We all have ups and downs in our lives, and some of them are pretty intense. Although you may wish for a long, uninterrupted streak of peace or good luck, it’s rare such fortune rains on any of us.
You may know people who seem like the recipients of constant success or luck, but their success isn’t due to magic – it’s a combination of talent, hard work, and resilience.
10 Best Resilience Quotes
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Reading resilience quotes will inspire you to get out of the doldrums and continue working toward your goals. Many of the most famous people in sports, entertainment, politics, medicine, philosophy, literature, business, and the sciences have sage advice on developing resilience.
Here are several of their quotes, along with a short bio of each advice-giver
Nelson Mandela
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
You can’t succeed unless you fail first. There’s no such thing as instant success. You have to endure many rejections and near-misses before you sell your book, turn a profit at your business, or get into the college of your choice.
Keep trying until you get that first break. The break may not be the big, flashy one you’ve dreamed of, but it will serve as a stepping stone to your ultimate goal.
Nelson Mandela was a South African political activist and anti-apartheid leader. He was president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.
Robert Jordan
“The oak fought the wind and was broken; the willow bent when it must and survived.” -The Fires of Heaven
Learn how to adapt to the circumstances that present themselves to you in a given situation. You need to know when you should stand up for yourself and refuse to give in to others’ requests, and when to alter your modus operandi to get what you want. Your intuition – and trial and error- will help you determine which approach is best.
Robert Jordan was an American fantasy writer. He authored over 20 fantasy novels, including some books in the Conan the Barbarian series.
Dr. Chris Feudtner
“90% of life is about remaining calm.”
Anxiety and depression are on the rise today, with 18.1% of Americans suffering from anxiety yearly and 16.2% suffering from depression yearly.
It is important to remember that being excited, nervous or depressed most of the time can lead you to make poor decisions or avoid making any decisions at all. If you have a problem with nerves or depression, practice meditation, good nutrition and exercise more.
Therapy can also help. Prescription medication can have harmful side effects and should be avoided except in extreme cases.
Dr. Chris Feudtner is an M.D, Ph. D and MPH on staff at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Bram Stoker
“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.”
If you are resilient, you’ll feel more joy in the pursuit of your goal. Setbacks are only temporary, and you’ll learn from them and move on to other activities.
Irish author Bram Stoker is most famous as the author of Dracula, although he also wrote, The Lair of the White Worm and other novels.
Richard Branson
“To be successful, you have to be out there; you have to hit the ground running.”
― Losing My Virginity: How I’ve Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way
You need to work at your goal every day, even if you only send an email. Success comes from daily work, not one or two big “by the bootstraps” moments. Even though it seems some famous people came out of nowhere and hit it big, most entrepreneurs, athletes, and entertainers have many failures before making a profit.
Richard Branson began his business career as founder of Virgin Records. He also founded Virgin Atlantic Airways and Virgin Galactic. He was knighted at Buckingham Palace in 2000.
Troy Carter
“As important as hustle is, grit and resilience are equally as important because there’s a lot of rejection in our business.”
Talent alone won’t help you achieve your goals. You need perseverance, networking skills, and resilience, too. Rejections can be harsh, especially if you’re in a creative field like music, but you have to forge ahead and have faith in yourself.
Music manager Troy Carter has worked with John Legend, Lady Gaga, Eve and Meghan Trainor.
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William Butler Yeats
“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.”
Opportunity may knock, but it won’t come to your door unless you give it your address. Don’t wait for things to happen to you, Make that call, send that email or go to all the auditions and job interviews you can.
Poet William Butler Yeats was one of the most famous writers of the early 20th Century. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.
James J. Corbett
“You become a champion by fighting one more round. When things are tough, you fight one more round.”
It’s hard to try one more time when your efforts have proved fruitless. Trying one more time may be the difference between attaining your goal and going home, defeated. It’s often the last resume sent as an afterthought that gets you the job.
Are there times when you should quit pursuing a goal and move on to something else? Yes, sometimes you will have a hard time because you are pursuing the wrong goal or going about the right goal in the wrong way. Review your goals and determine if they what you really want if you find you constantly encounter roadblocks.
Professional boxer James J. Corbett won the World Heavyweight Championship in 1892 beating the popular champion James L. Sullivan.
Helen Keller
“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 which has been opened for us.”
Seek out many different ways to get what you want. Don’t apply for one type of job, or stay in one city or neighborhood if it doesn’t serve your needs. Always be open to new people, experiences and careers instead of concentrating on failures. This oft-repeated advice is one of the most famous resilience quotes of the 20th Century.
Helen Keller contracted a disease at 19 months old that left her deaf and blind. She overcame these obstacles and grew up to become an author and activist for people with disabilities. The Oscar-winning 1962 film The Miracle Worker was based on her life.
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Joseph Campbell
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”
You won’t need to worry about being resilient if you stay in your comfort zone. The only way to have a full life is to take chances in your career, social life, and love life. Apply for the job you think you could never get, or email the person you think would never give you the time of day. You may be surprised at the result.
Author and Sarah Lawrence College professor Joseph Campbell’s books include The Hero with A Thousand Faces and The Power of Myth. Star Wars director George Lucas based some of Star Wars on ideas in Campbell’s books.
How to Be More Resilient
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Are you having a hard time being resilient, or developing a thick skin? If so, there are several things you can do to become emotionally tough. You can:
- Hang out with supportive people
- Take a break
- Learn something new
- Write down your achievements
Living a healthier lifestyle helps, too. Meditate or keep a daily journal to ease your troubled nerves. Meditation helps clear your mind by ridding it of the extraneous worries that dampen your optimism. Write in a journal every morning to set the tone for the day and focus on what you can do instead of the obstacles you face.
Exercise or at least take a walk around the block (or your office). Exercise releases endorphins, hormones that ease pain and give you energy. You feel endorphins most after a long workout or jog, but you’ll get a slight energy boost from running errands or doing housework.
Your newfound energy and the optimism it creates will strengthen your resilience and help you solve problems.
Get creative! Draw, paint, play a musical instrument or write a poem. The finished product doesn’t need to be “good” by other peoples’ standards. The creative process will relax you, build confidence, and you may even find answers to some perplexing life questions by summoning your subconscious mind.
If you’ve tried everything you can to reach your goals, and still feel depleted ad confuse, you may want to talk to a therapist or career counselor. Sometimes talking to a stranger can give you a fresh perspective on what you’re doing wrong- and what you’re doing right.
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There are many places you can find resilience quotes, from religious texts to internet memes. Check out Facebook groups or pages emphasizing positivity or self-help to read even more inspirational quotes to help you stay focused and tough during hard times.
Keep a print-out of your favorite sayings on your desk, bulletin board, or have them made into refrigerator magnets and keep them on your fridge. Inspiration will never be too far away.
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