110 Quotes About Change to Boost Your Motivation

Quotes are words of wisdom passed on to inspire and motivate us. Often, they belong to famous people, such as writers and philosophers, but it’s not uncommon to hear someone say, “My mother always used to say…

In the context of life changes, quotes are a powerful means. Nothing is scarier to human beings than change. Leaving the comfort zone and stepping into the unknown comes with taking risks and opening the door to adversities. Nevertheless, nothing is possible without change. Like the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “Change is the only constant.” So, you see, a five-word quote can help you say yes to that dreadful project that’s good for your career, accept a new job, move to a foreign country, take your first climbing lesson, go back to school in your thirties, and do so many amazing things you stay away from because they require doing something different.

Quotes about change are often used to motivate employees and empower them to ask more from their careers, pitch ideas to stakeholders and encourage them to take risks, give pep talks to students and support their growth, and help friends embrace change and take on the next chapter in their lives. Check out our favorite quotes about change, 110 of them, to ensure you find your best one right here.

Quotes About Change in Life

Life transitions are inevitable. We must embrace change from the first day of kindergarten to getting married and retiring. Change in life is not always predictable nor determined by exterior circumstances. We may want to change, either to acquire new skills and get a better job, to create healthier habits, or to move to a region we’ve always imagined ourselves living in. These quotes about change in life will empower you to transition swiftly and smoothly and have faith that you are equipped to tackle anything that comes your way.

  1. “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” - Socrates
  2. "In the end, we only regret the chances we didn't take." - Lewis Carroll
  3. Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
  4. “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” - John F. Kennedy
  5. “True life is lived when tiny changes occur.” - Leo Tolstoy
  6. “Change is painful, but nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don't belong.” - Mandy Hale
  7. “The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.” - Steve Maraboli
  8. “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” - Rumi
  9. “In any given moment, we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.” - Abraham Maslow
  10. “I have accepted fear as part of life - specifically the fear of change ... I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: turn back ...” - Erica Jong

 

Quotes About Change and Growth

Change goes both ways: one can change and grow, or change to a worse version of oneself. The choice, like always, is ours. If you need something to encourage you on the path of growth or a quote about change to inspire a friend in need, you’ll find our selection versatile and diverse. These quotes cover all aspects of life and help anyone reading them become a better person.

  1. “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” - Mahatma Gandhi
  2. “Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” - Stephen Hawking
  3. Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Confucius
  4. “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change.” - Brene Brown
  5. “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality.” - Lao Tzu
  6. “If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.” - Maya Angelou
  7. “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” - Joseph Campbell
  8. “Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” - Barack Obama
  9. “All things are difficult before they are easy.” - Thomas Fuller
  10. “You are never too old to reinvent yourself.” – Steve Harvey

 

Short Quotes About Change

Memorable quotes are short. No more than a few powerful words, able to put the wheels of change in motion. Not only can you easily remember them and offer them as support to those in need, but short quotes may also act as mantras you tell yourself each time you find change difficult. These wise words may help you accept the inevitable and adapt to changes in your life, motivate you to be the one who triggers change, and embrace all sorts of changes as the natural part of life that they are.

  1. “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” - Norman Vincent Peale
  2. “If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.” - Milton Berle
  3. “Change, like healing, takes time.” - Veronica Roth
  4. “All great changes are preceded by chaos.” - Deepak Chopra
  5. “Growth and comfort do not coexist.” - Ginni Rometty
  6. “Good things take time.” - John Wooden
  7. “Tides do what tides do-they turn.” - Derek Landy
  8. “Change before you have to” - Jack Welch
  9. “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” - Winston Churchill
  10. “Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.” - Confucius

 

Bible Quotes About Change

For Christians, quotes extracted from the Bible are the go-to wise words for finding guidance and support in life. Their spiritual weight is a valuable resource. However, one doesn’t have to be a Christian to appreciate the wisdom encompassed in the Bible. Change is a universal topic, and human beings will face it until the end of time, regardless of their faith.

