50 Quotes About Strength In Hard Times
It's hard to stay strong right now.
Getty (background images) When life knocks us down, we could all use some pick me up, and using powerful quotes about strength in hard times can be the perfect way to help us stay centered.
Especially during a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic, it difficult to be strong not only for ourselves, but for others, too. One of the key factors that help us get through these obstacles is a special ingredient called resilience. This not only makes us stronger mentally but it gives us an opportunity to seek perspective.
Things aren’t always as they seem. Through difficult seasons of our lives, we may need to open our minds and hearts to see the blessings hidden beneath.
Strength can come in various forms — from crying for a moment to asking for help, or even talking with a friend. Even though these may be taken as signs of weakness, on the contrary, it’s much more difficult to realize when you could use an extra hand.
Leaders don’t always have to be on the front lines. In fact, it takes strength to let followers lead, to give others the opportunity for leadership roles. Define strength for yourself next time you go walking in the park, or when you meditate on your favorite zen music.
Strength is similar to a seed. You may not have it all at once, but if you nurture it and practice growing resilience, then you’ll be able to weather any storm. So during this storm, if you're feeling overwhelmed or trapped, use these quotes about strength in hard times to get you through.
1. It’s not life, it’s us.
“Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.” —Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free
2. Strength comes within.
“Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare.” ―Angela Duckworth
3. Use your strength wisely.
“The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” ―Robert Jordan, The Fires of Heaven
4. Resilience allows you to keep an open mind.
“Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it's less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you've lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that's good.” ―Elizabeth Edwards
5. No one is responsible for you but yourself.
“Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself. Never pity yourself. Be a hard master to yourself-and be lenient to everybody else.” ―Henry Ward Beecher
6. Our bodies are more flexible than most think.
“The human capacity for burden is like bamboo- far more flexible than you'd ever believe at first glance.” ―Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper
7. Our strength can create beautiful art to help tell our story.
“If your heart is broken, make art with the pieces." ―Shane Koyczan
8. It all comes down to how many times we get back up after we fall.
“No matter how much falls on us, we keep plowing ahead. That's the only way to keep the roads clear.” ―Greg Kincaid
9. There are no limitations to resilience in humanity.
“It is really wonderful how much resilience there is in human nature. Let any obstructing cause, no matter what, be removed in any way, even by death, and we fly back to first principles of hope and enjoyment.” ―Bram Stoker, Dracula
10. It all matters in which direction you’re running.
“Resilience is the ability to attack while running away.” ―Wes Fessler
11. When opportunity knocks, make sure you keep answering.
“Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.” ―Gever Tulley
12. A battle sin't always over after the first fight.
“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” ―Margaret Thatcher
13. We only get stronger through denser woods.
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” ―Dieter F. Uchtdorf
14. It’s much more impressive to hear stories about people’s fights rather than their victories.
“Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” ―Nelson Mandela
15. Life happens, but we can choose how we should react.
“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” ―Maya Angelou
16. Sometimes we have to start over to grow stronger.
“Rock bottom became the solid foundation in which I rebuilt my life.” ―J.K. Rowling
17. Flexibility is the key.
“She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails.” ―Elizabeth Edwards
18. Life isn’t simply walking down easy street.
“A good half of the art of living is resilience.” ―Alain de Botton
19. Our losses are just as significant as our victories.
“You must bear losses like a soldier, the voice told me, bravely and without complaint, and just when the day seems lost, grab your shield for another stand, another thrust forward. That is the juncture that separates heroes from the merely strong.” ― Margaret George, The Memoirs of Cleopatra
20. Never stop getting back up on your feet.
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” ―Japanese Proverb
21. Don’t let the problems own you, you must control the problem.
“No matter how bleak or menacing a situation may appear, it does not entirely own us. It can't take away our freedom to respond, our power to take action.” ―Ryder Carroll
22. There’s always greener grass on the other side of the hill.
“On the other side of a storm is the strength that comes from having navigated through it. Raise your sail and begin.” v1 ―Gregory S. Williams
23. Everyone’s journey is different when we all work toward success.
“I tried and failed. I tried again and again and succeeded.” ―Gail Borden
24. It’s what you do after your loss that counts.
“The difference between a strong man and a weak one is that the former does not give up after a defeat.” ―Woodrow Wilson
25. The greatest rewards are learning from our mistakes.
“It may sound strange, but many champions are made champions by setbacks.” ―Bob Richards
26. This is why meditation is vital.
“Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence.” —Dalai Lama
27. There’s no success without adversity.
“Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.” —Oprah Winfrey
28. Perseverance is key.
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” —Mahatma Gandhi
29. Always be above your resistance, not alongside it.
“Kites rise highest against the wind – not with it.” —Winston Churchill
30. If you’re gonna stand, then stand firm.
“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” —Abraham Lincoln
31. Let begging to be the last resort.
“Only strength can cooperate. Weakness can only beg.” —Dwight D. Eisenhower
32. True strength is revealed after you have to face your fears.
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’” —Eleanor Roosevelt
33. You have no excuse but to keep moving on.
“If you can’t fly then run. If you can’t run then walk. If you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” —Martin Luther King Jr
34. Failures are stepping stones to success.
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths.” —Arnold Schwarzenegger
35. Persistence will always pull us through.
“As long as we persevere and endure, we can get anything we want.” —Mike Tyson
36. No pain, no gain.
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” —Muhammad Ali
37. The pain is just the beginning.
“Failure gave me strength. The pain was my motivation.” —Michael Jordan
38. Never underestimate how it feels to start dancing in the storm.
“I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection.” —Leonardo da Vinci
39. Keep your eyes wide open so you don’t miss any opportunities.
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” —Albert Einstein
40. Our mind is the most powerful tool.
“Success depends less on strength of body than upon strength of mind and character.” —Arnold Palmer
41. While fear dies, strength is born.
“The terrorists thought they would change my aims and stop my ambitions, but nothing changed in my life except this: weakness, fear, and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage were born.” —Malala Yousafzai
42. When we show strength, we also reflect on others.
“I would encourage us all, African Americans, Asians, Latinos, Whites, Native Americans to study history. I long for the time when all human history is taught as one history. I am stronger because you are stronger. I am weaker if you are weak. So we are more alike than we are unlike.” —Maya Angelou
43. The majority of our reactions depend on the outcome of life.
“Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.” —John C. Maxwell
44. Take every opportunity to fight the good fight.
“Don’t give up the fight. Stand up for your rights.” —Bob Marley
45. As long as we survive, we can keep thriving.
“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” —Friedrich Nietzsche
46. If it’s hard then it’s worth it.
“Do what is right, not what is easy.” —Roy T. Bennett
47. Always allow criticism to help your work on your craft.
“I like criticism. It makes you strong.” —LeBron James
48. Find strength in others and they will help find strength in you.
“A brave man acknowledges the strength of others.” —Veronica Roth, Divergent
49. Being strong is the best tool our spirit can use.
“Better to be strong than pretty and useless.” ―Lilith Saintcrow, Strange Angels
50. Even if you don’t look strong, embrace it until you see yourself as a warrior.
“It's not always necessary to be strong, but to feel strong.” ―Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild
Sofia Stewart is a writer who covers self-care, relationships, and astrology.