120 Study Motivation Quotes for Student Inspiration

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Last Updated on January 9, 2026 by Alexandra Markin, Dip.Mgmt.St.

Need an inspirational boost? From short study quotes to quotes to work hard, this list of my 50 best study motivation quotes for students will transform every study session into a step closer to achieving your goals.

No matter where you are in your education journey—just starting college, studying for exams or drowning in assignments, you’ll find a quote here to help you keep going.

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Note: Quotes without a clearly verifiable original source are labeled as Anonymous to ensure accuracy and transparency.

Inspirational Study Quotes to Get You Started

1. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” —Arthur Ashe, tennis player

2. “Every morning you have two choices: continue to sleep with your dreams or wake up and chase them.” —Anonymous

3. “You don’t have to be great to start. But you have to start to be great.” —Zig Ziglar, author & motivational speaker

4. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” —Mark Twain, writer

5. “Clear your desk. Tie your hair. Grab a coffee, and just start.” —Anonymous

6. “If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives.” —Anonymous

7. “We generate fears while we do nothing. We overcome these fears by taking action.” —Dr. Henry Link, psychologist

8. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” —Lao Tzu, ancient philosopher (Tao Te Ching)

9. “Action is the foundational key to all success.” —Pablo Picasso, artist

10. “The greatest amount of wasted time is time not getting started.” —Dawson Trotman, Author

Short Study Motivational Quotes

11. “Just do it.” —Nike

12. “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” —Beverly Sills, opera singer

13. “The expert in anything was once a beginner.” —Anonymous

14. “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” —Tim Notke, professor

15. “Progress equals happiness.” —Tony Robbins, motivational speaker and author

16. “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” —Winston S. Churchill, British statesman

17. “Be stronger than your excuses.” —Anonymous

18. “To change your life, you must first change your day.” —Anonymous

19. “I never said it would be easy. I only said it would be worth it.” —Anonymous

20. “Plan your work and work your plan.” —Anonymous

Study Motivation Quotes for Students

21. “You’re not just studying for the grades—you’re studying for the life you want.” —Anonymous

22. “Every hour you study is proof your believe in yourself.” —Anonymous

23. “You may see me struggle but you’ll never see me quit.” —Anonymous

24. “Studying is hard. Not having the life you want is hard. Choose your hard.” —Alix Markin, Founder of Online Student Life

25. “Don’t wish it were easier. Wish you were better.” —Jim Rohn, motivational speaker

26. “Successful people are not gifted. They just work hard, then succeed on purpose.” —G.K. Nielson, author

27. “The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.” —B.B. King, blues musician

28. “Push yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you.” —Anonymous

29. “Don’t put in average effort and claim that you want exceptional results.” —Anonymous

30. “Studying for 1 hour is less than 5% of your day. You can make it through 60 minutes.” —Alix Markin, founder of Online Student Life

Study Motivational Quotes for Students to Work Hard

31. “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” —Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President (often attributed)

32. “Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.” —Ann Landers, columnist

33. “Work hard in silence. Let your success be your noise.” —Frank Ocean, musician

34. “Focus on the goal, not the struggle.” —Anonymous

35. “Study as if you know nothing. Work as if you can solve anything.” —Anonymous

36. “You don’t get what you wish for. You get what you work for.” —Daniel Milstein, entrepreneur

37. “The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work.” —Vidal Sassoon, hairstylist

38. “Nothing will work unless you do.” —Maya Angelou, poet and author

39. “A lot of hard work is hidden behind nice things.” —Ralph Lauren, fashion designer

40. “Skill is only developed by hours and hours of work.” —Usain Bolt, runner

Motivational Quotes for Student Success

41. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” —Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. president

42. “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” —Henry David Thoreau, philosopher

43. “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” —Robert Collier, American author

44. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” —Winston S. Churchill, British statesman (often attributed)

45. “Success doesn’t come to you, you go to it.” —Anonymous

46. “Your determination today defines your success tomorrow.” —Anonymous

47. “Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” —John Wooden, basketball coach

48. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” —Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa

49. “The Lord gave us two ends—one to sit on and the other to think with. Success depends on which one we use the most.” —Ann Landers, American columnist

50. “You will find the key to success under the alarm clock.” —Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father of the United States

Positive Study Motivation Quotes for Mindset

51. “Well begun is half done.” —Aristotle, philosopher

52. “Every study session takes you one step closer to your dreams.” —Anonymous

53.”Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” —Maria Robinson, politician

54. “Stay consistent, not perfect.” —Anonymous

55. “Impossible is not a fact. It is an opinion.” —Muhammad Ali, professional boxer

56. “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” —George Eliot, novelist

57. “The mind is everything. What you think you become.” —Buddha, teacher

58. “Your attitude determines how well you do it.” —Anonymous

59. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” —Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa

60. “Do something today that your future self will thank you for.” —Sean Patrick Flanery, actor

