Quotes About Life by Famous People of the 20th Century

The following insightful quotes about life, by famous people from different backgrounds and callings who left a strong mark on the century behind us, have been compiled to help guide you through life and keep you grounded and motivated.

The great thing about life is that someone else has been here before you. And while others may not have faced exactly the same hurdles as you, or experienced exactly the same joys, their guidance can still be relevant.

Here is some great advice by famous people to help guide you through life.

Never limit yourself because of others’ limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination.
~ Mae Jemison, astronaut

A lot of quotes tend to focus on how we feel about ourselves and project ourselves onto the world, but this one is great because it also tells us that as well as not limiting ourselves we should not limit others.

We all have our own individual paths to follow in life and blowing out other people’s candles does not make yours shine any brighter. If someone has a dream, always provide them with support and understanding. Give people the space to be who they are.

If you can’t get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you’d best teach it to dance.
~ George Bernard Shaw

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Let’s face it. We have all done things in the past that we are not proud of or perhaps did not show us in our best light, things that we might like to keep hidden away. But sometimes the past has a funny way of catching up with us.

This doesn’t mean that we should let it all hang out and admit to our prospective mother-in-law about our time working in the local strip club on our first meeting, but that we should accept our past as part of our journey. It is part of who we are.

If you are going through hell, keep going.
~ Sir Winston Churchill

Sitting around complaining about your lot is not going to achieve anything. So if you are going through hard times the only thing you can do, to get out of them is to keep on going, never give up, and eventually you will see the light at the end of the tunnel.

You can do anything, but not everything.
~ David Allen

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Sometimes we think we need to be everything to everyone and keep everyone happy, but that’s just not possible. Likewise, in life we cannot do everything we want because no one can do everything.

However, we can achieve anything we want to once we put our minds to it. There is a difference.

People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.
~ Zig Ziglar

A fun but true quote from the grandmaster of self-help and positive thinking. To stick to our goals and live our life on purpose we need to motivate ourselves daily.

It’s all very well when we first start out on a project, we are naturally motivated and excited by the prospect of starting something new, but the novelty can soon wear off. This is why it is important to keep ourselves motivated on a daily basis. And anyway, it’s fun!

Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn’t.
~ Erica Jong

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Ain’t that the truth. Sometimes we seek the answer that we want to hear, not necessarily what is right. This can be especially true when we look something up online. I am a terror for searching for the advice I want to hear.

Likewise, when we go to friends for advice, sometimes we know they are not going to blast us with the stark naked truth for fear of offending us. This is why when seeking advice it is sometimes better to go to someone we don’t know personally or who is completely independent of the situation.

If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.
~ Oprah Winfrey

This is a great piece of advice from the queen of self-improvement, Oprah Winfrey herself.

When we focus on things we don’t have, we always find ourselves wanting more, but when we stop and appreciate all the things we already have, we see that we already have more than enough.

Some people feel the rain others just get wet.
~ Bob Marley

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Some of us see the positive in everything, while some of us only see or feel the negative. Everything is life has a purpose, even the seemingly negative things.

When we adapt to our circumstances and appreciate the beauty in all things, our lives really can change for the better.

Life is very interesting… in the end, some of your greatest pains, become your greatest strengths.
~ Drew Barrymore

We learn so much in life, and some of the things that were the most painful for us end up becoming our greatest lessons, and our greatest strengths.

If there’s any message to my work, it is ultimately that it’s OK to be different, that it’s good to be different, that we should question ourselves before we pass judgment on someone who looks different, behaves different, talks different, is a different color.
~ Johnny Depp

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The world is a rapidly changing place and as we connect both physically and electronically via the internet we will inevitably come into contact with people and cultures that are different to our own. It is important not to judge people just because they are different to us.

We should celebrate our differences, not mock them.

Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that’s real power.
~ Clint Eastwood

I love this quote. In true Clint Eastwood style it says so much in so few words yet is so important. When we respect ourselves, we become self-empowered. And once we are self-empowered, there are no limits to what we can achieve.

A lot of people give up just before they’re about to make it. You know you never know when that next obstacle is going to be the last one.
~ Chuck Norris

Many people give up at the last hurdle just before they are about to reach their goals. The message here is to keep on going; you may well be nearer to your goal than you think.

And anyway, any advice from Chuck Norris has got to be right.

The minute that you’re not learning I believe you’re dead.
~ Jack Nicholson

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It’s important to keep on learning regardless of how old we are, not only does it keep our brains active but keeps us interested in things.

We can never know everything, there is always something new to learn, and what a wonderful thing that is to know.

There are no regrets in life. Just lessons.
~ Jennifer Aniston

Life is one series of lessons, some big and some small, but lessons all the same. There is no need to have regrets, even for the things that did not turn out so well. It’s all part of the learning experience as long as we learn the lesson.

I hope you find some wisdom in the above selection of quotes. We are all only here for a short time, and as long as we live our lives with respect and love for ourselves and others and the planet we live on, then we are living the best life we can.

About the author

Eleanor Goold

As well as being an avid reader, Eleanor is also a big time animal lover; especially of dogs. If you have a tail, four legs and you bark…. you’re in! In her spare time she enjoys swimming, and vegetable gardening… but not at the same time (it can get a bit messy).

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