120 Short But Powerful Quotes To Fill Your Journal Pages

120 Short Yet Powerful Quotes About Life That You Can Add To Your Journal

Whether you keep a bullet journal, a junk journal, or anything in between, you probably sometimes find yourself with blank space to fill. Thankfully, I’ve compiled a list of short yet powerful quotes to add a little bit of flair and positivity to your pages.

For me, reading positive quotes is a fun way to remember that life can hold a lot of meaning if we take a moment to slow down and appreciate what it has to offer.

As you read through these quotes, think of your own life and the journey you’ve made to get to this very moment. Take note of the quotes that resonate the most with you.

So, if you need a bit of joy, a little motivation, or a reminder to be kind to yourself, then you’re in exactly the right place.

20 Short Positive & Powerful Quotes About Life

“Life is a balance of holding on and letting go.”
“Life is an echo; what you send out comes back.” -Zig Ziglar
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” -Mae West
“Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back.” -Anthony Robbins
“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” -Oprah Winfrey
“Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.” -James Dean
“Life is a journey, and only you hold the map.”
“Don’t count the days, Make the days count.” -Muhammad Ali
“In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” -Robert Frost
“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” -Allen Saunders
“Every man dies. Not every man lives.” -William Wallace
“Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all.” -Helen Keller
“Life is a journey that becomes richer when shared with others.”
“The middle is messy, but it is also where the magic happens.” -Brené Brown
“Breathe. It’s just a bad day, not a bad life.” -Johnny Depp
“Life is a story; make yours a bestseller.”
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” -Anais Nin
“Broken crayons still color.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.” -Mahatma Gandhi
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” – Confucius

20 Short Positive & Powerful Quotes About Self-Care

“Caring for your mental health is a sign of strength, not weakness.”
“Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly.”
“Self-care means giving yourself permission to pause.” -Cecilia Tran
“Taking time for yourself is not a luxury; it’s a vital investment in your well-being.”
“Our bodies are our gardens, to which our wills are gardeners.” -William Shakespeare
“Honestly, self-care is not fluffy. It’s something we should take seriously.” -Kris Carr
“Self-care is how you take your power back.”
“Treat yourself with the kindness you give to others.”
“I think I deserve something beautiful.” -Elizabeth Gilbert
“Caring for yourself is an act of self-respect.”
“Self-care is not selfish; it’s essential.”
“Self-care is a divine responsibility.”
“Self-care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what’s left of you.” – Katie Reed
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” — Anne Lamott
“Self-care is the art of keeping your cup full so you can pour into others.”
“Self-care is not a one-time task; it’s a lifelong practice.”
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” -Audre Lorde
“Your relationship with yourself sets the tone for every other relationship in your life.”
“Self-care equals success. You’re going to be more successful if you take care of yourself and you’re healthy.” — Beth Behrs
“Self-care doesn’t necessarily mean jogging!” -Sandra Oh

20 Short Positive & Powerful Quotes About Love

“In love’s embrace, we find the courage to be our true selves.”
“Love is not just a feeling; it’s a choice we make every day.”
“A heart worth loving is one you understand, even in silence.” -Shannon Alder
“Love; it will not betray you, dismay or enslave you—it will set you free.” -Mumford & Sons
“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” -Emily Brontë
“Love is the bridge that connects us heart to heart.”
“In a sea of people, my eyes will always search for you.”
“Love is not about how many days, months, or years you have been together. Love is about how much you love each other every single day.”
“The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.” -Victor Hugo
“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” -Aristotle
“My heart is and always will be yours.” -Jane Austen
“To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” -David Viscott
“Love is not about possession; it’s about appreciation.”
“Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination.” -Voltaire
“I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.” -Vincent Van Gogh
“Love is not only something you feel, it is something you do.” -David Wilkerson
“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” -Martin Luther King Jr.
“Love is when he gives you a piece of your soul, that you never knew was missing.” -Torquato Tasso
“Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness.”
“You know you’re in love when you don’t want to fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” -Dr. Seuss

20 Short Positive & Powerful Quotes About Self Love

“Give yourself the love you’re willing to give to others.” -Mahin Ismail
“You are not a drop in the ocean; you are the entire ocean in a drop.” -Rumi
“The most important relationship you have is the one with yourself.”
“You are enough just as you are; love yourself into who you are becoming.”
“Love yourself more; you’ll never regret it.” -Ann Marie Molina
“Self-love starts with acceptance.” -Shreya Maurya
“Your relationship with yourself sets the standard for others.”
“Your worth is not determined by others’ opinions; it’s intrinsic.”
“To fall in love with yourself is the first secret to happiness.” -Robert Morley
“If you have the ability to love, love yourself first.” -Charles Bukowski
“I don’t like myself, I’m crazy about myself.” -May West
“Self-love is the greatest middle finger of all time.”
“Self-love is the source of all our other loves.” -Pierre Corneille
“Loving ourselves works miracles in our lives.” -Louise L. Hay
“Love yourself unconditionally, just as you love those closest to you despite their faults.” -Les Brown
“The more you love yourself, the less you seek validation from others.”
“Love yourself unconditionally, just as you would your dearest friend.”
“You carry so much love in your heart. Give some to yourself.” -RZ
“Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line.” -Lucille Ball
“How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you.” -Rupi Kaur

