creating a feel-good base strengthens the urge to find total fulfillment. This will lead to higher levels of creativity and an increased willingness to take action. For example, someone that you ARE amazing won’t spur action. However, someone saying you CAN become amazing will push a person to fulfill that edict.

What is the Purpose of Motivational Quotes?

The purpose of motivational quotes is to inspire and motivate a person into action. In some cases, they can be used to trigger introspection, but when you think about it, that is also an action. Different motivational quotes have different purposes. For example, there are motivational quotes that are geared towards banishing procrastination. There are other quotes that work to help reduce or banish the effects of depression. Just as a smile can lift a person’s spirits, motivational quotes can work to uplift an entire mindset. Motivational quotes are always positive in nature. Some may be vaguer, while others are rather direct. However, the purpose is to offer positive feedback to the reader or listener in their time of need.  

Some motivational quotes from CEOs and business owners

Omer Usanmaz

CEO and Co-Founder of Qooper

Focus on the process, not the outcome.

It's easy to become impatient and lose motivation when you're working toward something over a long period of time. When you're feeling that burn to achieve your goals, remind yourself that like any worthwhile achievement, the work you put in today will not only make you stronger but will eventually lead to big rewards. I like this quote because it reminds me that there's more to life than just the reward, and what matters most is the work I'm doing every day. 

David Lee

Business owner of Neutypechic

One of my favorite quotes that have always inspired and motivated me is;

We are really competing against ourselves; we have no control over how other people perform.

This sentence by the CEO of Mashable has always been my go-to for motivation. The business world is a challenging one. You'll find yourself in a bottomless hole if you're not motivated enough. Often, this despair comes from comparing yourself to others more successful around you. But this quote has always helped me remember that I'm not competing with anyone else but myself. My biggest competitor is my current self. The desire to improve and break my own limits is a great motivator.

Eran Galperin

CEO and founder of Gymdesk

If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late – Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder of LinkedIn.

This quote is important to me as a developer because it underscores the importance of being agile and quick to market, as well as emphasizing the importance of learning from mistakes and iterating quickly.

If you’re not a risk taker, you should get the hell out of business - Ray Kroc, Founder of McDonald's.

I always laugh at this hard-ass tough-as-nails statement. But it is true and speaks to the necessity of taking risks, being bold in order to make progress, and the fact that growth and success come with calculated risks. I've said this to myself many times over the years when I feel my resolve slipping

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower - Steve Jobs, Founder of Apple.

This is an evergreen doctrine emphasizing the importance of having an inn vative mindset, as well as the need to be ahead of the curve in order to stay competitive and be successful. 

Greg Rozdeba

President of Dundas Life

One of my favourite quotes that inspired me during my career is:

We are really competing against ourselves, we have no control over how other people perform - Pete Cashmore, CEO of Mashable

This quote has inspired me to a great extent. It really boils down to the absurd idea of competition. Businesses have now become a rat race, where everyone’s running after the cheese. This quote allows for self-reflection and enables me to understand that I can only control my own practices, not what everyone else is doing. Competition is a fierce word that corporations often throw around to motivate employees, but this is far from the truth.

Andy Golpys

Co-Founder and Creative Director at MadeByShape

I've been in the design industry for 17 years. I worked at some of the UK's top agencies but always had a passion for creating my own studio. Long story short, I created an agency that people want to work for, and clients want to work with. These quotes serve as a reminder that your attitude holds a great deal of value in today’s uncertain world.

You only need to be right once, so don't worry about failing.
I try not to make any decisions that I’m not excited about.

Setbacks are necessary because they reflect life's realities. Perfection is unattainable.

Robin Roy Kringslud-Hansen

Founder and CEO of Formula Swiss

I'm a fan of Steve Jobs of Apple and here's my favorite quote from him,

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.

I especially appreciate this quote not only because Apple has been nothing but a success but also because of the meaning the quote carries. Truly, if you love what you do, you'll be satisfied with what you're doing.

Another quote I love is from Tom Kelly of Ideo,

Fail often so you can succeed sooner.

As this confirms that failure indeed is only part of success and is not something to be dreaded about.

