43 Quotes to Help You Stay Motivated in Your Small Business

Business leaders will tell you that it doesn’t matter how hard the bad days are, if you still have the passion, you can make it to the next day.

But what happens when the passion is gone? The motivation has left and you’re struggling to remember why you started this business in the first place. You have more problems than solutions, more stress than success, more bad days than good.

Success is there though, if you can keep hustling and make it through the bad days.

We compiled 43 of our favorite small business quotes to boost your positivity and help your hustle, even when you feel like all you want to do is go home and take a bath.

1. “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” – Sheryl Sandberg

2. “The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” – Thomas Paine

3. “Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly and get on with improving your other innovations.” – Steve Jobs

4. “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” – Stephen King

5. “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” – Kevin Durant

6. “Good things happen to those who hustle.” – Anais Nin

7. “It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

8. “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

9. “You must either modify your dreams or magnify your skills.” – Jim Rohn

10. “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney

11. “There’s no shortage of remarkable ideas, what’s missing is the will to execute them.” – Seth Godin

12. “Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” – Coco Chanel

13. “Some people want it to happen, some people wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan

14. “Press forward. Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, but strive for the mark set before you.” – George Whitefield

15. “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison

16. “Live daringly, boldly, fearlessly. Taste the relish to be found in competition — in having put forth the best within you.” – Henry J. Kaiser

17. “I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.” – Audre Lorde

18. “It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old. They grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.” – Gabriel García Márquez

19. “Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” – Ella Fitzgerald

20. “Contrary to popular opinion, the hustle is not a dance step — it’s an old business procedure.” – Fran Lebowitz

21. “The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won’t. It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.” – Barack Obama

22. “Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire.” – Patti Smith

23. “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” – Muhammad Ali

24. “Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you’re not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were.” – David Rockefeller

25. “Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.” – Carol Burnett

26. “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Wishing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann Von Goethe

27. “I don’t know the word ‘quit.’ Either I never did, or I have abolished it.” – Susan Butcher

28. “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

29. “Don’t think about your errors or failures; otherwise, you’ll never do a thing.” – Bill Murray

30. “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” – Tony Robbins

31. “Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill

32. “The best kinds of people in your life aren’t those who gather to celebrate your success, but those who gather to help your hustle.” – Usman Ismaheel

33. “The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there.” – Vince Lombardi

34. “March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns or the sharp stones on life’s path.” – Khalil Gibran

35. “Without hustle, talent will only carry you so far.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

36. “Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” – Harriet Beecher Stow

37. “It’s not about money or connections. It’s the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone when it comes to your business.” – Mark Cuban

38. “The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” – Barack Obama

39. “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”

40. “Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you’re going to do now and do it.” – William Durant

41. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

42. “I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.” – Estée Lauder

43. “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

Some people like to memorize quotes and bring them to their forefront in times of trouble. If you are like us, we like to have the quote printed out and hung somewhere we can see it. We did a little research and found some Etsy creators — #supportsmallbusinesses — who can make custom prints of whichever quote you are looking for.

• MoonlightSvgCo offers a positive quote bundle for a couple dollars that features 24 digital files that you can print anyway you like.
• IdeaSide can create a personalized clear desk sign that’s perfect for a motivational quote or your name. Signs start just under $30
• Canvas Goals Designs has a variety of canvas art ready to go with quotes about consistency, patience, leadership and more. Prices range from $40 to $200. Success Hunters Prints offers similar canvases starting around $30.
• If farmhouse chic is more your vibe, Taylor Signs has a trio of signs defining hustle, grind and execution for $80.
• Go for a poster with Trailhead Prints. You can pick the color and dimensions, then frame the quote The smallest size will cost you $14.
• Or go fully custom and pick the quote for your canvas art ($33+). You can even get a framed custom sign for $60+ or a digital file for $5.

Positivity and hustle may not be the default attitude for all of us — especially in the difficult early days of starting your business — but keep your eyes on the prize. And maybe, just maybe, these quotes will help remind you of that.