Why Include Inspirational Quotes in Your Journal?
The right words, when assembled in the right order, have the power to quite literally change a life.
Including inspirational quotes in your journal can be such a powerful tool for growth, motivation and comfort during tough times. It's like having your own personal bank of cheerleaders waiting for the moment you need them. Think of it like a helpful message from your past-self, offering the exact words you need to hear at any given time.
Validation and Comfort: When someone else offers the perfect words for a situation that you're going through, it can offer real validation and comfort. It says "you're not alone, I get you."
Processing the Meaning of the Quote: Not only is it helpful for future-you to have a collection of inspirational words waiting to offer pockets of wisdom, but the physical act of writing things down helps your brain to process the words more deeply.
Stops Writer's Block: Writing down quotes that inspire you can also help you get over the "what to write in a journal" block. It can sometimes feel overwhelming to look at a blank page or new notebook, so start by writing down a quote that you find particularly inspiring.
Tracks Progress: A collection of relevant quotes in your journal can also help you track your growth and see how your priorities have changed over time.
How to Include Inspirational Quotes in Your Journal
It's no secret that I love an inspirational quote. But when I started journaling last year, my journal became a place to collect things- things I like and things that inspire me - and that includes quotes. There are three ways I use quotes in my journal:
Quotes as small notes on a page: Sometimes I just add a quote in a tiny space on a page, if it's relevant that day or it's just something I want to remember for another time.
Adding printed quotes: I might paperclip in a postcard with a quote, or clippings from a magazine or newspaper, or sometimes I'll spot a pretty quote somewhere that I want to glue into my journal.
Whole-page quotes: Other times, I will dedicate a whole page to a quote- especially if it's something that makes me feel seen. Whole-page quotes are the ones that deserve my full attention. They are the kind of inspirational words that I know I need in my life.
If you want to start writing whole-page inspirational quotes in your journal but your handwriting isn't the best, you could always print the quote in a fancy font first and trace it onto the page. The benefits are still the same and no one will know (or even see it if you don't want to share).
Here are my favourite whole-page inspirational quotes from my journal
- "What you do today can improve all your tomorrows." — Ralph Marston
- "Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart." — William Wordsworth
- "A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new." — Albert Einstein
- "Done is better than perfect." — Sheryl Sandberg
- "Own less. Do more." — Joshua Becker
- "Be here now." — Ram Dass
- "You are stronger than you think." — Christopher Robin, A.A. Milne
- “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” –Eleanor Roosevelt
- “Be brave, not perfect.” –Reshma Saujani
- “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” –Dolly Parton
- "Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” ―Mary Oliver
- “A word after a word after a word is power.”―Margaret Atwood
- “Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way.”—Ray Bradbury
- “The scariest moment is always just before you start.”—Stephen King
- “If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.” — H.G. Wells
- “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” — Tony Robbins
- “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” — Woody Allen
- “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” — Oscar Wilde
- “Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful.” — Annette Funicello
- “Every day brings new choices.” — Martha Beck
Final Thoughts
Inspirational quotes can be a helpful way to get over writer's block, as well as offering validation and comfort, and representing how your priorities and feelings have evolved over time. The physical act of writing things down helps your brain to process the words better, and the time you take to create something in your journal offers a space for mindfulness and calm.
If you haven't started journaling yet, but you're thinking of starting soon, you need to check out this blog post - Journaling for Beginners.
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