250+ Unique Life Motto Ideas with Examples that Help You Thrive

Should you have a personal life motto? I think you should. In my own life, I’ve used a personal motto to remind myself about my goals, but also a reminder to be grateful about the blessings I’ve enjoyed through my life including a family and the ability to grow a little publishing business.

You can think of a personal motto as a mantra that can be repeated to yourself to continue moving forward in times of stress, encourage yourself to reach new heights in business, or soothe the soul in the midst of chaos. A personal motto can help to calm anxiety, stop negative thoughts or actions, and prevent yourself from being to self-critical. A personal motto can also serve as a daily reminder about longer-term life objectives.

Whenever you feel yourself begin to falter, or you just need that little boost of confidence, speak a life motto to yourself. And if you need a little help deciding on the best affirmation for you, check out this list of more than 250 ideas. I’ve used many of these in different stages of my own life.

Life Mottos

Follow your heart.

A life spent helping others is a life filled with purpose.
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
Be kind, you never know the battles others are fighting.
I will be the change I want to see in the world. I can only control own actions.
Fake it until you make it. Grind until you get it.
Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. I will choose wisely.
Happiness is achieved when you stop waiting for it to happen, and take steps to make it happen.
It’s time to be my best self today.
I shall not live in vain. I will get one step closer to my goals on this day.
I will live a life without regret. I will love hard. I will reach my goals.
It is okay to live a life that others don’t understand.
Negative thoughts will never give you a positive life.
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
No one has ever become poor by giving their time.
My prime purpose in this life is to help others.
I won’t live for someone else any longer. I’m living for myself.
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
I’m not going to waste the second half of my life.
The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up.
The grass is greener where you water it. It’s time to plant seeds of abundance in my life.
The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.
The only way to find true happiness is to risk being completely cut open.
Three things in life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.
Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.
When you can’t find the sunshine, be the sunshine.
I will cut out the negative energy and people in my life.

Personal Motto Examples

I’m wasn’t put here to survive. I was put here to thrive.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Don’t say ‘maybe’ if you want to say ‘no’.
Don’t set yourself on fire to keep other people warm.
Friendship is the foundation of love. If love fails, friendship should remain.
Have courage, and be kind.
Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.
I am what I think about.
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; What is essential is invisible to the eye.
Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be; embrace who you are.
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.
Never dim someone else’s light so you can shine.
Remember the why in your life.
Switch off. Recharge. Reboot.
Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love deeply and unconditionally.
There is nothing like a dream to create the future.
This above all: to thine own self be true.
To dare is to do.
Tomorrow is another day
We accept the love we think we deserve.
We are all a work in progress. I will make one tiny improvement today.
We cannot all do great things. But we can do small things with great love.
You cannot save other people, but you can love them.

Motto in Life as a Student

Master the game of life.

Anything is possible.
I am becoming the best version of myself.
I am building my future.
I am excited to step into a new world.
I am on the path to success.
I am thankful for all that I have.
I am worthy to receive.
I believe in my goals and dreams.
I believe in myself and my abilities.
I can change the world.
I create a healthy balance in my life.
I improve every single day.
I push through when things get tough.
I will continue to expand my mind.
I will do better next time.
I will win at what I put my mind to.
It’s okay not to know everything.
My challenges help me grow.
My confidence grows when I step outside of my comfort zone.
My future is bright.
Nothing can stop me from living the life of my dreams.
Procrastination is the thief of time.
There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.
There is no substitute for hard work.

Inspirational Mottos

May your life be as amazing as your social media stream.

A grateful heart is the foundation for all other virtues.
Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.
Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.
Carpe Diem (Seize the Day).
Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.
Courage is not the absence of fear: it is the ability to act in the presence of fear.
Do or do not. There is no try.
Do what you don’t want to do, so you can do what you love.
Don’t be busy: be productive.
Enough is as good as a feast.
Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.
Gratitude; my cup overfloweth.
He who has conquered his own coward spirit has conquered the whole outward world.
Just keep swimming.
Learn to value yourself, which means: fight for your happiness.
Live each day as if it were your last.
May the gratitude in my heart kiss all the universe.
The pain you feel today is the strength you will feel tomorrow.
The struggle ends when gratitude begins.
There is always something to be grateful for.
This too shall pass. The sun will come out again.
Today, I choose to be the best version of myself.
Vision without action is just a daydream.
Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.

Success Mottos

Be intentional in all that you do.
Breathe in courage, breathe out fear.
Comfort zones are cozy, but nothing ever grows there.
Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.
Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Eyes on the prize.
Feel the fear and do it anyway.
Have the courage to be who you are.
Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you.
It doesn’t matter how slowly you go, as long as you don’t stop.
Let go of who you think you are supposed to be and embrace who you are.
Live each day as if it were your last.
No person is free who is not master of themselves.
Progress, not perfection.

Sometimes, life is about risking everything for a dream nobody can see but you.

Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart.
The discomfort of self-discipline will never be as great as the pain of regret.
The grass is green where you water it.
There is always something to be grateful for.
There is no better time than now.
Vision without actions is a daydream.
We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
With every step I get closer to my goal.
You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

Short Life Mottos

What’s the secret to life?