20 Short Positive & Powerful Quotes About Happiness

“In the dance of life, let gratitude be your partner for happiness.”
“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” -Aristotle
“Happiness is an attitude of mind, born of the simple determination to be happy under all outward circumstances.” -J. Donald Walters
“Choose happiness as a habit, not a goal.”
“True happiness is… to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.” -Lucius Annaeus Seneca
“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.” -John Lennon
“Whoever is happy will make others happy.” -Anne Frank
“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.” -Mother Teresa
“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything; they make the best of everything.”
“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” -Omar Khayyam
“The simplest things can bring the most happiness.” -Izabella Scorupco
“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.” -Jim Rohn
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” -Marcus Aurelius
“The secret of happiness is not in doing what one likes, but in liking what one does.” -James M. Barrie
“I’d far rather be happy than right any day.” -Douglas Adams
“In the garden of emotions, happiness is the most beautiful bloom.”
“Happiness is a byproduct of living with purpose and passion.”
“Happiness is not found in possessions but in appreciating what you have.”
“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” -Dalai Lama
“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” -Oprah Winfrey

20 Short Positive & Powerful Quotes To Boost Confidence

“I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.” -Louise May Alcott
“Self-confidence is the memory of success.”
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” -Vincent Van Gogh
“It is best to act with confidence, no matter how little right you have to it.” -Lillian Hellman
“Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.” -Paul Tournier
“Trust yourself–you know more than you think you do.” -Benjamin Spock
“You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” -Eleanor Roosevelt
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The single most powerful way to build confidence is to act with the confidence you aspire to have.” -Margie Warrell
“Self-confidence is a superpower. Once you start believing in yourself, magic starts happening.”
“Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.” -Helen Keller
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” -Eleanor Roosevelt
“Life is tough but so are you.”
“Self-confidence can be learned, practiced, and mastered–just like any other skill. Once you master it, everything in your life will change for the better.” -Barrie Davenport
“Feeling confident, being comfortable in your own skin – that’s what really makes you beautiful.” -Bobbi Brown
“Confidence is the willingness to be as ridiculous, luminous, intelligent, and kind as you really are, without embarrassment.” -Susan Piver
“Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.” -Theodore Roosevelt
“I am the greatest. I said that before I even knew I was.” -Muhammad Ali
“If I have lost confidence in myself, I have the universe against me.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” -Christopher Robin

Reasons You Should Be Using Positive & Powerful Quotes In Your Journals

Fills Up Empty Space

I can only speak for myself when I say that I hate seeing empty space in my journals. Using quotes not only fulfills that purpose, but it also inspires me to be more creative.

Simple Daily Ritual

Adding positive quotes to your journal practice can become a simple daily ritual that can have a lasting impact on your overall mood and mindset.

Motivation To Keep Going

Life can be really chaotic and overwhelming, and we all need a little motivation to keep pushing through. Positive quotes can give you that little push you maybe didn’t even realize you need.

Increase Optimism

Reading and writing positive quotes can truly increase your optimism over time. It’s essentially rewiring your thoughts to be more positive.

Gratitude

Positive quotes tend to lean into themes such as gratitude and appreciating what life has to offer. Using positive quotes in your journal pages can serve as a reminder to be grateful for the little joys in life.

Shift In Perspective

Oftentimes, all it takes is a different perspective. Positive quotes can provide you with a new outlook and make things seem more hopeful.

Stress Relief Throughout The Day

Positive quotes can help relieve stress. Their positive messages can divert your attention from your troubles and induce a moment of peace.

Instant Uplift

Positive quotes have the magical power to instantly make you feel better. They serve as a mini-pep talk, encouraging you to notice the positive aspects of life despite the difficulties you may be facing.

Connection With Others

Positive quotes frequently speak to our common human experiences. You may have a feeling of empathy after reading them, understanding that other people have gone through similar struggles and come out on the other side.

Boost Creativity

Creativity is typically associated with a happy outlook. Positive quotes can inspire creative thinking and widen your perspective.

If you’d like more tips and tricks on journaling, check out my blog post Journaling 101: A Guide for Beginners.

So go ahead! Use these quotes the next time you find yourself staring at a blank space in your journal and let me know, what are your favorite quotes? Leave them in the comments!

Vaughn Journals