150 Most Powerful Quotes of All Time

Reading powerful quotes is an excellent way to get back up when you feel like you’ve been hit hard by life’s challenges.

We are all aware that life is not as simple as it appears. Regardless of how strong and capable you are, keeping your head above the water is so difficult to do on your own. Sometimes, when you reach out your hand, no one pulls you up; instead, you may feel as if someone is pulling you down.

That is why we handpicked the most powerful quotes from people who faced and overcame similar challenges as you. We’re positive that you’ll feel supported and encouraged to succeed through this collection.

Most Powerful Quotes of All Time

You are not alone in your battles, and to remind yourself of that, read the complete collection below.

Start here.

And make sure to check out these encouraging quotes and positive quotes.

Most Powerful Quotes 

1. “The most powerful thing you can do is the right one. The most powerful thing you can be is yourself.” – Maxime Lagacé

2. “You are powerful. You are unlimited. The genes of the One who created the universe are at the core of your being.” – Iyanla Vanzant

3. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

4. “The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the big facts.” – Paulo Coelho

5. “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” – Aristotle

6. “Not until we are lost, do we begin to find ourselves.” – Henry David Thoreau

7. “Don’t settle for what life gives you; make life better and build something.” – Ashton Kutcher

8. “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.” – Mary Engelbreit

9. “It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet.” – Marcus Aurelius

10. “Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” – Joshua J. Marine

Famous Powerful Quotes 

11. “He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.” – Lao Tzu

12. “Your words are very powerful and what you say matters; keep them positive and powerful.” – Farshad Asl

13. “The power of the individual is as powerful as the universe is infinite.” – Tom Hanks

14. “Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture the heart.” – Ancient Indian Proverb

15. “Do all the good you can, for all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as you can.” – Hillary Clinton

16. “The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice.” – George Eliot

17. “The ultimate power in life is to be completely self-reliant, completely yourself.” – Robert Greene

18. “Remember, you are the most powerful magnet in the universe.” – Rhonda Byrne

19. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

20. “The only way that we can live is if we grow. The only way we can grow is if we change. The only way we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed. And the only way that we are exposed is if we throw ourselves into the open.” – C. Joybell C.

Also read: Famous Quotes

Powerful Quotes to Inspire You

21. “You have the power to create the world you want to see.” – Gabby Bernstein

22. “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

23. “Everything negative—pressure, challenges—is all an opportunity for me to rise.” – Kobe Bryant

24. “Your positive energy leaves a powerful impression on the world.” – Gabby Bernstein

25. “I am whole, perfect, strong, powerful, loving, harmonious, and happy.” – Rhonda Byrne

26. “You are a powerful, unlimited, and eternal soul who is here to enjoy the experience of creativity and contribute to humanity’s evolution.” – Timothy Leary

27. “You are free. You are powerful. You are good. You are love. You have value. You have purpose. All is well.” – Esther Hicks

28. “Today’s pain is tomorrow’s power. The more you suffer today, the stronger you are tomorrow.” – Anonymous

29. “True power lies in having nothing to gain or lose and still doing the right thing the right way and for the right reasons.” – Taylor Burrowes

30. “If you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.” – Toni Morrison

31. “The illumination of a great star is potent and powerful enough to make other stars around it great.” – Ikechukwu Izuakor

32. “We are powerful beyond measure, and we must stand powerfully in the face of injustice and hate. United.” – Scott Stabile

33. “We all have the power within us, to make something of ourselves, the thing is very few believe it.” – Nikki Rowe

34. “Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: the potential for greatness lives within each of us.” – Wilma Rudolph

35. “The most powerful creative state to bring your desires into reality is by bringing the conscious and subconscious into unison then keeping your heart and mind in perfect sync.” – Steven Redhead

Also read: Inspirational Quotes

Deep Powerful Quotes

36. “When you have something to say, silence is a lie.” – Jordan Peterson

37. “Don’t practice until you get it right. Practice until you can’t get it wrong.” – Anonymous

38. “Unless you’re the lead dog of the sled, the view never changes.” – Anonymous

39. “If you can do what you do best and be happy, you’re further along in life than most people.” – Leonardo DiCaprio

40. “Every day of our lives, we are on the verge of making those slight changes that would make all the difference.” – Mignon McLaughlin

41. “Some people get what they want because they grab the power and swing it, and some people don’t.” – Dan Groat

42. “The present moment is a powerful goddess.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

43. “The more you create, the more powerful you become. The more you consume, the more powerful others become.” – James Clear

44. “A moment in time is the strangest and most powerful object in the known universe.” – Khalid Masood

