The climb to the top won’t be easy, so read through these James Clear quotes that’ll guide you in life!
James Clear is the man behind Atomic Habits, a self-help book published in 2018 that took the world by storm. He is also a speaker focused on forming good habits, sound decision-making, and continuous self-improvement.
Everyone with a dream, big or small, can learn from his words packed full of wisdom. Thankfully, his philosophy is made more accessible through an online course called, The Habits Academy.
Here, James Clear reached out to the best of the best coaches to help eager learners absorb his life-changing wisdom.
If you haven’t read the book or enrolled in his online course, this list of the best James Clear quotes is a great way to sneak a peek into his world.
Read on and list quotes that motivate you to be a better person!
Start here.
And don’t forget to check out these Jordan Peterson quotes and Jay Shetty quotes.
Best James Clear Quotes
1. “Getting 1% better every day counts for a lot in the long run.”
2. “All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger.”
3. “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
4. “Good habits can make rational sense, but if they conflict with your identity, you will fail to put them into action.”
5. “Progress requires unlearning. Becoming the best version of yourself requires you to continuously edit your beliefs, and to upgrade and expand your identity.”
Famous James Clear Quotes
6. “You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.”
7. “Life is too short to not be pursuing the best opportunity you know of.”
8. “You don’t have to be the victim of your environment. You can also be the architect of it.”
9. “The task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time.”
10. “Today might be the best chance you have to take action. The longer you wait, the more deeply embedded you get in your current lifestyle. Your habits solidify. Your beliefs harden. You get comfortable. It will never be easy, but it may also never be easier than it is right now.”
Also read: Famous Quotes, Positive Quotes
Inspiring James Clear Quotes
11. “When you can’t win by being better, you can win by being different.”
12. “A beginner’s mind plus an expert’s grind—a potent combination.”
13. “Always assume the result accomplished and it will be accomplished.”
14. “When you fall in love with the process rather than the product, you don’t have to wait to give yourself permission to be happy. You can be satisfied anytime your system is running.”
15. “Gratitude is what you feel when you want what you already have.”
Also read: Inspirational Quotes, Encouraging Quotes
James Clear Quotes About Habits and Success
16. “Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.”
17. “Success is the product of daily habits—not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.”
18. “Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.”
19. “What matters is whether your habits are putting you on the path toward success.”
20. “We change bit by bit, day by day, habit by habit. We are continually undergoing microevolutions of the self.”
Also read: Robert Greene Quotes, Robin Sharma Quotes
James Clear Quotes Filled With Life Lessons
21. “It’s a daily battle to be yourself, not merely what the world wants you to be.”
22. “With outcome-based habits, the focus is on what you want to achieve. With identity-based habits, the focus is on who you wish to become.”
23. “In the long run, the quality of our lives often depends on the quality of our habits.”
24. “A simple question that often changes my behavior: does the amount of attention I’m giving this match its importance?”
25. “With the same habits, you’ll end up with the same results. But with better habits, anything is possible.”
26. “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”
Also read: Sam Harris Quotes, Mark Manson Quotes
James Clear Quotes on Leadership
27. “An expert is someone who, over many years, manages to remain confident enough to keep trying and humble enough to keep learning.”
28. “Professionals stick to the schedule; amateurs let life get in the way.”
29. “Once your pride gets involved, you’ll fight tooth and nail to maintain your habits.”
Short James Clear Quotes
30. “Be the designer of your world and not merely the consumer of it.”
31. “Fix the inputs and the outputs will fix themselves.”
32. “Artists learn the rules, then transcend them.”
33. “True long-term thinking is goalless thinking.”
34. “It is your commitment to the process that will determine your progress.”
Wise James Clear Quotes That’ll Change Your Life
35. “Challenge yourself when life is easy, so you can handle it when life gets hard.”
36. “Don’t put in average effort and claim that you want exceptional results.”
37. “Always be prepared to absorb a big hit. Always be focused enough to create a big win. Diversified enough to survive, concentrated enough to matter.”
38. “Standardize before you optimize. You can’t improve a habit that doesn’t exist.”
39. “Time magnifies the margin between success and failure. It will multiply whatever you feed it. Good habits make time your ally. Bad habits make time your enemy.”
40. “We are so focused on figuring out the best approach that we never get around to taking action.”
Do You Think Your Current Habits Are Bringing You Closer to Success?
Each of us has habits instilled in us. The question is, do they do you good or not? The lines between these two distinctions can be hard to identify, but it is necessary to discern one from another to have lasting personal change.
Habits are the very foundations of our lives, and they dictate where our life goes. This is why we should actively try breaking bad habits. If your actions don’t bring you closer to your goals, then that’s a sign that you should reevaluate the things in your life.
When you break bad habits, you must also, simultaneously, build good ones. They don’t have to be significant changes in your routine—waking up early, exercising, eating healthy, and decluttering can be good starting points. Over time, you can build up these habits and add new ones, and slowly, you’ll realize that you’re moving your life in a more positive and meaningful direction.
Through James Clear and his works, the distinction between good and bad habits is made even more apparent. With that, we hope this collection of his best lines was able to serve as your wake-up call to redirect your life to a more productive path.
Which James Clear quote made an impact on you? Have you read any of his books? Please, share your thoughts with us below.