27 Inspirational Quotes That Will Give You Hope and Strength During Hard Times

There are joys in life but there are also sorrows. Sometimes these sorrows are of the every day kind — sad, but survivable. Other sorrows affect us so profoundly, so significantly and indelibly that we instinctively know life will never be the same. We wonder how we can make it through another day.

I have been through such times. I have also walked with children, adults, and families through such times. That is how I know that hope can be found in even the most difficult seasons of life. At the most painful moments in our lives, when everything is peeled away and stripped bare, when it seems that nothing is left, I know that there is hope.

Even the smallest amount can make the greatest difference. Hope and resilience are what help us set goals and affect change, to persevere in the face of life challenges and thrive.

So no matter what you’re going through, know that you are not alone. You’ll get through this.

Below are 27 hope quotes to give you strength and inspiration during hard times.

1. Out of difficulties grow miracles.

   — Jean de la Bruyère

2. There is an alchemy in sorrow. It can be transmuted into wisdom, which, if it does not bring joy, can yet bring happiness.
   — Pearl S. Buck

3. You are full of unshaped dreams. You are laden with beginnings…There is hope in you…
   — Lola Ridge

4. Whether you’ve seen angels floating around your bedroom or just found a ray of hope at a lonely moment, choosing to believe that something unseen is caring for you can be a life-shifting exercise.

   — Martha Beck

5. We must accept infinite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. 
   — Martin Luther King, Jr.

6. I don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains. 
   — Anne Frank

7. A lesson for all of us is that for every loss, there is victory, for every sadness, there is joy, and when you think you've lost everything, there is hope.
   — Geraldine Solon

8. There is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for.
   — J.R.R. Tolkien

9. Hope never abandons you; you abandon it.
   — George Weinberg

10. We always kept in our hearts the most noble, beautiful feeling that sets human beings apart: Hope.
    — Manel Loureiro

11. Hope. It’s like a drop of honey, a field of tulips blooming in the springtime. It’s a fresh rain, a whispered promise, a cloudless sky, the perfect punctuation mark at the end of a sentence. And it’s the only thing in the world keeping me afloat.
    — Tahereh Mafi

12. Everything that is done in this world is done by hope.
    — Martin Luther

13. If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.

    — Martin Luther King Jr.

14. There is a saying in Tibetan, ‘Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.’ No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that’s our real disaster.
    — Dalai Lama XIV

15. The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.
    — Barbara Kingsolver

16. To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something.
    — Howard Zinn

17. We need never be hopeless because we can never be irreperably broken.”
    — John Green

18. We can never give up longing and wishing while we are thoroughly alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger after them.

    —George Eliot, The Mill on the Floss

19. To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget.

    —Arundhati Roy, The Cost of Living

20. Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.

    ― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

21. You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.

    ― Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter

22. “There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness. We must have felt what it is to die, Morrel, that we may appreciate the enjoyments of life. 
    " Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget, that until the day God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words, 'Wait and Hope.” 
    ― Alexandre Dumas

23. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.
    ― Martin Luther King, Jr.

24. “It's going to be all right, sir," Harry said over and over again, more worried by Dumbledore's silence than he had been by his weakened voice. "We're nearly there ... I can Apparate us both back ... don't worry ..."
    "I am not worried, Harry," said Dumbledore, his voice a little stronger despite the freezing water. "I am with you.” 
    ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

25. to love life, to love it even
    when you have no stomach for it
    and everything you've held dear
    crumbles like burnt paper in your hands,
    your throat filled with the silt of it.
    When grief sits with you, its tropical heat
    thickening the air, heavy as water
    more fit for gills than lungs;
    when grief weights you like your own flesh
    only more of it, an obesity of grief,
    you think, How can a body withstand this?
    Then you hold life like a face
    between your palms, a plain face,
    no charming smile, no violet eyes,
    and you say, yes, I will take you
    I will love you, again. 
    ― Ellen Bass

26. A star falls from the sky and into your hands. Then it seeps through your veins and swims inside your blood and becomes every part of you. And then you have to put it back into the sky. And it's the most painful thing you'll ever have to do and that you've ever done. But what's yours is yours. Whether it’s up in the sky or here in your hands. And one day, it'll fall from the sky and hit you in the head real hard and that time, you won't have to put it back in the sky again.
    ― C. JoyBell C.

27. To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.
    ― G.K. Chesterton

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depression, stress, and anxiety psychologist in mclean, falls church, arlington, and vienna

Victoria Chialy Smith, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist providing individual therapy to children, teens, and adults. Our practice provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness based therapies, and other premier evidence-based treatments, and serves the Falls Church, McLean, Great Falls, Vienna, Arlington, Alexandria, and the greater Washington DC region. Call, email, or schedule an appointment with us online today. We’re happy to help!

