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Motivational Quotes

Go ahead. Pick a quote. You can do it.

ALL QUOTES POPULAR BROWSE BY AUTHOR BROWSE BY SOURCE BROWSE BY TOPIC BROWSE BY SUBJECT

Motivational Quotes

Take a second to imagine "Eye of the Tiger" playing in the background. Got it? Great. Now click on any motivational quote below to see it in context and find out where it falls on Shmoop's pretentious scale. We'll give you details on who said it, when they said it, and in some cases, why on earth they thought it was okay to say it.

""

"'Cause it's a Wednesday night, baby, and I'm alive."

Source: Girls | Speaker: Hannah Horvath

"A little less conversation, a little more action please."

Source: A Little Less Conversation | Speaker: Elvis Presley

"Adrian!"

Source: Rocky | Speaker: Rocky Balboa

"All things work together for good."

Source: Romans 8:28 | Author: Paul of Tarsus

"Always be closing."

Source: Glengarry Glen Ross | Speaker: Blake

"And that's the way it is."

Source: CBS Evening News | Speaker: Walter Cronkite

"And unto the uttermost part of the earth."

Source: Acts of the Apostles | Speaker: Jesus of Nazareth

"And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two."

Source: Matthew 5:41 | Author: Matthew

"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee."

Source: The Book of Isaiah | Author: The Prophet Isaiah

"As long as the heart beats, as long as body and soul keep together."

Source: Journey to the Center of the Earth | Author: Jules Verne

"Baby, I was born this way."

Source: Born This Way | Speaker: Lady Gaga

"Baby, you got a stew going."

Source: Arrested Development | Speaker: Carl Weathers

"Backstreet's back, all right!"

Source: "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" | Speaker: Backstreet Boys

"Be men, or be more than men."

Source: Frankenstein | Author: Mary Shelley

"Be the ball."

Source: Caddyshack | Speaker: Ty Webb

"Because only one thing counts in this life: get them to sign on the line which is dotted."

Source: Glengarry Glen Ross | Speaker: Blake

"Blessed are the meek"

Source: Matthew 5:5 | Speaker: Jesus

"Blood is thicker than water."

Source: Ancient Proverb | Author: Unknown

"Bye, bye Miss American Pie"

Source: American Pie | Speaker: Don McLean

"Can we all get along?"

Source: Press Conference | Speaker: Rodney King

"Carpe… Hear it? Carpe… carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary."

Source: Dead Poets Society | Speaker: John Keating

"Chaos isn't a pit. Chaos is a ladder."

Source: Game of Thrones | Speaker: Petyr Baelish

"Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose."

Source: Friday Night Lights | Speaker: Coach Eric Taylor

"Come on down!"

Source: The Price is Right | Speaker: Johnny Olson

"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Source: Matthew 11:28 | Speaker: Jesus

"Do you believe in miracles?"

Source: 1980 Winter Olympics | Speaker: Al Michaels

"Don't just fly, soar."

Source: Dumbo | Speaker: Timothy Mouse

"Do…or do not. There is no try."

Source: Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back | Speaker: Yoda

"Dracarys!"

Source: Game of Thrones | Speaker: Daenerys Targaryen

"Follow the money."

Source: All the President's Men | Speaker: Deep Throat

"For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool."

Source: Hey Jude | Speaker: The Beatles

"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us."

Source: The Great Gatsby | Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

"Get busy living or get busy dying."

Source: The Shawshank Redemption | Speaker: Andy Dufresne and "Red" Redding

"Get up offa that thing and dance 'till you feel better!"

Source: Get Up Offa That Thing | Speaker: James Brown

"Get up, stand up."

Source: Get Up, Stand Up | Speaker: Bob Marley & The Wailers

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!"

Source: Walden | Author: Henry David Thoreau

"Go, shawty. It's your birthday."

Source: "In Da Club" | Speaker: 50 Cent

"Good morning, Vietnam!"

Source: Good Morning, Vietnam | Speaker: Adrian Cronauer

"Hakuna Matata."