45. “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go and do that, because what the world needs is people that have come alive.” – Howard Thurman

46. “Imagination is a powerful agent for creating, as it were, a second nature out of the material supplied to it by actual nature.” – Immanuel Kant

Also read: Deep Meaningful Quotes

Powerful Quotes About Life

47. “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” – Confucius

48. “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” – John Lennon

49. “Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

50. “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” – Robert Frost

51. “Do not let making a living prevent you from making a life.” – John Wooden

52. “Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not.” – Oscar Wilde

53. “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” – Soren Kierkegaard

54. “You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.” – Oprah Winfrey

55. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

56. “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

57. “I would rather die a meaningful death than to live a meaningless life.” – Corazon Aquino

58. “If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey

59. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.” – Steve Jobs

60. “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.” – Viktor Frankl

61. “There are two types of pain you will go through in life: the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. Discipline weighs ounces, while regret weighs tons.” – Anonymous

Also read: Quotes to Live By

Powerful Quotes for a Stronger Mindset

62. “If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.” – Peace Pilgrim

63. “Sometimes saying ‘fuck it’ at the right time can be a very powerful thing. It tells your mind that you are willing to do whatever it takes to get to the other side.” – David Goggins

64. “Never let your emotions overpower your intelligence.” – Drake

65. “The most powerful, smallest, and largest thing in the universe is the mind.” – Rangjung Rigpe Dorje

66. “You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius

67. “It is in the nature of the mind that the more we cultivate and familiarize ourselves with positive emotions, the more powerful they become.” – Dalai Lama

68. “The more things you know, or pretend to know, the more powerful you are. It doesn’t matter if things are true. What counts, remember, is to possess a secret.” – Umberto Eco

Powerful Quotes for Men

69. “Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.” – Seneca

70. “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” – David Brinkley

71. “Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.” – Albert Einstein

72. “The fool is arrogant and feeble. The wise man is both humble and powerful.” – Maxime Lagacé

Powerful Quotes for Women

73. “Even though she was powerful enough to kill, she could also grow flowers.” – Becky Allen

74. “If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat! Just get on.” – Sheryl Sandberg

75. “Do not allow people to dim your shine because they are blinded. Tell them to put some sunglasses on.” – Lady Gaga

76. “Don’t try to lessen yourself for the world; let the world catch up to you.” – Beyoncé

77. “Some women walk towards a better future. Others have chauffeurs.” – Ljupka Cvetanova

78. “It is the most powerful creation to have life growing inside of you. There is no bigger gift.” – Beyoncé Knowles

79. “I tell myself, ‘You’ve been through so much, you’ve endured so much, time will allow me to heal, and soon this will be just another memory that made me the strong woman, athlete, and mother I am today.’” – Serena Williams

Also read: Strong Women Quotes

Powerful Quotes to Help You Overcome Failure

80. “You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated.” – Maya Angelou

81. “This moment is not your life, it’s just a moment in your life.” – Ryan Holiday

82. “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas A. Edison

83. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela

84. “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” – Henry Ford

85. “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.” – George Bernhard Shaw

86. “You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.” – Beverly Sills

87. “It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default.” – J.K. Rowling

88. “The real test is not whether you avoid this failure because you won’t. It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.” – Barack Obama

Powerful Quotes That Will Lead You to Success

89. “I never dreamed about success, I worked for it.” – Estee Lauder

90. “If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success.” – James Cameron

91. “Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

92. “I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.” – Florence Nightingale

93. “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes but they don’t quit.” – Conrad Hilton

94. “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston S. Churchill

95. “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell

96. “The secret of success is to do the common thing uncommonly well.” – John D. Rockefeller Jr.

97. “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” – Henry David Thoreau

98. “Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember—the only taste of success some people get is to take a bite out of you.” – Zig Ziglar

99. “The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same.” – Colin R. Davis

100. “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.” – Abraham Lincoln

101. “Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better.” – Jim Rohn

Also read: Success Quotes

Powerful Quotes to Give You the Courage to Face Your Fears

102. “Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.” – Mary Shelley

103. “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown

104. “He who fears he will suffer already suffers because he fears.” – Michel De Montaigne

105. “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” – George Addair

106. “What is fear but that ‘thing’ that we believed to be as powerful as it pretended to be.” – Craig D. Lounsbrough

107. “I don’t know what frightens me more, the power that crushes us, or our endless ability to endure it.” – Gregory David Roberts

108. “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” – Audre Lorde

109. “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” – Babe Ruth

110. “Bravery means finding something more important than fear.” – Anonymous

111. “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. It’s that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be?” – Marianne Williamson

