65+ Badass Motivational Quotes

We can all use motivation, am I right? Whether it’s Monday and you’re trying to get back into the swing of things. Or it’s Tuesday but it really feels like Thursday. Or you’ve on the verge of burnout and need something to get your perspective back on track. Or maybe you just need some badass motivational quotes to post on social media to get your followers in the right mindset (or attract new ones).

There are so many reasons why badass motivational quotes work, it doesn’t matter what your reason is. But it is important to find the right quotes to get you in the mood to kick ass, no matter what you are trying to kick ass at!

Here is a compilation of the best badass quotes out there. These are from people of all walks of life – authors, athletes, businesspeople… the one thing they have in common is that they are all badass women and men.

I use these to remind me that there are better things coming. The best quotes can act as a mantra and propel me forward even through hard and tough times. They’re comforting to rely on, especially if you’re having a bad day.

Anonymous Quotes

“The dream that doesn’t scare you is not a dream.”
“You can’t spell awesome without ME.”
“Progress, not perfection.”
“It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” – Chinese Proverb

Athlete Quotes

“Success isn’t owned. It’s leased, and rent is due every day.” – J. J. Watt
“You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.” ― Michael Jordan
“Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King
“If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all?” – Joe Namath
“Don’t count the days, make the days count.” – Muhammad Ali
“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.” – Lance Armstrong

“Do today what others won’t and achieve tomorrow what others can’t.” – Jerry Rice
“If you can’t outplay them, outwork them.” – Ben Hogan
“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter
“The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day” – Wayne Gretzky
“Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.” – Jamie Paolinetti
“Winners embrace hard work. They love the discipline of it, the trade-off they’re making to win. Losers, on the other hand, see it as punishment. And that’s the difference.” – Lou Holtz
“Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” – Kevin Durant

Celeb Quotes

“The best revenge is massive success.” – Frank Sinatra
“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” –Dolly Parton
“Be humble. Be hungry. And always be the hardest worker in the room.” – Dwayne Johnson
“I would visualize things coming to me. It would just make me feel better. Visualization works if you work hard. That’s the thing. You can’t just visualize and go eat a sandwich.” – Jim Carrey
“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” – Bruce Lee

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” – Oprah Winfrey
“Listen, smile, agree and then do whatever you were going to do anyway.” – Robert Downey Jr.
“Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue. Realize the strength, move on.” – Henry Rollins
“Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

Artist/Writer Quotes

“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” – Van Gogh
“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.” – Oscar Wilde
“The question isn’t who is going to let me: it’s who is going to stop me.” – Ayn Rand
“Push that snooze button and you’ll end up working for someone who didn’t.” – Eric Thomas
“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche
“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” – Mark Twain
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller
“The best way out is always through.” – Robert Frost

“I got my own back.” – Maya Angelou
“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” – Stephen King
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” – Norman Vincent Peale
“I will go anywhere as long as it is forward.” – David Livingston, Explorer
“The only failure is quitting. Everything else is just gathering information.” ― Jen Sincero
“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” – John A. Shedd
“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” – Winston S. Churchill
“I would rather risk wearing out than rusting out.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” – Aristotle

“It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.” – Howard Ruff

“If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all.” – Michelangelo
“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to.” ― Lao Tzu

Scientist/Doctor Quotes

“I am thankful for all of those who said NO to me. Its because of them I’m doing it myself.” – Albert Einstein
“I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.” – Richard Feynman
“Tough times never last, but tough people do.” – Dr. Robert Schuller
“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” – Benjamin Franklin
“All wealth is the product of labor.” – John Locke

Businessman/Businesswoman Quotes

“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better.” – Jim Rohn
“You create opportunities by performing, not complaining.” – Muriel Siebert
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs
“Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.” – Farrah Gray
“Obsessed is just a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.” – Russell Warren, American Architect
“The road to success is not easy to navigate, but with hard work, drive and passion, it’s possible to achieve the American dream.” – Tommy Hilfiger

“Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you’re not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were.” – David Rockefeller
“It’s not about money or connections. It’s the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone when it comes to your business.” – Mark Cuban
“You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” – Henry Ford

Movie Quotes

“Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.” – Yoda
“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.” – Rocky Balboa

What’s your favorite badass motivational quote? Or just a favorite quote in general? We’d love to know! Drop it in the comments below or share it with us on social media!

About the Author

Michelle graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelors of Arts ’13 and a Master of Arts ’14. She is currently working on social media and event planning in the nonprofit world while blogging on the side about the Mets. Her interests include The Mets, The Patriots, iced coffee, Greece, and escaping to tropical islands. Her long term career goal is to continue to share her story and experiences to help as many people as she can.