75 Best Quotes About Change To Motivate & Inspire You

Andrew Mckinney

• Mar 18, 2026 news

Change can be scary. It doesn't matter if you're going through a small change or a big one — doing something totally different than you're used to is terrifying.

To put your mind at ease, it's helpful to look at quotes about change and strength, which can give you the inspiration you need to get over even your hardest obstacles.

Embracing change might be exactly what you need, but taking those first few steps can seem almost impossible.

Of course, it will be scary — most changes are — but that doesn't mean it won't lead to something amazing. Rather, finding the courage to be exactly who and where you want to be in life is admirable.

Accepting and dealing with change differs for everyone. Learning how to do what's right for you and only you will make change seem less scary. There's always time to change your life for the better.

These quotes will help you realize that life happens, no matter what. But when you learn to embrace and welcome it, change can inspire you and motivate you to succeed in every single way.

75 Best Quotes About Change

1. "Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts." —Arnold Bennett

2. “The present changes the past. Looking back you do not find what you left behind.” —Kiran Desai

3. "We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers - but never blame yourself. It's never your fault. But it's always your fault, because if you wanted to change you're the one who has got to change.” —Katharine Hepburn

4. “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” —Wayne W. Dyer

5. “Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most.” —Fyodor Dostoevsky

6. “Maturity is when you stop complaining and making excuses, and start making changes.” —Roy T. Bennett

7. “Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” —William Jennings Bryan

8. "The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." —Socrates

9. "All great changes are preceded by chaos." —Deepak Chopra

10. "Your desire to change must be greater than your desire to stay the same."

11. "Don't make a change too complicated, just begin."

12. "You send out an energetic field that affects the world around you, with that heart energy, you have the power to change your world."

13. "Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change." —Jim Rohn

14. "Small changes eventually add up to huge results."

15. "Action is the key to all success." —Pablo Picasso

16. “I have accepted fear as part of life – specifically the fear of change... I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: turn back....” —Erica Jong

17. “This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change.” ―Taylor Swift

18. "The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do." —Walter Isaacson

19. "Life is about change. Sometimes it's painful. Sometimes it's beautiful. But most of the time, it's both." —Lana Lang

20. "Don't expect to see a change if you don't make one."

21. "Worrying about something you can't change will forever be the biggest waste of your time."

22. "Be the change that you wish to see in the world." ―Mahatma Gandhi

23. "Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won't have a title until much later." —Bob Goff

24. "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." —Leo Tolstoy

25. "The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking." —Albert Einstein

26. "Love can change a person the way a parent can change a baby: awkwardly, and often with a great deal of mess." ―Lemony Snicket

27. "We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are." —Max Depree

28. "Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like." ―Lao Tzu

29. "The snake which cannot cast its skin has to die. As well the minds which are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be mind." ―Friedrich Nietzsche

30. "We are not trapped or locked up in these bones. No, no. We are free to change. And love changes us. And if we can love one another, we can break open the sky." ―Walter Mosley

31. "You can't change what's going on around you until you start changing what's going on within you." —Zig Ziglar

32. "Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over, instead of craving control over what you don't." ―Steve Maraboli

33. "Stepping onto a brand-new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation, which is not nurturing to the whole woman." ―Maya Angelou

34. "Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself." ―Rumi

35. "If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you." —Fred DeVito

36. "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." ―Mother Teresa

37. "And that is how change happens. One gesture. One person. One moment at a time." ―Libba Bray

38. "You're always you, and that don't change, and you're always changing, and there's nothing you can do about it." ―Neil Gaiman

39. “You can't stop the future. You can't rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret... is to press play.” ―Jay Asher

40. "Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don't belong." —Mandy Hale

41. "Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge." ―Eckhart Tolle

42. "How would your life be different if... You stopped making negative judgmental assumptions about people you encounter? Let today be the day... You look for the good in everyone you meet and respect their journey." ―Steve Maraboli

43. "Certain things, they should stay the way they are. You ought to be able to stick them in one of those big glass cases and just leave them alone." ―J.D. Salinger

44. "The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." —Alan W. Watts

45. "One day spent with someone you love can change everything." ―Mitch Albom

46. “Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)” —Walt Whitman

47. “Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn't stop for anybody.” —Stephen Chbosky

48. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” —Margaret Mead

49. "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” —Nelson Mandela

50. "Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change." ―Mary Shelley

51. "Change, like healing, takes time." ―Veronica Roth

52. "Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything." —George Bernard Shaw

53. "Forget yesterday — it has already forgotten you. Don't sweat tomorrow — you haven't even met. Instead, open your eyes and your heart to a truly precious gift — today." ―Steve Maraboli

54. "When people are ready to, they change. They never do it before then, and sometimes they die before they get around to it. You can't make them change if they don't want to, just like when they do want to, you can't stop them." ―Andy Warhol

55. "You never change things by fighting the existing reality." —R. Buckminister Fuller

56. "I find the best way to love someone is not to change them, but instead, help them reveal the greatest version of themselves." ―Steve Maraboli

57. "You've changed me forever. And I'll never forget you." ―Kiera Cass

58. "I realized how truly hard it was, really, to see someone you love change right before your eyes. Not only is it scary, it throws your balance off as well." ―Sarah Dessen

59. "You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending." —C.S. Lewis

60. "I used to pray that God would feed the hungry, or do this or that, but now I pray that he will guide me to do whatever I'm supposed to do, what I can do. I used to pray for answers, but now I'm praying for strength. I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us and we change things." —Mother Teresa

61. "Life will only change when you become more committed to your dreams than you are to your comfort zone." —Billy Cox

62. "She remembered who she was and the game changed." —Lelah Deliah

63. "Open-minded people don't care to be right, they care to understand. There's never a right or wrong answer. Everything is about understanding."

64. "One day or day one. You decide." —Paulo Coelho

65. "It's okay to be scared. Being scared means you're about to do something really, really brave." —Mandy Hale

66. "You're always one decision away from a totally different life." —Mark Batterson

67. "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." —Barack Obama

68. "When it feels scary to jump, that's exactly when you jump. Otherwise you end up staying in the same place your whole life. And that I can't do." —Abel Morales

69. "It’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow, and transform." —Roy T. Bennett

70. "You are far too smart to be the only thing standing in your way." —Jennifer J. Freeman

71. "Old ways won't open new doors."

72. "The best time for new beginnings is now."

73. "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." —John F. Kennedy

74. "Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition." —Steve Jobs

75. "A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new." —Albert Einstein

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Kaylie Buchheit is a contributor for YourTango.