60 Confidence Quotes to Help You Understand Your Self-Worth

Chances are you know what it’s like to have confidence in another person, to have faith in them, trust their judgment, and believe they have the ability to fulfill their promises. But have you ever felt that way about yourself? 

Low-self esteem is extraordinarily common among us human beings, and can be caused by countless factors. In the social media era, for instance, it can be very challenging not to compare ourselves with others. 

Whether you’re lacking confidence because you feel like an imposter at work; you struggle with public speaking; you’re awkward when it comes to meeting new people; you don’t make enough money; you have a negative body image—or something else altogether—it can take real work to shed low self-worth in favor of bonafide confidence. 

But with the help of some positive quotes that elucidate what being confident really means (and with some support from those around you), you can break the oppressive cycle of low self-confidence, no matter where or why it all began. Sometimes, the right words creates confidence out of thin air, and can instill a renewed sense of belief in yourself, which can start you on a new path. So whenever you need a little pick-me-up or to gain strength for the day ahead, read through these confidence quotes—or, choose a few of your favorites to hang up in prominent places throughout your home. They’re sure to help curb negative self-talk, while also serving as a reminder that you’re great—and that everyone is a  work-in-progress.

Uplifting confidence quotes for tough days

We all have those days that cause us to feel like hell warmed over: nothing goes right in spite of much effort, and we’d like nothing better than to crawl into a hole and escape the day’s challenges because we feel, in our heart of hearts, that we are incapable of dealing with things head-on. The following quotes, my dears, are especially for such days, those days when we need our own approval most of all.

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

John Wooden

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.

Marie Curie

Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.

Mark Twain

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.

Bernard Baruch

Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember–the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you.

Zig Ziglar

If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.

--Vincent Van Gogh

A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.

David Brinkley

Humor comes from self-confidence.

Rita Mae Brown

Confidence is directness and courage in meeting the facts of life.

John Dewey

We all have our limitations, but when we listen to our critics, we also have theirs.

Robert Breault

Quotes for a Quick Confidence Boost

Sometimes things are going well, you’re feeling good, but something happens that allows just a little bit of self-doubt to slip in, and suddenly your confidence starts to crumble. The following self-confidence quotes are here to remind you why confidence is your core truth, and how knowing that can vastly improve your lot in life.

Think you can and you can do it. Your thoughts are your life.

Lailah Gifty Akita

When you have confidence, you can do anything.

Sloane Stevens

It is best to act with confidence, no matter how little right you have to it.

Lillian Hellman

Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.

Paul Tournier

Success is most often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.

Coco Chanel

Trust yourself–you know more than you think you do.

Benjamin Spock

Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.

Helen Keller

Don’t waste your energy trying to change opinions … Do your thing, and don’t care if they like it.

Tina Fey

Successful people have fear, successful people have doubts, and successful people have worries. They just don’t let these feelings stop them.

T. Harv Eker

When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things.

Joe Namath

Quotes to Help You Understand Your Self-Worth

There are so many reasons a person may have low self-worth. From a traumatic or abusive childhood, to circumstances far less understood, nurturing your self-worth becomes integral the more you realize all the ways that having low confidence plays out in your life. 

Check out the following self-worth quotes when you need to be reminded of your value.

If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.

Vincent Van Gogh

I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.

Maya Angelou

You’re never as good as everyone tells you when you win, and you’re never as bad as they say when you lose.

Lou Holtz

Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Of all our infirmities, the most savage is to despise our being.

Michel de Montaigne

The greatest mistake you can make in life is continually fearing that you’ll make one.

Elbert Hubbard

One’s self-image is very important because if that’s in good shape, then you can do anything, or practically anything.

John Gielgud

The more validation I need, the less discernment I have.

Kurt Hanks

The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.

C.G. Jung

Inspirational quotes that will help you believe in yourself

Do you really, truly believe in yourself? You might feel confident on the surface of things, but when push comes to shove, and life calls for a little (or a lot of) self-trust, you waver. 

The following inspirational quotes for confidence will help restore any dimming self-belief and make you wonder why you ever doubted yourself in the first place.

Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.

Laozi

Confidence is everything. Confidence is what makes that simple white tee and jeans look good.

Ciara

Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful.

Mark Victor Hansen

Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.

Mahatma Gandhi

Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.

Norman Vincent Peale

You can have anything you want if you are willing to give up the belief that you can’t have it.

Robert Anthony

Confidence is when you believe in yourself and your abilities, arrogance is when you think you are better than others and act accordingly.

Stewart Stafford

I think that the power is the principle. The principle of moving forward, as though you have the confidence to move forward, eventually gives you confidence when you look back and see what you’ve done.

Robert Downey Jr.

Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.

E. E. Cummings

First thing every morning before you arise say out loud, I believe.

Norman Vincent Peale

Quotes for Confident Self-Love

Truth: self-love is the foundation for all good things. Without a basis of love and appreciation for yourself and who you are, you can’t cultivate true confidence. The following self-love quotes are designed to call to mind all that’s unique and beautiful and intelligent and capable about you personally.

Accept who you are; and revel in it.

Mitch Albom

Always be yourself–express yourself, have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.

Bruce Lee

Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.

Rumi

The most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence.

Blake Lively

I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence but it comes from within. It is there all the time.

Anne Freud

Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.

Lucille Ball

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

Buddha

As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I laugh at myself. I don’t take myself completely seriously. I think that’s another quality that people have to hold on to … you have to laugh, especially at yourself.

Madonna

Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.

Vince Lombardi

Motivational quotes for confidence

Can you have confidence without motivation? The jury’s still out on that one, but many believe that a lack of motivation, at its core, is really just a lack of confidence that manifests as a lack of desire to even try. The following motivational quotes just might serve as the loving kick in the butt you need to take control of your destiny.

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.

Dale Carnegie

Self-confidence can be learned, practiced, and mastered–just like any other skill. Once you master it, everything in your life will change for the better.

Barrie Davenport

If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.

Thomas Edison

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

Dr. Seuss

People who ask confidently get more than those who are hesitant and uncertain. When you’ve figured out what you want to ask for, do it with certainty, boldness and confidence.

Jack Canfield

Confidence is the most important single factor in this game, and no matter how great your natural talent, there is only one way to obtain and sustain it: work.

Jack Nicklaus

Control your own destiny or someone else will.

Jack Welch

If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.

Nora Roberts

Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.

M. Scott Peck

It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.

Edmund Hillary

The bottom line

Fortunately, there are many things you can do to help boost self-confidence. From taking better care of your body, to leaving toxic relationships, quitting social media, journaling, and reading confidence-boosting quotes like those above, there are plenty of ways to begin building more trust in yourself, starting right…now.