“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched, but just felt in the heart.”
Helen Keller
BeautyHeart
200 FAMOUS QUOTES · INSPIRATIONAL
Inspirational Quotes
Read 200 of the best inspirational quotes on hope, kindness, love, faith and life from Helen Keller, Kahlil Gibran, Tagore, Emerson and more.
“The only way to have a friend is to be one.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
FriendshipKindness
“The one thing in the world, of value, is the active soul.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
SoulLife
“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
BeautyTravel
“Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
NatureSpirit
“In the woods, we return to reason and faith.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
NatureFaith
“The question is not what you look at, but what you see.”
Henry David Thoreau
PerspectiveMindset
“However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names.”
Henry David Thoreau
LifeAcceptance
“Goodness is the only investment that never fails.”
Henry David Thoreau
GoodnessKindness
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach.”
Henry David Thoreau
LifeNature
“Be not simply good; be good for something.”
Henry David Thoreau
PurposeGoodness
“The world has kissed my soul with its pain, asking for its return in songs.”
Rabindranath Tagore
PainHope
“The night kisses the fading day whispering to his ear, 'I am death, your mother. I am to give you fresh birth.'”
Rabindranath Tagore
New BeginningsLife
“The sparrow is sorry for the peacock at the burden of its tail.”
Rabindranath Tagore
ContentmentPerspective
“Thou hast made me endless, such is thy pleasure. This frail vessel thou emptiest again and again, and fillest it ever with fresh life.”
Rabindranath Tagore
FaithLife
“Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways, yet each one can be true.”
Swami Vivekananda
TruthWisdom
“Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way.”
Swami Vivekananda
KindnessCompassion
“Work is love made visible.”
Kahlil Gibran
WorkLove
“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.”
Kahlil Gibran
SorrowJoy
“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”
Kahlil Gibran
GivingGenerosity
“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.”
Kahlil Gibran
PainGrowth
“Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.”
Kahlil Gibran
ChildrenParenting
“The highest excellence is like that of water. The excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things.”
Lao Tzu
HumilityGoodness
“There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water, and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong there is nothing that can take precedence of it.”
Lao Tzu
GentlenessStrength
“He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent.”
Lao Tzu
Self-KnowledgeWisdom
About Inspirational Quotes
Some words stay with us for a lifetime. An inspirational quote can lift a heavy heart, remind us of what really matters, or help us see an ordinary day in a new light. The best ones speak about hope, kindness, love, faith and the quiet beauty of life.
This collection brings together 200 of the best inspirational quotes from poets, philosophers, spiritual teachers and great thinkers, including Helen Keller, Kahlil Gibran, Rabindranath Tagore, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and the Buddha. Read slowly, save the ones that speak to you, and share them with someone who needs a little light today.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about Inspirational quotes.
What is the most inspirational quote of all time?
Helen Keller's line that the best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, only felt in the heart, is one of the most loved inspirational quotes ever written. Emily Dickinson's image of hope as "the thing with feathers" is another timeless favourite.
What is the difference between inspirational and motivational quotes?
Motivational quotes push you to take action, work hard and chase goals, while inspirational quotes touch the heart and change how you see life. Inspirational quotes often speak about hope, kindness, love, faith and beauty.
What are some inspirational quotes about kindness?
Seneca wrote that wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness, and Shakespeare compared a good deed to a little candle shining in a dark world. These inspirational quotes remind us that small acts of kindness matter.
What are inspirational quotes about hope?
Some of the best hope quotes include Psalm 30:5's promise that joy comes in the morning and Tagore's line about the world kissing his soul with pain and asking for songs in return. They remind us that difficult times do not last forever.
What did Kahlil Gibran say about life?
In The Prophet, Gibran wrote that work is love made visible and that the deeper sorrow carves into us, the more joy we can hold. His gentle, poetic wisdom makes him one of the most quoted inspirational writers in the world.
How can I use inspirational quotes?
Inspirational quotes work beautifully in greeting cards, speeches, journals, school projects and social media captions. Many people also read one each morning as a calm and hopeful start to the day.