50 Motivational and Inspirational Book Quotes to Empower You - The Literary Lifestyle

Get the best inspirational book quotes to motivate you about success, new beginnings, and other beautiful and powerful life moments.

I curated these empowering, uplifting, and inspiring quotes from books for you to have short and simple reminders about life that are very literary at the same time. (The very best kind of inspiration there is!)

Such a big part of why we read books is for their motivational teachings to be better and to do better. These inspirational literary quotes are meant to help you reach for your goals, achieve your goals, and celebrate your goals, whether you're working on your New Year's resolutions, enjoying your graduation, or even just trying to stay positive in the face of adversity.

Enjoy these motivational book quotes from some of the most famous authors of all-time.

Inspirational Book Quotes

Below are all the best inspirational quotes from books:

"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." – Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

"I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship." – Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

"There is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for." – J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers

"We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy." – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

"Everything nourishes what is strong already." – Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

"And, now that you don't have to be perfect you can be good." – John Steinbeck, East of Eden

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us". – J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

"There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired." – F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

"Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise." – Victor Hugo, Les Misérables 

"The same question arose in every soul: 'For what, for whom, must I kill and be killed?'" – Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 

"It's not about what it is, it's about what it can become." – Dr. Seuss,  The Lorax

"You have plenty of courage, I am sure," answered Oz. "All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty." – L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

"If you don't imagine, nothing ever happens at all." – John Green, Paper Towns

"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting." – Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

"[Courage is] when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what." – Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

"Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between." –  Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

"The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy, neither are his supply-wagons loaded more than twice." – Sun Tzu, The Art of War

"At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope it can be done, then they see it can be done–then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago." – Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

"You'll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut." – Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! 

"Nothing that's worthwhile is ever easy." – Nicholas Sparks, Message in a Bottle

"What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?" – Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give

"You are your best thing." – Toni Morrison, Beloved

"Know your own happiness. You want nothing but patience– or give it a more fascinating name, call it hope." – Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete." – Sun Tzu, The Art of War

"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it." – J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose." – Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

"But remember that forgiveness too is a power. To beg for it is a power, and to withhold or bestow it is a power, perhaps the greatest." – Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale

"The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real… it is possible… it's yours." – Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

"You is kind. You is smart. You is important." – Kathryn Stockett, The Help

"Life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat." – Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

"If we wait until we're ready, we'll be waiting for the rest of our lives." – Lemony Snicket, The Ersatz Elevator

"Present fears / Are less than horrible imaginings." – William Shakespeare, Macbeth

"Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it yet." – L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

"Be yourself and people will like you." – Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid 

"Adversity is like a strong wind. It…tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that afterward we see ourselves as we really are, and not merely as we might like to be." – Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha

"You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes." – A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

"Time will explain." – Jane Austen, Persuasion

"The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." –  Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

"We accept the love we think we deserve." – Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

"Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done." – Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy 

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." – Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if only someone remembers to turn on the light." – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

"Get busy living, or get busy dying." – Stephen King, Different Seasons

"Not all those who wander are lost." – J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

"You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So… get on your way!"
– Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

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Those are all the most inspirational book quotes of all time.

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