It doesn’t matter what school we attend and how many degrees we get, the most important things are to be learned in the school of life.
Those are the things that go beyond the domain of good grades, high education, or a successful career — those are the things that shape us into who we are and who we are not.
Below you’ll discover the most inspiring life lessons quotes I could find on the web covering the ups and downs of life that enable us to pick up important lessons along the way.
May you uncover nuggets of wisdom in them to help you hustle your way through this game called life and come out on top!
10 Best Life Lessons Quotes
1. “The most valuable lessons in life cannot be taught, they must be experienced.” ― Liam Payne
2. “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” — Robert Frost
3. “People only get better with experience if they are willing to learn and understand the lessons that are given to them through the bad times in their lives.” ― Jamie Alderton
4. “Life’s lessons take a lifetime to learn, that’s just how it is in life’s classroom. But as we learn, we teach others. We are all teachers in the school of life.” ― Olive Steele
5. “Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.” — Og Mandino
6. “I’m grateful for every scar, some pages turned, some bridges burned, but there were lessons learned.” ― Carrie Underwood
7. “Ultimately there is no such thing as failure. There are lessons learned in different ways.” ― Twyla Tharp
8. “One of my biggest lessons in life is, we heal at the speed of our forgiveness.” ― Romany Malco
9. “So learn your lessons and be thorough with the long road of experience.” ― Florence Scovel Shinn
10. “The Universe is one great kindergarten for man. Everything that exists has brought with it its own peculiar lesson.” — Orison Swett Marden
See also: 120 Best Spiritual Universe Quotes To Contemplate Life
Inspirational Quotes About Life Lessons
1. “When something happens and it causes us pain, the pain is there to teach us a lesson. It is not so that we feel pain for the sake of pain.” — Cave Man
2. “Missing a train is only painful if you run after it! Likewise, not matching the idea of success others expect from you is only painful if that’s what you are seeking.” — Nassim Nicholas Taleb
3. “Let the improvement of yourself keep you so busy that you have no time to criticize others.” — Roy T. Bennett
4. “It’s time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I’d much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure.” — Ernie Harwell
5. “Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing.” — Denis Waitley
6. “Be humble to those who praise you, pleasant to those who honor you, kind to those who cherish you, good to those who love you, and generous to those who adore you.” — Matshona Dhliwayo
7. “The past is a place of reference, not a place of residence; the past is a place of learning, not a place of living.” ― Roy T. Bennett
8. “Look at life through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror.” — Byrd Baggett
9. “Don’t let anyone ever make you feel like you don’t deserve what you want.” — Heath Ledger
10. “The great courageous act that we must all do is to have the courage to step out of our history and past so that we can live our dreams.” ― Oprah Winfrey
11. “We can not become what we need to by remaining what we are.” — Oprah Winfrey
12. “You’re never wrong if you love and help people.” — Maxime Lagacé
13. “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
14. “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” — Albert Einstein
15. “Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down.” — Roy T. Bennett
16. “We cannot change the past. We can only take action in the present and, therefore, change the future.” — Ken Poirot
17. “Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable, and remove yourself from the unacceptable.” ― Denis Waitley
18. “Everything is possible, isn’t it? The world soon teaches one that!” ― Agatha Christie
19. “Once we truly know that life is difficult — once we truly understand and accept it — then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.” — M. Scott Peck
20. “Though nobody can go back and make a new beginning… Anyone can start over and make a new ending.” ― Chico Xavier
21. “If you are still alive, do not lose hope, you can always start anew.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita
22. “I made up my mind not to care so much about the destination, and simply enjoy the journey.” ― David Archuleta
23. “There comes a time in your life when you have to choose to turn the page, write another book, or simply close it.” ― Shannon L. Alder
