20 resilience quotes that will give you strength during tough times

Resilience is one of the most important skills in life.

We all face difficulties, challenges and setbacks, but resilience is what determines whether we fight through it and grow, or whether cave in and let those challenges defeat us.

The brilliant thing is, we all have the ability to access the inherent mental strength that exists inside all of us. So if you’re going through a tough time and need some inspiration to get yourself through it, here are 20 of the inspiring emotional resilience quotes.

1) “Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it’s less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you’ve lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that’s good.” – Elizabeth Edwards

2) “My scars remind me that I did indeed survive my deepest wounds. That in itself is an accomplishment. And they bring to mind something else, too. They remind me that the damage life has inflicted on me has, in many places, left me stronger and more resilient. What hurt me in the past has actually made me better equipped to face the present.” – Steve Goodier

3) “No matter how much falls on us, we keep plowing ahead. That’s the only way to keep the roads clear.” – Greg Kincaid

(If you’re looking for more information on specific steps you can take to conquer your fears, check out our guide on how to be brave here)

4) “There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who do not. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living.” – José N. Harris

5) “You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces – my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope. These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined.” – Elizabeth Edwards

6) “When we tackle obstacles, we find hidden reserves of courage and resilience we did not know we had. And it is only when we are faced with failure do we realize that these resources were always there within us. We only need to find them and move on with our lives.” – A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

7) “The moment we believe that success is determined by an ingrained level of ability as opposed to resilience and hard work, we will be brittle in the face of adversity.” – Joshua Waitzkin

8) “Someone said adversity builds character, but someone else said adversity reveals character. I’m pleasantly surprised with my resilience. I persevere, and not just blindly. I take the best, get rid of the rest, and move on, realizing that you can make a choice to take the good.” – Brooke Shields

9)  “Resilience is knowing that you are the only one that has the power and the responsibility to pick yourself up.” – Mary Holloway

10) “Experience life in all possible ways — good-bad, bitter-sweet, dark-light, summer-winter. Experience all the dualities. Don’t be afraid of experience, because the more experience you have, the more mature you become.” – Osho

11) “Sadness gives depth. Happiness gives height. Sadness gives roots. Happiness gives branches. Happiness is like a tree going into the sky, and sadness is like the roots going down into the womb of the earth. Both are needed, and the higher a tree goes, the deeper it goes, simultaneously. The bigger the tree, the bigger will be its roots. In fact, it is always in proportion. That’s its balance.”  – Osho

12) “The difference between a strong man and a weak one is that the former does not give up after a defeat.” – Woodrow Wilson

13) “Only those who dare to fail greatly, can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy

14) “Forget mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you are going to do right now, and do it. Today is your lucky day.” – Will Durant

15) “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” – Helen Keller

16) “It is really wonderful how much resilience there is in human nature. Let any obstructing cause, no matter what, be removed in any way, even by death, and we fly back to first principles of hope and enjoyment.” – Bram Stoker

17) “Resilience is very different than being numb. Resilience means you experience, you feel, you fail, you hurt. You fall. But, you keep going.” – Yasmin Mogahed

18) “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” – Helen Keller

(If you’re looking for a structured, easy-to-follow framework to help you find your purpose in life and achieve your goals, check our eBook on how to be your own life coach here).

19) “I spent my young adult years postponing many of the small things that I knew would make me happy…I was fortunate enough to realize that I would never have the time unless I made the time. And then the rest of my life began.” – Dr. Chris Peterson

20) “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” — Kahlil Gibran

Are you a resilient person? The simple truth is that we can all learn to develop our mental toughness. In my best-selling eBook, The Art of Resilience: A Practical Guide to Mental Toughness, I equip you with the vital knowledge and tools you need to stare down any challenge. If you want to become ‘bullet proof’ in times of crisis, check out my eBook here.

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Lachlan Brown

I’m Lachlan Brown, the founder, and editor of Hack Spirit. I love writing practical articles that help others live a mindful and better life. I have a graduate degree in Psychology and I’ve spent the last 15 years reading and studying all I can about human psychology and practical ways to hack our mindsets. Check out my latest book on the Hidden Secrets of Buddhism and How it Saved My Life. If you want to get in touch with me, hit me up on Facebook or Twitter.

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