Quotes about staying strong through hard times

If you’re like me, you’re stuck inside right now due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The economy is struggling, people around you are losing their jobs (or maybe you’ve lost your job) and this crisis just seems to be getting worse by the day.

Looking for some motivation and inspiration, I started Googling inspirational quotes for hard times, and I found a lot of quotes out there. So I decided to put together a list of my favorite ones; the ones I feel most inspired by, and most relevant to these hard times.

I hope these quotes help you get through this crisis and provide inspiration and motivation like they did for me!

Inspirational Quotes for Hard Times

1. “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” — Winston Churchill

2. “Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity.” — Lou Holtz

3. “Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when the ‘hero’ within us is revealed.” — Bob Riley

4. “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” — Robert H Schuller

5. “Energy and persistence conquers all things.” — Benjamin Franklin

6. “We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” — Chuck Swindoll

7. “It is only in our darkest hours that we may discover the true strength of the brilliant light within ourselves that can never, ever, be dimmed.”— Doe Zantamata

8. “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” — Helen Keller

9. “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me…. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” — Walt Disney

10. “I learned there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead, others come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready, you see. Now my troubles are going to have trouble with me.” — Dr. Seuss

11. “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” — Michael Jordan

12. “We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.” — Carlos Costaneda

13. “The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.” — Epictetus

14. “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” — Randy Pausch

15. “Hard times are sometimes blessings in disguise. We do have to suffer but in the end it makes us strong, better and wise.” — Anurag Prakash Ray

16. “Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.” ― Roy T. Bennett

17. “My scars remind me that I did indeed survive my deepest wounds. That in itself is an accomplishment. And they bring to mind something else, too. They remind me that the damage life has inflicted on me has, in many places, left me stronger and more resilient. What hurt me in the past has actually made me better equipped to face the present.” — Steve Goodier

18. “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” — Dale Carnegie

19. “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” — Khalil Gibran

20. “We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” — Frederick Keonig

21. “There is neither happiness nor unhappiness in this world; there is merely the comparison of one state to the other. Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss.” — Alexandre Dumas

22. “Difficult roads always lead to beautiful destinations.” — Zig Ziglar

23. “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” — Albert Camus

24. “You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice.” — Bob Marley

25. “Inside of a ring or out, ain’t nothing wrong with going down. It’s staying down that’s wrong.” – Muhammad Ali

26. “Fall seven times, stand up eight.”  — Japanese Proverb

27. “She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails.” — Elizabeth Edwards

28. “We must meet the challenge rather than wish it were not before us.” — William J. Brennan, Jr., Former Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

29. “Never give in. Never, never, never.” — Winston Churchill

30. “When written in Chinese the word “crisis” is composed of two characters – one represents danger and the other represents opportunity.” — John F. Kennedy

31. “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” — Thomas Edison

32. “Resilience is very different than being numb. Resilience means you experience, you feel, you fail, you hurt. You fall. But, you keep going.” — Yasmin Mogahed

33. “Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing.” — L.M. Montgomery

34. “By the darkness, stars are revealed.” — Evette Carter

35. “Let perseverance be your engine and hope your fuel.” — H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

36. “A diamond is a chunk of coal that did well under pressure.” — Henry Kissinger

37. “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” — Mahatma Gandhi

38.“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” — Henry Ford

39. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.” — Nelson Mandela

40. “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” — Mark Twain

41. “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” — Christopher Reeve

42. “You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it’s important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages.” — Michelle Obama

43. “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

44. “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

45. “Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.” — Gever Tulley

46. “Remember that just because you hit bottom doesn’t mean you have to stay there.” — Robert Downey Jr

47. “Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” — Thich Nhat Hanh

48. “The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity.” — Seneca

49. “Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.” — William Ellery Channing

50. “We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.” — Barbara De Angelis

51. “Every champion was once a contender that refused to give up.” — Sylvester Stallone

52. “Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.” — Walt Whitman

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53. “Every adversity, every failure and every heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent or a greater benefit.” — Napoleon Hill

