60 Self-Doubt Quotes to Help You Overcome Your Fears

These self-doubt quotes are ideal for anyone who is unsure of themselves or doubts their abilities.

Self-doubt is a natural part of life. This may cause you to feel uneasy at times and make you fearful of failure. However, you should not let it impede your progress toward your objectives.

Never let your fears hold you back in life. Instead, step outside of your comfort zone and try new things that will help you become a better version of yourself.

Best Self-Doubt Quotes

So, to help you out, we’ve compiled a list of self-doubt quotes to help you get rid of your what-ifs and pave the way to your life goals.

Begin reading here.

And don’t forget to check out these success quotes and encouraging quotes.

Best Self-Doubt Quotes

1. “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath

2. “Self-doubt imprisons those that never overcome it.” – Obiora Embry

3. “You have what it takes. Don’t ever doubt yourself.” – Anonymous

4. “It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.” – Hanoch McCarty

5. “Life is about overcoming self-doubt. But you don’t grow if you don’t question yourself.” – Lenny Henry

6. “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” – William Shakespeare

7. “Don’t ever doubt yourselves or waste a second of your life. It’s too short, and you’re too special.” – Ariana Grande

8. “In your moments of self-doubt, it helps to have someone in your life who believes in you more than you believe in yourself.” – Hrishikesh Agnihotri

9. “I seek strength, not to be greater than others, but to fight my greatest enemy, the doubts within myself.” – P.C. Cast

10. “Self-doubt is real. Everyone has it. Having confidence and losing confidence is real, too, and everyone has been in that position.” – Venus Williams

Self-Doubt Quotes to Motivate You to Keep Going

11. “If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.” – Vincent van Gogh

12. “Most of us suffer from the pangs of self-doubt; yet, the courage to tread forward must originate from within.” – Kilroy J. Oldster

13. “Self-doubt can create fatigue in your mind, whereas focused action can create achievement in your life.” – Jackie Cantoni

14. “If you don’t have some self-doubts and fears when you pursue a dream, then you haven’t dreamed big enough.” – Joe Vitale

15. “I can’t think of anyone I admire who isn’t fueled by self-doubt. It’s an essential ingredient. It’s the grit in the oyster.” – Richard Eyre

16. “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” – J. M. Barrie

17. “Let all your moments of self-doubt, fear, or disappointment fuel your drive to be great.” – Devin McCourty

18. “You should never doubt yourself, because you never, ever know what’s around the corner.” – Kellie Pickler

19. “You do not need to pay attention to those voices within you that create pain, or make you feel less competent, smart or able.” – Sanaya Roman

20. “Before you doubt yourself, do something. Before you quit, try again. Before you leave, get back in.” – Michael Bassey Johnson

21. “I keep going because I doubt myself. It drives me to be better. I’ve learned that the mastery of self-doubt is the key to success.” – Will Smith

22. “Don’t let others tell you what you can’t do. Don’t let the limitations of others limit your vision. If you can remove your self-doubt and believe in yourself, you can achieve what you never thought possible.” – Roy T. Bennett

23. “Believe in your infinite potential. Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself. Believe in yourself, your abilities, and your own potential. Never let self-doubt hold you captive. You are worthy of all that you dream of and hope for.” – Roy T. Bennett

24. “You are not ‘not good enough.’ You are just not seeing clearly enough, not trying hard enough, and not trusting yourself enough.” – Emma Xu

25. “The reason why you doubt yourself so much is that you have never seen yourself in action. You have never seen yourself breaking limits. You have never seen yourself standing in the spotlight and getting cheered by the audience.” – Michael Bassey Johnson

Also read: Doubt Quotes

Wise Self-Doubt Quotes That Will Help You Overcome It

26. “May you find grace to overcome self-doubt.” – Lailah Gifty Akita

27. “Erase self-doubt by working to build your strengths instead of focusing on your weaknesses.” – Rodolfo Costa

28. “Just remember to never doubt yourself, we are all capable of amazing things.” – Rob Cristophe

29. “You must be careful never to allow doubt to paralyze you. Always take the decisions you need to take, even if you’re not sure you’re doing the right thing.” – Paulo Coelho

30. “The moment you feel yourself hesitate on something you know you should do, count 5-4-3-2-1 to activate your prefrontal cortex and interrupt the habit of overthinking, self-doubt, and fear.” – Mel Robbins

31. “If you continually doubt, you usually end up talking yourself out of success. The biggest mistake we can make is to doubt our own abilities. Don’t let doubt defeat you!” – Catherine Pulsifer

