In a world full of challenges, Marcus Aurelius, known as the ‘Last of the Good Emperors,’ reminds us of a simple yet powerful idea: the importance of starting our day with a positive thought.
Imagine waking up to a world where a single uplifting thought sets the tone for your entire day. Join us as we explore the wisdom of Aurelius and other inspiring figures like Maya Angelou and Winston Churchill.
Let’s discover how their words can help us approach each morning with a fresh perspective and a renewed sense of hope.
Table of Contents
ToggleMarcus Aurelius Quotes:
Marcus Aurelius is well known as the ‘Last of the Good Emperors’ in the Roman Empire. Most of these motivational quotes he makes are about what the power of positive thinking is and how these ideas can positively transform your days.
You can use this affirmation of Marcus Aurelius to see it’s a great thing in the morning when you have one single positive thought!
- “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
- “Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness.”
- “The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.”
- “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.”
- “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”
- “The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”
- “The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.”
- “Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.”
- You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
- “You have to assemble your life yourself—action by action.”
- “The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.”
- “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
- “He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe.”
- “Confine yourself to the present.”
- “The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.”
- “Nothing happens to anybody which he is not fitted by nature to bear.”
- “Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.”
- “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”
- “A man’s worth is no greater than his ambitions.”
- “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.”
What is the Best Dalai Lama Quote?
Although the Dalai Lama is not a professional motivational speaker, his life as a Buddhist teacher and spiritual leader has produced many quotations about happiness in life.
The saying “The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” by the Dalai Lama is only one of my favorite inspirational quotes. In the mornings lacking motivation, find some of the Dalai Lama quotes listed below and start your day with a smile.
- “Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes to four own actions.”
- “Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.”
- “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”
- “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”
- “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”
- “The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your actions will be.”
- “Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.”
- “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”
- “Silence is sometimes the best answer.”
- “A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.”
- “When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.”
- “Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.”
- “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”
- “With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.”
- “The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation.”
- “The ultimate source of happiness is not money and power, but warm-heartedness.”
- “In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.”
- “When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways—either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.”
- “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
- “An open heart is an open mind.”
- “Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.”
- “Sleep is the best meditation.”
- “Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.”
- “Compassion is the radicalism of our time.”
- “Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.”
Robert Louis Stevenson Quotes:
Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson has many encouraging quotes that will motivate you to look at the smaller moments of positivity that you may get in the morning life. These are three of the best to help you begin with the day in a positive mood.
- “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
- “Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.”
- “The world is so full of several things, I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.”
- “To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.”
- “The best things are nearest: breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God just before you.”
- “Don’t write merely to be understood. Write so that you cannot possibly be misunderstood.”
- “Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well.”
- “Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.”
- “You cannot run away from a weakness; you must sometimes fight it out or perish. And if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?”
- “You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”
- “There is no duty we so underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy, we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.”
- “So long as we love, we serve; so long as we are loved by others, I should say that we are almost inside, handle; and no man is useless while he has a friend.”
- “Make the most of the best and the least of the worst.”
- “I am in the habit of looking not so much to the nature of a gift as to the spirit in which it is offered.”
- “Saints are sinners who kept on going.”
- “The body is a house of many windows: there we all sit, showing ourselves and crying on the passers-by to come and love us.”
- “To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive.”
- The man is a success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much.
- “Don’t ever discount the wonder of your tears. They can be healing waters and a stream of joy. Sometimes they are the best words the heart can speak.”
- “You can never please everybody. Your task is not to leave a perfect world behind you but to leave behind a world that can make people smile despite all its flaws.”
Maya Angelou Quotes:
American poet and civil rights campaigner Maya Angelou finds herself as the first African American and also a woman who has been given the chance to recite a poem at an American president’s inauguration.
Maya Angelou’s numerous uplifting quotes reveal that a single day of optimism – looking through the bright side of things can be amazingly transformative.