Source: The Lion King | Speaker: Timon and Pumbaa

"Happiness can be found in the darkest of times."

Source: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Speaker: Albus Dumbledore

"Have fun storming the castle!"

Source: The Princess Bride | Speaker: Miracle Max

"Here it is, your moment of Zen."

Source: The Daily Show | Speaker: The Daily Show

"Hey sista, go sista…"

Source: "Lady Marmalade" | Speaker: Robert Crewe and Kenny Nolan

"How many ears must one man have before he can hear people cry?"

Source: Blowin' in the Wind | Speaker: Bob Dylan

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

Source: The Diary of Anne Frank | Author: Anne Frank

"I am not afraid; I was born to do this."

Source: Spoken as she left the town of Vancouleurs | Speaker: Joan of Arc

"I am vengeance! I am the night! I am Batman!"

Source: Batman: The Animated Series | Speaker: Batman

"I can do all things through Christ."

Source: Philippians 4:13 | Author: Paul

"I can't get no satisfaction."

Source: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction | Speaker: The Rolling Stones

"I feel good, I knew that I would, now."

Source: I Got You (I Feel Good) | Speaker: James Brown

"I feel the need—the need for speed!"

Source: Top Gun | Speaker: Peter "Maverick" Mitchell

"I get by with a little help from my friends."

Source: With a Little Help from My Friends | Speaker: The Beatles

"I got all the riches, baby, one man can claim"

Source: My Girl | Speaker: The Temptations

"I got you, babe."

Source: I Got You Babe | Speaker: Sonny Bono and Cher

"I have a dream"

Source: "I Have a Dream" Speech | Speaker: Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I have not yet begun to fight."

Source: Spoken on September 23, 1779 | Speaker: Captain John Paul Jones

"I have observed this in my experience of slavery, that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only increased my desire to be free, and set me to thinking of plans to gain my freedom."

Source: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass | Author: Frederick Douglass

"I have work, and then I have a dinner thing. And then I am busy, trying to become who I am."

Source: Girls | Speaker: Hannah Horvath

"I live in a van down by the river."

Source: Saturday Night Live, Motivation | Speaker: Matt Foley

"I said a hip, hop, the hippie, the hippie, to the hip hip-hop."

Source: Rapper's Delight | Speaker: The Sugarhill Gang

"I see a little silhouetto of a man. Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the fandango?"

Source: "Bohemian Rhapsody" | Speaker: Queen

"I think I'll try defying gravity, and you can't pull me down."

Source: Wicked (2003 Musical) | Speaker: Elphaba

"I think to myself: what a wonderful world."

Source: What a Wonderful World | Speaker: Louis Armstrong

"I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart: I am, I am, I am."

Source: The Bell Jar | Author: Sylvia Plath

"I will survive!"

Source: I Will Survive | Speaker: Gloria Gaynor

"I wouldn't give you two cents for all your fancy rules."

Source: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Speaker: Jefferson Smith

"I'm a smart, strong, sensual woman."

Source: Bob's Burgers | Speaker: Tina Belcher

"I'm the king of the world!"

Source: Titanic | Speaker: Jack Dawson

"I've got all my life to live and I've got all my love to give"

Source: I Will Survive | Speaker: Gloria Gaynor

"I've got the moves like Jagger."

Source: "Moves Like Jagger" | Speaker: Maroon 5

"If you build it, he will come."

Source: Field of Dreams | Speaker: A mysterious voice

"If you build it, they will come."

Source: Field of Dreams | Speaker: Ray Kinsella

"If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it."

Source: Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) | Speaker: Beyoncé

"In the midnight hour I can feel your power."

Source: Like a Prayer | Speaker: Madonna

"Is that your final answer?"

Source: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | Speaker: Regis Philbin

"Isn’t it pretty to think so?"

Source: The Sun Also Rises | Author: Ernest Hemingway

"It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be."

Source: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | Author: J.K. Rowling

"It's been a hard day's night."

Source: "A Hard Day's Night" | Speaker: John Lennon and Paul McCartney

"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me."

