A resilient person is someone who always manages to get back up, regardless of how many times they fall. They find the strength they need to keep going because they know that every failure moves them closer to success.
Resilience is something we can increase within ourselves. So even if you’ve just had a setback and are feeling weak and not good enough, know that you have the strength within yourself to pick yourself up and continue on your path.
Relaxation and mindful techniques like breathwork and meditation are fantastic ways to deal with losses and challenges as they help you see things from a different perspective. With clear insight, we remember our purpose, helping us stay focused on moving towards our big vision rather than away from it.
Reading resilience quotes and sayings is another way to build your inner strength. These quotes contain messages and lessons from some of the wisest humans in history who had their fair share of setbacks but kept going. Let these resilience quotes inspire you to get back up, refocus, and recommit, putting this setback and all the others well behind you.
1. “I tried and failed. I tried again and again and succeeded.” – Gail Borden
2. “Only those who dare to fail greatly, can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy
3. “Resilience is, of course, necessary for a warrior. But a lack of empathy isn’t.” – Phil Klay
4. “Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone, and not everyone is going to be an entrepreneur, but women who turn to business, turn to economics, because there are people depending on them, I think that their creativity, their resilience, their spirit, embody what’s best about entrepreneurship.” – Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
5. “It may sound strange, but many champions are made champions by setbacks.” – Bob Richards
6. “I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” – Maya Angelou
7. “Resilience is our ability to bounce back from life’s challenges and unforeseen difficulties, providing mental protection from emotional and mental disorders.” – Michael Rutter
8. “Smart vacations lead to greater happiness and energy at work and, therefore, greater productivity, intelligence, and resilience.” – Shawn Achor
9. “If your heart is broken, make art with the pieces.” – Shane Koyczan
10. “Resilience is very different than being numb. Resilience means you experience, you feel, you fail, you hurt. You fall. But, you keep going.” – Yasmin Mogahed
11. “Something called ‘the Oklahoma Standard’ became known throughout the world. It means resilience in the face of adversity. It means a strength and compassion that will not be defeated.” – Brad Henry
12. “There are so many kids in this country growing up in poverty, facing very, very hard challenges… We need resilience for all of them.” – Sheryl Sandberg
13. “The difference between a strong man and a weak one is that the former does not give up after a defeat.” – Woodrow Wilson
14. “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
15. “Resilience embodies the personal qualities that enable one to thrive in the face of adversity.” – Kathryn Connor and Jonathan Davidson
16. “One thing, the very first time I got out of the seat, after Resilience was safely in orbit and I looked out the window and saw the Earth from 250 miles up, I will never forget that moment.” – Victor J. Glover
17. “It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
18. “Like tiny seeds with potent power to push through tough ground and become mighty trees, we hold innate reserves of unimaginable strength. We are resilient.” – Catherine DeVrye
19. “With support from techies, designers, artists and thousands of activists across the country, Black Lives Matter is now an online-to-offline political movement, affirming the humanity and resilience of black communities.” – Patrisse Cullors
20. “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying ‘I will try again tomorrow’.” – Mary Anne Radmacher
21. “The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” – Robert Jordan
22. “Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.” – Og Mandino
23. “He’s a million rubber bands in his resilience.” – Alan K. Simpson
24. “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, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.” – Barack Obama
25. “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” – Helen Keller
26. “Resilience isn’t a single skill. It’s a variety of skills and coping mechanisms. To bounce back from bumps in the road as well as failures, you should focus on emphasizing the positive.” – Jean Chatzky
27. “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
28. “I have an incredible confidence in the resilience of the human spirit and the creative ability of the Holy Spirit. So, if you can get people asking the right questions, it really will start moving in the right direction.” – Erwin McManus
29. “Resilience is the ability to attack while running away.” – Wes Fessler
30. “Resilience is knowing that you are the only one that has the power and the responsibility to pick yourself up.” – Mary Holloway
31. “We are not a product of what has happened to us in our past. We have the power of choice.” – Stephen Covey
32. “If we want to help vulnerable youngsters become more resilient, we need to decrease their exposure to potent risk factors and increase their competencies and self-esteem, as well as the sources of support they can draw upon.” – Emmy Werner
33. “When we learn how to become resilient, we learn how to embrace the beautifully broad spectrum of the human experience.” – Jaeda Dewalt
34. “While positive mental states may be associated with less stress and more resilience to infection, positive well-being might also be accompanied by a healthy lifestyle.” – Michael Greger
35. “We live in a time when science is validating what humans have known throughout the ages: that compassion is not a luxury; it is a necessity for our well-being, resilience, and survival.” – Joan Halifax
36. “Proactively working to develop mental strength increases your resilience to stress and reduces the toll it takes on you both physically and mentally.” – Amy Morin
37. “The moment we believe that success is determined by an ingrained level of ability as opposed to resilience and hard work, we will be brittle in the face of adversity.” – Joshua Waitzkin
38. “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
39. “The human capacity for burden is like bamboo- far more flexible than you’d ever believe at first glance.” – Jodi Picoult
40. “I think there is definitely a message behind Cyborg that is needed for people to hear and what he represents and the resilience of the human spirit. I hope it means as much to people watching it as it meant to me to do it.” – Ray Fisher
41. “The elections that have taken place in these countries are a reflection of the lure of Democracy, and the resilience of our men and women in uniform who helped bring freedom to many who never knew what the word truly meant.” – Jim Sensenbrenner
42. “It is also our responsibility to fulfill our promises to our veterans, to help those in need, and to support their strength and resilience. Ensuring that we take care of them and their families is a responsibility entrusted to all of us.” – Cindy Hyde-Smith
43. “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
44. “My barn having burned down, I can now see the moon.” – Mizuta Masahide
45. “Where I grew up, I feel lucky to have been from there. The culture in general is rooted with a strong sense of family; of kin; of place, geographically; of tradition. There’s a resilience, a strong will to make it. I mean, heck, it was settled by a bunch of outcasts that didn’t fit in.” – Tyler Childers
46. “When we tackle obstacles, we find hidden reserves of courage and resilience we did not know we had. And it is only when we are faced with failure do we realize that these resources were always there within us. We only need to find them and move on with our lives.” – A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
47. “Definitions have evolved over time but fundamentally resilience is understood as referring to positive adaptation, or the ability to maintain or regain mental health, despite experiencing adversity.” – Helen Herrman
48. “The Congress has faced many difficult times in the past, much tougher than today. But we have never lost heart; we have repeatedly demonstrated our resilience by remaining committed to our vision, values, and the beliefs that have always sustained us.” – Sonia Gandhi
49. “Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.” – Anthony Robbins
50. “My mum thinks I get my determination and resilience from my dad. I think it comes mostly from her.” – Jonny Bairstow
We cannot change what happened in the past, but we can choose to look to the future or wallow in the past. Failure, disappointments, and challenges are all parts of life, testing and asking us ‘how much do you really want it?’ So instead of throwing in the towel, keep your mind on what you are striving for and go forward with unfathomable determination.
Return to these resilience quotes whenever you need a boost of motivation and a reminder that you are stronger than any problem.
