A growth mindset — the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort, learning, and perseverance — is the common thread running through the lives of the world's most extraordinary achievers. Here are 30 quotes that capture it best.
On Embracing Failure
The most successful people in history share a radical reframe: failure is not the opposite of success — it is part of it.
01
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
Thomas Edison
Inventor & Entrepreneur
02
"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
03
"It's fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure."
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Bill Gates
Co-founder of Microsoft
04
"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
Michael Jordan
NBA Legend
05
"The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing."
Henry Ford
Founder of Ford Motor Company
On Effort & Hard Work
Talent opens doors. Effort walks through them — and keeps walking.
06
"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."
Thomas Edison
Inventor & Entrepreneur
07
"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra."
Jimmy Johnson
NFL Coach
08
"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going."
Beverly Sills
Opera Singer & Arts Administrator
09
"Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."
Tim Notke
Basketball Coach
10
"I'm a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it."
Thomas Jefferson
Third President of the United States
On Continuous Learning
The most curious minds never stop asking questions — or seeking answers.
11
"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young."
Henry Ford
Founder of Ford Motor Company
12
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
Mahatma Gandhi
Independence Leader & Philosopher
13
"I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it."
Vincent van Gogh
Post-Impressionist Painter
14
"In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time — none, zero."
Charlie Munger
Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway
15
"Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow."
Anthony J. D'Angelo
Author & Educator
On Perseverance & Resilience
Every mountain looks insurmountable until someone climbs it — and then it becomes the path.
16
"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."
Thomas Edison
Inventor & Entrepreneur
17
"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."
Confucius
Philosopher
18
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain."
Vivian Greene
Author
19
"The human capacity for burden is like bamboo — far more flexible than you'd ever believe at first glance."
Jodi Picoult
Bestselling Author
20
"Fall seven times, stand up eight."
Japanese Proverb
Ancient Wisdom
On Believing in Yourself
Before the world believes in you, you have to believe first.
21
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't — you're right."
Henry Ford
Founder of Ford Motor Company
22
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
C.S. Lewis
Author & Scholar
23
"Believe you can and you're halfway there."
Theodore Roosevelt
26th President of the United States
24
"The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity."
Amelia Earhart
Aviation Pioneer
25
"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great."
Zig Ziglar
Author & Motivational Speaker
On Change & Adaptability
Growth requires change, and change requires the willingness to let go of who you were.
26
"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one most responsive to change."
Charles Darwin
Naturalist & Biologist
27
"The measure of intelligence is the ability to change."
Albert Einstein
Theoretical Physicist
28
"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."
Maya Angelou
Poet & Civil Rights Activist
29
"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."
George Bernard Shaw
Playwright & Nobel Laureate
30
"In a growth mindset, challenges are exciting rather than threatening. So rather than thinking, oh, I'm going to reveal my weaknesses, you say, wow, here's a chance to grow."
Carol Dweck
Psychologist & Author of Mindset
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