54. “It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” — Edmund Hillary

55. “Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” — Carl Bard

56. “If the wind will not serve, take to the oars.” — Latin Proverb

57. “Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” — Joshua J. Marine

58. “I am strong because I’ve been weak. I am fearless because I’ve been afraid.” — Unknown

59. “Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” — Nelson Mandela

60. “Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!”— Rocky Balboa (Movie Quote)

61. “The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” — Ernest Hemingway

62. “Things turn out the best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” — John Wooden

63. “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.” — Corrie ten Boom

64. “The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground.” — Author Unknown

65. “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” — Vivian Greene

66. “The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.” — Harry Golden

67. “When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt

68. “The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.” — Chinese Proverb

69. “Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come. Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won, and all the fears you have overcome.”— Unknown

70. “Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” — J.K. Rowling

71. “And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” — Haruki Murakami

72. “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” — Confucius

73. “Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you.” — Ovid

74. “What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson

75. “The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.” — Randy Pausch

76. “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” — Dr. Wayne Dyer

77. “He knows not his own strength who hath not met adversity.” — William Samuel Johnson

78. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

79. “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” — Robert Frost

80. “Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.” — Bernice Johnson Reagon

81. “Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t have strength.” — Napoléon Bonaparte

82. “The difference between a strong man and a weak one is that the former does not give up after a defeat.” — Woodrow Wilson

83. “Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.” — Roger Crawford

84. “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” — Louisa May Alcott

85. “You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.” — James Allen

86. “The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity.” — Ulysses S. Grant

87. “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” — Henry Ford

88. “Anyone can hide. Facing up to things, working through them, that’s what makes you strong.” – Sarah Dessen

89. “We all have battles to fight. And it’s often in those battles that we are most alive: it’s on the frontlines of our lives that we earn wisdom, create joy, forge friendships, discover happiness, find love, and do purposeful work.” — Eric Greitens

90. “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” — Albert Einstein

91. “Where there is no struggle, there is no strength” – Oprah

92. “No one escapes pain, fear, and suffering. Yet from pain can come wisdom, from fear can come courage, from suffering can come strength – if we have the virtue of resilience.” — Eric Greitens

93. “It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” — Dieter F. Uchtdorf

94. “Hard times build determination and inner strength. Through them we can also come to appreciate the uselessness of anger.” — Dalai Lama

95. “I will breathe. I will think of solutions. I will not let my worry control me. I will not let my stress level break me. I will simply breathe. And it will be okay. Because I don’t quit.”— Shayne McClendon

96. “Remember that guy that gave up? Neither does anyone else.” — Unknown

97. “On the other side of a storm is the strength that comes from having navigated through it. Raise your sail and begin.” — Gregory S. Williams

98. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”—Martin Luther King, Jr.

99. “Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it’s less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you’ve lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that’s good.” — Elizabeth Edwards

100. “Scared is what you’re feeling. Brave is what you’re doing.” ― Emma Donoghue

101. “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” ― Michael Jordan

So, which of these inspirational quotes for hard times resonate most with you? Which are your favorites? Do you know of any others that aren’t on this list? Leave a comment and let me know!

And I hope you find strength, peace, inspiration, and motivation from these quotes to help get through this crisis and any other you find yourself in down the road.

For more quotes on motivation and productivity, see the following posts!

• 108 Motivational Quotes for Employees to Inspire Productivity
• 101 Productivity Quotes from History’s Most Brilliant Minds
• 100+ Customer Service Quotes to Inspire You Today
• 50 Employee Engagement Quotes to Motivate Your Employees

And if you like how we created these quote images, and want to make some of your own, check out this quote maker from Visme.

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Jayson is a long-time columnist for Forbes, Entrepreneur, BusinessInsider, Inc.com, and various other major media publications, where he has authored over 1,000 articles since 2012, covering technology, marketing, and entrepreneurship. He keynoted the 2013 MarketingProfs University, and won the “Entrepreneur Blogger of the Year” award in 2015 from the Oxford Center for Entrepreneurs. In 2010, he founded a marketing agency that appeared on the Inc. 5000 before selling it in January of 2019, and he is now the CEO of EmailAnalytics.

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