40 Positive Quotes to Start Your Day
Positive Quotes for the Morning
Mornings can feel rushed and chaotic, or you may wake feeling anxious about the day ahead. Those first few moments can set the tone for the day ahead, which is why taking time to ground yourself – through breathwork, journaling, or mental decluttering – can help create a calmer start to your day.
If you’re a morning scroller, you instantly become connected to the wider world. Before you’ve settled into your own day, your mind is exposed to life outside of your home and life. – from news, opinions, comparisons with others on socials, and expectations if you look at work stuff.
For some, this can be motivating or comforting. But for many, it can quickly open you up to pressure or upset. For example, you read an email that feels challenging, world news that increases your worry, a comparison with someone who’s shared a post on their socials that quietly impacts your mood. All before your day has really gotten started.
When you become intentional with what you read, see, and do each morning, you can create a morning that lifts and inspires you instead of dampening your mood or confidence of a fresh new day.
Simple things like journaling, breathework, or reading quotes can help your morning feel calmer and inspiring, setting a positive tone for what’s ahead. A single sentence can shift focus, mood, or intention
Below I share 40 quotes that you can use to start your day feeling calm, inspired and motivated.
*Affiliate Disclosure: Some links in this post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something via the link, I may receive a small commission. This doesn't affect the price you pay.
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Table of Contents
Why Words Matter in the Morning
The brain is more suggestible in the morning, when it’s still transitioning from sleep to full awareness, and more responsive to subtle change (a process linked to neuroplasticity). That’s why creating habits that support you, rather than increase stress upon waking, can make a difference.
If you spend time regulating your emotions, calming your nervous system, and priming yourself for the day ahead, you can subtly influence what follows.
Research shows that our brains rely more heavily on familiar patterns in the morning when cognitive resources are still warming up. This is why morning routines can be so influential – for better or worse.
Choosing to limit access to external influences that can negatively impact your mood, motivation and focus protects your early morning energy.
When you intentionally focus on things that support, calm and motivate you, you’re setting yourself up (both mentally and physically), for a positive start to the day.
Choosing to read quotes that inspire, or use journaling to mentally declutter or gently plan your day ahead, offers a simple way to guide your attention before the day begins.
40 Inspiring Quotes to Start Your Day:
Below is a selection of inspiring and motivating quotes that you can use to start your day. Reading a quote, alongside journaling or breathwork, can help you transition into the day with more calm, clarity, and intention.
Tip: Write out a quote and leave it somewhere visible in your home or workspace, or use it as a prompt for your journaling session!
“You don’t need to feel motivated to begin, you just need to begin gently.” Quietly Conquer
“You don’t need to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” Zig Ziglar
“It’s okay to move slowly – you’re still moving.” Quietly Conquer
“The pace of nature is slow, but everything gets done.” Lao Tzu
“Small steps taken consistently create big change.” James Clear
“Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.” Brene Brown
“Life happens when you are busy making other plans.” John Lennon
“Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” Thich Nhat Hanh
“Above all, be gentle with yourself; you are doing the best you can.” Rumi
“To be calm is the highest achievement of the self.” Zen proverb
“Self-care is how you take your power back.” Lalah Delia
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” Albert Einstein
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” Theodore Roosevelt
“Sometimes slowing down is the most productive thing you can do.” Unknown
“You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress.” Sophia Bush
“You’re never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C.S. Lewis
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” Arthur Ashe
“This moment is enough to begin.” Quietly Conquer
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” Anne Lamott
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.” Karen Lamb
“Change the world by being yourself.” Amy Poehler
“A beautiful morning starts with a beautiful mindset”
“The sun is new each day” Heraclitus
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” George Bernard Shaw
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” Suzy Kassem
“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” Dolly Parton
“It ain’t how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” Rocky Balboa
“Everything you’re ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” George Addair
“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” Nelson Mandela
“It’s often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.” Queen Elizabeth ll
“Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” Will Rogers
“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Don’t count the days. Make the days count.” Muhammad Ali
“Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.” Dalai Lama
“If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart.” Buddha
“You are braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” A.A. Milne, Winne the Pooh
“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” George Elliot
“Once you face your fear, nothing is ever as hard as you think.” Olivia Newton-John
“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” Carl Jung
“If you want more time, freedom, and energy, start saying no.” Unknown
Daily Journal Page
Create a calm daily routine to improve your mental health, replace unhelpful thinking, and find gratitude in each day.
This printable journal page is based on the principles of CBT, and can also be used on your favourite note-taking apps if you prefer to journal digitally!
Tools, Resources & Support
Take a look at these tools & resources that can help you with your mental health, personal growth and business:
The Johari Window – Improve Self-Awareness With the Johari Window. The Johari Window worksheet helps you reflect on your traits, strengths, and blind spots. Includes reflection prompts, the Johari adjectives list, and space to explore insights at your own pace. A thoughtful tool for personal growth, therapy-informed reflection, and coaching
Cognitive Distortions Worksheet – Support emotional clarity and build self-awareness with this printable CBT thought distortions worksheet. It's designed to help you (or your clients) challenge negative thinking patterns using practical cognitive behavioural therapy techniques.
Impact Stationery – Have you ever dreamed of creating your own high-end stationery products? Laura has an amazing course & community designed to help you created printed products that you can market on Amazon, or your own website. It's different to KDP in that they're not print on demand, and the quality of products are incredible.
Etsy – Are you ready to create your own online store? Etsy is a brilliant shopping platform that's used by millions. Setting up your store is simple, and when you sign up with this link we both get 40 free listings!
My Reflections
Words can have a quiet, but powerful impact on your mood, especially in those early morning moments. Choosing to begin your day with affirmations, meaningful quotes, or a few minutes of gentle journaling can help shape your mood and motivation for the day ahead.
You don’t need to spend lots of time doing this, but if your current morning routine isn't supporting a calmer start to the day, think about what habits you can introduce.
I’d love to know which quotes resonated with you, or whether you have any go-to words or phrases that you find motivating or inspiring.
One of my favourite quotes is this one from John Lennon. I like it because too often we're looking to the next thing, planning the bigger moments, but missing what's already here right in front of you. It's a great reminder to also be present in the moment you're in:
I would love to hear your favourite Quote – Why is it important to you & how has it helped?
Share below ⬇️
Coming Soon – Inspired Notes. A community on Skool dedicated to daily inspiration for wherever you are in life. Here's the link to the community. Request to join and I will accept you once the group is ready! This will be a low-key, chilled group focused on inspiring growth, gentle change and motivation when you need it the most. No pressure to show up in the community if you prefer to be a quiet member – you are very welcome.
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Meet Lynsey
Hey there! I'm Lynsey, a counsellor, coach and mentor for women who want to create change, but are feeling lost, uncertain and exhausted. With over 7 years’ experience of training, running businesses, and over a decade as a tutor and adult trainer, I've learned the value of a gentle and intentional approach to work and life that energises you without draining all of your energy.
I've lived with ME/CFS since 2011, and since then re-trained as a counsellor, and achieved a distinction for my Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice; all while running 4 businesses!
How? Improving your mindset, finding acceptance in yourself, and developing a gentle, but solution-focused approach to achieving goals is key. Knowing that it's not about how fast you move, but finding your own pace and trusting that you can achieve your goals in your own way, one step at a time.
If you'd like to know more about working with me, you can email [email protected] or find me on socials (links in the menu)
Have you seen my online store Quietly Conquer – Find DFY templates, downloads and more!
