Inspirational Quotes for Hard Times
Comforting quotes for setbacks, stress, and difficult seasons
Hope Quotes for Dark Days
When you're tired, overwhelmed, or scared, hope doesn't have to be loud. These quotes offer steady light, small reminders that hard seasons are real, but not permanent.
"Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness".
"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul".
"Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out".
— Václav Havel
"Once you choose hope, anything's possible".
"The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope".
"Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today".
— Thich Nhat Hanh
"I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains".
"Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid".
"Hope is a waking dream".
"Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise".
"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind".
— C.S. Lewis
"When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: you haven't".
— Thomas A. Edison
Pro tip: If you're sharing a quote with someone going through a hard time, add one gentle line afterward: "I'm here with you, no pressure to respond". It keeps the message supportive, not performative.
Patience Quotes for Stress— Waiting, and Uncertainty
Hard times often include the hardest kind of work: waiting. These quotes help when progress feels slow, outcomes are unclear, or you're learning to take it one day at a time.
"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop".
"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience".
"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time".
"Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet".
"Patience is the companion of wisdom".
"He that can have patience can have what he will".
"Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day".
— A.A. Milne
"No feeling is final".
"They also serve who only stand and wait".
"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished".
— Lao Tzu
"Patience is not passive, on the contrary, it is concentrated strength".
"Have patience with all things, but, first of all with yourself".
Courage Quotes for Facing What You Can't Avoid
Some seasons ask for courage simply to show up, again and again, when you'd rather hide. These quotes are steady, non-cheesy reminders that fear can ride along without driving.
"If you're going through hell, keep going".
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena".
"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it".
"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them".
"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear".
"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage".
— Anaïs Nin
"Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one".
"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?"
"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'I will try again tomorrow.'"
— Mary Anne Radmacher
"Fortune favors the bold".
— Virgil
"Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it's having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome".
— Brené Brown
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face".
Healing Quotes for Grief— Burnout, and Emotional Recovery
Healing isn't linear, and it isn't something you "should be over" by a certain date. These quotes validate pain while pointing toward repair, softness, and steady rebuilding.
"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in".
"Turn your wounds into wisdom".
"What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us".
"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it".
"The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love".
"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you".
"Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor".
— Thich Nhat Hanh
"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars".
— Khalil Gibran
"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths".
— Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea".
"The wound is the place where the Light enters you".
— Rumi
"Out of difficulties grow miracles".
— Jean de La Bruyère
Starting Over Quotes for New Beginnings After a Setback
Starting over can feel unfair, like you're rebuilding what shouldn't have broken. These quotes are for fresh pages: after loss, change, mistakes, endings, and the courage to try again.
"Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life".
— J.K. Rowling
"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better".
"Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat".
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work".
— Thomas A. Edison
"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can".
"It is never too late to be what you might have been".
"The beginning is the most important part of the work".
— Plato
"Even if you fall on your face, you're still moving forward".
"The secret of getting ahead is getting started".
"It always seems impossible until it's done".
"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way".
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts".
How to Use These Inspirational Quotes for Hard Times
If you're choosing a quote for yourself, pick the one that feels true today, not the one that sounds the most inspiring. If you're sharing with someone else, lead with empathy, keep it simple, and avoid "silver linings" that might minimize what they're facing.
- For a text message: Choose one short quote and add "Thinking of you today".
- For a card: Pair a hope quote with a practical offer: "I can drop off dinner this week".
- For a speech or caption: Use a courage quote, then add one personal sentence about what you're learning.
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Inspirational quotes for hard times. (2026, January 22). FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/articles/inspirational-quotes-for-hard-times/
Chicago Style
"Inspirational Quotes for Hard Times." FixQuotes. January 22, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/articles/inspirational-quotes-for-hard-times/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Inspirational Quotes for Hard Times." FixQuotes, 22 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/articles/inspirational-quotes-for-hard-times/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.