115 Best Life is What You Make of It Quotes (with Commentary)

Life is what you make of it quotes represent a strong philosophy that emphasizes the role of personal agency and choice in shaping your life.

These quotes inspire and motivate you to recognize that, despite outer circumstances, the control you have over your responses and decisions is what eventually defines your journey.

This viewpoint encourages an assertive approach to life, bringing out the significance of attitude, effort, and endurance in overcoming obstacles and attaining desired outcomes.

Top Life is What You Make of It Quotes

Life is a canvas, and we are the artists. Our choices and actions paint the picture of our existence. These quotes inspire us to seize the reins of our lives, reminding us that every day presents a new opportunity to shape our destiny.

“Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.” – Charles R. Swindoll

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw

“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” – Jim Rohn

“We are not a product of what has happened to us in our past. We have the power of choice.” – Stephen Covey

“Take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame.” – Erica Jong

“Every morning you have two choices: continue to sleep with your dreams, or wake up and chase them.” – Unknown

“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” – John Lennon

“You make a life out of what you have, not what you’re missing.” – Kate Morton

“To create the life you want, you must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

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Life is What You Make of It Quotes on Personal Responsibility

Embracing personal responsibility is essential for crafting a fulfilling life. These quotes encourage us to own our actions, learn from our experiences, and continuously strive for a better future, emphasizing that we hold the keys to our own destiny.

“The moment you take responsibility for everything in your life is the moment you can change anything in your life.” – Hal Elrod

“You are always responsible for how you act, no matter how you feel.” – Robert Tew

“Our lives are a sum total of the choices we have made.” – Wayne Dyer

“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself.” – Jim Rohn

“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“Accountability breeds response-ability.” – Stephen Covey

“Responsibility is the price of freedom.” – Elbert Hubbard

“Stop blaming others for the pains and sufferings you have. They are because of you, your karma, and your own disposition.” – Girdhar Joshi

“When you blame others, you give up your power to change.” – Robert Anthony

“If you own this story you get to write the ending.” – Brené Brown

Life is What You Make of It Quotes on Positivity

Adopting a positive mindset is transformative, influencing not only your own life but also those around you. These quotes remind us that with positivity, the challenges of life become opportunities for growth and happiness, shaping our world through the lens of optimism.

“Positivity is a choice; the happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius

“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.” – Oprah Winfrey

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” – Helen Keller

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” – Willie Nelson

“Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” – Zig Ziglar

“A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes.” – Wade Boggs

“Virtually nothing is impossible in this world if you just put your mind to it and maintain a positive attitude.” – Lou Holtz

“It’s a wonderful thing to be optimistic. It keeps you healthy and it keeps you resilient.” – Daniel Kahneman

“Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power.” – William James

“You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.” – Joyce Meyer

Life is What You Make of It Quotes on Choices

Every day, every moment, we are faced with choices that shape our experiences and destinies. These quotes emphasize the power of choice in crafting the narrative of our lives, reminding us that our decisions define us more than our circumstances.

“Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.” – John C. Maxwell

“We are our choices.” – Jean-Paul Sartre

“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” – Tony Robbins

“Every choice you make has an end result.” – Zig Ziglar

“Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.” – Dalai Lama

“The hardest thing about the road not taken is that you never know where it might have led.” – Lisa Wingate

“Choices are the hinges of destiny.” – Edwin Markham

“You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fear.” – Sammy Davis Jr.

“The choice to make good choices is the best choice you can choose. Fail to make that choice and on most choices you will lose.” – Ryan Lilly

“Your life changes the moment you make a new, congruent, and committed decision.” – Tony Robbins

Life is What You Make of It Quotes on Choices

Every day, every moment, we are faced with choices that shape our experiences and destinies. These quotes emphasize the power of choice in crafting the narrative of our lives, reminding us that our decisions define us more than our circumstances.

“Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.” – John C. Maxwell

“We are our choices.” – Jean-Paul Sartre

“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” – Tony Robbins

“Every choice you make has an end result.” – Zig Ziglar

“Choose to be optimistic, it feels better.” – Dalai Lama

“The hardest thing about the road not taken is that you never know where it might have led.” – Lisa Wingate

“Choices are the hinges of destiny.” – Edwin Markham

“You always have two choices: your commitment versus your fear.” – Sammy Davis Jr.

“The choice to make good choices is the best choice you can choose. Fail to make that choice and on most choices you will lose.” – Ryan Lilly

“Your life changes the moment you make a new, congruent, and committed decision.” – Tony Robbins

Life is What You Make of It Quotes on Opportunity

Opportunities in life are the open doors to potential and success. These quotes inspire us to recognize and seize these moments, illustrating that what we do with opportunities can define the trajectory of our lives.

“Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door.” – Kyle Chandler

“The ones who find happiness are the ones who don’t make excuses. If it’s broken, they fix it… if it’s wrong, they make it right.” – Alice Walker

“Turn your obstacles into opportunities and your problems into possibilities.” – Roy T. Bennett

“Every wall is a door.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.” – Peter Drucker

“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.” – Sun Tzu

“The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity.” – Ayn Rand

“A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.” – Francis Bacon

“In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein

“It still holds true that man is most uniquely human when he turns obstacles into opportunities.” – Eric Hoffer

Life is What You Make of It Quotes on Effort

Effort is the bridge between aspirations and achievements. These quotes underline the undeniable truth that the amount of effort we put into our lives directly influences what we get out of them, encouraging a spirit of perseverance and dedication.

“Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.” – Napoleon Hill

“Success is dependent on effort.” – Sophocles

“The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort.” – John Ruskin

“Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” – Jimmy Johnson

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” – Thomas Jefferson

“Great effort springs naturally from great attitude.” – Pat Riley

“Without labor, nothing prospers.” – Sophocles

“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” – Winston Churchill

Life is What You Make of It Quotes on Overcoming Challenges

Challenges are inevitable in life, but our responses to them define our character and shape our destiny. These quotes inspire resilience and courage, reminding us that overcoming obstacles is within our power and essential to crafting a fulfilling life.

“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” – Joshua J. Marine

“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.” – Molière

“You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” – Margaret Thatcher

“We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.” – Barbara De Angelis

“He who overcomes others is strong; he who overcomes himself is mighty.” – Lao Tzu

“The key to life is accepting challenges. Once someone stops doing this, he’s dead.” – Bette Davis

“Strength does not come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.” – Rikki Rogers

“Overcoming difficulties leads to courage, self-respect, and knowing yourself.” – Alfred Adler

“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Christian D. Larson

“There is no challenge more challenging than the challenge to improve yourself.” – Michael F. Staley

Life is What You Make of It Quotes on Self-Made Success

Self-made success is not handed out; it is built through hard work, determination, and an unyielding belief in oneself. These quotes celebrate the spirit of creating one’s own path to success, highlighting the importance of perseverance and personal effort.

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vidal Sassoon

“Some people dream of success, while others wake up and work hard at it.” Napoleon Hill

“Self-belief and hard work will always earn you success.” – Virat Kohli

“Your success depends mainly upon what you think of yourself and whether you believe in yourself.” – William J. H. Boetcker

“Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.” – Roy T. Bennett

“To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.” – Mark Twain

“The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same.” – Colin R. Davis

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy

“Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

Life is What You Make of It Quotes on Vision

A clear vision serves as a compass, guiding you through life’s myriad paths. These quotes underscore the importance of having a vision for your life, as it shapes your thoughts, directs your efforts, and influences your destiny.

“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” – Helen Keller

“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” – Jonathan Swift

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.” – Proverbs 29:18

“Create the highest grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe.” – Oprah Winfrey

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” – Carl Jung

“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” – Joel A. Barker

“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” – Henry David Thoreau

“The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.” – Winston Churchill

“A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.” – Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Life is What You Make of It Quotes on Adaptability

Adaptability is a key trait for navigating life’s constant changes. These quotes highlight the importance of being flexible and willing to adjust to new challenges and environments, ensuring you thrive no matter the circumstances.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” – Charles Darwin

“Adaptability is about the powerful difference between adapting to cope and adapting to win.” – Max McKeown

“The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.” – Kakuzo Okakura

“Adaptability is not imitation. It means power of resistance and assimilation.” – Mahatma Gandhi

“Learn to adjust yourself to the conditions you have to endure, but do make a point of trying to alter or correct conditions so that they are most favorable to you.” – William Frederick Book

“Be flexible like a reed, not rigid like a cedar.” – Talmud

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” – Lao Tzu

“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” – Albert Einstein

“Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.” – Michael McGriffy, M.D.

“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” – George Bernard Shaw

Life is What You Make of It Quotes on Inspiration

Inspiration fuels our journey through life, sparking creativity, driving our ambitions, and uplifting our spirits. These quotes celebrate the power of inspiration to transform our daily experiences and encourage us to see the beauty and potential in every moment.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis

“Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working.” – Pablo Picasso

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs

“When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.” – Carol Burnett

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!” – Audrey Hepburn

“Inspiration is some mysterious blessing which happens when the wheels are turning smoothly.” – Quentin Blake

“Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive.” – Hafez

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James

“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln

Life is What You Make of It Quotes on Empowerment

Empowerment is about taking control of your life, owning your decisions, and making deliberate choices that align with your deepest values and desires. These quotes emphasize the strength that comes from within and the empowerment that follows when you commit to living life on your own terms.

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” – Alice Walker

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” – Mother Teresa

“Power isn’t control at all — power is strength, and giving that strength to others. A leader isn’t someone who forces others to make him stronger; a leader is someone willing to give his strength to others that they may have the strength to stand on their own.” – Beth Revis

“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius

“She remembered who she was and the game changed.” – Lalah Delia

“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” – Carl Jung

“Empower yourself and realize the importance of contributing to the world by living your talent. Work on what you love. You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you.” – Catharina Bruns

“Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.” – Janis Joplin

“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Christian D. Larson

“Take your life in your own hands, and what happens? A terrible thing: no one to blame.” – Erica Jong

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Final Thoughts

“Life is what you make of it” quotes are important reminders of the power you hold over your destiny.

These reflections teach you that life’s quality is not predetermined by outward factors but is continually shaped by the choices you make daily.

They challenge you to live deliberately, pursue your goals with determination, and approach life with a mindset geared toward development and positivity.