Short Inspirational Quotes for When You Need a Burst of Energy Recharge in Fewer Than 12 Words Print baona / Getty Images By Simran Khurana Simran Khurana Education Expert MBA in Human Resource Development and Management, Narsee Monjee Institution of Management Studies B.S. in Commerce, Accounting, and Finance, University of Mumbai Simran Khurana is the Editor-in-Chief for ReachIvy, and a teacher and freelance writer and editor, who uses quotations in her pedagogy. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on 01/14/20 It's true—good things often come in small packages. And short quotes are popular among those looking for inspiration. The reason for this is fairly obvious. Short quotes make a strong impact on listeners. The messages are crisply worded, to the point, and unforgettable. These quotes leave little room for misinterpretation. Why Short Doses of Inspiration Work Like Magic Often you wake up to a not-so-glorious day. Your boss is breathing down your neck, your child is throwing a tantrum, and your mother-in-law annoys you with her "valuable advice" on parenting yet again. You badly want to run away from this mad world but you can't. So how do you handle the stress? There are many stress-busting solutions, from getting a relaxing massage to listening to a spiritual sermon. But some solutions may be impractical. A quick and easy way to calm those frayed nerves is to read some inspirational quotes, particularly ones that are short and to the point. These quotes leave a lot of room for interpretation and motivate you to ponder over your actions and thoughts. Write them in a journal, on your calendar, or scribble them on sticky notes and slap them on the fridge—anywhere where their message will imprint on your brain, and turn thought into action. Here are a few from some of our most inspirational voices to help you shift your perspective, think big, and believe in yourself: Henry David Thoreau "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." Malcolm Forbes "Failure is success if we learn from it." Simone Weil "I can, therefore I am." Tom Peters "If you’re not confused, you’re not paying attention." Lewis Carroll "Everything’s got a moral, if only you can find it." George Harrison "It’s all in the mind." José Saramago "Chaos is merely order waiting to be deciphered." Edmund Hillary "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." Walt Disney "If you dream it, you can do it." Michel de Montaigne "Ambition is not a vice of little people." Antoine de Saint-Exupery "A goal without a plan is just a wish." John Muir "The power of imagination makes us infinite." Albert Einstein "Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe "A clever man commits no minor blunders." Pablo Picasso "Everything you can imagine is real." Marsha Norman "Dreams are illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you." John F. Kennedy "Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly." Aristotle "Hope is a waking dream." Eleanor Roosevelt "You must do the thing you think you cannot do." Dorothy Bernard "Courage is fear that has said its prayers." Oprah Winfrey "Turn your wounds into wisdom." Coco Chanel "The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud." Ray Bradbury "Life is trying things to see if they work." Robert Frost "The best way out is always through." Dolly Parton "Find out who you are and do it on purpose." Ralph Waldo Emerson "Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience."