When was the last time you checked in with the state of your thoughts? If you’re not careful, it can be easy to slip into negative ways of thinking. If you’re a negative thinker, it can be difficult to see the beauty of life, and it can also lower your levels of inspiration and determination. This article offers 70 positive quotes for negative thinkers to help solve this problem.
It’s impossible to think positive all the time, but it’s definitely a good idea to remind yourself of the good in your life on a regular basis. These positive quotes for negative thinkers will help reset your way of thinking, and encourage you to develop some perspective.
We all experience good and bad situations. This is just how life works, and it isn’t personal. We might not be able to control what happens to us all the time, but we can certainly control how we react to it.
Why should I focus on the positive?
Choosing to change your mindset and focus on the positive has many benefits. Here are just a few:
- Increased positive emotions. The more you focus on the positives, the more opportunity you give for enjoyable emotions to arise.
- Increased resilience. Life is sometimes very difficult, but we don’t have to let this turn to negative ways of thinking. If we can find a lesson in the toughest times, we become more resilient.
- More self awareness. It takes a lot of courage and self awareness to become aware of our thoughts and choose to replace them with more productive ones.
- Increased motivation. When we focus on negative thinking, it’s easy to lose all determination and drive. Positive thinking keeps us motivated and excited about the future.
How can positive quotes help negative thinking?
The following quotes have the power to change your perspective. They might make you laugh, cry, or stop to ponder their meaning.
Learning through the wisdom of others is a brilliant way to challenge your current mindset. These quotes have impacted the lives of numerous people, so there’s also a good chance they will impact you too.
Quotes are effective because you can quickly read them, remember them, and reflect on them. They can act as tools that have the power to quickly change your mindset whenever you’re reminded of them.
Take your time reading the following quotes. You might want to write down your favorites for future reference. Approach them with an open mind, and believe they are capable of challenging your current negative mindset.
70 positive quotes for negative thinkers
- “ Live life to the fullest, and focus on the positive.” – Matt Cameron
- “It’s your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and don’t take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver.” – Betty White
- “It’s a wonderful thing to be optimistic. It keeps you healthy and it keeps you resilient.” – Daniel Kahneman
- “ Delete the negative; accentuate the positive!” – Donna Karan
- “We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell
- “People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong. Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?” – Thich Nhat Hanh
- “ Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” – Zig Ziglar
- “ Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” – Colin Powell
- “You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.” – Joyce Meyer
- “ Negative emotions like loneliness, envy, and guilt have an important role to play in a happy life; they’re big, flashing signs that something needs to change.” – Gretchen Rubin
Quotes for how to deal with negativity
- “ To all the other dreamers out there, don’t ever stop or let the world’s negativity disenchant you or your spirit. If you surround yourself with love and the right people, anything is possible.” – Adam Green
- “There are so many great things in life; why dwell on negativity?” – Zendaya
- “That’s my gift. I let that negativity roll off me like water off a duck’s back. If it’s not positive, I didn’t hear it. If you can overcome that, fights are easy.” – George Foreman
- “Just think of any negativity that comes at you as a raindrop falling into the ocean of your bliss.” – Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
- “No matter the amount of negativity you’re presented with, five minutes from now could be your best moment.” – Mod Sun
- “If we give something positive to others, it will return to us. If we give negative, that negativity will be returned.” – Allu Arjun
- “The amount of negativity I hear on a daily basis is unbelievable. But that’s the kind of stuff you have to tune out, focus, stick with your vision and keep plugging every day.” – Dana White
- “We have to be cautious, we can’t let negativity spread like wildfire.” – Saswata Chatterjee
- “If you find yourself plagued by a recurrent worry, train yourself to think of something else. Your conscious mind can concentrate on only one thought at a time, and driving the negativity away will free you up to move forward again.” – Harvey Mackay
- “Regret leads to negativity, and negativity kills creativity.” – Carol Channing
Positive quotes about happiness
- “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.” – Marcus Aurelius
- “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.” – Martha Washington
- “Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
- “Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you’ve got to make yourself.” – Alice Walker
- “Happiness is like a kiss. You must share it to enjoy it.” – Bernard Meltzer
- “Happiness is an inside job.” – William Arthur Ward
- “In order to have great happiness you have to have great pain and unhappiness – otherwise how would you know when you’re happy?” – Leslie Caron
- “Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one’s values.” – Ayn Rand
- “If you wait for the perfect moment when all is safe and assured, it may never arrive. Mountains will not be climbed, races won, or lasting happiness achieved.” – Maurice Chevalier
Quotes about the power of thoughts
- “We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.” – Swami Vivekananda
- “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” – Buddha
- “If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.” – Peace Pilgrim
- “Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” – Alexander Graham Bell
- “The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large.” – Confucius
- “Everything that’s created comes out of silence. Your thoughts emerge from the nothingness of silence. Words come out of this void. Your very essence emerged from emptiness. All creativity requires some stillness.” – Wayne Dyer
- “The game of life is a game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later with astounding accuracy.” – Florence Scovel Shinn
