A good quote is often the perfect inspiration, and if you’re looking to develop a growth mindset, then the right quote could be just the motivation you need to get started or remind you where you’re headed!
We’ve compiled a fabulous collection of growth mindset quotes that are sure to:
- Inspire you to believe in yourself
- Encourage you to put in the effort to improve your skills
- Help you to stay motivated in the face of challenges
- Remind you that failures are learning opportunities
- Motivate you to keep learning and growing
- Quotes on the importance of having the right mindset
- Quotes that remind you to push your limits
- Quotes for embracing failures with a growth mindset
- Quotes to inspire you to persevere through the challenges
- Quotes to help you put in the effort
- Quotes to encourage you to believe in yourself
- Feeling inspired to develop a growth mindset?
- The Science Of Studying Smart
Is there a quote that always inspires your growth mindset journey? Let us know in the comments!
Quotes on the importance of having the right mindset
If you’re just starting out on your growth mindset journey and need a regular reminder of what you’re working towards, then these quotes are perfect for you!
And if you’d like to learn more about what growth mindset actually is, check out our handy guide to growth mindset (full of top tips for developing a growth mindset or nurturing one in your kids and students).
1. Choose the mindset that will help you to achieve more
“Individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others) have a growth mindset. They tend to achieve more than those with a more fixed mindset (those who believe their talents are innate gifts).”
– Carol Dweck, growth mindset pioneer and author of Mindset
2. Open up a whole new world
“When you go from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, a new world of possibilities opens up.”
– Imaan Farooq, writer
3. It’s all in your mindset
“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
– Henry Ford, industrialist founder of the Ford Motor Company
4. It’s a win-win situation …
“With the right mindset, we can’t lose, we either practice what we’ve learned or we learn what we need to practice.”
– Noura, philosopher and mindfulness author
5. … with far-reaching consequences!
“Once your mindset changes, everything on the outside will change along with it.”
– Steve Maraboli, motivational speaker
6. The right (growth mindset) attitude can take you far
“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”
– Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
7. Your attitude is either the problem or the solution: so make it the solution!
“The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem.”
– Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean character
8. Give your kids the gift of growth mindset
“If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning.”
– Carol Dweck, growth mindset pioneer and author of Mindset
9. With the right mindset you’ll always find the opportunities
“Look for the good in every situation, seek the valuable lesson in every setback, look for the solution to every problem. Think and talk continually about your goals.”
– Brian Tracy, productivity coach and author of Eat that Frog!
10. A recipe for dreams: courage, planning and willpower
“You can achieve anything you want in life if you have the courage to dream it, the intelligence to make a realistic plan, and the will to see that plan through to the end.”
– Sidney A. Friedman, musical mentalist
11. Become the best you
“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of being.”
– John Wooden, American basketball coach and professional player
12. Buckle up: it’s a lifelong journey
“Developing a growth mindset is really a journey. It’s a lifelong journey of monitoring your trigger points and trying to approach things in a more growth mindset way of taking on challenges, sticking to them, and learning from them.”
– Carol Dweck, growth mindset pioneer and author of Mindset
Quotes that remind you to push your limits
Having a growth mindset is all about believing you CAN always improve, stretch yourself and grow your skills. Everything is possible with practice and dedication!
So here’s 9 inspiring quotes about growth mindset to remind you that nothing is impossible if you’re willing to strive for it:
13. Embrace the power of infinite possibility
“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’.”
– Audrey Hepburn, actress and humanitarian
14. Keep growing and you can break down the barriers
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
– Nelson Mandela, political leader and first President of South Africa
15. Stretch the limits of what’s possible: it’s fun!
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
– Walt Disney, pioneer of the American animation industry
16. Is something not possible yet? It will be with practice!
“Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better.”
– Jim Rohn, entrepreneur and motivational speaker
17. You have a lifetime to learn with – use it wisely
“Live as is if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever.”
– Mahatma Gandhi, lawyer and political ethicist
18. Try new things! Who knows how far your skills could reach?
“Just because you haven’t found your talent yet doesn’t mean you don’t have one.”
– Kermit the Frog, Muppet character
19. Your future is unknown: where will you end up if you keep growing?
“Test scores and measures of achievement tell you where a student is, but they don’t tell you where a student could end up.”
– Carol Dweck, growth mindset pioneer and author of Mindset
20. Be crazy, change the world!
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
– Steve Jobs, American businessman and co-founder of Apple
21. Stretch yourself and thrive
“Why waste time proving over and over how great you are, when you could be getting better? … The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.”
– Carol Dweck, growth mindset pioneer and author of Mindset
Quotes for embracing failures with a growth mindset
With a growth mindset, you can understand that failures don’t have to define you. Sure, they’ll be painful. But mistakes and setbacks are full of opportunities: to learn, improve your strategies for next time, become more resilient, and increase your motivation!
These next growth mindset quotes are perfect reminders that a failure isn’t the end, just a stepping stone. And they’ll remind you that every successful person has failed along their journey…
22. Change your mindset: failure is not the outcome
“My dad encouraged us to fail. Growing up, he would ask us what we failed at that week. If we didn’t have something, he would be disappointed. It changed my mindset at an early age that failure is not the outcome, failure is not trying. Don’t be afraid to fail.”
– Sara Blakely, American businesswoman and philanthropist
23. Got knocked down? Get back up again
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
– Confucius, Ancient Chinese philosopher, poet and sage
24. Praise the process of learning, not the outcome
“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
– Nelson Mandela, political leader and first President of South Africa
25. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger (especially with a growth mindset)
“What does not destroy me, makes me stronger.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher
26. Find success in embracing a growth mindset
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”
– Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
27. When is failure not a failure: if you’ve had fun!
“I don’t believe in failure. It is not failure if you enjoyed the process.”
– Oprah Winfrey, American talk show host, actress and author
28. Whether you succeed or fail, the desire to keep growing is the key
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.”
– Winston Churchill. former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
29. Trial and error: Edison’s a master
“I haven’t failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
– Thomas Edison, businessman and inventor of the phonograph and electric lamp
30. Did you lose? Never!
“I never lose. I either win or learn.”
– Nelson Mandela, political leader and first President of South Africa
31. Learning from your mistakes is never a mistake
“A man who has committed a mistake and doesn’t correct it is committing another mistake.”
– Confucius, Ancient Chinese philosopher, poet and sage
32. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake
“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make a mistake.”
– Elbert Hubbard, American writer and philosopher
Quotes to inspire you to persevere through the challenges
One of the key benefits of developing a growth mindset is the ability to face (and even welcome) challenges with confidence.
But if you still need a little extra motivation right now (exams coming up? big presentation at work?), these are the perfect quotes about growth mindset to help you find the courage to persevere.
33. Choose growth mindset: choose to see the possibilities
“When you’re in a growth mindset, what that means is that you choose to see struggle and challenge as an opportunity for growth and for learning and development.”
– Chris Bertram, Director of Applied Neuroscience at EXOS
34. What will you choose when faced with a challenge?
“Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.”
– Roger Crawford, tennis player and motivational speaker
35. Be the tortoise, not the hare
“It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.”
– Confucius, Ancient Chinese philosopher, poet and sage
36. Find the silver linings
“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.”
– Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
37. Be brave, be bold, be courageous!
“Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you.”
– Bethany Hamilton, American professional surfer and shark attack survivor
38. If it’s easy you’re not learning anything
“If we only did things that were easy, we wouldn’t actually be learning anything. We’d just be practicing things we already knew.”
– David Dockterman, Lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education
39. Persistence can be the key to success
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed no hope at all.”
– Dale Carnegie, American self-help writer
40. Listen to history: don’t be discouraged by your defeats
“History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.”
– B.C. Forbes, Scottish-American journalist and founder of Forbes magazine
41. You’ll never know what you could become if you don’t try
It is hard to fail but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.
– Theodore Roosevelt, former president of the United States of America
42. Up against a wall? Remember it’s a beginning not an end
“Because some people see a wall, and assume that’s the end of their journey. Others see it, and decide that it’s just the beginning.”
– Angeline Trevena, author
43. Having a growth mindset gives life and challenges meaning
“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
– Joshua J. Marine
Quotes to help you put in the effort
With a growth mindset you know that your talents and intelligence can be developed. But how? Well, you can’t achieve mastery of a skill without a lot of effort, dedication and hard work.
