40 Quotes About Change That Will Make You Optimistic About the Future

Get inspired by these powerful quotes about change

There’s no doubt change can be intimidating. Everyone has habits and routines they’re comfortable in, and the thought of trying something out of your comfort zone can feel overwhelming. It’s tempting to keep things as they are for the sake of familiarity.

However, it’s essential that we look at the possibilities that come from change. Change can bring peace and awareness, as well as catapult us into a future we only once dreamed of. Change helps us understand our circumstances, come to terms with what’s done, and truly grow. We could all use some inspiration to make changes, though, which is where these quotes about change come into play. These uplifting and life-changing quotes will inspire you to break out of your shell and start a new chapter. After reading these quotes about change, bookmark these quotes about life being short for more motivation.

1. “The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.”—Nathaniel Branden. Read these patience quotes if you need inspiration for peaceful persistence.

2. “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”—Barack Obama. This is definitely one of those quotes that fill you with confidence about the future.

3. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”—Mahatma Gandhi. This can also double as a good graduation quote to share with an upcoming graduate.

4. “Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.”—Gilda Radner. Don’t forget to bookmark these gratitude quotes that make you feel truly blessed.

5. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”—Margaret Mead. A truly inspiring quote about teamwork and change.

6. “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”—Rumi. Read these inspiring self-love quotes that make you feel like a million bucks.

7. “If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.”—Gail Sheehy. This is a quote that inspires you to be yourself and grow as needed.

8. “You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.”—Roy T. Bennett. This is one of those hopeful quotes about change that really inspires action. 

9. “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”—Maya Angelou. One of her most inspiring quotes!

10. “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”—Andy Warhol. Talk about a strong quote that motivates change. 

11. “This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change.”—Taylor Swift 

12. “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”—John F. Kennedy

13. “No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself.”—Madonna

14. “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”—Winston Churchill

15. “There is nothing so stable as change.”—Bob Dylan

16. “We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance.”—Harrison Ford

17. “When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”—Haruki Murakami

18. “Things don’t have to change the world to be important.”—Steve Jobs

19. “Let him who would move the world first move himself.”—Socrates

20. “True life is lived when tiny changes occur.”—Leo Tolstoy

21. “Change in all things is sweet.”—Aristotle

22. “A bend in the road is not the end of the road…unless you fail to make the turn.”—Helen Keller

23. “Change your thoughts and you change your world.”—Norman Vincent Peale

24. “Change is hardest at the beginning, messiest in the middle and best at the end.”—Robin Sharma

25. “Remember that life’s big changes rarely give advance warning.”—H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

26. “A tiny change today brings a dramatically different tomorrow.”—Richard Bach

27. “Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.”—Carol Burnett

28. “Anyone who isn’t embarrassed of who they were last year probably isn’t learning enough.”—Alain de Botton

29. “Change your life today. Don’t gamble on the future, act now, without delay.”—Simone de Beauvoir

30. “A change is as good as a rest.”—Stephen King

31. “There are three constants in life…change, choice and principles.”—Stephen Covey

32. “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”—Jimmy Dean

33. “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the game.”—Randy Pausch

34. “The key to change…is to let go of fear.”—Rosanne Cash

35. “If you don’t change with the times, the times are going to change you.”—Marv Levy. Read more quotes about time that will make you grateful for every second.

36. “The good and bad things are what form us as people…change makes us grow.”—Kate Winslet 

37. “Change takes courage.”—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

38. “Change is not an event, it’s a process.”—Cheryl James 

39. “Every day the clock resets. Your wins don’t matter. Your failures don’t matter. Don’t stress on what was, fight for what could be.”—Sean Higgins

40. “Nothing endures but change.”—Heraclitus

Read on for some more words of encouragement to help motivate you on a tough day.