Jessica Kats

eCommerce and retail expert at Soxy

The current CEO of Disney, Robert Iger, once said:

The heart and soul of a company is creativity and innovation.

This quote means that your company should keep on evolving. It must thrive to provide customers with new creations and innovative solutions to their problems. Otherwise, your organization will become stagnant, and your employees and customers will soon move on to your competitors, hoping to witness greater creativity. This is why I have created an RnD department for researching and experimenting with new creations. 

Another quote that inspires me is by the CEO of Google, Larry Page. He has said this multiple times:

If you’re changing the world, you’re working on important things. You’re excited to get up in the morning.

He’s trying to tell other CEOs to work on something that will make the world better. It will make you more excited to get up and come to work in the morning, improving your work ethic. 

Rajesh Namase

Co-Founder and Professional Tech Blogger at TechRT

Successful leaders have the courage to take risks. – Riaz Khan

This is one of the most used quotes by myself when we are just starting and still in the developmental stage. Now, I only apply this quote whenever we are discussing new milestones and when we plan to scale our business or enter a new landscape.

Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence. – Sheryl Sandberg

This is the quote that I live by when I became a Co-Founder. It inspired me to be a leader not because of authority or fear, but out of respect and admiration.

The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born - that there is a genetic factor to leadership. That’s nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true: Leaders are made rather than born. - Warren Bennis

Perhaps the most meaningful quote, especially for people who are just building their empire. Most people, especially those that surround you, will be the first ones who will discourage you because they think that you would get hurt along the process. However, I learned that it's true. Getting hurt, experiencing defeats, and undergoing rejections are all part of the process of making yourself a successful leader. It is not a pre-destined fate that is already set when you are born, it is how you venture your own journey. 

Irene Graham

Co-Founder of Spylix

Motivation can come in many different ways, and motivation is what makes employees stand out in an organization. We give motivational quotes to keep employees in good form, which leads to higher employee productivity. Also, some other CEOs of big companies use motivational quotes to help their employees overcome difficulties. Here are some motivational quotes that I use in my company:

High expectations are the key to everything

Indeed, this quote is great and offering this quote often gives motivational to employees, and this helps in growing the business, 

It always seems impossible until it's done

This is another famous quote that has worked for my company a lot and motivates my employees in their activities. It shows how great it is to start what you thought was impossible, which means telling non-hard working employees to be productive.

Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity rather than a threat

This is a quote that helps deal with different types of employees, and such statements contribute to this company. It inspired a lot of employees while in hardships.

Igor Yadgarov

President and CEO of a digital marketing and design agency Kore Media LLC

The only way to do great work is to love what you do.

This quote is by Steve Jobs and it's one of my motivational quotes because I strongly believe that if we love something, we will put one hundred percent of our effort into it and create greatness. With anything in life, whether it's a job, hobby, or relationship, if we don't pour our heart and soul into it then it will show through our work. We can fake it until we make it to some degree, but eventually, our lack of enthusiasm will be evident. When we love what we do, the sky's the limit on what we can achieve.

If you're not going to risk it, you're not going to get ahead.

This means that in order to achieve something great, we have to be willing to take risks. It's easy to play it safe and stay within our comfort zone, but if we're not willing to step out of our comfort zone, we'll never achieve anything truly great. Life is all about taking risks and learning from our mistakes. The only way to grow and learn is by making mistakes and taking risks.

Winston Churchill once said – Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.

I think this quote is particularly relevant in today's workplace. In any career, there will be ups and downs - times when we feel like we're on top of the world, and times when it feels like we can't do anything right. The important thing is to remember that failure is not fatal- we can always pick ourselves up and try again. And it is the courage to continue despite setbacks that will ultimately lead to success.

Kris Lippi

Owner of the popular real estate website ISoldMyHouse.com

Here are two quotes that have inspired me as a professional and business owner.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. – Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple

I resonate with this quote because as a real estate professional, I’m always on the go, always talking to people, always looking for opportunities – it’s non-stop. It has also been challenging – it’s not always fruity. However, my love for my profession is one of the things that keep me going. If I didn’t love what I do, I would’ve easily quit early on during times when sales weren’t great. But here we are.