Also read: Self-Respect Quotes, Anger Quotes

Self-Doubt Quotes That Show How Overthinking Affects Your Life

32. “Once you become self-conscious, there is no end to it; once you start to doubt, there is no room for anything else.” – Mignon McLaughlin

33. “Ignore self-doubt and inner conflict. Dwell on positive thoughts.” – Lailah Gifty Akita

34. “Doubts in your mind are a much greater roadblock to success than obstacles on the journey.” – Orrin Woodward

35. “You’ve been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” – Louise L. Hay

Short Self-Doubt Quotes to Think About

36. “Self-doubt kills talent.” – Edie McClurg

37. “Self-doubt inflicts the deepest wounds.” – Marty Rubin

38. “Self-doubt is a disease and has no medicine.” – Anuj Jasani

39. “Self-doubt is the greatest enemy of any new good habit.” – Victoria Moran

40. “Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.” – Christine Bovee

41. “Self-doubt is a persistent weed.” – Stjepan Šejić

42. “Self-doubt is when you think you are not good enough.” – Michael Bassey Johnson

Self-Doubt Quotes for Someone Who Needs More Confidence

43. “Acting as if you were what you want to become and know you can become is the way to remove self-doubt and enter your real magic kingdom.” – Wayne Dyer

44. “You’re busy doubting yourself while others are intimidated by your full potential.” – Anonymous

45. “If you’re in a comfort zone, afraid to venture out. Remember that all winners were at one time filled with doubt.” – Anonymous

46. “A person who doubts himself is like a man who would enlist in the ranks of his enemies and bear arms against himself. He makes his failure certain by himself being the first person to be convinced of it.” – Ambrose Bierce

47. “One of the most debilitating attitudes is that of having doubts about your abilities to achieve.” – Byron R. Pulsifer

48. “Do the things you believe in, in the name of love. And know that, you aren’t alone. We all have doubts and fears.” – Carole King

49. “You don’t need to doubt yourself―plenty of people will do that for free!” – Francis Shenstone

50. “Don’t let rejection create self-doubt. The founder of Starbucks was turned down by 217 of the 242 investors he initially spoke with.” – Elizabeth Galbut

Also read: Frustration Quotes

Self-Doubt Quotes That Highlight Its Negative Effects

51. “Don’t regret the past or fear the future. Both bring misery through self-doubt.” – Deepak Chopra

52. “Because of self-doubt, the fear of failure, or laziness, most people usually bite off way less than they can chew.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana

53. “Self-doubt can be harmful to your present and future self.” – Angel Moreira

54. “A little self-doubt will do no harm and may do a great deal of good: we will be more open to learn and correct our mistakes. But too much will shackle and stifle us with deep insecurities and make us so much aware of methods that we may overlook truth itself.” – D.A. Carson

More Self-Doubt Quotes That Reveal What Is Holding You Back

55. “Even a wise man knows doubt from time to time, it is the fool who allows it to rule his judgment.” – Jennifer Hudock

56. “A person’s greatest limitations are not genetic, but imposed by self-doubt, insecurities, indecision, and timidity.” – Kilroy J. Oldster

57. “Most haters are stuck in a poisonous mental prison of jealousy and self-doubt that blinds them to their own potentiality.” – Steve Maraboli

58. “If you are constantly doubting yourself about your skills and talents then you are the person with the right skills and the wrong surroundings.” – Anuj Jasani

59. “I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have a fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I’m like, ‘My back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I don’t have it. I just want to chill.’ We all have self-doubt. You don’t deny it, but you also don’t capitulate to it. You embrace it.” – Kobe Bryant

60. “Starting can be dang scary. We hope for awesome, but fear we will end up with a disaster. We want a certain outcome but worry about taking the right steps to get to that outcome safely and effectively. Self-doubt can creep in quickly when someone dares to start something new.” – Anonymous

Did These Self-Doubt Quotes Motivate You to Believe In Yourself and Overcome Your Fears?

When you are full of self-doubt, you are more likely to make mistakes. You will be more conscious and prone to overthinking, which may impair your performance.

Doubting what you’re faced with in life is normal and healthy, but not when you start to doubt your own self and capabilities. Self-doubt is a challenging foe to overcome, especially if you don’t correctly deal with it. That’s why it’s essential to have peers you can confide in and give you sound advice.

Get rid of your self-doubt and believe in yourself because no one else will if you don’t. Continue to learn and improve your skills to gain the confidence necessary to thrive. Let this list of self-doubt quotes inspire you to work on your weaknesses and gain confidence so that you never doubt yourself again!

Which of these self-doubt quotes motivated you to step outside of your comfort zone? Join the discussion 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.