Every entrepreneur will hit rough patches when nothing seems to work and setbacks pile up.
In such moments, the right words can remind you why you started and push you forward.
Some of the most successful entrepreneurs faced failure more times than they could count, but they kept going. Their words carry the lessons they learned the hard way.
No matter if you’re struggling with your own business, doubting your next step, or just need a little extra motivation, these quotes will give you the push you need:
Why entrepreneurs need motivational quotes
Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart.
The highs can be exhilarating, but the lows? They hit hard.
Nearly 1 in 2 entrepreneurs deal with at least one mental health condition, such as depression, ADHD, or anxiety. The constant pressure, financial uncertainty, and fear of failure can take a toll on even the most ambitious minds.
Getting caught up in self-doubt is easy, especially when things are unplanned. Some days, you’ll feel unstoppable. Other days, you’ll wonder if you’re cut out for this.
That’s where the right words can make all the difference at the right time.
A single quote won’t magically solve your problems, but it can:
- shift your mindset,
- remind you why you started,
- and give you the strength to keep going.
So, when you need a little extra push, turn to those who have walked this path before you. Their words might be exactly what you need to hear today.
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Top motivational quotes for entrepreneurs
Now, let’s look into some of the most powerful motivational quotes for entrepreneurs that will help you keep moving, no matter what.
Quotes on taking action
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar
“An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied.” – Arnold H. Glasow
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
“A year from now, you may wish you had started today.” – Karen Lamb
“Dream big. Start small. Act now.” – Robin Sharma
“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.” – William Butler Yeats
“Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.” – Peter Marshall
“Everything you want is on the other side of fear.” – Jack Canfield
“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – Tony Robbins
Quotes on resilience & perseverance
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill
“A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.” – James N. Watkins
“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” – Walter Elliot
“Do not be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.” – Richard Branson
“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’” – Mary Anne Radmacher
“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.” – Vince Lombardi
“Tough times never last, but tough people do.” – Robert H. Schuller
Quotes on overcoming failure
“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” – Henry Ford
“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy
“Don’t worry about failure; you only have to be right once.” – Drew Houston
“There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period.” – Brené Brown
“Failure is not the opposite of success; it’s part of success.” – Arianna Huffington
“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.” – Maya Angelou
“I never lose. I either win or learn.” – Nelson Mandela
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” – Coco Chanel
“There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.” – Oprah Winfrey
Quotes on innovation & creativity
“Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.” – Theodore Levitt
“The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.” – Arthur C. Clarke
“Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.” – Guy Kawasaki
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Innovation is seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” – Dr. Albert Szent-Györgyi
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” – Henry Ford
“To be creative means to be in love with life.” – Osho
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.” – Steve Jobs
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change.” – Brené Brown
Quotes on risk-taking
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller
“If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” – Jim Rohn
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” – Muhammad Ali
“Take risks: if you win, you will be happy; if you lose, you will be wise.” – Anonymous
“The biggest risk is not taking any risk.” – Mark Zuckerberg
“Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” – George Addair
“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature.” – Helen Keller
“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” – T.S. Eliot
Quotes on leadership
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C. Maxwell
“The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” – Ralph Nader
“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” – Ronald Reagan
“Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” – Simon Sinek
“Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.” – Simon Sinek
“The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.” – Henry Kissinger
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” – Steve Jobs
Quotes on passion & purpose
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius
“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” – Oprah Winfrey
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer
“When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.” – John Ruskin
“Purpose is the reason you journey. Passion is the fire that lights your way.” – Anonymous
“If you can’t stop thinking about it, don’t stop working for it.” – Michael Jordan
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.” – Steve Jobs
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Pablo Picasso
“Follow your passion. It will lead you to your purpose.” – Oprah Winfrey
Quotes on hustle & hard work
“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell
“Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.” – Kobe Bryant
“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” – Henry David Thoreau
