101 Determination Quotes To Keep You Focused & Motivated

When the road gets tough and motivation runs low, sometimes all we need is a powerful reminder of our inner strength. Determination quotes can be that spark that reignites your drive and keeps you pushing forward. Whether you’re facing career challenges, fitness goals, or personal obstacles, these words of wisdom can help you stay the course when giving up seems like the easier option. 💪

I’ve gathered 101 determination quotes from visionaries, athletes, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders to help you power through any challenge. Save these for those moments when you need an extra push!

Iconic Determination Quotes

Illustration of a wise man in blue robes on a pink background. Beside him, a bold white quote reads, "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” – Tommy Lasorda
“Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you.” – Denis Waitley
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.” – Calvin Coolidge
“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vidal Sassoon
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – Confucius
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier
“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop.” – Robert Hughes
“I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” – Stephen Covey
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” – George Lorimer
“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.” – Jim Rohn
“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving.” – Conrad Hilton

Determination Quotes for Overcoming Challenges

Illustration of a worried man clutching his chest, paired with the quote, "Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." Emotion: Concern.

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan
“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” – Confucius
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi
“What you stay focused on will grow.” – Roy T. Bennett
“It’s not about perfect. It’s about effort.” – Jillian Michaels
“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
“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” – C.S. Lewis
“The path to success is to take massive, determined action.” – Tony Robbins
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Confucius
“Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill
“You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.” – Babe Ruth
“Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.” – Walter D. Wintle
“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson
“A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at.” – Bruce Lee
“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” – Thomas Jefferson

Short & Powerful Determination Quotes

A clipboard with a checklist, clock, and bullseye with an arrow is on the left. On the right, white text reads, "Focus on your goal. Don't look in any direction but ahead." The background is beige.

“Determination is doing what needs to be done even when you don’t feel like doing it.” – Unknown
“Where there is a will, there is a way.” – Unknown
“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it.” – Earl Nightingale
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
“Make each day your masterpiece.” – John Wooden
“Either I will find a way, or I will make one.” – Philip Sidney
“Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.” – Julie Andrews
“Your only limit is you.” – Unknown
“Dream it. Wish it. Do it.” – Unknown
“Focus on your goal. Don’t look in any direction but ahead.” – Unknown
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela
“Don’t stop when you’re tired. Stop when you’re done.” – Unknown
“Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.” – Robert H. Schuller
“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney
“Fall in love with the process, and the results will come.” – Eric Thomas

Determination Quotes for Personal Growth

Illustration of a person with headphones holding a tablet showing a clock icon. Text reads, "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Christian D. Larson
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar
“What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.” – Tim Ferriss
“You are the master of your destiny. You can influence, direct and control your own environment.” – Napoleon Hill
“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” – Babe Ruth
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.'” – Mary Anne Radmacher
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” – Jimmy Johnson
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Determination Quotes from Athletes

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“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
“If you train hard, you’ll not only be hard, you’ll be hard to beat.” – Herschel Walker
“Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King
“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
“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” – Babe Ruth
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
“The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.” – Les Brown
“I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday.” – Unknown
“Mental toughness is finding fuel on an empty tank.” – Kent Katich
“Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.” – Vince Lombardi
“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.” – Lance Armstrong
“The only way to prove that you’re a good sport is to lose.” – Ernie Banks
“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter
“Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way.” – Satchel Paige
“There’s no substitute for hard work.” – Thomas Edison

Determination Quotes for Career Success

Illustration of a smiling woman with glasses giving thumbs up on a pink background. Text reads, "Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great."

“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.” – Og Mandino
“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” – Colin Powell
“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vidal Sassoon
“Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency.” – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” – Ayn Rand
“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.” – Steve Jobs
“Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.” – Chris Grosser
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” – Milton Berle
“The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same.” – Colin R. Davis
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.” – Albert Schweitzer
“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” – Bruce Lee
“I find that when you have a real interest in life and a curious life, that sleep is not the most important thing.” – Martha Stewart
“It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” – Bill Gates
“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” – Henry David Thoreau

Determination Quotes for Daily Motivation

Illustration of a joyful person on a rocket pointing upward. Quote reads, "Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow." Optimistic and motivational.

“Each morning we are born again. What we do today matters most.” – Buddha
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” – Mark Twain
“There is no traffic jam along the extra mile.” – Roger Staubach
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Rohn
“The secret of joy in work is contained in one word—excellence.” – Pearl S. Buck
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe
“Wake up determined. Go to bed satisfied.” – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
“Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.” – Jerry Rice
“The key to success is to focus on goals, not obstacles.” – Unknown
“Small daily improvements over time lead to stunning results.” – Robin Sharma
“Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow.” – Robert Kiyosaki

When you feel like giving up, revisit these quotes to refresh your determination and remind yourself why you started in the first place. Print your favorites, save them as phone wallpapers, or pin them where you’ll see them daily. Remember, determination isn’t just about pushing through—it’s about believing in yourself enough to keep going even when it gets tough. ✨

Which quote resonates with you the most? Sometimes the right words at the right time can be exactly what we need to take that next step forward!

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