24. “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.” — J.P. Morgan
25. “Never back down from a real challenge. They give the best lessons in life.” — Lil Wayne
26. “Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” ― J.K. Rowling
27. “Be comforted, dear soul! There is always light behind the clouds.” ― Louisa May Alcott
28. “When I look back on my life I can see that the hardships I’ve faced have been essential for my growth; the lessons I have learned continue to help me.” — Annalisa Cunningham
29. “You just can’t let life happen to you, you have to make life happen.” ― Idowu Koyenikan
30. “Life is available only in the present. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and the now.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
See also: 100 Tomorrow Is Not Promised Quotes To Seize The Day
Lessons Learned Quotes
1. “The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don’t know nothing. I mean, that’s my life lesson.” — Dwayne Johnson
2. “My greatest life lessons have not come from any achievements I have attained but rather from the failures, heartaches, and setbacks that I have experienced.” — Dr. Marshall Hennington
3. “The biggest lesson I learned this year is to not force anything; conversations, friendships, relationships, attention, love. Anything forced is just not worth fighting for, whatever flows flows, what crashes crashes.” — Amanda Rose
4. “The biggest lesson I had in my life was failure.” — Tim Rice
5. “I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.” — Maya Angelou
6. “My greatest life lesson has been that life can change in a second. This is why it’s important to always live your best possible life and to do what you can for others.” — Niki Taylor
7. “There are certain life lessons that you can only learn in the struggle.” ― Idowu Koyenikan
See also: 100 Quotes On Life Struggles To Help You Fight Better
8. “Life’s too mysterious to take too serious.” — Mary Engelbreit
9. “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” — Alexander Graham Bell
10. “The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which bridge to burn.” — David Russell
11. “To suffer without complaint is the only lesson we have to learn in this life.” ― Vincent Willem van Gogh
12. “Life taught me love is risky. Death taught me to love even more.” — Maxime Lagacé
13. “Everything in life is temporary. So if things are going good, enjoy it because it won’t last forever. And if things are going bad, don’t worry. It can’t last forever either.” — Unknown
14. “The trouble is if you don’t spend your life yourself, other people spend it for you.” ― Peter Shaffer
15. “If there was any great lesson in life it was this: No battle was ever won with silence.” ― Shannon L. Alder
16. “You can have it all. Just not all at once.” — Oprah Winfrey
17. “Try to accomplish things you have always dreamt of while you can. I know it sounds cliche, but the biggest lesson I have learned is that life is precious; enjoy it while it lasts.” — Lisa Ling
18. “Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.” — Rita Mae Brown
19. “You think you know someone. But mostly you just know what you want to know.” ― Joe Hill
20. “I’ve come to realize that every single day we face moments that are difficult, uncertain, and scary. Your life requires courage.” ― Mel Robbins
21. “Most important thing in life is learning how to fall.” ― Jeannette Walls
22. “Letting go isn’t a one-time thing, it’s something you have to do every day, over and over again.” — Dawson’s Creek
23. “A tough lesson in life that one has to learn is that not everybody wishes you well.” ― Dan Rather
24. “When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.” ― Haruki Murakami
25. “I have taken the biggest lesson of all from animals, needless to say, and discovering that living for the day is the way to live.” ― Jackie Weaver
26. “Life’s lessons are hard but we have all learned ways to cope with tragedy as well as seeing the lessons is what my kids and I now call ‘the storms of life’!” ― Francesco Capozzoli III
27. “I learned it by doing it, and I was scared to death.” — Herb Kelleher
28. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” ― Nelson Mandela
29. “When patience pans out, you realize you’ve not waited for long.” ― Kwesi Ackah
30. “It took a long time, but I have learned that you just can’t take anything you want out of life without putting something back in exchange.” ― Piper Laurie
Live And Learn Quotes
1. “I am learning to love the sound of my feet walking away from things not meant for me.” — A.G.
