Short Quotes | 70 Examples & Inspiration

Short quotes are lines that say a lot with few words. Many short quotes from film, literature, and oral tradition have persisted in collective memory and popular culture.

Check out this curated list of 70 quotes to see which ones you know and discover new ones that inspire you. Add your favorites to personalized graphics using QuillBot’s free Image Generator.

What are short quotes?

Short quotes include proverbs, famous lines from film or theatre, remarks from speeches, and literary witticisms. They may be concise, but they’re often powerful enough to stick in your memory long after you hear them.

From inspirational and positive to romantic and funny, this list covers iconic short quotes that fit every mood and occasion.

Short inspirational quotes

Short inspirational quotes are perfect for starting your day or giving you perspective when feeling stuck. You can memorize them or keep them in your journal as mantras to live by.

1. “This above all: to thine own self be true.”  —William Shakespeare, playwright
2. “Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.” —-Christopher Reeve, actor and activist
3. “Being happy never goes out of style.” —Lilly Pulitzer, fashion designer
4. “Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” —Maya Angelou, essayist and memoirist
5. “I don’t go by the rule book…I lead from the heart, not the head.” —Princess Diana, former Princess of Wales
6. “If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” —Napoleon Hill, author
7. “Life has no limitations, except the ones you make.” —Les Brown, motivational speaker and politician
8. “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” —Jackie Robinson, baseball player
9. “Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” —Jack Canfield, author and motivational speaker
10. “Life is either a great adventure or nothing.” —Helen Keller, author

Short motivational quotes

Short motivational quotes are ideal for when you need a little extra wind in your sails. Save these lines as the perfect pick-me-up when striving toward your goals.

1. “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” —Dolly Parton, singer and songwriter
2. “Fall seven times; stand up eight.” ―Japanese Proverb
3. “Do not go gentle into that good night.” —Dylan Thomas, poet and writer
4. “Impossible is for the unwilling.” —John Keats, poet
5. “Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” —Samuel Beckett, playwright and poet
6. “No pressure, no diamonds.” —Thomas Carlyle, essayist and historian
7. “Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” —Truman Capote, novelist and screenwriter
8. “Inspiration is perishable—act on it immediately.” —Naval Ravikant, entrepreneur
9. “Boldness be my friend.” —William Shakespeare, playwright
10. “You can if you think you can.” —George Reeves, actor

Short positive quotes

Short positive quotes make excellent affirmations that you can stick on a mirror to read each day, or use as part of a mindfulness practice.

You can also share them with friends, family, and colleagues when they need a boost.

1. “Each day comes bearing its gifts. Untie the ribbon.” —Ann Ruth Schabacker, journalist
2. “A light heart lives long.” —William Shakespeare, playwright
3. “Life is a journey, not a destination.” —-Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist
4. “Every cloud has a silver lining.” —-John Milton, poet
5. “Say something positive, and you’ll see something positive.” —Jim Thompson, businessman
6. “Perfect is the enemy of good.” —Voltaire (attributed), philosopher
7. “The darkest hour is just before dawn.” —Thomas Fuller, author of A Pisgah Sight of Palestine
8. “Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.” —Charles R. Swindoll, pastor and radio host
9. “Identify your problems but give your power and energy to solutions.” —Tony Robbins, author and coach
10. “In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary.” —Aaron Rose, director and artist

Deep short quotes

Deep short quotes are particularly powerful lines that invite us to think and reflect. These include words of wisdom from philosophers, poets, and physicists, along with musicians and athletes.

1. “Existence precedes essence.” —Jean-Paul Sartre, philosopher
2. “We are made of star stuff.” —Carl Sagan, astronomer
3. “The only point of dancing is to dance.” —Alan Watts, writer and speaker
4. “If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is: Infinite.” ―William Blake, poet and painter
5. “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” —Jimi Hendrix, American musician
6. “God is change.” —Octavia Butler, science fiction writer
7. “I connect with everything, but I don’t attach to anything.” —Alysa Liu, figure skater
8.  “You are awareness, disguised as a person.” —Eckhart Tolle, writer and teacher
9. “I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will” —Antonio Gramsci, philosopher
10. “The more I heal, the less ambitious I become.” —Nadia Meli, writer and photographer

Short love quotes

Short love quotes are sweet words and romantic lines you can share with a significant other, family member, or even address toward yourself. They offer a chance to reflect on relationships and brighten someone’s day.

