25 Uplifting Quotes For Hard Times to Help You Push Through

If you're going through a rough patch, here are 25 encouraging quotes for hard times to help you gain perspective and keep going until you make it through.

When you're dealing with a difficult situation, it can feel hopeless - like you're at the bottom of a deep, dark pit.

Here are 25 of my favourite quotes for hard times that have helped me to gain strength and have pulled me out of moments when things have appeared to go from bad to worse.

Hopefully you're able to find a few gems here that will motivate you to keep going, even if you feel like you're at your breaking point.

25 Encouraging Quotes for Hard Times

1. "When you've reached rock bottom, there's only one way to go, and that's up!"

This iconic quote by Buster Moon from the movie Sing! is one of my absolute favourite quotes for hard times, because it helps you start to visualize the positive things that can happen if your situation changes completely.

2. "Nobody cares, work harder."

This might sound like a depressing quote, but it's actually a firm, motivational reminder to take full responsibility for our actions, because they are the one thing we can control.

3. "If you're going through hell, keep going."

This quote by Winston Churchill carries the same sentiment as the previous quote.

4. "This too shall pass."

This is a quote for hard times that you see everywhere, from coffee mugs, to posters, to bracelets. It's a reminder that all situations are temporary, even the ones that are painful and seem never-ending.

5. "Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it."

This quote by Helen Keller is deeply powerful because it a reminder of the indomitable human spirit.

Whenever you feel low, you can take comfort in knowing that someone else - somewhere else on this planet - has experienced the same challenge and has successfully overcome it.

6. "My barn having burned down, I can now see the moon."

This quote by Mizuta Masahide invites the reader to consider the unexpected benefits that may be brought about by hardship.

7. “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

This quote for hard times reminds us that sometimes the action that we're most avoiding is exactly what we need to do to get to a better place.

8. "Broken crayons still color."

Even if you're going through a situation that makes you feel low and worthless, remember that you still have value. You are inherently valuable.

9. “Life is at its best when everything has fallen out of place, and you decide that you're going to fight to get them right, not when everything is going your way and everyone is praising you.”

This quote reminds us that there is beauty in adversity, and when you look back on your life, the moments that you are most proud of are often the moments when you persevered through hardship.

10. “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me…. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

It's hard to see the benefits of hard times when you're in them, however, many people have shared the experience that their struggles were blessings in disguise.

11. “Sometimes blessings come in ugly wrapping paper.”

The challenge may be ugly, but the result may be one of the most beautiful gifts you've ever been given.

12. “Only those who dare to fail greatly, can ever achieve greatly.”

If you're going through hard times because you took a risk but it didn't go as planned, your courage and bravery is still commendable.

13. “I always knew I would survive, because the fire inside me was stronger than the fires they tried to destroy me with.”

If you have a winner's mindset, then the burning fire to succeed within can prove to be stronger than the fires and disasters you face externally.

14. “In tough times will you whine or shine?”

We all have a choice to make: whether we will let difficulties break us, or whether we will use them as an opportunity to come back better than ever.

15. "Expect problems and eat them for breakfast".

This is another one of my absolute favourite quotes for hard times - I even wrote an entire article about it here.

If you can anticipate challenges, then even if you can't completely eliminate them - you can at least prepare for them, mentally and physically. This gives you the best chance of success as you navigate through them.

16. “It is a blessing to experience hardship. Not because we suffer, but because we learn to endure.”

Suffering is never enjoyable. But while we're suffering, we can at least learn the skill of endurance, which will prove helpful in many other situations.

17. "Tough times don't last, but tough people do".

You will live longer than the difficult situation you're currently in.

18. "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on.”

On a similar note, this famous quote by American poet Robert Frost reminds us that even though it can seem that hard times will last forever, they won't last forever, because life goes on. It always does. See this quote in my Wednesday Wisdom post here.

19. “Remember an arrow can only be shot by pulling it backwards; so when you feel like life is dragging you down with difficulties, it simply means that it's going to launch you to something great. So just focus and keep aiming.”

Remember that life may be pulling you back temporarily just so you can be propelled further than you could ever imagine.

20. “It’s true that no one ever said life would be easy, but it is also true that no one ever said you had to go through it alone.”

Is there anyone that you can lean on to get through the tough time you're currently in? Even if you don't have family, perhaps you have friends who feel like family? These people can infuse you with the strength you need to keep going when you feel like giving up.

21. “Hard times are like thunder. They make a lot of noise but do little harm. Don’t fear hard times.”

This is a beautiful quote that helps us put a positive spin on the hard times we face. Of course, there are varying degrees of difficult situations, but some of them are just difficult enough to challenge and teach us without actually harming us.

22. “Sometimes when hardships knock, it’s just life. Do not take it personally.”

This is a good quote for hard times because it reminds us not to take the situation personally.

23. "When life puts you in tough situations, don't say 'why me', say 'try me'".

This follows a similar theme as the previous quote. Everyone has to face challenges sooner or later, so rather than asking why hard times are here, you can flip the script and ask yourself why you're the right person to deal with the challenge.

24. "“You must see challenges as virtues of opportunities for personal development. You will then have the strength to overcome the challenge.”

It's not always easy to see challenges as opportunities for personal development, but if you are able to adopt this mindset, it really will give you an edge in life.

25. “Without adversity and trials we may never know what we are capable of.”

When you think of who you are today, you can likely think of some hard times that you went through that made you the person you are. What skills and qualities do you have that you developed only by struggling through hardship?

Even though those times were painful, look at who you are today, and reflect on the positive transformations that you can be proud of. Who knows what the future holds for you, if you become a stronger, better person with every hardship you face.

Final Thoughts

Which of the above quotes for hard times do you appreciate the most?

I think that although quotes won't fix the situation, they can help you gain perspective and see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Of course, the quotes that are most meaningful to you will depend on your values and experiences. So whenever you find a quote that perfectly encapsulates how you feel and your vision for the future, keep it close and refer to it as often as possible.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to bookmark this page for future reference and share with a friend who is going through a hard time.