Feeling uncertain about yourself is a shared human experience. In moments of doubt, we all search for ways to find strength and rebuild our confidence. Quotes can be powerful tools to uplift our spirits and remind us that we are not alone in our struggles.
This article offers a collection of the best quotes to help you combat self-doubt. These words, from thinkers and doers across time, can provide the encouragement you need to push through tough times.
Inspirational Self Doubt Quotes
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Doubt everything. Find your own light.” – Buddha
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Suzy Kassem
“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” – William Shakespeare
“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath
“Self-doubt is the anchor that keeps our ships from sailing.” – Unknown
“Don’t let self-doubt hold you captive. You are worthy of all that you dream of and hope for.” – Roy Bennett
“Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.” – Khalil Gibran
“It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.” – Unknown
“You are the only one who can limit your greatness. Remember that.” – Unknown
“I seek strength, not to be greater than others, but to fight my greatest enemy, the doubts within myself.” – P.C. Cast
“We all have doubts. But doubt freed from indecision leads to action.” – Bruce Lee
“When you have self-doubt, remember the sun, the moon, and the stars have never shone brighter than they do for you.” – A.C. Martin
“You don’t need more confidence. Just shift your perspective to see what you’re capable of.” – Unknown
“Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” – Louise L. Hay
“Self-doubt does not define who you are or what you can achieve.” – Lori Deschene
“The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.” – Bertrand Russell
“Doubt can only be removed by action.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself.” – Roy Bennett
“You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A.A. Milne
“Self-doubt is a lie. Push it out and let your truth shine.” – Unknown
“Doubt is the father of invention. Embrace it and use it to fuel your journey.” – Unknown
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” – Vincent Van Gogh
“Turn your wounds into wisdom.” – Oprah Winfrey
“Self-doubt is the fear of being authentic. Believe in the power of your truth.” – A.C. Martin
“You can have anything you want if you are willing to give up the belief that you can’t have it.” – Dr. Robert Anthony
“Doubt is a thief that often makes us fear to tread where we might have won.” – William Shakespeare
Famous Quotes on Overcoming Self Doubt
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Christian D. Larson
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Suzy Kassem
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden
“You have been assigned this mountain to show others it can be moved.” – Unknown
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” – William Shakespeare
“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath
“When you undervalue what you do, the world will undervalue who you are.” – Oprah Winfrey
“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” – Roy T. Bennett
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A.A. Milne
“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” – Rumi
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford
“Self-doubt is the anchor that keeps our ships from sailing.” – Unknown
“Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” – Will Rogers
“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” – Sir Edmund Hillary
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe
“Embrace the glorious mess that you are.” – Elizabeth Gilbert
“You do not find the happy life. You make it.” – Camilla Eyring Kimball
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” – Henry Ford
“Leap and the net will appear.” – John Burroughs
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” – Vincent Van Gogh
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
“You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather.” – Pema Chödrön
“Turn your wounds into wisdom.” – Oprah Winfrey
Celebrity Quotes about Battling Self Doubt
“You are the one that possesses the keys to your being. You carry the passport to your own happiness.” – Diane von Furstenberg
“We all have our own battles to fight, and it’s okay to admit that sometimes we feel uncertain.” – Emma Watson
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” – Marilyn Monroe
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Suzy Kassem
“I think self-doubt is healthy. It pushes you, it’s an indication that you’re working hard and pushing boundaries.” – Natalie Portman
“Success is most often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” – Coco Chanel
“Doubt can only be removed by action.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath
“You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.” – Rosalynn Carter
“Self-doubt is real. Everyone has it. Having confidence and losing confidence is real, too, and everyone has been in that position.” – Venus Williams
“It’s not about eliminating self-doubt; it’s about embracing it and using it to propel you forward.” – Richard Branson
“When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.” – Carol Burnett
“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” – J.M. Barrie
“Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.” – Khalil Gibran
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.” – Peter T. McIntyre
“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles, and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now.” – Mark Victor Hansen
“Sometimes self-doubt is an indication that something’s about to change for the better. Embrace the unease.” – Kristen Bell
“You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.” – Brené Brown
“Doubt yourself and you are lost. Doubt only your limits, and you will find yourself.” – Anonymous
“It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.” – Denis Waitley
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” – Judy Garland
“Self-doubt is the anchor that keeps our ship from sailing.” – Anonymous
“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do.” – Brené Brown
“The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your action will be.” – Dalai Lama
“Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.” – Leo Buscaglia
Empowering Self Doubt Quotes to Boost Confidence
“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” – William Shakespeare
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” – Henry Ford
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” – Will Rogers
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath
“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubt.” – Honore de Balzac
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Suzy Kassem
“The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear and get a record of successful experiences behind you.” – William Jennings Bryan
“The only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.” – Jordan Belfort
“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 have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” – Dale Carnegie
