50 Walt Disney Quotes That Will Inspire You to Dream Big

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Get inspired to make your dreams come true

On Dec. 5, 1901, a boy was born in an unassuming Chicago neighborhood. Years later, he’d draw a mouse that changed the world. Walt Disney gave us some of the most recognizable characters ever created, proving he was a visionary like no other. That’s evident when you look at Walt Disney quotes that show how he dreamed big and worked hard to make those dreams come true.

Walter Elias Disney was an innovator who created a complex world of fairy tales, magic and deep meaning. He inspired the whimsical world of Disney we know and love today. He was so full of life, it’s hard to imagine that Walt Disney died. Before his death in 1966, he built an entertainment empire that now includes a movie studio with inspiring new releases, theme parks around the world, the Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney expeditions around the world and even the Aulani resort in Hawaii. The Disney 100th anniversary is a big celebration of all he brought to the world.

Disney’s story continues to inspire the dreamers who follow in his footsteps. Maybe you came of age alongside Disney classics or live-action Disney remakes. Or maybe your favorite family memory involved a trip to the happiest place on earth. No matter which of his achievements most resonate with you, you probably know some good Disney trivia. But you may not be aware of the equally fascinating Disney quotes inspired by the man. Celebrate his grand legacy with these stirring Walt Disney quotes about dreaming big, staying optimistic, working hard, following through and laughing all the way to success.

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Walt Disney quotes about following your dreams

1. “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”

2. “I dream, I test my dreams against my beliefs, I dare to take risks and I execute my vision to make those dreams come true.”

3. “People often ask me if I know the secret of success and if I could tell others how to make their dreams come true. My answer is, you do it by working.”

4. “A person should set his goals as early as he can and devote all his energy and talent to getting there.”

5. “First, think. Second, believe. Third, dream. And finally, dare.”

6. “The era we are living in today is a dream coming true.”

7. “Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it and work at it until it’s done right.”

8. “One thing it takes to accomplish something is courage.”

9. “I could never convince the financiers that Disneyland was feasible because dreams offer too little collateral.”

10. “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

11. “When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.”

12. “Dreams only exist to be made to come true.”

Listen up, Disney lovers! These are the Disney World secrets you need to know before your next trip.

Walt Disney quotes about animals and nature

13. “Sometimes we can recognize ourselves in animals. That’s what makes them so interesting.”

14. “Animals have personalities like people and must be studied.”

15. “Next to his own most intimate self-concerns, man is most fascinated by creatures of the animal kingdom. They have been close to his interest and his fate from time beyond the Ark.”

16. “What I have learned from the animal world, and what anyone will learn who studies it, is a renewed sense of kinship with the earth and all its inhabitants.”

17. “There’s nothing funnier than the human animal.”

18. “I don’t like formal gardens. I like wild nature. It’s just the wilderness instinct in me, I guess.”

19. “We can learn a lot from nature in action. Among other things, this: Each creature must earn his right to live and survive by his own efforts, according to his wit and energy and the things which in human relations we call moral behavior.”

20. “Ever since the beginning of wisdom, man has been fashioning a brighter light and a stronger glass to help him probe deeper and deeper into the marvels of nature’s secret world. Often, we can’t explain what we see, but just looking is always a dramatic and thrilling experience.”

Speaking of animals, here are some Disney-inspired dog names for your new pup.

Walt Disney quotes about optimism and gratitude

21. “Happiness is a state of mind. It’s just according to the way you look at things.”

22. “To the youngsters of today, I say believe in the future; the world is getting better; there still is plenty of opportunity.”

23. “The human species, although happily ridiculous at times, is still reaching for the stars.”

24. “I always look on the optimistic side of life.”

25. “I decided to see every problem as the opportunity to find a solution.”

26. “Everyone falls down. Getting back up is how you learn how to walk.”

27. “Why worry? If you’ve done the very best you can, worrying won’t make it any better.”

28. “In bad times and in good, I’ve never lost my sense of zest for life.”

Need more to be grateful for? Disney’s island will leave you feeling mighty thankful.

Walt Disney quotes about work and business

29. “I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn’t know how to get along without it.”

30. “I think it’s important to have a good hard failure when you’re young. I learned a lot out of that. Because it makes you kind of aware of what can happen to you.”

31. “Whatever you do, do it well.”

32. “Everyone needs deadlines. Even the beavers. They loaf around all summer, but when they are faced with the winter deadline, they work like fury. If we didn’t have deadlines, we’d stagnate.”

33. “I didn’t have the money to get this thing going, but I found the way to get started was to quit talking and begin doing it.”

34. “People often ask me if I know the secret of success and if I could tell others how to make their dreams come true. My answer is, you do it by working.”

35. “I do not like to repeat successes. I like to go on to other things.”

36. “A man should never neglect his family for business.”

37. “Most of my life I have done what I wanted to do. I have had fun on the job.”

38. “We evolved by necessity. We did not sit down and say to ourselves, ‘How can we make a big pile of dough?’ It just happened.”

39. “Togetherness, for me, means teamwork.”

40. “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all the troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

41. “Do your best work, then try to trump it.”

What do you know, even Walt Disney struggled at one time! It’s hard to imagine, when Disneyland and Disney World are successful the world over.

Walt Disney quotes about imagination

42. “That’s what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again and again.”

43. “Every child is born blessed with a vivid imagination.”

44. “I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination.”

45. “Animation can explain whatever the mind of man can conceive.”

46. “Fantasy, if it’s really convincing, can’t become dated, for the simple reason that it represents a flight into a dimension that lies beyond the reach of time.”

47. “I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us, whether we be 6 or 60.”

48. “I don’t want the public to see the world they live in while they’re in Disneyland. I want them to feel they’re in another world.”

49. “The life and ventures of Mickey Mouse have been closely bound up with my own personal and professional life. He still speaks for me, and I still speak for him.”

50. “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing—that it was all started by a mouse.”

Want more great Disney info? See how many Disney characters you recognize or try to find the hidden Mickeys.