Men don’t usually wear their hearts on their sleeves, but they’re still humans with feeling. Just like everyone else in the world, they need a daily dose of inspiration to help them push through.
Ultimately, we all need some words of comfort and encouragement from time to time.
In this article, we have shared with you a few encouraging quotes for men that you can use to lift a friend, a husband, or a co-worker’s spirits.
These quotes are from successful men who, like everybody else, have been tormented by sadness, failures, and disappointments, yet chose to remain steadfast and strong.
Before we proceed to our list, let’s talk a bit more about why men need encouragement.
Why Do Men Need Encouraging Words?
Many people think that men are too tough for cheesy, cliché words of wisdom. Others believe that asking for encouragement or support is a sign of weakness. It hurts their pride to admit that they can’t face everything on their one.
The reality is that we are no longer living in the unhealthy stoicism of the 1950s. It’s the 21st century, and masculinity is no longer measured in physical strength or tough attitudes. Men who cry and show emotions are no longer considered weak. Rather, they are viewed as strong and capable.
The world doesn’t don’t need men who can’t swallow their pride and allow themselves to be fragile. We need men who can admit defeat, then have the courage to stand up again and continue the fight.
This is why men need encouraging words and quotes—they need to feel like someone out there understands what they are going through. They need to feel that they belong, and that showing emotions or being affected by sentimental words doesn’t undermine their masculinity.
Let’s check our list of quotes that you can use to inspire the men in your lives!
35 Inspirational & Encouraging Quotes for Men
- “A good man would prefer to be defeated than to defeat injustice by evil means.” – Sallust
- “The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection.” – Thomas Paine
- “Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.” – Theodore Roosevelt
- “The first step to being a good man is this: You must deeply feel the burden of the stones some else [is] carrying.” – Mehmet Murat İldan
“The first step to being a good man is this: You must deeply feel the burden of the stones some else [is] carrying.” – Mehmet Murat İldan
- “If one advances confidently in the direction of one’s dreams, and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” – Henry David Thoreau
- “You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.” – James Froude
- “Do not pray for an easy life. Pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” – Bruce Lee
- “You spend time with your family? Good. Because a man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.” – Don Vito Corleone, The Godfather
- “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moment of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” – David Brinkley
- “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” – James 1:12
- “Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.” – George Washington
- “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” –Mark Twain
“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” –Mark Twain
- “If you perform the sacrifice of doing your duty, you do not have to do anything else. Devoted to duty, man attains perfection.” – Bhagavad Gita
- “Champions come and go, but to be legendary you got to have heart, more heart than the next man, more than anyone in the world.” – Muhammad Ali
- “You will earn the respect of all men if you begin by earning the respect of yourself.” – Musonius Rufus
- “Just remember, there are no quick fixes. But, by taking action just a little bit every day, you will build up a powerful reservoir of confidence, self-esteem, and discipline.” – Scott Allan
- “You should think in such a way that everybody could look into your soul and see what is transpiring there.” – Seneca
- “The ability to sell yourself and your skills and expertise will empower you and build confidence, not only within yourself but within all aspects of your career in general.” – Jack Warren
- “There is nothing with which every man is so afraid as getting to know how enormously much he is capable of doing and becoming.” – Søren Kierkegaard
- “To be disciplined or non-disciplined is a choice you make every minute in every hour of your life.” – Russell Gerald Johnston
- “Happiness isn’t about making more money, but rather freedom. The freedom to say no to things you don’t want to do. The freedom to say no to people you don’t like. The freedom to not feel like you are obligated to say “yes”. Freedom is saying yes when you want to.” – Shane Parrish
- “A man who is a master of patience is master of everything else.” – George Savile
- “My idea of the modern stoic sage is someone who transforms fear into prudence, pain into information, mistakes into initiation, and desire into undertaking.” – Nassim Nicholas Taleb
- “The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.” – Samuel Jackson.
- “Greatness lies, not in being strong, but in the right using of strength; and strength is not used rightly when it serves only to carry a man above his fellows for his own solitary glory. He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own.” – Henry Ward Beecher
- “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man’s determination.” – Tommy Lasorda
- “The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you’re in control of your life. If you don’t, life controls you.” – Tony Robbins
- “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears however measured or far away.” – Henry David Thoreau
- “Stick to the basics. Do your job. Avoid stupidity. Speak for yourself. Be attentive to details. Put results ahead of being right. Go to bed smarter than when you woke up.” – Shane Parrish
- “But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.” – Ernest Hemingway
- “If a man can reduce his needs to zero, he is truly free: there is nothing that can be taken from him and nothing anyone can do to hurt him…And he or she can also be still.” – John Boyd
- “Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though t’were his own.” – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
- “During the day you should behave in such a way that you can sleep at night in peace, and in your youth, you should behave in such a way that you can live in your old age in peace.” – Indian proverb
- “Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.” – Franklin Jones
Final Thoughts on Encouraging Quotes for Men
As humans who are constantly seeking happiness and contentment, we all work hard to pursue our dreams and achieve our goals.
Irrespective of gender, we need inspiration and motivation. We all need encouraging words that can help us push our limits and reach our highest potential.
We hope that the words of encouragement we shared above were able to do just that. While this article is technically for men, our list of quotes is applicable to everyone, even women children.
Let’s support and encourage one another without bias, regardless of age, gender, and background.
And if you want more inspirational quotes, be sure to check out these blog posts:
- 63 Inspiring Walt Whitman Quotes About Life
- 75 Positive Vibes Quotes to Feel Better Daily
- 75 Positive Energy Quotes to Attract Good Things in Your Life
Finally, if you want to use these quotes to make a lasting change to your life, then check out and recite these 57 affirmations for success.