“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” – Roy T. Bennett
“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” – Michael Jordan
“It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” – Sir Edmund Hillary
“Self-doubt is the anchor that keeps our ships from sailing.” – Unknown
“He who has overcome his fears will truly be free.” – Aristotle
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” – Vincent Van Gogh
“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.” – J.M. Barrie, ‘Peter Pan’
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A.A. Milne, ‘Winnie the Pooh’
“Be yourself, don’t take anything from anyone, and never let them take you alive.” – Gerard Way
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James
Self Doubt Quotes from World Renowned Authors
“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath
“Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.” – Khalil Gibran
“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” – William Shakespeare
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Suzy Kassem
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.” – Dale Carnegie
“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” – J.M. Barrie
“Doubt is an uncomfortable condition, but certainty is a ridiculous one.” – Voltaire
“Believe in your infinite potential. Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself.” – Roy T. Bennett
“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” – Joseph Chilton Pearce
“The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Doubt comes when your eyes are open to possibilities, but your heart is closed to belief.” – Original
“You are the only person on Earth who can use your ability.” – Zig Ziglar
“Doubt whispers in the silence, but belief screams in the chaos.” – Original
“There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.” – Gautama Buddha
“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.” – William Faulkner
“When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubt.” – Honore de Balzac
“Doubt yourself and you become your own biggest obstacle.” – Original
“Oftentimes, we sit with doubt, unaware it’s just the shadow of our own truth.” – Original
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James
“Doubt isn’t the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith.” – Paul Tillich
“Success is not for the chosen few, but for the few who choose.” – Original
“There’s no such thing as a sure thing. That’s why they call it gambling.” – Neil Gaiman
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“The doubts of the mind are the shackles on our dreams.” – Original
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu
“It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.” – Hanoch McCarty
Humorous Self Doubt Quotes for a Lighter Perspective
“Remember, if you can’t laugh at yourself, someone else will do it for you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.” – Oscar Wilde
“Confidence is what you have before you understand the problem.” – Woody Allen
“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein
“I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow.” – Woodrow Wilson
“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.” – Oscar Wilde
“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.” – Elbert Hubbard
“I act as if I’m okay, but deep down, I need someone to remind me how to spell ‘Wednesday’.” – Unknown
“The road to self-confidence is paved with a thousand gender-neutral affirmations, and a very good spell-checker.” – Emlyn Chand
“I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.” – Lily Tomlin
“Why should I worry about doing something wrong when there’s always someone else around to do it right?” – Jarod Kintz
“I never make the same mistake twice. I make it like five or six times, you know, just to be sure.” – Unknown
“I’ve got a perfect body, but sometimes I forget the directions to the gym.” – Unknown
“I doubt, therefore I might be. Or not.” – Unknown
“I’ve developed a new philosophy. I only dread one day at a time.” – Charles M. Schulz
“If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of car payments.” – Earl Wilson
“My fake plants died because I did not pretend to water them.” – Mitch Hedberg
“Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world.” – Lily Tomlin
“The only journey is the one within – and it’s full of potholes.” – Rumi
“It’s always the people who claim to be ‘realists’ who are the worst at predicting the future.” – Unknown
“Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.” – Unknown
“I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.” – Vincent Van Gogh
“My mind’s made up – don’t confuse me with the facts.” – Unknown
“If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today.” – E. Joseph Cossman
“I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison
“Sometimes I worry about being a grown-up… but then I remember coffee.” – Unknown
“I’m not arguing, I’m just explaining why I’m right.” – Unknown
Profound Philosophical Quotes on Self Doubt
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” – Suzy Kassem
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” – Vincent Van Gogh
“Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.” – William Shakespeare
“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Christian D. Larson
“Self-doubt is the anchor that keeps our ships from sailing.” – Unknown
“You have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” – Louise L. Hay
“When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubt.” – Honoré de Balzac
“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.” – Voltaire
“You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.” – Zig Ziglar
“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“Self-doubt is a sneak thief that can rob you of your destiny.” – Unknown
“Doubt can only be removed by action.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Don’t let the fear of striking out hold you back.” – Babe Ruth
“Our doubts make us feel small, but facing them makes us rise tall.” – Unknown
“Doubt is the father of invention.” – Galileo Galilei
“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller
“Your doubt is the sharpener for your courage.” – Unknown
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering.” – Yoda
“We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.” – Carlos Castaneda
“Doubt your doubts before you doubt your beliefs.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” – J.M. Barrie
“Don’t let self-doubt steal your potential.” – Unknown
“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” – Roy T. Bennett
“Doubt is the companion of growth.” – Original
“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” – Sir Edmund Hillary
“Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.” – Benjamin Spock
In Conclusion
Self-doubt affects everyone at some point in their lives. The quotes we’ve shared remind us that we’re not alone in facing these feelings. They also highlight the importance of overcoming self-doubt and believing in ourselves.
By reflecting on these wise words, you can find encouragement and build confidence. Keep these quotes close to lift your spirits when you need them most. Self-belief is a powerful tool, and sometimes, all it takes is a little inspiration to push through the doubts and achieve your goals.