Source: Batman Begins | Speaker: Batman

"It's showtime, folks!"

Source: All That Jazz | Speaker: Joe Gideon

"Just keep swimming."

Source: Finding Nemo | Speaker: Dory

"Just whistle while you work."

Source: "Whistle While You Work" | Speaker: Snow White

"Kid, you'll move mountains!"

Source: Oh, the Places You'll Go! | Author: Dr. Seuss

"Know thyself."

Source: Inscribed on the temple of Apollo | Author: The Oracle at Delphi

"Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven."

Source: Matthew 6:20 | Author: Matthew

"Let the wild rumpus start!"

Source: Where the Wild Things Are | Author: Maurice Sendak

"Let's get physical."

Source: Physical | Speaker: Olivia Newton-John

"Let's get ready to rumble!"

Source: Professional Wrestling | Speaker: Michael Buffer

"Life moves pretty fast."

Source: Ferris Bueller's Day Off | Speaker: Ferris Bueller

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."

Source: The Great Gatsby | Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

"Like a virgin."

Source: Like a Virgin | Speaker: Madonna

"Love fades away. But things...things are forever."

Source: Parks and Recreation | Speaker: Tom Haverford

"Make it so."

Source: Star Trek: The Next Generation | Speaker: Captain Jean-Luc Picard

"Make it work."

Source: Project Runway | Speaker: Tim Gunn

"Makes me that much stronger"

Source: "Fighter" | Speaker: Christina Aguilera

"May the Force be with you."

Source: Star Wars | Speaker: Han Solo

"Mr. Christian!"

Source: Mutiny on the Bounty | Speaker: Captain Bligh

"My advice is, never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time."

Source: David Copperfield | Author: Charles Dickens

"Nip it in the bud!"

Source: The Andy Griffith Show | Speaker: Barney Fife

"Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

Source: Dirty Dancing | Speaker: Johnny Castle

"Not all those who wander are lost."

Source: The Fellowship of the Ring | Author: J.R.R. Tolkien

"Nothing is hopeless; we must hope for everything."

Source: A Wrinkle in Time | Author: Madeleine L'Engle

"Nothing's gonna change my world."

Source: "Across the Universe" | Author: The Beatles

"Oh, the places you'll go!"

Source: Oh, the Places You'll Go! | Author: Dr. Seuss

"One could do worse than be a swinger of birches"

Source: Birches | Author: Robert Frost

"Private eyes. They're watching you. They see your every move."

Source: "Private Eyes" | Speaker: Hall and Oates

"Real courage is [...] when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what."

Source: To Kill a Mockingbird | Author: Harper Lee

"Sawyer, you're going out a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!"

Source: 42nd Street | Speaker: Julian Marsh

"Seize the moment. 'Cause tomorrow you might be dead."

Source: Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Speaker: Buffy Summers

"Shake it like a Polaroid picture!"

Source: Hey Ya | Speaker: Outkast

"Shake it off."

Source: Shake It Off | Speaker: Taylor Swift

"Shine bright like a diamond."

Source: "Diamonds" | Speaker: Rihanna

"Sing us a song, you're the piano man."

Source: Piano Man | Speaker: Billy Joel

"Somebody stop me!"

Source: The Mask | Speaker: The Mask

"Somewhere over the rainbow."

Source: The Wizard of Oz | Speaker: Dorothy Gale

"Stuff your eyes with wonder."

Source: Fahrenheit 451 | Author: Ray Bradbury

"Suit up!"

Source: How I Met Your Mother | Speaker: Barney Stinson

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me."

Source: The Gospel of Matthew | Speaker: Jesus of Nazareth

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Source: First Moon Landing | Speaker: Neil Armstrong

"The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades"

Source: The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades | Speaker: Timbuk 3

"The Lord is my shepherd"

Source: Psalm 23:1 | Author: King David

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

Source: I Can Read with My Eyes Shut! | Author: Dr. Seuss

"The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good in our own way"

Source: On Liberty | Author: John Stuart Mill

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Source: FDR's Inauguration Speech | Speaker: Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"The party don't start 'til I walk in."