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21 Mindfulness Quotes

Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment, non judgmentally, with awareness, on purpose. So often in our lives, we find ourselves thinking of the past, or racing ahead with thoughts of the future that we find ourselves missing out on the present moment — which really is all we have. How wonderful would it be to be fully present in the moment with a loved one? To fully connect to the joy of being alive?

It’s all possible through mindfulness.

so How do you practice mindfulness?

Mindfulness can be learned, practiced, and cultivated through various techniques. The beauty of mindfulness is that you can practice it anywhere!

I am someone who struggles with mindfulness. It doesn’t come naturally! But my daily practice of mindfulness has helped me immensely. Here are some useful methods to practice mindfulness:

mindful breathing

One method is by focusing on your in-breaths and out-breaths. When you breathe in, recognize it is your in breath. With you breathe out, recognize it is your outbreath. Focus your mind on your breath. Enjoy your breath, savor it. Don’t force it into anything other than what it is. I like to say, “breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.” You can practice saying what helps you feel calm and connected to your breath.

Awareness of your body

Another way to practice mindfulness is to focus on your body on your in-breaths and out-breaths. As you breathe in, become aware of your body. Feel the peace and harmony throughout your mind and body.

mindfulness quotes

Below are some mindfulness quotes which capture some of its beauty and power in our lives. There is a wisdom that comes with mindfulness. Try it out and share any of your thoughts or what has helped for you in the comments below.

1. “Many people are alive but don’t touch the miracle of being alive.”
   – Thích Nhất Hạnh, author of The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation

2. “Live the actual moment. Only this actual moment is life.”
   – Thích Nhất Hạnh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

3. “The things that matter most in our lives are not fantastic or grand. They are moments when we touch one another.”
   – Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present: Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy Right Where You Are

4. “Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already.”
   – Pema Chödrön, How to Meditate: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind

5. “If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” 
   ― Amit Ray, Om Chanting and Meditation

6. “Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor.” 
   ― Thich Nhat Hanh, Stepping into Freedom: Rules of Monastic Practice for Novices

7. “Life is a dance. Mindfulness is witnessing that dance.” 
   ― Amit Ray, Mindfulness Living in the Moment - Living in the Breath

8. “Look at other people and ask yourself if you are really seeing them or just your thoughts about them.”
   – Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are

9. “The way to live in the present is to remember that ‘This too shall pass.’ When you experience joy, remembering that ‘This too shall pass’ helps you savor the here and now. When you experience pain and sorrow, remembering that ‘This too shall pass’ reminds you that grief, like joy, is only temporary.”
   – Joey Green

10. In today’s rush, we all think too much — seek too much — want too much — and forget about the joy of just being.”
    – Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose

11. “I wish that life should not be cheap, but sacred. I wish the days to be as centuries, loaded, fragrant.”

    –Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson

12. “The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”
    - Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

13. “As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are. Otherwise, you will miss most of your life.”
    – Buddha

14. “Few of us ever live in the present. We are forever anticipating what is to come or remembering what has gone.” 
    – Louis L’Amour

15. “All you really need to do is accept this moment fully. You are then at ease in the here and now and at ease with yourself.”
    – Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

16. “The habit of spending nearly every waking moment lost in thought leaves us at the mercy of whatever our thoughts happen to be. Meditation is a way of breaking this spell.”
    – Sam Harris, Waking Up

17. “There are two types of seeds in the mind: those that create anger, fear, frustration, jealousy, hatred and those that create love, compassion, equanimity and joy. Spirituality is germination and sprouting of the second group and transforming the first group.”
    – Amit Ray

18. “You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.”
    – Henry David Thoreau, Walden

19. “If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak, return to yourself, to who you are, here and now and when you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom, even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong.“
    – Masaru Emoto, The Hidden Messages in Water

20. “Mindfulness is about love and loving life. When you cultivate this love, it gives you clarity and compassion for life, and your actions happen in accordance with that.”
    –Jon Kabat-Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living

21. “You have a treasure within you that is infinitely greater than anything the world can offer.”
    – Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose

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stress management, anxiety treatment, and mindfulness-based therapist in mclean, falls church, arlington, and vienna

Victoria Chialy Smith, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist providing individual therapy to children, teens, and adults. Our practice provides Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness based therapies, and other premier evidence-based treatments, and serves the Falls Church, McLean, Great Falls, Vienna, Arlington, Alexandria, and the greater Washington DC region. Call, email, or schedule an appointment with us online today. We’re happy to help!