“The harder you work for something, the greater you’ll feel when you achieve it.” – Anonymous
“Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.” – Ann Landers
“You can’t cheat the grind. It knows how much you’ve invested, it won’t give you anything you haven’t worked for.” – Eric Thomas
“Work like someone is working 24 hours a day to take it all away from you.” – Mark Cuban
“Hustle beats talent when talent doesn’t hustle.” – Ross Simmonds
“The dream is free. The hustle is sold separately.” – George Koufalis
“Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” – Dale Carnegie
Quotes on mindset & positivity
“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford
“A positive attitude gives you power over your circumstances instead of your circumstances having power over you.” – Joyce Meyer
“Your mind is a powerful thing. When you fill it with positive thoughts, your life will start to change.” – Unknown
“Happiness depends on your mindset and attitude.” – Roy T. Bennett
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“If you want to fly, give up everything that weighs you down.” – Toni Morrison
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.” – Walt Whitman
“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” – Epictetus
“You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.” – Joyce Meyer
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James
Quotes on wealth & success
“The secret of getting rich on Wall Street is to be greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy.” – Warren Buffett
“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Success is not just about making money. It’s about making a difference.” – Unknown
“Don’t let making a living prevent you from making a life.” – John Wooden
“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” – Jim Rohn
“If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” – Steve Jobs
“The goal isn’t more money. The goal is living life on your terms.” – Chris Brogan
“Rich people have small TVs and big libraries, and poor people have small libraries and big TVs.” – Zig Ziglar
“Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” – Dale Carnegie
“The rich invest in time, the poor invest in money.” – Warren Buffett
Who has the best quotes for entrepreneurs? Our top 5 picks
Curious to see whose words can have the most power over your mindset as an entrepreneur? These are our top 5 suggestions:
Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett is one of the richest people in the world, but he didn’t get there overnight. He started investing as a kid, buying stocks at 11 and running his own business selling newspapers. Over time, he built a successful business empire through Berkshire Hathaway, buying and holding companies for decades.
He believes most unhappy customers teach the best lessons, and he's known for giving simple, no-nonsense advice about money. Even though he’s worth billions, he still lives in the same house he bought in 1958.
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs changed the world with Apple. He dropped out of college, built computers in his parents’ garage, and later became the co-founder of one of the biggest tech companies ever. Jobs believed in listening to his own inner voice instead of following what others thought was possible.
He also had a habit of pushing people beyond their limits, which helped Apple grow into a company known for innovation. Before his death in 2011, he reminded people that life is short, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
Henry Ford
Henry Ford wasn’t the first to make cars, but he changed how they were built. Before him, cars were expensive and took forever to make.
With the assembly line, his Ford Motor Company made them faster and cheaper, putting America on wheels. He also believed in paying workers well so they could afford the cars they built. Though he had strong opinions, some controversial, there’s no doubt he shaped modern industry.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey grew up poor, but she turned hardship into success. She worked in local news, landed a talk show, and built a media empire, including the Huffington Post Media Group. People trust her because she speaks from experience, not theory.
She knows both you and the next person have struggles, but she believes anyone can rise above them. Even now, she keeps pushing for self-growth, reminding people that “your real job in life is to figure out your purpose and go after it with everything you’ve got.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt wasn’t just the wife of a U.S. president—she made a name for herself. At a time when women were expected to stay in the background, she spoke up about politics, human rights, and poverty.
She believed education never stops, calling life “one long university education.” People listened because she was honest, even when it wasn’t easy. Her words still inspire people to be braver, kinder, and more outspoken.
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How to get more of the day as an entrepreneur?
Running a business feels like a never-ending race. There’s always another email, another meeting, another fire to put out. By the end of the day, you wonder where all the hours went.
Sound familiar?
The trick isn’t about working longer but about working smarter. That’s where Unrubble comes in. Instead of wasting time on scheduling, tracking hours, and sorting through messy timesheets, you can put all of that on autopilot.
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The old way? Manually tracking time, fixing errors, and chasing people for updates. That eats up about half of your workday.
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Wrap up
No successful entrepreneur made it without challenges. Even a college graduate with the best education can struggle, while non-successful ones often quit too soon.
The difference? Mindset, resilience, and pushing forward when things get tough.
So, when you feel stuck, about half of your battle is believing in yourself. The rest is taking action.
May these words be your reminders about those who’ve been in your shoes.
Keep them close, trust your own life path, and never stop moving forward.