  1. “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” - Ecclesiastes 3:1
  2. “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” - Isaiah 43:19
  3. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9
  4. “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.” - Corinthians 15:51
  5. “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” - Proverbs 18:15
  6. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2
  7. “For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.” – Hebrews 7:12
  8. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13
  9. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” – Psalm 51:10
  10. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

 

Quotes About Change in Relationships

Like everything else in life, relationships evolve and change over time. They are very close to our hearts, which makes changes more difficult to embrace and accept, especially when we perceive them as negative. How often do you hear, “She/he is not the person I once knew. She/he has changed.”, and interpret this as a negative outcome? The truth is, we all change and constantly need to adapt to the changes of those around us. So, here are ten quotes to help you understand the people around you and the relationships you have with them.

  1. “Some changes look negative on the surface, but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.” - Eckhart Tolle
  2. “How can we expect people to change if we don't give them the chance to?” - Marissa Meyer
  3. “People change and so must relationships.” - Susan Jeffers
  4. “Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey.” - Lord Byron
  5. “I would rather spend one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
  6. “We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.” - Sam Keen
  7. “Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence” - Vincent van Gogh
  8. “The strongest relationships are not always the ones that show no struggles, but the ones that grow through them.” - Unknown
  9. “Growing apart doesn't change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled.” - Ally Condie
  10. “True friendship resists time, distance, and silence.” - Isabel Allende 

Tip: If you are curious to learn new questions to ask when meeting someone new, we share the most important ones to strengthen your relations.

 

Quotes About Change in Business

Adapting to change in business is a daily task for business owners. There are numerous variables to consider and many aspects beyond one’s control; thus, adapting is the only viable solution. However, it takes its toll, draining people of energy and motivation. Here are ten quotes about change in business to support them in their endeavor and remind them what they love about the business world.

  1. “You must be the master of your own destiny or be tossed like a ship on the waves of fate.” - Chinese Proverb
  2. “If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.” - W.C. Fields
  3. “Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” - Mark Twain
  4. “If you always do what you did, you'll always get what you got.” - Marian Diamond
  5. “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” - George Bernard Shaw
  6. “Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” - John F. Kennedy
  7. “If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” - Jim Rohn
  8. “To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” - R. Buckminster Fuller
  9. “There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.” - Niccolo Machiavelli
  10. “Your success in life isn't based on your ability to simply change. It is based on your ability to change faster than your competition, customers, and business.” - Mark Sanborn

Related: Do you want to start a business? Check out our 30 business ideas that drive big profits.

 

Quotes About Change Is Good

If you want to encourage someone (or yourself) to make a change, you need powerful words that underscore the importance of change for our existence. Done correctly and wisely, change is overall good, although negative aspects may appear at some point along the way. Even when people don’t reach the desired outcome, they may still learn from the experience, grow, and become a better or more skilled individual. So, take these ten quotes about change and put them to good use.

  1. “Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it's letting go.” - Hermann Hesse
  2. “Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor.” - Alexis Carrel
  3. “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” - Wayne W. Dyer
  4. “It's only after you've stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow, and transform.” - Roy T. Bennett
  5. “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” - Alan Wilson Watts
  6. "The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle." - Steve Jobs
  7. "The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible." - Arthur C. Clarke
  8. "The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings." - Kakuzo Okakura
  9. "In order to design a future of positive change, we must first become experts at changing our minds." - Jacque Fresco
  10. Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.” - Carol Burnett

 

Motivational Quotes About Change

Speaking of the benefits of embracing change, motivational quotes are very useful in work environments. When you want to boost your team’s morale and encourage them to dare, be ambitious, and come up with out-of-the-box ideas and solutions, a motivational quote about change may be the one thing that does the trick. It’s catchy, memorable, and easy to spread around. Here are our favorite ten:

