10 Inspirational Sayings to Fight Discouragement

Thank God for inspirational sayings!

I’m feeling discouraged. There. I said it. But discouragement comes to all of us. No one is exempt. The question isn’t whether or not you get discouraged. The real question is this: What will you do about it? If you aren’t careful, discouragement can take you down a dark road.

You must grab hold of yourself and refuse to allow the feeling of discouragement to escalate.

If we are going to be honest, we need to admit that as we age there are many reasons to focus on discouragement.

• Life is slipping away.
• We have made some major mistakes.
• We know the pain of broken relationships.
• The body doesn’t function as well as it used to.
• Missed opportunities haunt us.

Entire books are written on dealing with discouragement. The causes and cures of discouragement can be complex. I’m not pretending to be an expert in this area. But I know one thing: inspirational sayings are a great help in fighting discouragement.

We tend to look at famous people and think they are always on top. It’s easy to believe they never had to fight discouragement. It just isn’t true. That’s why the study of famous people always reveals an inspirational saying attributed to them. They have known adversity and defeat. But they kept going and became famous.

Here’s a list of my 10 favorite inspirational sayings which keep me from going too far down the road of discouragement.

Inspirational Sayings #1. Attributed to George Eliot (1819-1880).

Here’s the funny thing about George Eliot: “He” was a she whose real name was Mary Anne Evans. “George” was a leading author during the Victorian Era. Her use of a pen name was to assure her writings were taken seriously in the midst of a male-dominated society. She was no stranger to heartache and discouragement. Her life would make a remarkable Hollywood movie.

No matter how old you are, it isn’t too late to change your life and chase your dreams. Do not allow your present circumstances to drag you down. If you are still breathing you can work to improve your life.

If you are interested in reading more about her, check out THIS article in Wikipedia.

Inspirational Sayings #2. Attributed to Wayne Gretzky (1961-present).

Most hockey authorities recognize him as the greatest to ever play the game. He scored more points than any person who ever played the game and still holds 60 records as of 2014. No wonder he is called “The Great One.”

His famous quote reminds us you must take risks to score. The greatest risk, however, is the failure to try. If you do not try, failure is certain. Keep swinging the bat. Keep writing. Keep doing what you believe is right. Sooner or later something good is going to happen.

If you are interested in knowing more about Wayne Gretzky, check out THIS Wikipedia article.

Inspirational Sayings #3. Attributed to Napoleon Hill (1883-1970).

Often considered the father of the self-help movement, his book Think and Grow Rich is a best-selling classic. As a young man, he met Andrew Carnegie who challenged him to interview rich people to discover their secrets of success.

Too often I hear people say they will never do great things. Their view of life cannot escape the world of every day existence. But Hill makes a good point. Whatever you do, you have the opportunity to do it in the best possible way. If you can only conceive of doing small things, then be determined to do them in a great way.

If you are interested in knowing more about Napoleon Hill, check out THIS Wikipedia article.

Inspirational Sayings #4. Attributed to Winston Churchill (1874-1965).

Born into an aristocratic family, Churchill’s parents hired a nanny to raise him. As a young child he hated school, stuttered, and talked with a lisp. Who knew he would go on to become the greatest British statesman of all time?

Life can be boiled down into how you look at things. If you see things through a dark lens, life will be miserable. But if you choose to look at things through the lens of optimism, not much can stop you.

If you want to read more about Winston Churchill, read THIS Wikipedia article.

Inspirational Sayings #5. Attributed to Walt Disney (1901-1966).

As a young kid, his first dollar made in the art world, came as he painted the horse belonging to the neighborhood doctor. He was too young to enter the army in World War 1 so he forged his birthdate on a birth certificate. Years later, he gained fame for drawing cartoons and building the Disney empire.

Too often we lack courage. And when we lack courage, our dreams die a slow and agonizing death. I once read that when presenting project ideas for Disney World to his board, the only way he would forge ahead with his project was if every board member opposed it as being too big. Dream big dreams and then have the courage to chase them.

If you want to read more about Walt Disney, read THIS article on Wikipedia.

Inspirational Sayings #6. Attributed to Robert Frost (1874-1963).

As an American poet, he was viewed as one of the finest poets in the twentieth century. He was awarded a Pulitzer on four separate occasions. He was no stranger to tragedy: his dad died when he was eleven, his mother died when he was 26. He had to commit his younger sister to a mental institution where she died nine years later. Sadly, his daughter was also committed to a mental institution.

Too often when we face difficulty we look for the easy way out. We try to ignore it or go around it. But Frost reminds us, out of his vast experience, the best way to handle our problems it to go through them.

If you want to know more about Robert Frost, start by reading THIS article from Wikipedia.

Inspirational Sayings #7. Attributed to Chuck Swindoll (1934-present).

Swindoll, Christian pastor and founder of Insight for Living, is a highly regarded author and pastor.

Bad things come into our lives no matter how hard we try to keep them out. But we have the ability to choose how we react to what comes into our lives. Refuse to allow the circumstances of life to bring you down and keep you discouraged. Carefully examine how you are responding to the hard things of life.

If you want to read more about Chuck Swindoll, read THIS article on Wikipedia.

Inspirational Sayings #8. Attributed to Milton Berle (1908-2002).

As an American actor and comedian, NBC signed him to a 30-year contract for one million dollars per year. He starred in many films and TV shows.

I love this quote. If there are no opportunities in your life, go and make some. Don’t wait for opportunity to come knocking. This reminds me of my article written earlier this week 5 Proven Pick Yourself Strategies for Boomers.

If you want to know more about Milton Berle HERE’S the Wikipedia link.

Inspirational Sayings #9. Attributed to John Wooden (1910-2010).

As the basketball coach at UCLA, he won ten national basketball championships in twelve seasons, including seven in a row. In one stretch his teams won 88 consecutive games. He was named national coach of the year six times.

What an inspiring quote! Too often we focus on what we cannot do. Our obsession over what we cannot do tends to make us feel we can’t do anything. Be encouraged. You may not be able to do a lot of things but you can do some things.

To learn more about John Wooden, the Wikipedia article can be found HERE.

Inspirational Sayings #10. Attributed to Helen Keller (1880-1968).

Blind and deaf from birth, Helen became a national source of inspiration while attaining mastery as an author and lecturer.

Helen spoke on this subject with authority! She received a lot of sympathy for her condition. But she came to the point where she recognized the greater sorrow was to have eyesight but have no vision.

To know more about Hellen Keller HERE’S the Wikipedia article.

Which of these inspirational sayings speaks best to your current situation? DO you have your own inspirational saying upon which you lean?