Change is hard. We all want to grow and improve, but old habits can hold us back. Sometimes, a few wise words can make all the difference. Quotes have the power to inspire us to take that first step toward bettering ourselves.
In this article, we share some of the best behavior change quotes. These words can motivate you to make lasting changes and become the person you want to be.
Motivational Quotes for Behavior Change
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” ― Lao Tzu
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” ― Sam Levenson
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” ― Norman Vincent Peale
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” ― Winston S. Churchill
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” ― Peter Drucker
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” ― William James
“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” ― Jim Rohn
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” ― Winston S. Churchill
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ― Aristotle
“Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.” ― Peter Marshall
“Each change is a challenge to become who we really are.” ― Leo Babauta
“Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.” ― Charles R. Swindoll
“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.” ― William Butler Yeats
“we only regret the chances we didn’t take.” ― Lewis Carroll
“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.” ― John F. Kennedy
“Be stubborn about your goals and flexible about your methods.” ― Unknown
“Transformation is a process, and as life happens, there are tons of ups and downs. It’s a journey of discovery.” ― Rick Warren
“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
“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.” ― Oprah Winfrey
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” ― Alan Watts
Wisdom-laden Quotes on Changing Bad Habits
“The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.” – Samuel Johnson
“To change a habit, make a conscious decision, then act out the new behavior.” – Maxwell Maltz
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
“First we form habits, then they form us. Conquer your bad habits, or they will conquer you.” – Rob Gilbert
“Old habits cannot be thrown out the upstairs window. They have to be coaxed down the stairs one step at a time.” – Mark Twain
“Bad habits are like a comfortable bed, easy to get into, but hard to get out of.” – Anonymous
“The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.” – Socrates
“Every habit, good or bad, is a solution to some problem in our lives.” – James Clear
“Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones.” – Benjamin Franklin
“Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits.” – Mark Twain
“The truth is that everyone changes. The key is to alter habits in a way that aligns with your goals.” – Original
“Habits change into character.” – Ovid
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Rohn
“When you change your habits, you can change your world.” – Original
“We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.” – John Dryden
“Persistence is the mother of good fortune, and by faith, men achieve everything.” – Miguel de Cervantes
“Good habits, once established, are just as hard to break as are bad habits.” – Robert Puller
“Drop by drop is the water pot filled.” – Buddha
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” – Lao Tzu
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Ryun
“The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.” – Oscar Wilde (with a twist for inspiration)
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu
Powerful Quotes on Personal Transformation
“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.” – Oprah Winfrey
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” – Winston Churchill
“And that is how change happens. One gesture. One person. One moment at a time.” – Libba Bray
”Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor.” – Alexis Carrel
“Transformation is not a future event. It is a present activity.” – Jillian Michaels
“To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” – Henri Bergson
“One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.” – Leonardo da Vinci
“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” – George Bernard Shaw
”Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” – Jim Rohn
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” – James Baldwin
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” – Viktor E. Frankl
”The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” – Socrates
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
”Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw
“If there’s no struggle, there’s no progress.” – Frederick Douglass
“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
“To make a lasting change, change the system — not just the behavior.” – Anonymous
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Small daily improvements over time lead to stunning results.” – Robin Sharma
“Every next level of your life will demand a different you.” – Leonardo DiCaprio
Inspirational Quotes on Mindset Shift
“The mind is everything. What you think, you become.” – Buddha
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” – Henry Ford
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” – Norman Vincent Peale
“Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better.” – Émile Coué
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” - George Bernard Shaw
“The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitude.” – William James
“Our life is what our thoughts make it.” – Marcus Aurelius
“There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” – William Shakespeare, ‘Hamlet’
“You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius
“Act the way you’d like to be and soon you’ll be the way you’d like to act.” – Bob Dylan
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.” – Confucius
“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.” - Nido Qubein
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” - Helen Keller
“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” – Albert Einstein
“What a liberation to realize that ‘the voice in my head’ is not who I am. Who am I then? The one who sees that.” – Eckhart Tolle
“Mindset shift happens when we dare to embrace discomfort for the sake of growth.” – Anonymous
Thought-Provoking Quotes on Self-Improvement
“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” – Alan Watts
“We do not become righteous by doing righteous deeds but, having been made righteous, we do righteous deeds.” – Martin Luther
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“In the realm of ideas, everything depends on enthusiasm; in the real world, all rests on perseverance.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” – Aristotle
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Confucius
“To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” – Henri Bergson
“Don’t waste your energy trying to change opinions; do your thing, and don’t care if they like it.” – Tina Fey
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” – Winston Churchill
“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr.
“The only journey is the one within.” – Rainer Maria Rilke
“Growth is not merely a harmonious increase in size, but a transformation.” – Lloyd Alexander
“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.” – William Butler Yeats
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
“All great changes are preceded by chaos.” – Deepak Chopra
“Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.” – Peter Marshall
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” – Albert Einstein
Summing Up
Reflecting on these powerful behavior-change quotes can ignite a spark within us. They remind us that change is not only possible but within our grasp. Words have the power to motivate and inspire us to take the first steps toward better habits and a better life.
Whether you are looking to make a big change or just want some motivation to stay on track, these quotes offer wisdom and encouragement. They teach us that small, consistent efforts can lead to extraordinary results. Keep these quotes close and let them guide you on your path to positive change.
