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What does it mean to be resilient?
Literally speaking, resilience is the ability of an object to spring or come back into shape once broken. In its figurative sense, the meaning is basically the same—the ability to recover quickly from adversity.
Some may consider this to be a good kind of stubbornness. People who have undergone tough battles can attest to that.
It is hard to get back on your feet once you hit rock bottom. But if you are resilient enough, you know you can always make a comeback.
In this article, we bring you resilience quotes that can help you overcome any kind of adversity that you may experience. If you are in need of a confidence boost or simply looking for quotes to motivate you, we’ve got you covered.
To begin, let’s look at some famous quotes about resiliency and strength. Some of the texts and names below may already be familiar to you. These people were able to reach success because they did not give up—and you shouldn’t either!
(Side note: Want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life? Then check out and recite these 57 affirmations for success).
What You Will Learn
Quotes About Resilience and Strength
- “Everyone has the ability to increase resilience to stress. It requires hard work and dedication, but over time, you can equip yourself to handle whatever life throws your way without adverse effects on your health. Training your brain to manage stress won't just affect the quality of your life, but perhaps even the length of it.” – Amy Morin
- “Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving; we get stronger and more resilient.” – Steve Maraboli
- “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Kahlil Gibran
Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Kahlil Gibran
- “My scars remind me that I did indeed survive my deepest wounds. That in itself is an accomplishment. And they bring to mind something else, too. They remind me that the damage life has inflicted on me has, in many places, left me stronger and more resilient. What hurt me in the past has actually made me better equipped to face the present.” – Steve Goodier
- “The difference between a strong man and a weak one is that the former does not give up after a defeat.” – Woodrow Wilson
- “Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it's less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you've lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that's good.” – Elizabeth Edwards
- If your heart is broken, make art with the pieces.” – Shane Koyczan
- “She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails.” – Elizabeth Edwards
- “It's crazy, how similar we are. Here are both of us, working through our stuff, trying to make something positive out of something really bad.” – Jenny Han
- “It is really wonderful how much resilience there is in human nature. Let any obstructing cause, no matter what, be removed in any way, even by death, and we fly back to first principles of hope and enjoyment.” – Bram Stoker
- “I will not be another flower, picked for my beauty and left to die. I will be wild, difficult to find, and impossible to forget.” – Erin Van Vuren
- “The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” – Robert Jordan
- “It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
- “The human capacity for burden is like bamboo – far more flexible than you'd ever believe at first glance.” –Jodi Picoult
- “I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” – Maya Angelou
- “Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” – J.K. Rowling
- “When we tackle obstacles, we find hidden reserves of courage and resilience we did not know we had. And it is only when we are faced with failure do we realize that these resources were always there within us. We only need to find them and move on with our lives.” – A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
- “Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” – Nelson Mandela
- “No matter how you define success, you will need to be resilient, empowered, authentic, and limber to get there.” – Joanie Connell
- “There are two kinds of strength. Power and the ability to wield it is obvious, but a resilience, the ability to resist power, is the other.” – Raymond E. Feist
- “Indeed, this life is a test. It is a test of many things – of our convictions and priorities, our faith and our faithfulness, our patience and our resilience, and in the end, our ultimate desires.” – Sheri L. Dew
Sometimes the world can feel like a big battlefield. There are days when you will fall down, but that’s okay—there surely are more days when you are destined to succeed.
Resilience is key. If you stumble and fall, hold onto faith while trying to move on. Regaining control over your life is not an overnight process, but it will happen eventually.
This brings us to our next set of quotes: Bible verses about resiliency and strength. When you do things with God, dealing with adversity becomes so much easier. It is as if you are never truly alone.
Resilience Quotes from the Bible
- “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” – James 1:12
- “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” – 2 Chronicles 20:17
- Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!” – Psalm 21:24
Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!” – Psalm 21:24
- “Stand firm, and you will win life.” – Luke 21:19
- “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” – 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
- “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10
- “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” – 1 Corinthians 16:13
- “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13
- “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” – Romans 8:37
- “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” – Romans 8:18
The Bible is a great source of strength, and reading it every day might offer some help if you are looking for words of motivation and encouragement.
Our last set of texts is for the younger generation. We have collected these resilience quotes for your kids so they can learn, even at an early age, why being strong and resilient is important.
Resilience Quotes for Kids
- “Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
- “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” – Helen Keller
- “You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.” – Tina Fey
- “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” – Nelson Mandela
- “It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” – Theodore Roosevelt
- “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is a strength.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
- “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
- “Fear of failure is the fuel of achievement. If you weren’t afraid to fail, you probably wouldn’t be highly motivated to work at the level that most of us have to work to do well.” – Ruth Simmons
- “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” – Colin Powell
- “I wouldn’t be where I am now if I didn’t fail … a lot. The good, the bad, it’s all part of the success equation.” – Mark Cuban
More Resilience Quotes
- “Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare.” – Angela Duckworth
- “Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself. Never pity yourself. Be a hard master to yourself-and be lenient to everybody else.” – Henry Ward Beecher
- “No matter how much falls on us, we keep plowing ahead. That’s the only way to keep the roads clear.” – Greg Kincaid
- “Persistence and resilience only come from having been given the chance to work through difficult problems.” – Gever Tulley
- “You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” – Margaret Thatcher
- “You must bear losses like a soldier, the voice told me, bravely and without complaint, and just when the day seems lost, grab your shield for another stand, another thrust forward. That is the juncture that separates heroes from the merely strong.” – Margaret George, The Memoirs of Cleopatra
You must bear losses like a soldier, the voice told me, bravely and without complaint, and just when the day seems lost, grab your shield for another stand, another thrust forward. That is the juncture that separates heroes from the merely strong.” – Margaret George, The Memoirs of Cleopatra
- “On the other side of a storm is the strength that comes from having navigated through it. Raise your sail and begin.” – Gregory S. Williams
- “It may sound strange, but many champions are made champions by setbacks.” – Bob Richards
- “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy
- “Forget mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you are going to do right now, and do it. Today is your lucky day.” – Will Durant
- “Resilience is very different than being numb. Resilience means you experience, you feel, you fail, you hurt. You fall. But, you keep going.” – Yasmin Mogahed
- “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas Edison
- “Like tiny seeds with potent power to push through tough ground and become mighty trees, we hold innate reserves of unimaginable strength. We are resilient.” – Catherine DeVrye, The Gift of Nature
- “Resilience isn’t a single skill. It’s a variety of skills and coping mechanisms. To bounce back from bumps in the road as well as failures, you should focus on emphasizing the positive.” – Jean Chatzky
- “Sometimes carrying on, just carrying on, is a superhuman achievement.” – Albert Camus
- “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” – Henry Ford
- “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
- “I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance. Never settle for the path of least resistance.” – Lee Ann Womack
- “Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to thrive.” – Jamais Cascio
- “Remember an arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward; so when you feel like life is dragging you down with difficulties, it simply means that it’s going to launch you to something great. So just focus and keep aiming.” – Anonymous
Final Words
We recommend two ways to develop an attitude of resilience. First, let go of the things that no longer serve your purpose—stop sabotaging yourself with hurtful beliefs and practices. Second, practice habits that can increase your happiness.
Hopefully, the quotes above can help you through the process of building resilience. May they also serve as a reminder that you can always overcome any adversity.
What’s your favorite quote in this article? Let us know which one you liked through the comments field below.
If you also happen to have an experience to share, you are welcome to tell your story in the comments section.
If you loved any of the images featured in this article, a share through your favorite social media account would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers to a happier, more resilient you!
Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then check out and recite these 57 affirmations for success.