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I will take that first step.
All that I am, I am because of my mind.
Because I’m worth it.
Do more of what makes you happy.
Ever upward and onward!
Gratitude is the best attitude.
I’ve done it before and I can do it again.
I trust in God. We will take this journey together.
It always seems impossible until it’s done.
It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed at the same time.
Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be wonderful.
Life is better with friends.
Make the most of today.
Nothing is impossible for me.
One step at a time.

Relax, release, ease.
The purpose of life is a life of purpose.
Think big. Think bigger.
To want to be what one can be is a purpose in life.
Today I am thankful.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
While I Breathe, I hope.
With God, all things are possible. I believe that.
Your only limit is you.
Get up early. Get to work.

Family Mottos

We will not waste our lives in this family.
Always loving and supporting each other no matter what.
Always there to always care.
Members of this family get up everyday and compete.
Celebrating our heritage, building our future.
Celebrating our roots.
We will create multi-generational wealth together.
Constantly growing and learning.
Don’t forget to remember the sacrifices of our ancestors.
Family always. Family first.
Hoping, inspiring, believing.
Business. It’s a family affair.
Learning and growing every day.
Looking to the future.
Let’s establish some roots for our family tree.
Love is the main ingredient.
Love, honesty, and trust.
Making great memories.
New vines from strong roots.
Proud of our roots.
Respect everyone’s perspective.
Rooted and grounded in love.
Strive to show kindness.
The legacy never ends.
United and growing.
United we stand.
We show strength through our thoughtful words.
We value empathy and understanding.
We won’t succeed without trying our best.

Life Mottos about Working Hard

Work hard. Play hard.

Hard work betrays none.
Hard work pays off and pays the bills.
Hard work pays off if you’re patient enough to see it through.
Hard work pays off most of the time but keep at it and you’ll do just fine.
Hard work will take you to the top. But talent will only bring you to the door.
I will wake up tomorrow and all my Hard work will look like an overnight success.
Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.
It doesn’t matter if you work till your back cracks as long as it’s worth it. Hard work pays and it always leaves a lasting impression.
It’s hard to beat a person who doesn’t give up.
It’s not about money or connections – it’s the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone.
Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.
Laziness pays off overnight but hard work pays off throughout your life.
Nothing in life that’s worth anything is easy.
Nothing in this world is handed to you. You have to go out and get it! Nobody said it would be easy but hard work always pays off.
Stay dedicated it’s not going to happen overnight.
Success at anything will always come down to this: Focus and effort, and we control both.
Successful people are not gifted; they just work hard, then succeed on purpose.
The harder you work for something, the greater you will feel when you achieve it.
The ones who say you can’t are too afraid you will.
The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible.
The world belongs to the energetic.
What comes easy won’t last. What lasts won’t come easy.
Without labor nothing prospers.

Life Mottos about Being Yourself

Life is Short and the World is Wide.

Always be a first-rate version of yourself and not a second-rate version of someone else.
Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.
Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are.
Be who you were created to be, and you will set the world on fire.
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
Don’t compromise yourself – you’re all you have.
Don’t try to impress people. Always be yourself!
Don’t worry what people say or what people think. Be yourself.
Just be yourself, and enjoy the blessings that God’s borne out on you.
Just be yourself, let people see the real, imperfect, flawed, quirky, weird, beautiful & magical person that you are.
Live life as though nobody is watching, and express yourself as though everyone is listening.
Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.
No other version, no matter how perfect it is, would ever feel better than being your true self.
Say what you feel. It’s not being rude, it’s called being real.
There is only one you for all time. Fearlessly be yourself.
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.
To help yourself, you must be yourself. Be the best that you can be. When you make a mistake, learn from it, pick yourself up and move on.
To shine your brightest light is to be who you truly are.
When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.
You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.

Life Mottos about God

Living in Faith Everyday.

As I seek the Lord, he hears me and delivers me from all my fears.
As I wait on God, my power is renewed.
Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.
Don’t dig up in doubt what you planted in faith.
Don’t lose faith in people. A few dirty drops of water don’t pollute the entire ocean.
Faith is an oasis in the heart which will never be reached by the caravan of thinking.
Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into.
God can do more than I ask or think.
God cares for me; I can give him my anxieties.
God generously gives me wisdom as I ask for it. –
God has plans for me to prosper and have hope for the future.
God is my safe place; I go to him because I trust him.
God will keep me stable as I give him my burdens.
God will never fail me or forsake me. I’m not in this alone.
I am blessed with strength and peace.
I go boldly to God with my troubles; he understands what I am going through.
I trust God’s word; it is light for me when I cannot find my way.
I will bring God glory through my service.
I will not be afraid; my strength is found in the Lord.

I will prosper and be in health.
In times of mourning, the Lord shall give me comfort.
My heart will not be troubled or afraid. God has given me peace.
My life is in the Lord’s hands like clay in the hands of a potter.
Never stop believing that good things are coming.
No one can pluck me out of God’s hands.
Stand straight, walk proud, have a little faith.
The Lord will cause blessings to overtake me.
The Lord will give me prosperity in every area of my life.
The Lord will provide me with the desires of my heart.
The Lord will supply all my needs.
The peace of God rules in my heart.
When I am weak, God gives me more strength.

Did you see a life motto that resonated with your personal journey? I hope you did. Remember, everyones path through this life is a little bit different. Don’t compare yourself to other people. You can improve your lot in life if you stay consistent working toward a goal and maintain a positive mindset.

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