Quotes have a way of evoking thought to whoever reads them. By connecting through literature, experiences, or emotions, quotes have a way of inspiring and/or motivating us through the challenges of everyday life. Who doesn’t love a good quote? Quotes ignite the power of words and open the readers’ minds to an alternative perception. Insightful quotes are some of my favorite quotes because they allow the reader to connect with the deeper meaning within the words. Deeper meanings give you the chance to personalize a quote and draw connections from the quote to your own personal experiences.

1. “Do not let your grand ambitions stand in the way of small but meaningful accomplishments.” – Bryant H. McGill

This quote immediately caught my attention because it speaks about gratitude. Gratitude is the state of showing and/or giving thanks. This is more important than what most people may realize. Being grateful for the small things makes the accomplishments of bigger things so much more impactful. Sometimes we get so caught up in our own ambitions that we forget to acknowledge the small milestones that led up to grand achievements.

2. “Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself.” – Unknown

To sum this quote up – your environment is what makes you. This is very true and makes the reader evaluate the people they allow into their inner circle. Most people don’t realize what the definition of a true friend is and end up spending time around the wrong people. I believe that you will eventually become the people you hang around; their habits, their speech, their mindsets will eventually influence you. It is important to guard your heart and mind because they control everything that you are and will become.

3. “A true test of character isn’t how you are on your best days but how you act on your worst days.” – Unknown

I love this quote because bottom line, nobody is perfect. No matter who you are or how you try to present yourself, we all face challenges, we all have bad days, and we all make mistakes. This doesn’t mean to feel bad about the mistakes you’ve made, but put thought into the actions that you choose to take after that. Man is judged by the heart, and no man on this earth is perfect.

4. “Happiness is within. It has nothing to do with how much applause you get or how many people praise you. Happiness comes when you believe that you have done something truly meaningful.” – Martin Yan

Happiness is not something you can buy, gain, or acquire. Happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy now. You can choose to feel joy about anything that your heart desires. Often, people tend to focus on what they do not have, bad memories, or anything negative which detracts from happiness. When allowing yourself to feel good and grateful for every little good thing in life, you can instantly become happier.

5. “Do what you have to do until you can do what you want.” – Oprah Winfrey

This quote is every bit of the truth. There is always a journey before you can get to your destination. We all must work hard to get to where we want to be, and the hard work stage is considered something we must do to get to where we want to be. There are no shortcuts to success; to achieve true success and remain successful you must incorporate a diligent work ethic.

There are hundreds of quotes that are similar to these that relay the same inspirational messages. Reading inspirational quotes gives me a boost of motivation and allows me to consider things that I didn’t consider before. Quotes have the power to transfer knowledge of others’ experiences and wisdom to improve your outlook on life.