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Can reading a litany of quotes about resilience and positive inner strength actually lift you up during challenging times, or even just during one of those days? Turns out, yes. When the going gets tough, we all need encouragement and a quick reminder of our deeper reserves. Sure, reaching out to your inner circle helps. So does the best workout or even a brisk walk in the sun. Even the temporary escapism of watching the best action movies for the umpteenth time. But don’t overlook the swift, effective salve of strong encouraging quotes backed by the hard-won wisdom of famous folks who could write the book on grace, grit, and pushing through when it really counts.

Perusing strength quotes can work like a guiding mantra—and, in fact, serve as an encouraging reminder that you are strong, too. The following short quotes about strength in hard times, resilience quotes, and "stay strong" quotes come from figures as varied as Gandhi, Brené Brown, and Steve Jobs. Turns out, they’ve all been there, too. Here are 60 of our favorite strength quotes for whenever you need a wise and timely boost.

Best Quotes About Strength of 2024

If you’re looking for three concise classics that will never fade, here's our strength quote trifecta that's worth memorizing. These three quotes about strength may be just the quick reminder you need that you are strong and this too shall pass. 

  • “Perhaps one day it will be pleasing to recall even such hardships.” — Virgil
  • “What does not kill me makes me stronger.” — Friedrich Nietzsche
  • “Burdens are for shoulders strong enough to carry them.” ― Margaret Mitchell
Bob Marley singing on stage.

Bob Marley: “You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice."

Best Resilience Quotes

When the going gets tough, the tough tap into their grit, flexibility, and deep inner strengths. Our favorite resilience quotes remind us that it's often through struggle that we grow stronger, wiser, and even happier. 

  • “With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt
  • “Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving. We get stronger and more resilient.” ― Steve Maraboli
  • "No matter how much falls on us, we keep plowing ahead. That's the only way to keep the roads clear." ― Greg Kincaid
  • “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender. That is strength.” ― Arnold Schwarzenegger
  • “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” ― Winston Churchill
  • “‎Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.” ― Voltaire
  • “Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who make excuses.” ― George Washington
  • “Whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, it is the only time we have.” ― Art Buchwald
  • “In every battle, there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten. Then he who continues the attack wins.” ― Ulysses S. Grant
  • “You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.” ― Bob Marley
  • “All great and precious things are lonely.” ― John Steinbeck
  • “The jungle is dark but full of diamonds, Willy.” ― Arthur Miller
Black and white closeup of Ernest Hemingway.

Ernest Hemingway: “The world breaks everyone, and afterward many are strong at the broken places.”

Best Positive Inner Strength Quotes

When you’re hoping to find some inspiration deep down inside of you, these positive inner strength quotes from literary giants, tech leaders, and global icons fit the bill. Just reading them, you’ll feel a little more sure of yourself and inspired to keep chipping away at your goals.