  1. "Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great." - John D. Rockefeller
  2. "Courage is the power to let go of the familiar." - Raymond Lindquist
  3. “Change is never painful; only the resistance to change is painful.” – Buddha
  4. "The reality is that the only way change comes is when you lead by example." - Anne Wojcicki
  5. "Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced." - James Baldwin
  6. "If you want truly to understand something, try to change it." - Kurt Lewin
  7. "They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." - Andy Warhol
  8. "The measure of intelligence is the ability to change" - Albert Einstein
  9. “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” – Zig Ziglar
  10. “Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.” - John F Kennedy

 

Quotes About Change in Self

Quotes about change don’t refer solely to change in others or accepting the changes in our environment or conditions. More often than not, they refer to changing ourselves, embracing growth, learning, and giving ourselves the chance to become better people. Changing the self is the most difficult, painful, and confusing type of change. However, it is also the most needed. Our ten quotes about change in self will help you overcome the hardship of change.

  1. "No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you've come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself." - Madonna
  2. "To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly." - Henri Bergson
  3. "I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself." - Aldous Huxley
  4. "We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles." - Jimmy Carter
  5. "Be bold, be brave enough to be your true self." - Queen Latifah
  6. "Turn your wounds into wisdom." - Oprah Winfrey
  7. "To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance." - Oscar Wilde
  8. "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." - Maya Angelou
  9. "When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." - Viktor E. Frankl
  10. “The snake that cannot cast its skin has to die. As well as the minds which are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be minds.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
If you like to share a quote with your coworkers, daily, the discover our selection of quotes of the day with 100 hand picked saying by famous people.

 

Quotes About Change and Moving On

When change means letting go of something and moving on, we face not only the fear of what’s to come but also the pain of leaving something familiar behind. It may be our childhood home, our first job, a community, the safety of a career, or a friend or partner. As difficult as it may be, moving on is sometimes necessary. So, here are ten quotes to help you let go and move on.

  1. "Time takes it all, whether you want it to or not." - Stephen King
  2. "I give you this to take with you: Nothing remains as it was. If you know this, you can begin again, with pure joy in the uprooting." - Judith Minty
  3. "Moving doesn't change who you are. It only changes the view outside your window." - Rachel Hollis
  4. "Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn't stop for anybody." - Stephen Chbosky
  5. "We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance." - Harrison Ford
  6. "If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one." - Dolly Parton
  7. "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." - Robert Frost
  8. "Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next." - Denis Waitley
  9. "Looking back isn't going to help you. Moving forward is the thing you have to do." - McKayla Maroney
  10. "I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become." - Carl Jung 

 

Best Overall Quotes About Change

Now that we’ve given you quotes about change for every occasion and purpose, let’s focus on those general quotes that apply to everything and everybody. They are the aces down our sleeves, the go-to inspiration on a coffee break, the daily mantras we build our lives on, the ease of our pain, and the wind under our wings. If there is to be memorized just one quote about change, let it be one of these:

  1. "Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
  2. “Change is the only constant.” – Heraclitus
  3. “A wise man changes his mind, a fool never will.” – Proverb
  4. "If you can't change it, change your attitude." – Maya Angelou
  5. “Change is painful, but nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.” – Mandy Hale
  6. "When in doubt, choose change." - Lily Leung
  7. "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." - Charles Darwin
  8. "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." - Mother Teresa
  9. "The greatest risk is the risk of riskless living." - Stephen Covey
  10. "Every exit is an entry somewhere else." - Tom Stoppard

 

FAQ

What are quotes about change?

Quotes about change are words of wisdom belonging to famous people or collectives. They talk about all aspects of change, from accepting and adapting to those we can’t control to embracing those we need, encouraging others during times of change, and finding the courage to leap.

 

When to use these quotes?

Use quotes about change to motivate yourself or others to take risks and try new things. They are ideal for boosting morale and confidence. At the same time, quotes about change greatly support people during hard times, helping people be patient, resilient, and resourceful.

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