The good news is, we’re all capable of putting in the effort if we want to: and these next growth mindset quotes are here to inspire you to keep working!
44. Ignite that flame
“No matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment.”
– Carol Dweck, growth mindset pioneer and author of Mindset
45. Get perspiring with all that effort
“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
– Thomas Edison, American businessman and inventor of the phonograph and electric lamp
46. All it takes is 1% improvement a day
“Improve by 1% a day, and in just 70 days, you’re twice as good.”
– Alan Weiss, American author and public speaker
47. Everyone starts somewhere
“The expert at anything was once a beginner.”
– Helen Hayes, American actress
48. You can become extraordinary too!
“We like to think of our champions and idols as superheroes who were born different from us. We don’t like to think of them as relatively ordinary people who made themselves extraordinary.”
– Carol Dweck, growth mindset pioneer and author of Mindset
49. What’s more admirable? Effortlessness or tremendous hard work?
“Think about your hero. Do you think of this person as someone with extraordinary abilities who achieved with little effort? Now go find out the truth. Find out the tremendous effort that went into their accomplishment—and admire them more.”
– Carol Dweck, growth mindset pioneer and author of Mindset
50. Even master artists have to put in the effort
“If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all.”
– Michelangelo, Italian sculptor and painter of the High Renaissance
51. Don’t quit: become a champion
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion”.”
– Muhammad Ali, American professional boxer
52. Are you willing to work towards your goals?
“The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work.”
– Oprah Winfrey, American talk show host, actress and author
53. Keep your nose to the grindstone: all it takes is consistency
“Success isn’t always about ‘greatness’. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.”
– Dwayne Johnson, American actor and former professional wrestler
54. If it’s difficult then you know your brain is growing!
“In one study, we taught them that every time they push out of their comfort zone to learn something new and difficult, the neurons in their brain can form new, stronger connections, and over time they can get smarter.”
– Carol Dweck, growth mindset pioneer and author of Mindset
55. Don’t stop trying
“For students with the growth mindset, it doesn’t make sense to stop trying.”
– Carol Dweck, growth mindset pioneer and author of Mindset
56. Put in the effort to solve problems (and you too can become as smart as Einstein!)
“It’s not that I’m so smart. It’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
– Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity
Quotes to encourage you to believe in yourself
At its core, growth mindset is all about believing in your own potential: that your intelligence and skills are not innate and static, but that you can become whatever you want to be.
So let’s finish off with 6 growth mindset quotes to inspire you to believe in your ability to grow as a human throughout your lifetime!
57. Self-belief is wonderous
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”
– Theodore Roosevelt, former president of the United States of America
58. You are more than you know: give yourself a chance!
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
– Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh character
59. Be courageous and build yourself the future you deserve
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
– E.E. Cummings, American poet and essayist
60. Get out of your comfort zone (it’s where the exciting parts of life happen!)
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So sail away from the safe harbour. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
– Mark Twain, American author and humorist
61. With a growth mindset, external validation lessens in importance
“A truly strong person does not need the approval of others any more than a lion needs the approval of sheep.”
– Vernon Howard, American spiritual author
62. Plunge in, even when you’re not confident
“The remarkable thing I’ve learned from my research is that in the growth mindset, you don’t always need confidence. What I mean is that even when you think you’re not good at something, you can still plunge into it wholeheartedly and stick to it. Actually, sometimes you plunge into something because you’re not good at it.”
– Carol Dweck, growth mindset pioneer and author of Mindset
Feeling inspired to develop a growth mindset?
I hope that these growth mindset quotes have you feeling inspired! We’ve got some great resources for you:
If you’d like to learn more about growth mindset, how to develop it yourself or nurture it in your kids and students, try our guide to growth mindset.
If you’re looking for more quotes to inspire your studies, we’ve gathered up all the best quotes all about exam inspiration, overcoming procrastination, making progress, and motivation and exam success!
And finally …
63. Don’t forget to stay young!
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”
– Henry Ford, industrialist founder of the Ford Motor Company
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