Powerful Quotes That Zoom in on Love

112. “Love is the most powerful energy there is.” – Lenny Kravitz

113. “The greatest pleasure of life is love.” – Euripides

114. “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” – Mother Teresa

115. “The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself.” – Steve Maraboli

116. “Love is a verb. Love, the feeling—is a fruit of love, the verb.” – Stephen Covey

117. “Never apologize for having high standards. People who really want to be in your life will rise up to meet them.” – Ziad K. Abdelnour

118. “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked, and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty.” – Mother Teresa

119. “In this life, we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.” – Mother Teresa

120. “It’s the ability to love anyone and anything that’s the most powerful force in the universe.” – Brownell Landrum

121. “Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.” – Henry van Dyke

122. “The truth is that you don’t get closure from someone else. It comes from you. You are the only one with the power to close that chapter and start writing the next one. And that’s incredibly powerful.” – Mel Robbins

Also read: True Love Quotes

Short but Powerful Quotes

123. “The idea is to die young as late as possible.” – Ashley Montagu

124. “You are as powerful as you trust yourself.” – Meir Ezra

125. “The phoenix must burn to emerge.” – Janet Fitch

126. “Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.” – Hans Christian Andersen

127. “You are as powerful as the purity of your heart.” – Yogi Ramdas

128. “A pure heart is a powerful heart.” – Dr. MaryAnn Diorio

129. “Turn your wounds into wisdom.” – Oprah Winfrey

130. “Love the life you live. Live the life you love.” – Bob Marley

131. “We design our lives through the power of choices.” – Richard Bach

132. “Speech is always less powerful than silence.” – Ramana Maharshi

133. “We rise by lifting others.” – Germany Kent

134. “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” – Albert Einstein

135. “Dream big and dare to fail.” – Norman Vaughan

136. “Silence is the most powerful scream.” – Anonymous

Powerful Quotes for Every Student Worldwide

137. “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” – W.B. Yeats

138. “Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave.” – Frederick Douglas

139. “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein

140. “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin

Powerful Quotes That’ll Help You Spread Joy

141. “Whoever is happy will make others happy too.” – Anne Frank

142. “In seeking happiness for others, you will find it in yourself.” – Anonymous

143. “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or objects.” – Albert Einstein

144. “The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” – Dalai Lama

145. “Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination.” – Roy L. Goodman

146. “Not having the best situation, but seeing the best in your situation is the key to happiness.” – Marie Forleo

147. “When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.” – Helen Keller

148. “Keep smiling, because life is a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.” – Marilyn Monroe

149. “Joy is your birthright. Claim it. Choose it consciously. Align with it. It’s the highest vibration you can embody, and the most powerful.” – Gabby Bernstein

150. “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else.” – Chinese Proverb

Did These Quotes Give You the Power to Face the World and All It Has to Offer?

It’s not easy to thrive, and sometimes, merely surviving depletes our energies. We are bound to face challenges that will cripple us and make us wonder if we only live to suffer. However, we must not let these difficulties deter us; instead, we must stay grounded and firm because these difficulties are only temporary.

Having supportive friends and family is essential during difficult times. But, the reality is, they have their own issues to resolve, too. So, while having someone to depend on is great, we should also learn how to stand up to our own problems.

This is where powerful quotes come in handy. They give us that boost of confidence we need to power through the smallest to the most significant challenges we may encounter. Bookmark this list so you can easily reread the quotes whenever you need help getting through the day.

Which quote was most relevant to you? Do you have any more powerful quotes you’d like to share? Please, leave them in the comments section below.

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Karen Danao

Hi, I’m Karen, a content curator and writer for Quote Ambition; I’m also a marketing and advertising professional. Beyond the keyboard and the screen, I’m someone who’s out to enjoy every bit that life has to offer!

Poetry, philosophy, history, and movies are all topics I love writing about! However, my true passion is in traveling, photography, and finding common ground to which everyone from different cultures can relate.

With the many places I’ve been to, I found that love, inspiration, and happiness are some things that bring people together. No matter how different we are on the outside, I’m a true believer that our emotions don’t lie; if you dig deep into our psyche, we’re all the same inside.

This belief was further amplified when I joined Quote Ambition. Through the quotes I’ve read, collected, organized, and written about, I found that humans are resilient, creative, and compassionate.

We take from each others’ hearts and courage, and it’s through our individual experiences that we learn how to rise above our challenges and pain. In so many ways, Quote Ambition is a platform that allows people from all over the world to gain the inspiration they need anytime, anywhere!

You can find me on MuckRack and LinkedIn.