- “Nurture your minds with great thoughts. To believe in the heroic makes heroes.” – Benjamin Disraeli
- “Our thoughts create our reality – where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go.” – Peter McWilliams
- “The truth is that stress doesn’t come from your boss, your kids, your spouse, traffic jams, health challenges, or other circumstances. It comes from your thoughts about these circumstances.” – Andrew J. Bernstein
Quotes about positive thoughts and their impact
- “Positive thinking is more than just a tagline. It changes the way we behave. And I firmly believe that when I am positive, it not only makes me better, but it also makes those around me better.” – Harvey Mackay
- “The power of positive thinking can change your life.” – Devin McCourty
- “I’ve learned that positive thinking and encouragement are essential for leadership and progress.” – Richard M. DeVos
- “I’ve come to the conclusion that we’re all responsible for our own happiness and the happiness in your life depends on the quality of your thoughts. I’m a big believer in positive thinking.” – Katie Piper
- “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein
- “Your positive action combined with positive thinking results in success.”- Shiv Khera
- “Success is a state of mind. If you want success, start thinking of yourself as a success.” – Joyce Brothers
- “You can’t have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.” – Charles Kettering
- “Thinking: the talking of the soul with itself.” – Plato
- “Critical thinking and curiosity are the key to creativity.” – Amala Akkineni
Positive quotes to motivate and inspire
- “Inspiration comes from within yourself. One has to be positive. When you’re positive, good things happen.” – Deep Roy
- “The essence of optimism is that it takes no account of the present, but it is a source of inspiration, of vitality and hope where others have resigned; it enables a man to hold his head high, to claim the future for himself and not to abandon it to his enemy.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- “No matter what you’re going through, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel and it may seem hard to get to it but you can do it and just keep working towards it and you’ll find the positive side of things.” – Demi Lovato
- “Work hard, stay positive, and get up early. It’s the best part of the day.” – George Allen, Sr.
- “A positive attitude is something everyone can work on, and everyone can learn how to employ it.” – Joan Lunden
- “You must not under any pretense allow your mind to dwell on any thought that is not positive, constructive, optimistic, kind.” – Emmet Fox
- “Instead of hating, I have chosen to forgive and spend all of my positive energy on changing the world.” – Camryn Manheim
- “So long as you’ve got your friends about you, and a good positive attitude, you don’t really have to care what everyone else thinks.” – Gail Porter
- “A positive attitude can really make dreams come true – it did for me.” – David Bailey
- “I think it’s important to get your surroundings as well as yourself into a positive state – meaning surround yourself with positive people, not the kind who are negative and jealous of everything you do.” – Heidi Klum
Quotes for negative thinkers about perspective
- ”When you wake up every day, you have two choices. You can either be positive or negative; an optimist or a pessimist. I choose to be an optimist. It’s all a matter of perspective.” – Harvey Mackay
- “The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don’t have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it.” – Chris Pine
- “Gratitude is one of the strongest and most transformative states of being. It shifts your perspective from lack to abundance and allows you to focus on the good in your life, which in turn pulls more goodness into your reality.” – Jen Sincero
- “Life is about perspective and how you look at something… ultimately, you have to zoom out.” – Whitney Wolfe Herd
- “A little perspective, like a little humor, goes a long way.” – Allen Klein
- “I’m just thankful for everything, all the blessings in my life, trying to stay that way. I think that’s the best way to start your day and finish your day. It keeps everything in perspective.” – Tim Tebow
- “You’re going to have your struggles every now and then, but you’ve just got to always keep it in perspective and try to have a good time.” – Cody Bellinger
- “Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.” – Bil Keane
- “If you nurture your mind, body, and spirit, your time will expand. You will gain a new perspective that will allow you to accomplish much more.” – Brian Koslow
- “You must look within for value, but must look beyond for perspective.” – Denis Waitley
Is positive thinking possible all the time?
Hopefully the above quotes have given you lots to think about, and will successfully challenge any negative thoughts you’re having. It can be difficult at first to begin changing your mindset to a more positive one, but don’t give up. It might take time, but I believe we are all capable of making effective changes to the way we think.
It’s important to note that positive thinking isn’t possible 100% of the time. We will all experience unexpected events that have the potential to cause great suffering. During these times, we can’t lie to ourselves and say that everything is good, because it isn’t.
Toxic positivity involves dismissing negative emotions and not allowing ourselves to feel whatever we’re going through. This isn’t helpful at all, and it can cause more harm than good.
We can, however, respond to difficult times in life with empathy and perspective. You don’t have to resort to negativity. We can instead offer ourselves and others comfort during tough times. Instead of becoming critical, we can become mindful, and witness negative emotions with understanding.
Final thoughts on positive quotes for negative thinkers
Hopefully this article has prepared you for taking steps towards challenging your negative thoughts. Quotes can become helpful tools for inspiration, motivation, and perspective. Make sure that you save your favorites so you can return to them on a daily basis.
You do have the ability to challenge negative ways of thinking. You have more power than you realize, and all it takes is a decision to start making some positive changes from today.
It won’t always be easy, and you certainly won’t think positive 100% of the time. Even if you begin to shift your thoughts slightly, you’ll feel the positive effects before you know it.
Decide to shift your identity today from a negative thinker to a positive thinker, and begin taking small actions on a daily basis to make this your new norm. You won’t regret it!