Quotes About Life | Examples & Inspiration

Quotes about life speak to the many trappings of the human condition. They include wise passages from literature and philosophy that have persisted throughout the ages, along with clever quips from celebrities and iconic movie lines.

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Quotes about life

The quotes about life that resonate with you most will be highly personal and based on your lived experience. However, there are many iconic quotes that speak to near-universal aspects of the human condition that can help you feel less alone and more uplifted.

Check out this curated list of quotes about life to get inspired by the wisdom of those who have come before you.

Inspirational quotes about life

Inspirational quotes about life can help motivate you when you’re feeling stuck or give you a new perspective.

From poets to philosophers and motivational speakers, these inspirational quotes remind us of what’s most important and prompt us to see things differently:

1. “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything.” —Rilke Maria Rilke, poet
2. “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” ―Mark Twain, writer and satirist
3. “We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.” ―May Sarton, novelist
4. “Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.” ―Roy T. Bennett, author
5. “You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.” —Max Ehrmann, writer and poet
6. “For nothing is fixed, forever and forever and forever, it is not fixed; the earth is always shifting, the light is always changing, the sea does not cease to grind down rock. Generations do not cease to be born, and we are responsible to them because we are the only witnesses they have. The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other, and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.” ―James Baldwin, writer and civil rights activist
7. “The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways. The point, however, is to change it.” —Karl Marx, philosopher
8. “Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life—and travel—leaves marks on you.” ―Anthony Bourdain, chef and author
9. “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” ―Anais Nin, diarist and essayist
10. “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.” —Eckhart Tolle, spiritual teacher and self-help author

Famous quotes about life

Famous quotes about life are iconic lines, many of which you likely already know. Either way, these quotes are famous because they offer relatable kernels of wisdom that offer comfort in the face of life’s challenges.

1. “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” ―Mae West, actress and singer
2. “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” ―Robert Frost, poet
3. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ―Albert Einstein, physicist
4. “Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.” ―Mark Twain, writer and satirist
5. “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” ―Allen Saunders, writer and cartoonist
6. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” ―George Bernard Shaw, playwright and critic
7. “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” ―Søren Kierkegaard, theologian and philosopher
8. “If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.” ―Emily Dickinson, poet
9. “The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.” —Alan Watts, philosopher and writer
10. “My mama always said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.’” —Forrest Gump (1994)

Funny quotes about life

Funny quotes about life can offer a lighthearted approach to whatever it is you’re going through. They remind us that everything is a little easier with a touch of good humor.

1. “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” ―Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist
2. “Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.” ―Oscar Wilde, poet and playwright
3. “People aren’t either wicked or noble. They’re like chef’s salads, with good things and bad things chopped and mixed together in a vinaigrette of confusion and conflict.” ―Daniel Handler, writer and author of A Series of Unfortunate Events  
4. “In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra.” —Fran Lebowitz, author and orator
5. “Your body is not a temple, it’s an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.” ―Anthony Bourdain, writer and chef
6. “I’m sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It’s just been too intelligent to come here.” ―Arthur C. Clarke, science fiction writer
7. “Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.” —Elbert Hubbard, writer and publisher
8. “Life is hard. After all, it kills you.” —Katharine Hepburn, actress
9. “Life is a lot like jazz… it’s best when you improvise.” —George Gershwin, composer and pianist
10. “I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way (s)he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.” —Maya Angelou, memoirist and essayist

Positive quotes about life

Positive quotes about life are upbeat reflections that can help shift your perspective and cultivate more optimism in your life. Try using the following quotes as daily affirmations.

1. “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.” ―George Bernard Shaw, playwright and critic
2. “Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down.” ―Roy T. Bennett, author
3. “The most important thing is to enjoy your life—to be happy—it’s all that matters.”―Audrey Hepburn, actress
4. “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” ―Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor
5. “A person who is lucidly aware of the miracles that surround him, who has learned to bear up under the loneliness, has made quite a bit of progress on the road to wisdom.” —M.C. Escher, graphic artist
6. “This above all: to thine own self be true.” —William Shakespeare, playwright
7. “It’s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.” —W. Somerset Maugham, writer
8. “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” —Albert Camus, author and journalist
9. “My barn having burned down, I can now see the moon.” —Mizuta Masahide, poet and samurai
10. “I don’t think anything is gonna be hard. You know, it’s like, what is there to lose? Every second you’re there, you’re gaining something.” —Alysa Liu, figure skating champion

Short quotes about life

Short quotes about life may be concise, but they pack a punch. You can commit these insights to memory or write down the ones that inspire you so you have them on hand when you need them.

Frequently asked questions about quotes about life

What are examples of sad quotes about life?

Examples of sad quotes about life include:

• “Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I’m not living.” ―Jonathan Safran Foer, novelist
• “Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, ‘It might have been.’” ―John Greenleaf Whittier, poet and advocate

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What are examples of deep quotes about life?

Examples of deep quotes about life are:

• “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves…” —Rainer Maria Rilke, poet
• “And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.” —Max Ehrmann, writer and poet

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What are good quotes about life?

Good quotes about life vary based on your personal taste and lived experience. Some popular quotes about life include:

• “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” ―Mae West, actress and singer
• “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” ―Robert Frost, poet

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What are examples of motivational quotes about life?

Examples of motivational quotes about life are:

• “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” —Mary Oliver, poet
• “We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.” ―May Sarton, novelist
• “Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.” ―Roy T. Bennett, author

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