1. “We accept the love we think we deserve.” —Stephen Chbosky, author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower
2. “It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.” —Andre Gide, author of Autumn Leaves
3. “Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.” —Zelda Fitzgerald, novelist and painter
4. “The very essence of romance is uncertainty.” —Oscar Wilde, author of The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays
5. “Love is so short, forgetting is so long.” —Pablo Neruda, author of Love: Ten Poems
6. “Till I loved I never lived.” —Emily Dickinson, poet
7. “In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours.” —Maya Angelou, writer
8. “You are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.” —E.E. Cummings, poet and painter
9. “Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” —Aristotle, philosopher
10. “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” —Audrey Hepburn, actress
11. “If a thing loves, it is infinite.” —William Blake, poet and painter

Very short funny quotes

Very short funny quotes are great one liners bound to get a laugh. Add these witty sayings to conversation to lighten the mood.

1. “I intend to live forever. So far, so good.”  —Steven Wright, actor and comedian
2. “73.6% of all statistics are made up.” —Mark Suster, businessman and investor
3. “If two wrongs don’t make a right, try three.” —Laurence J. Peter, educator
4. “Why do they call it rush hour when nothing moves?” — Robin Williams, comedian and actor
5. “I generally avoid temptation unless I can’t resist it.” ―Mae West, actress and singer
6. “Only the mediocre are always at their best.” —Jean Giraudoux, novelist and essayist
7. “I love mankind. It’s people I can’t stand.” —Charles M. Schulz, cartoonist
8. “I’m at an age when my back goes out more than I do.” —Phyllis Diller, comedian and actress
9. “I read part of it all the way through.” —Samuel Goldwyn, film producer
10. “I’m spending a year dead for tax reasons.” —Douglas Adams, author and humorist

Short quotes about life

Short quotes about life are words of wisdom from writers, playwrights, philosophers, and film that instill courage to live life to the fullest.

1. “Life is short, and it is here to be lived.” —Kate Winslet, actress
2. “May you live every day of your life.” —Jonathan Swift, writer and essayist
3. “You cannot find peace by avoiding life.” —Michael Cunningham, novelist and screenwriter
4. “Get busy living or get busy dying.” —Stephen King, author
5. “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” —Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher
6. “Life is painting a picture, not doing a sum.” —Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., judge
7. “Live to the point of tears.” —Albert Camus, author and journalist
8. “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” —Mary Oliver, poet
9. “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” —Søren Kierkegaard, philosopher
10. “The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.” —Frank Sinatra, singer and actor

Frequently asked questions about short quotes

What are very short love quotes for him?

Very short love quotes for him include:

• “In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours.” —Maya Angelou, memoirist and essayist
• “You are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.” —E.E. Cummings, poet and painter
• “Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” —Aristotle, philosopher

Add your favorite short quotes to custom graphics using QuillBot’s Image Generator

What are examples of “life is short” quotes?

Examples of “life is short quotes” are:

• “Don’t squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.” —Benjamin Franklin, polymath and statesman
• “Life is short, that’s all there is to say.” —Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor
• “Life is too short to be miserable.” —Rita Mae Brown, writer

Ensure your short quote citations are correct with the help of QuillBot’s Citation Generator.

What are examples of family quotes that are short?

Examples of family quotes that are short include:

• “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” —Leo Tolstoy, writer and novelist
• “The family is one of nature’s masterpieces.” —George Santayana, philosopher and essayist
• “Families are like fudge—mostly sweet with a few nuts.” —Les Dawson, comedian and actor

Write personalized short quotes for your family members using QuillBot’s free Text Generator.

What are some short happiness quotes?

Some short happiness quotes include the following:

“Keep your face always towards the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you.” —Walt Whitman, author of Leaves of Grass

“Happiness for a reason is just another form of misery because the reason can be taken from us at any time.” —Deepak Chopra, author and self-help celebrity

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”  —J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy

“It is by being fully involved with every detail of our lives, whether good or bad, that we find happiness, not by trying to look for it directly.” —Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, psychologist and motivation expert

“If I can enjoy the present, I don’t need to count on the happiness that is (or isn’t) waiting for me in the future.” —Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project

When you’re writing with happiness quotes, QuillBot’s free Citation Generator and Grammar Checker can help you avoid errors. You can also add your favorite short quotes to custom graphics using QuillBot’s free Image Generator.

What are some short motivational quotes for students?

Short motivational quotes for students include:

• “What we know matters, but who we are matters more.” —Brené Brown, business professor, leadership researcher, author, and podcaster
• “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” —Zig Ziglar, motivational speaker
• “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” —B.B. King, world-famous blues guitarist and songwriter
• “Remember that if you really want to motivate yourself, love is more powerful than fear.” —Kristin Neff, educational psychologist and podcaster
• “If you dream it, you can do it.” —Walt Disney

Short quotes like these are perfect for DIY classroom decorations. With QuillBot’s image generator, making a custom classroom poster is easier than ever! Simply tell the AI what type of background and inspirational quote you want to display.