I love having a short thought for the day to mull over and reflect on.

Why?

Because they’re powerful!

Even simple thoughts on life can make you pause and think.

They shed light on who you are and what you’re capable of. They teach you something about the world and alter your perspectives.

Furthermore, whether we’re dealing with short life mottos or famous quotes, a short thought of the day can inspire change.

With those benefits in mind, I thought I’d compile a long list of short thoughts for the day that you can refer back to whenever you need a dose of inspiration!

Let’s dive in.

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My Favourite Short Life Mottos and Thoughts

I thought I’d start with some short thought for the day ideas that really resonate with me. With any luck, you’ll get value from them as well.

1. “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

2. “The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity.” – Amelia Earhart

3. Which is better: making a living or making a life?

4. The harder you work, the more luck you will have.

5. When all is said and done, what will I have said more than I have done?

6. “Life is a succession of lessons that must be lived to be understood.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

7. What are the words you need to hear?

8.

“ If I was going to die tomorrow, would I have the same plans for today?”

9. How would life change if I pretended I was the hero in my own movie?

10. The first step to truly loving others is to love yourself.

11. If not now, then when? If not me, then who?

12. “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney

13. Are you living? Or merely existing?

14. If I try to fail yet succeed, what have I done?

15. “Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.” – Albert Einstein

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Thought of the Day Short Inspirational Quotes

As you can tell, some of the best thoughts for the day come from inspirational quotes. In this section, I’m going to go through some of most famous quotes to take with you into the day. For hundreds more quotes like this, click here.

16. “Every man has two lives, and the second starts when he realize he has just one.” – Confucius

17. “Tears are words that needs to be written.” – Paulo Coelho

18. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller

19. “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller

20. “Life is ours to be spent, not to be saved.” – D.H. Lawrence

21. “Believe you can and you’re half way there.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

22. “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” – George Addair

23.

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”

24. “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – Tony Robbins

25. “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Gandhi

26. “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein

27. “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” – Viktor Frankl

28. “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

29. “Being realistic is the most common path to mediocrity.” – Will Smith

30. “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” – Mark Twain

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Famous Short Thought of the Day Ideas

Some simple thoughts on life and short thought of the day ideas are more famous than others. In this final section, I thought I’d go through some particularly popular and/or well-known ones.

31. “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – Mae West

32. “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank

33. “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde

34. “I would rather die of passion than of boredom.” – Florence Nightingale

35. “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Gandhi

36. A life without suffering is a life without happiness.

37. “An unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates

38.

“ Love comforteth like sunshine after rain.”

39. “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” – Charles Swindoll

40. “Either you run the day or the day runs you.” – Jim Rohn

41. “Whatever you are, be a good one.” – Abraham Lincoln

42. It is better to light a candle than to curse the dark.

43. “If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” – Dalai Lama

44. “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Gandhi

45. “Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill

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Don’t Forget These Short Thought for the Day Ideas

There you have it, then: a big bunch of short thought for the day ideas.

It’s amazing how a few simple words can make you stop, reflect, and alter how you walk through life, right?

I hope you’ll take one or two of these short thought of the day ideas into the week ahead. Consider their meaning, ask yourself what that motto or quote is really getting at. Is there anything you can learn?

And of course, consider bookmarking this post for the future reference!

In the meantime, why not check out these uplifting quotes about dancing in the rain. I think you’ll find them equally inspiring!

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