15 Personal Mantras for Being a Better Person

Do you have a personal mantra?

A personal mantra is a positive phrase or affirmative statement that you say to yourself for the purpose of motivation or encouragement.

This could be your favorite quote, proverb, spiritual truth, or religious saying that motivates and inspires you to be your best self.

Today I wanted to share a few mantras that will uplift and support you in your personal growth. Here are some of my favorites that have helped me become a better person every day.

Personal Mantra To Help You Be Your Best Self

1. “It’s never too late to be who you might have been.” – George Eliot

This quote always reassures me that no matter how old you are, or how many mistakes you’ve made along the way, you can always take the steps necessary to rediscover your true purpose in life.

2. “The path emerges as you walk it. So simply walk it.” – Natasha Allrich

This personal mantra encourages me to stop making everything so complicated and simply take the first step.

When we walk the path that is in front of us, we can avoid overwhelm and accomplish more of our goals in a much faster time frame.

3. “People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.” — Paulo Coelho

This is a beautiful reminder that you have the capacity to do whatever you want with your life. Right now, actually. No need to wait for the “right time.”

4. “It is not wrong to go back to that which you have forgotten.”— West African proverb

Some people feel like once they’ve chosen a particular path, they can never turn back. Not true!

Once you realize that you’re not where you’re supposed to be, you can go back to that homeplace, that starting point that feels right to you.

5. “We attain freedom as we let go of whatever does not reflect our magnificence. A bird cannot fly high or far with a stone tied to its back. But release the impediment, and we are free to soar to unprecedented heights.” – Alan Cohen

This quote is an affirmation that nothing can hold you back unless YOU let it. The sky is the limit when you release what’s keeping you from moving forward.

Keep improving yourself with these personal mantras

6. “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.” — John Pierpont Morgan

It doesn’t take this big, grand display of courage to make a change in your life. Sometimes, all you need to do is make the decision that you WILL begin exploring a new path.

7. “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.” – Joseph Campbell

One of the biggest challenges to making progress with something new is not being able to LET GO of the old. This quote is a great reminder that when you try to keep one foot in the familiar as a Plan B, you never give yourself a chance to really succeed at Plan A.

Everyone makes mistakes and has to start over sometimes

8. “If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down.” — Mary Pickford

Sometimes life gives us a second chance, but we’re too ashamed to take it. Instead of holding on to your past mistakes, accept the truth that there’s something better waiting for you when you let go.

9. “Every one of us is called upon, probably many times, to start a new life. A frightening diagnosis, a marriage, a move, loss of a job. And onward full tilt we go, pitched and wrecked and absurdly resolute, driven in spite of everything to make good on a new shore. To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility after another – that is surely the basic instinct . . . Crying out: High tide! Time to move out into the glorious debris. Time to take this life for what it is.” – Barbara Kingslover

At some point, we all need to take a moment to step back and consider whether the highway we’ve been driving on for years still leads to the ultimate destination we want for our lives. If it doesn’t, it might be time to get off at the next exit and start doing something else!

10. “I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.” – Gilda Radner

This quote reminds us that life is not, and never will be, perfect. Instead, we can learn to live with a sense of gratitude for all the good we get to experience along the way.

Personal mantras need action to back them up

11. “Action is the antidote to despair.” – Joan Baez

Becoming a better person requires you to take consistent action on your goals until you accomplish them. No matter what area of your life you’re working on, the key to success is not getting overwhelmed, but choosing to move forward in spite of how difficult it may be.

12. “Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.” – Maya Angelou

This personal mantra is what manifestation is all about in a nutshell. It reminds us that once we express our desires, it’s important to believe that they will be given to us.

13. “You were born with potential, You were born with goodness and trust, You were born with ideals and dreams, You were born with greatness, You were born with wings, You were not meant for crawling so don’t, You have wings, Learn to use them and fly.” – Rumi

Everyone has a purpose in life, yet sometimes we forget this fundamental truth when life happens. This quote is a powerful affirmation of your value and what you are capable of achieving in life.

14. “Progress always involves risks. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first base.” – Frederick B. Wilcox

This quote reminds us that change requires you to step outside your comfort zone. It’s not possible to hold onto your old life AND build a better one at the same time.

15. “You can do anything you want with your life and no one can stop you…but you.” – Rosetta Thurman

This is MY personal mantra that empowers me to live with courage, knowing that there are no limits to what I can do. We all have the power to achieve our big goals; and the only way to fail is by procrastinating or doubting yourself.