Knock hard, life is deaf. - Mimi Parent, Artist

Life, in general, isn’t easy. However, you need to show the world your grit before success follows.

Gilad Zilberman

CEO of SeatPick

In business, not evolving is dangerous

I believe this one is from Jeff Bezos and it's absolutely true and motivating if you receive it the right way. Eventually, we all come across the point where our business matures and our motivation for it dies down, but this quote helps to remind me how dangerous being static is, and it always motivates me to keep evolving both personally and in my business.

Every day could be your last

For me, the concept of mortality has always served to motivate me rather than depress me, and I love this quote just because it reminds us of one basic human fact: we are all going to die eventually, so we might as well make the most out of every single day.

Paul Kushner

Restaurateur and CEO of MyBartender

Julia Child – The only real stumbling block is a fear of failure.

In cooking you have to have a what the hell attitude. This applies to business too! You have to be willing to take risks and try things out, perfectionism will only keep you mediocre.

Gordon Ramsay: If you want to be a great chef, you have to work with great chefs.

This is important, because as CEOs we need to surround ourselves with people who push us to grow. If your ego is preventing you from hiring people who are smarter than you, more creative, you will simply stagnate.

Daniel Bouloud: There is no great chef without a great team.

If you're a CEO, the chef of your business, you can't do it alone. Your greatness means nothing if your team isn't at your level or higher, and doesn't believe in a shared vision. Stop taking all the credit!

Adam Garcia

Founder and CEO of The Stock Dork

Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well – Voltaire.

This quote denotes a thing that's essential for every business leader to understand: that our own egos should never bar us from understanding and valuing the qualities of our employees, co-workers and associates. As soon as you begin to look for qualities in people around you, you'll start identifying the weak points in yourself. That's where the real improval begins!

Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge – Simon Sinek.

This is, in a way, connected to the previous quote in that it also reminds you as a leader to not cling to your position of power and authority without owning the immense responsibility that comes with it.

David Bitton

Co-Founder and CMO at DoorLoop

The stars will never align, and the traffic lights of life will never all be green at the same time. The universe doesn't conspire against you, but it doesn't go out of its way to line up the pins either. Conditions are never perfect. 'Someday' is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you. Pro and con lists are just as bad. If it's important to you and you want to do it 'eventually,' just do it and correct course along the way. Tim Ferriss
We need to accept that we won't always make the right decisions, that we'll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it's part of success. Arianna Huffington
You have to be very nimble and very open minded. Your success is going to be very dependent on how you adapt. – Jeremy Stoppelman

Carolyn Young

Lead Business Expert for Step By Step Business

All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking

Friedrich NietzscheI think of this quote whenever I’m trying to solve a difficult problem or create a new strategy, and then I go for a walk. I find that this quote is very true for me. When I walk, distractions disappear and my mind can focus, and I almost always come up with an idea. Walking is also a great stress reliever, which is part of the reason for ideas coming. Stress generally does not lead to good decisions or outcomes, so the ideas that come while walking are founded on reason, not emotion.

Anika Gauthier

CEO of Best in Toronto

We frequently feel isolated when dealing with problems or complex situations because friends or family are unavailable when we need them. Most of the time, this is not due to a lack of concern or affection, but rather because their lives are also filled with or interrupted by similar dramas.When the going gets tough, many of us turn to motivational or inspirational quotes to keep us going. Many of these pithy quotes have become celebrated parts of society's lexicon. Everyone requires inspiration at some point in their lives in order to keep moving forward. Motivational quotes provide us with a quick and timely burst of wisdom to refocus our attention, as well as the inspiration we require. Here’s the list of my favorite quotes.

Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy. – Norman Schwarzkopf

The quote offers an intriguing perspective on what it means to be a leader. It essentially emphasizes that leadership is more than just a set of practices to follow, but also a display of your personality and character. To establish yourself as a leader, you must demonstrate character rather than a list of accomplishments.

What you do has far greater impact that what you say. – Stephen Covey

While words matter, your actions as a leader can speak louder than words. A leader cannot say one thing while doing another. Subordinates will trust you more if you demonstrate accountability through your actions rather than simply writing a lovely letter about corporate responsibility.