Source: "TiK ToK" | Speaker: Ke$ha

"The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Source: Matthew 26:41 | Author: Matthew

"The sun himself is weak when he first rises, and gathers strength and courage as the day gets on."

Source: The Old Curiosity Shop | Author: Charles Dickens

"The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat"

Source: Wide World of Sports | Speaker: Jim McKay

"There are no men like me. Only me."

Source: Game of Thrones | Speaker: Jaime Lannister

"They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!"

Source: Braveheart | Speaker: William Wallace

"They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end."

Source: Psalm 107:27 | Author: Psalmist

"They shall mount up with wings as eagles."

Source: Isaiah 40:31 | Author: Luke

"This is Halloween!"

Source: This Is Halloween | Speaker: Citizens of Halloween Town

"This is the people's war!"

Source: Mrs. Miniver | Speaker: The Vicar

"This land was made for you and me"

Source: This Land is Your Land | Speaker: Woody Guthrie

"Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter."

Source: Dr. Seuss | Speaker: Dr. Seuss

"Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

Source: In Memoriam | Author: Alfred, Lord Tennyson

"To infinity and beyond!"

Source: Toy Story | Speaker: Buzz Lightyear

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

Source: The Soul of Man Under Socialism | Author: Oscar Wilde

"Wax on, wax off."

Source: The Karate Kid | Speaker: Mr. Miyagi

"We are not makers of history; we are made by history."

Source: Strength to Love | Author: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"We are the champions, my friends, and we'll keep on fighting 'til the end."

Source: We Are the Champions | Speaker: Queen

"We are the world."

Source: We Are the World | Speaker: Every Famous Singer Ever

"Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk..."

Source: "Stayin' Alive" | Speaker: The Bee Gees

"What an excellent day for an exorcism."

Source: The Exorcist | Speaker: Pazuzu-Regan

"What we do in life echoes in eternity."

Source: Gladiator | Speaker: Maximus Decimus Meridius

"When a problem comes along, you must whip it."

Source: "Whip It" | Speaker: Devo

"Whisper words of wisdom, let it be."

Source: "Let It Be" | Speaker: The Beatles

"Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Source: John 3:16 | Speaker: Jesus

"Why fit in when you were born to stand out?"

Source: Unknown | Author: Dr. Seuss

"Win just one for the Gipper."

Source: Knute Rockne All American | Speaker: George Gipp

"Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing."

Source: Spoken at Packers' Training Camp | Speaker: Vince Lombardi

"Yas queen!"

Source: Broad City | Speaker: Ilana Wexler

"Ye are fallen from grace."

Source: Galatians 5:4 | Author: Paul

"Yeah, that's the ticket!"

Source: Saturday Night Live | Speaker: Tommy Flanagan, the Pathological Liar

"You are beautiful, no matter what they say."

Source: Beautiful | Speaker: Christina Aguilera

"You better work."

Source: "Supermodel" | Speaker: RuPaul

"You don't have to live forever. You just have to live."

Source: Tuck Everlasting | Speaker: The Narrator

"You gotta kiss the girl."

Source: Kiss the Girl | Speaker: Sebastian the Crab

"You held me down, but I got up."

Source: "Roar" | Speaker: Katy Perry

"You look mahvelous!"

Source: Saturday Night Live | Speaker: Fernando Lamas

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Source: Unknown | Author: Mahatma Gandhi

"You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

Source: You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life | Author: Eleanor Roosevelt

"You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from."

Source: No Country for Old Men | Author: Cormac McCarthy

"You think I'm licked. You all think I'm licked. Well, I'm not licked."

Source: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Speaker: Jefferson Smith

"You want weapons. We're in a library. Books are the best weapon in the world."

Source: Doctor Who | Speaker: Tenth Doctor

"You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so...get on your way!"

Source: Oh, the Places You'll Go! | Author: Dr. Seuss

"You're so money and you don't even know it."

Source: Swingers | Speaker: Trent Walker

"You're the sanest man that ever walked into this courtroom."

Source: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town | Speaker: Judge May