35 Daily Positive Affirmations to Help You Become More Confident and Happy
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Life can be really tough. Even though it’s beautiful and lovely much of the time, anxiety, depression, and other life challenges can take a serious toll on our mental wellness and make us feel unworthy, doubtful, and scared. While it’s so easy (and perfectly understandable!) to let our negative thoughts take over, reciting these daily positive affirmations can help lift us up and make us feel more confident, successful, healthier, and happier.
These inspirational sayings and short quotes — from self-help personalities, global humanitarians, and mental health champions like Oprah Winfrey, Brené Brown, Deepak Chopra, Maya Angelou, and Nelson Mandela — can be written down in a journal or recited first thing in the morning after saying your daily prayers. Another idea: Write a few of these inspiring phrases on a piece of paper and tack them up on your mirror. Better yet, memorize a few of your favorite positive quotes or mental health affirmations from this list and make one of them your very own mantra.
Positive affirmations are for any time and for everyone (from kids and teens to men and women) to learn how to practice self-kindness, reduce stress, and set yourself up for greater success. Studies show that self-affirmation can make a positive impact on your mental wellness, so there's really no downside to giving it a try. No matter the reason you want to start saying daily affirmations today — maybe you're having a bad mental health day or your self-esteem is at an all-time low — this list is bound to serve as a much-needed pick-me-up and lead to positive change.
Angela Davis
“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” Those words were said by the now 80-year-old Angela Davis, who fostered change in the 1970s and beyond as a feminist and activist.
Dalai Lama
In his incredibly popular book, The Art of Happiness, The Dalai Lama wisely wrote, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
Oprah Winfrey
There is never a shortage of “Oprah-isms” to live by, but here’s a positive affirmation shared in a 2018 article: “The answers keep unfolding as your life expands, if you’re willing to see things for what they are — and what they can be.”
Diane von Furstenberg
As a self-made woman of the 1970s and the inventor of the wrap dress, Diane Von Furstenberg (now a Target designer!) once said, “You are the one that possesses the keys to your being. You carry the passport to your own happiness.”
Glennon Doyle
“The braver I am, the luckier I get,” was written by author and activist Glennon Doyle in her inspiring book Untamed.
Janelle Monáe
In the song “Q.U.E.E.N.” by Janelle Monáe, she shares these empowering lyrics: “Even if it makes others uncomfortable, I will love who I am.”
Maya Angelou
Even though she passed over a decade ago, poet Maya Angelou’s words continue to serve as powerful positive affirmations. In her book Letter to My Daughter, she wrote these beautiful words: “Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud.”
Louise Hay
The late self-help author Louise Hay, who came up with positive affirmations long before they were cool, once wrote, “I choose to make the rest of my life the best of my life.”
Brené Brown
Everyone’s favorite self-help author and professor, Brené Brown wrote this quote in her book Daring Greatly: “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.”
Beyoncé
"I don't like to gamble, but if there's one thing I'm willing to bet on, it's myself.” You said it, Beyoncé, the singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur who’s now taking a turn as a country music artist.
Malala Yousafzai
In her book I Am Malala, Malala Yousafzai, the inspiring education advocate and Nobel Peace Prize winner wrote, “Life isn't just about taking in oxygen and giving out carbon dioxide.”
Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington, the CEO of Thrive Global and founder of The Huffington Post, wrote in her book Thrive, “Living in a state of gratitude is the gateway to grace.”
Deepak Chopra
“The most creative act you will ever undertake is the act of creating yourself,” a wise phrase that self-help and alternative medicine advocate Deepak Chopra wrote in his book The Way of the Wizard: Twenty Spiritual Lessons for Creating the Life You Want.
Michelle Obama
At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, First Lady Michelle Obama first shared a phrase that we still love: “When they go low, we go high.”
Carl Jung
The famous psychologist Carl Jung once said these powerful words on self-discovery: “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are."
Serena Williams
Serena Williams, the queen of tennis turned entrepreneur (with so much chutzpah), is quoted saying, “You have to be fearless to have success."
Thích Nhất Hạnh
The peace-loving Vietnamese Zen master and author Thích Nhất Hạnh wrote, “The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it,” in his book Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life.
Blake Auden
Award-winning modern poet and author Blake Auden wrote, “Every now and then, you will fall apart, and maybe that’s okay because you can leave behind those pieces you don’t need when you put yourself back together.”
Ram Dass
Spiritual teacher and author Ram Dass once shared these words that can pacify those hectic days: “The quieter you become, the more you can hear.”
Tara Brach
“The boundary to what we can accept is the boundary to our freedom.” Psychologist and Buddhist meditation teacher Tara Brach wrote this affirmation in her beloved book Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha.
Gabrielle Bernstein
As a spiritual teacher, motivational speaker, and author, Gabby Bernstein wrote in her book May Cause Miracles: A 40-Day Guidebook of Subtle Shifts for Radical Change and Unlimited Happiness, “I am willing to see things differently. I am willing to see love.”
Rupi Kaur
The poet Rupi Kaur, whose words have become frequently-shared quotes on social media, once wrote in her book Milk and Honey, “How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you.”
Eckhart Tolle
“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” This reminder to be grateful was written by spiritual teacher and self-help author Eckhart Tolle in his book A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose.
Laura Bush
First Lady Laura Bush, who is now actively involved in global healthcare innovations and empowering women through education, once said, “We can overcome evil with greater good.”
Dolly Parton
As a sparkling force for good in this world, the country singer (and rock star!) has said seemingly a million positive affirmations over the years. One of our favorites? “Find out who you are, and do it on purpose.”
Simone Biles
“I was built this way for a reason, so I'm going to use it.” Those words are from Simone Biles, the American gymnast who’s won a whopping five gold medals.
Andy Puddicombe
In his book The Headspace Guide to Meditation and Mindfulness: How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life in Ten Minutes a Day, meditation expert Andy Puddicombe says, “The kind of happiness that I’m talking about is the ability to feel comfortable no matter what emotion arises.”
Nelson Mandela
The South African anti-apartheid activist and politician is quoted as saying, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.”
Dr. Anita Phillips
Trauma therapist and spiritual teacher Dr. Anita Phillips has said, “Your emotional pain won’t last forever — but it will wait forever. Disconnecting delays both healing and growth.”
Alexandra Elle
Bestselling author and certified breathwork coach Alex Elle wrote in her book Words from a Wanderer, “When you live in love and light, you will not go unseen; ignite the world with every flame of your being.”
Kobe Bryant
The late Kobe Bryant was full of inspiring truisms discovered throughout his amazing basketball career, like this positive affirmation: “The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.”
Greta Thunberg
The Swedish environmental activist wrote in her book No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference, “Hope doesn't come from words. Hope only comes from actions.”
Amanda Gorman
Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, and in her book, Call Us What We Carry: Poems, she wrote, “There is no better compass than compassion.”
Dr. Angela Duckworth
Professor of psychology Dr. Angela Duckworth wrote, “Our potential is one thing. What we do with it is quite another,” in her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.
Lady Gaga
Beyond the glitz and pageantry, singer Lady Gaga is an advocate for good mental health. In a 2014 Rolling Stone article, she said, “I learned that my sadness never destroyed what was great about me.”
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