- “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”
- “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
- “It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself: to forgive.”
- “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
- “Today is a fresh canvas waiting for my colorful strokes of positivity.”
- “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
- “What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Don’t complain.”
- “Nothing will work unless you do.”
- “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
- “You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”
- “Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future, and renders the present inaccessible.”
- “We need much less than we think we need.”
- We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
- “When you know better, you do better.”
- “If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love.”
- I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as ‘making a life’.”
- “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”
- “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
- “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.”
- “Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.”
Winston Churchill Quotes:
Winston Churchill, the former Prime Minister of Britain, speaks a lot of great lines that can encourage you to be strong from the morning.
- “Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path.”
- “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.”
- “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
- “Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.”
- “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”
- “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
- “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
- “Attitude is a little thing that makes a BIG difference.”
- “Never, never, never give up.”
- “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”
- “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
- We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival.
- “The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.”
- “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.”
- “I am easily satisfied with the very best.”
- “The price of greatness is responsibility.”
- “We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out.”
- “Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions honor and good sense.”
- “We are still masters of our fate. We are still captains of our souls.”
- “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”
Roy T. Bennett Quotes:
Roy T. Bennett the creator of The Light in the Heart book’s theme on individual responsibility for our life and happiness is an excellent one.
- “Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine.”
- “Do not let the memories of your past limit the potential of your future. There are no limits to what you can achieve on your journey through life, except in your mind.”
- “Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.”
- “Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.”
- “Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.”
- “More smiling, less worrying. More compassion, less judgment. More blessed, less stressed. More love, less hate.”
- “The only limits that exist are the ones you place on yourself.”
- “Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart.”
- “Your hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of your life. Keep going. Tough situations build strong people in the end.”
- “Surround yourself with positive people who believe in your dreams, encourage your ideas, support your ambitions, and bring out the best in you.”
- “Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals. If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more.”
- “Be mindful. Be grateful. Be positive. Be true. Be kind.”
- “Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.”
- “Stay positive, all other choices are pointless punishments to your psyche.”
- “Keep going. Everything you need will come to you at the perfect time.”
- “You are in charge of your own happiness; you don’t need to wait for other people’s permission to be happy.”
- “Surround yourself with people who make you happy. People who make you laugh, who help you when you’re in need. People who genuinely care. They are the ones worth keeping in your life. Everyone else is just passing through.”
- “Life becomes easier and more beautiful when we can see the good in other people.”
- “The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.”
- “Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. The best is yet to come.”
Quotes from Other Notable Figures:
- “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein
- “The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.” – Oprah Winfrey
- “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela
- “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” – Helen Keller
- “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney
- The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
- “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
- “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” – Maya Angelou
- “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
- “How wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank
- “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” – Rumi
- “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” – Mother Teresa
- “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” – Marcus Aurelius
- “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
- “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” – Dalai Lama
- “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves.” – Marie Curie
- “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford
- “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” – J.K. Rowling
- “Happiness depends upon ourselves.” – Aristotle
Find Your Favorite “One Small Positive Thought In The Morning Quotes"
Life is hectic! You may see this as a tedious activity to stop your busy routine to say a pleasant sentence out loud. Especially in the morning!
During a hard time in life, people usually prefer to concentrate on negative opinions. However, the positive “one small thought in the morning quotes” shown in this list help make the day much better overall. And the next day after it!
Everything has to begin with looking at a world full of good rather than bad things. You accomplish a lot in the long run when you begin your day with positive thoughts, and this will enable you to keep away from the bad ones for the rest of the day.
In a nutshell, if you’re waking up grumpy one day, flip this article to the list of quotes and have a look at them. In a short period, the number of people who will already see the changes in your outlook will continuously increase, and this will come naturally as well!
But the only one that can make your dream come true is you! Would you be able to tell yourself a little uplifting thought when you get up tomorrow?
Some material and information are collected from this article “Positive Quotes”.