Chase the vision, not the money; the money will end up following you. – Tony Hsieh

The goal of a leader should always be to pursue their dreams, regardless of the odds or the immediate financial viability. Profits will always follow if your ideas are good, so you can't get into business solely by calculating profits. 'How can I make money? ' is a poor starting point. Instead, you want to say, 'This is my passion; now tell me how I can turn it into a business.'

Matt Bowman

President at Thrive Agency

You can do hard things.

Support is critical as we all work independently. We aim to make each member of the team grow, both professionally and personally, where we are able to work well and improve our performance, relationships, and personal growth.

Better never stops.

At Thrive, we encourage each other to stay humble so we can always reflect on how we can continue to improve. The idea of excelling has become our way of living, not only for its rewards and recognitions, but more importantly to get to know ourselves even more deeply, which leads us to becoming more bold and innovative.

Have an attitude of gratitude.

As our top core value, we have embedded gratitude in the ecosystem we have especially designed for our Thrivers. Beyond a fun and nurturing culture, we maintain a reassuring environment where everyone feels valued at all times.

Emily Shaw

Founder of DocFly

The way to make your startup grow, is to make something users really love. – Paul Graham

It's important to keep in mind with a startup, that you're creating something that could help a lot of people, resolve a common problem, and make lives easier. If your startup falls into those categories, it's sure to be something users love.*

The key to success is to start before you’re ready – Marie Forleo

It’s easy to find excuses for not starting a business or not being fully prepared to do something but I prefer to just take the risk. I think that if you wait too long the best moment for your idea may have passed and life is too short to wait!*

How Can Motivational Quotes Change Someone’s Life?

The world is going through an exceptional time and with it, humanity. With so much darkness in the world and online, motivational quotes can work wonders in a person’s life. The great thing about quotes is that they are free to consume and easy to access. In the past motivational and inspirational quotes were few and far between, often regulated to the background. In modern times, motivational quotes can be found on just about every surface you can imagine. They can help change a person’s life by offering the simplest solution to some of humanity’s most complex problems. Where a person may have been struggling to cope with a specific situation, or perhaps felt they were on the verge of giving up, a motivational quote can save the day. Quotes are great mechanisms for coping, from struggling to make friends to finishing a marathon race. 

Maintaining a positive state of mind is easier when consuming motivational content is a habit. Focusing on the negative aspects of life triggers mental duress and can encourage failure. During times of sadness, struggle, or hardship motivational quotes remind us of the light at the end of the tunnel. They also work to show that the road being traveled is not done alone, and has been traveled before, successfully. Such quotes also serve to show what is really important, which is the end goal, not the setbacks that may be faced.

Why do People Love Inspirational Quotes?

Both inspirational quotes and motivational quotes appeal to the subconscious mind. Quotes can capture the attention of the subconscious which happens to make up a large part of the working mind. Creativity, passion, drive, and even the desire to live are found in the subconscious. Inspirational quotes and quotes that provide positive motivation can entirely alter the thought process. Quotes that inspire embed themselves in the subconscious which helps to direct energies towards a more positive life path. When the mind has positive reinforcement, it reduces stress, boosts serotonin levels, and can even trigger positive personality changes. As a result, people end up loving inspirational quotes and motivational quotes without truly understanding the reason why. 

Using Motivational Quotes to Improve Overall Quality of Life

No matter where a person is in life or their journey, extra motivation can help them reach their goals. Motivational quotes are important to help give encouragement during times of struggle and strife. No matter where a person happens to be on the ladder of success, motivational quotes can serve as a way to keep their mind steady and bolster their resolve. It is important to remember that success and failure are never final in life. There are always ways to change or improve upon any given situation. For those looking for ways to be productive, stay positive, and remain happy, reading motivational quotes will foster an appreciation for the world around you.

WRITTEN BY
David Malan
Account Manager
Techreviewer
A specialist in the field of market analysis in such areas as software development, web applications, mobile applications and the selection of potential vendors. Creator of analytical articles that have been praised by their readers. Highly qualified author and compiler of companies ratings.
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19 Motivational Quotes By CEOs to Inspire Your Life in 2023