Motivation Quotes to Push Through and Keep Studying

61. “Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer, poet and thinker

62. “Studying doesn’t suck as much as failing.” —Anonymous

63. “The future depends on what you do today.” —Mahatma Gandhi, political and spiritual leader

64. “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” —Thomas Edison, American inventor

65. “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” —Gary Player, professional golfer

66. “The distance between dreams and reality is called action.” —Anonymous

67. “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” —Steve Martin, actor

68. “Do it tired. Do it scared. Do it unmotivated. Do it and don’t stop. You’re almost there.” —Anonymous

69. “A degree is a marathon, not a sprint.” —Alix Markin, founder of Online Student Life

70. “Knowledge + action = the life of your dreams. Keep pushing.” —Alix Markin, founder of Online Student Life

Quotes to Beat Procrastination

71. “Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.” —Sam Ewing, musical composer

72. “Success is not given, it’s earned through relentless study and unwavering determination.” —Anonymous

73. “A month from now, you can either have a month of progress or a month of excuses.” —Anonymous

74. “You may delay, but time will not.” —Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father and inventor

75. “Procrastination makes easy things hard, and hard things harder.” —Mason Cooley, aphorist

76. “If you have goals and procrastination, you have nothing. If you have goals and you take action, you will have anything you want.” —Thomas J. Vilord, author

77. “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” — Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. president

78. “Action is the foundational key to all success.” —Pablo Picasso, artist

79. “This is your sign to stop scrolling social media, get out your books, and study. At some point inspiration must change into action.” —Alix Markin, founder of Online Student Life

80. “Some people dream of success, while others wake up and work hard at it.” —Napoleon Hill, author

Quotes to Be Productive

81. “Either you run the day or the day runs you.” —Jim Rohn, entrepreneur

82. “You won’t always be motivated, so you must learn to be disciplined.” —Alix Markin, founder of Online Student Life

83. “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” —Stephen R. Covey, author

84. “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” —Stephen King, author

85. “Focus on being productive instead of busy.” —Tim Ferriss, entrepreneur

86. “Only knowledge that is used sticks in your mind.” —Dale Carnegie, author

87. “Productivity isn’t about more, it’s about doing what matters.” — Anonymous

88. “What you do today can improve all of your tomorrows.” —Ralph Marston

89. “Motivation is what sets you in motion, habit is what keeps you going.” —Jim Ryun, Former US Representative

90. “There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs.” —Zig Ziglar, author

Study Motivation Quotes to Overcome Failure

91. “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” —Jillian Michaels, personal trainer

92. “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist

93. “Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street.” —Zig Ziglar, author

94. “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” —Winston Churchill, former British Prime Minister

95. “Mirror mirror on the wall, I’ll always get up after I fall. And whether I run, walk or have to crawl, I’ll set my goals and achieve them all.” —Anonymous

96. “It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” —Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States

97. “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” —Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father of the United States

98. “The only failure is quitting. Everything else is just gathering information.” —Jen Sincero, author

99. “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” —Japanese Proverb

100. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” —Thomas Edison, inventor

Quotes to Crush Your Fears

101. “Do not be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” —John Rockefeller, business magnate

102. “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” —George Addair, real-estate developer

103. “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” —Dale Carnegie, author

104. “Every man has his own courage, and is betrayed because he seeks in himself the courage of other persons.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer, poet and thinker

105. “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” —Susan Jeffers, author

106. “He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer, poet and thinker

107. “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying “I will try again tomorrow.'” —Mary Anne Radmacher, author

108. “Even the greatest were beginners. Don’t be afraid to take that first step.” —Muhammad Ali, professional boxer

109. “Great things never come from comfort zones.” —Anonymous

110. “F-E-A-R has two meanings: ‘Forget Everything And Run’ or ‘Face Everything And Rise.’ The choice is yours.” —Zig Ziglar, author

Study Motivation Quotes to Dream Big

111. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” —Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady of the United States

112. “If you can believe it, your mind can achieve it.” —Anonymous

113. “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” —Thomas Edison, American inventor

114. “The more that you read, the more things you will know, the more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” —Dr. Seuss, author

115. “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” —Malcolm X, civil rights leader

116. “The distance between dreams and reality is called action.” —Jim Rohn, entrepreneur

117. “If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.” —Anonymous

118. “The people who are crazy enough to believe they can change the world are the ones who do.” —Steve Jobs, innovator

119. “Never let small minds convince you that your dreams are too big.” —Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady of the United States

120. “Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer, poet and thinker

Keep Going: Let These Study Quotes Inspire Your Next Step

Now you’ve been inspired by this post and saved some of these to your Pinterest board, it’s time to sit down and study.

IF YOU LOVED THESE, CHECK OUT MY OTHER QUOTE COLLECTIONS:

• 51 Best Inspirational Exam Quotes For Student Success
• 116 Best Motivational Quotes For University Students

What’s your favorite inspirational study quote? Let me know in the comments!

Quote Attribution Note: Some motivational quotes circulate widely online without a traceable primary source. When an original author could not be reliably verified, quotes are labeled as Anonymous to avoid misattribution.

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