30 Inspirational Quotes about Strength and Resilience

"This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure."

Our current reality is defined by one word: uncertainty. This word, which dominates current headlines and global conversations, sums up the air of abstraction and mystery surrounding the novel coronavirus, which has infected thousands across our nation and the globe. Even when we take all the recommended steps to keep ourselves and others safe, many of us are still left wrestling with overwhelming feelings of powerlessness. How do we approach a challenge when we've never seen anything quite like it before? How can we overcome when we don't even know the full scope of the task?

There is nothing scarier than not knowing. When we lack control over a situation, there's no clear path to moving forward in strength. Diving into uncertainty and weathering the storm may be the only option. And still, we overcome.

We're looking to wise figures throughout history—from Eleanor Roosevelt to Charles Dickens—to gain some perspective on the current state of the world and find motivation to keep moving forward. Their words remind us that we can overcome anything, even fears that loom larger than any challenge we've previously faced. In a time of uncertainty, may these words of wisdom give you resilience and strength.

Quotes about Strength and Resilience

01 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"It's your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life's story will develop." – Dieter F. Uchtdorf

02 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf copy

"Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again." – Nelson Mandela

03 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (1)

"This is no time for ease and comfort. It is time to dare and endure." – Winston Churchill

04 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (2)

"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

05 of 30
“I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” – Maya Angelou

"I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it." – Maya Angelou

06 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (4)

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." – Ambrose Redmoon

07 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (5)

"Don't despair: despair suggests you are in total control and know what is coming. You don't – surrender to events with hope." – Alain de Botton

08 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (6)

"It is our attitude toward events, not events themselves, which we can control. Nothing is by its own nature calamitous – even death is terrible only if we fear it." – Epictetus

09 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (7)

"No matter how much falls on us, we keep plowing ahead. That's the only way to keep the roads clear." – Greg Kincaid

10 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (8)

"We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided." – J.K. Rowling

Quotes about Strength and Love

11 of 30
“Someone I once loved gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift.” – Mary Oliver

"Someone I once loved gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift." – Mary Oliver

12 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (1)

"Courage isn't having the strength to go on, it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Napoleon Bonaparte

13 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (2)

"When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure." – Peter Marshall

14 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (3)

"When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven't." – Thomas A. Edison

15 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (4)

"You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." – Marcus Aurelius

16 of 30
“We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

"We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down." – Eleanor Roosevelt

Quotes about Strength and Hope

17 of 30
“The human capacity for burden is like bamboo – far more flexible than you’d ever believe at first glance.” – Jodi Picoult, My Sister’s Keeper

"The human capacity for burden is like bamboo – far more flexible than you'd ever believe at first glance." – Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper

18 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (1)

"It is really wonderful how much resilience there is in human nature. Let any obstructing cause, no matter what, be removed in any way, even by death, and we fly back to first principles of hope and enjoyment." – Bram Stoker, Dracula

19 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (2)

"We don't even know how strong we are until we are forced to bring that hidden strength forward." – Isabel Allende

20 of 30
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’” – Eleanor Roosevelt

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'" – Eleanor Roosevelt

21 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (4)

"Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work though difficult problems." – Gever Tulley

22 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (5)

"We are stronger, gentler, more resilient, and more beautiful than any of us imagine." – Mark Nepo

23 of 30
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." – Nelson Mandela

24 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (7)

"There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast." – Charles Dickens

25 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (8)

"Life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat." – Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

Short Quotes about Strength

26 of 30
“Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.” – Oprah Winfrey

"Where there is no struggle, there is no strength." – Oprah Winfrey

27 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (1)

"Rock bottom became the solid foundation in which I rebuilt my life." – J.K. Rowling

28 of 30
“We will either find a way, or make one.” – Anibal Barca

"We will either find a way, or make one." – Anibal Barca

29 of 30
“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf (3)

"Grief and resilience live together." – Michelle Obama, Becoming

30 of 30
“If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it.” – Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon

"If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it." – Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon

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