2. “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.” ― Richard Branson
3. “Maturity, one discovers, has everything to do with the acceptance of ‘not knowing’.” — Mark Z. Danielewski
4. “Fear is not a good teacher. The lessons of fear are quickly forgotten.” — Mary Catherine Bateson
5. “Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” — Helen Keller
6. “If you don`t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.” — Jim Rohn
7. “Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me… Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.” — Shel Silverstein
8. “Never be ashamed! There’s some who will hold it against you, but they are not worth bothering with.” — J.K. Rowling
9. “You don’t have to let that one thing be the thing that defines you.” ― Jojo Moyes
10. “Success is a process that continues, not a status that you reach. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.” — Denis Waitley
See also: 220 Best Proverbs About Success To Give You Inspiration
11. “You only struggle because you’re ready to grow but aren’t willing to let go.” — Drew Gerald
12. “We must be willing to let go of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” — Joseph Campbell
13. “Lessons in life will be repeated until they are learned.” ― Frank Sonnenberg
14. “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” — Soren Kierkegaard
15. “One of the most courageous decisions you’ll ever make is to finally let go of what is hurting your heart and soul.” — B. Nicole
16. “In this life, when you deny someone an apology, you will remember it at time you beg forgiveness.” — Toba Beta
17. “There are no passengers on spaceship Earth. We are all crew.” ― Marshall McLuhan
18. “You live, you learn, you upgrade.” — Unknown
19. “Don’t bite off more than you can chew because nobody looks attractive spitting it back out.” ― Carroll Bryant
20. “One important thing to consider is that we are born ready to give and receive love, but our life lessons get in the way of experiencing this gift.” ― TJ Gibbs
21. “Avoid doing the same you always do or the day will fill like an incoming tide.” — Allan Jenkins
22. “In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
23. “Remember that winners do what losers don’t want to do.” ― H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
24. “There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.” — Willa Cather
25. “Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly.” — H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
26. “You must make a decision that you are going to move on. It won’t happen automatically. You will have to rise up and say, ’I don’t care how hard this is, I don’t care how disappointed I am, I’m not going to let this get the best of me. I’m moving on with my life.” — Joel Osteen
27. “Just a reminder, what other people think of you is none of your business.” ― Ze Frank
28. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” ― Steve Jobs
29. “The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.” — Frank Sinatra
30. “Life is short. Focus on what really matters most. You have to change your priorities over time.” ― Roy T. Bennett
Short Life Lessons Quotes
1. “If you do not have control over your mouth, you will not have control over your future.” ― Germany Kent
2. “Money isn’t everything, but it’s right up there with oxygen.” ― Rita Davenport
3. “Your past does not equal your future.” — Anthony Robbins
4. “Your sacred space is where you can find yourself over and over again.” ― Joseph Campbell
5. “You can’t wait around for something to become good, it either is, or isn’t.” ― Toni Aleo
6. “You can’t move forward if you’re still hanging on.” — Sue Fitzmaurice
7. “What gets measured gets improved.” ― Robin S. Sharma
8. “Sooner or later we’ve all got to let go of our past.” — Dan Brown
9. “Give out what you most want to come back.” ― Robin S. Sharma
10. “Make improvements, not excuses. Seek respect, not attention.” — Roy T. Bennett
11. “You can only lose what you cling to.” — Buddha
12. “If you can dream it, you can do it.” — Walt Disney
13. “Solitude is our greatest teacher.” ― Mimi Novic
14. “Listen to what you know instead of what you fear.” ― Richard Bach
15. “Life’s too short to regret for not doing what we love.” ― Rafsan Al Musawver
16. “You’ve gotta know when it’s time to turn the page.” — Tori Amos
17. “Your fear is 100% dependent on you for its survival.” ― Steve Maraboli
18. “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” — Seneca
19. “Forget the past.” — Nelson Mandela
20. “Don’t change your principles to make them fit into another person’s mold.” ― Cinderella
21. “Short cuts make long delays.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien
22. “Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.” — Raymond Lindquist
23. “Being safe doesn’t mean you won’t be sorry.” ― Katerina Stoykova Klemer
24. “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” — Zig Ziglar
25. “Anything you can’t control is teaching you how to let go.” — Jackson Kiddard
26. “Pursue what catches your heart, not what catches your eyes.” — Roy T. Bennett
27. “Where there is life, there is hope.” ― Alyson Noel
28. “Be tough-minded but tenderhearted.” — H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
29. “The energy of the mind is the essence of life.” ― Aristotle
30. “There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” — C.S. Lewis
Wise Life Advice Quotes
1. “If there’s a single lesson that life teaches us, it’s that wishing doesn’t make it so.” ― Lev Grossman
2. “Why let go of yesterday? Because yesterday has already let go of you.” — Steve Maraboli
3. “Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.” ― Roy T. Bennett
4. “We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it.” ― Rick Warren
5. “Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” ― Roy T. Bennett
6. “Yep, we can all learn plenty from each other — even those we think don’t know as much as we do — if we can just set our egos aside. There’s no shortage of lessons. We’re all each others’ students and teachers.” — John Penberthy
7. “To be successful, you must act big, think big, and talk big.” — Aristotle Onassis
8. “Courage is the most important of all the virtues because, without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” ― Maya Angelou
9. “Most people claim that they feel like they’re trapped in a rat race, without an exit. While we can all feel this way from time to time, it’s important to know that there is a way out.” — Debeena Harris
10. “Behind every adversity is an opportunity. If you lament over the adversity, you will miss the opportunity.” — Ajaero Tony Martins
11. “Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” — Herman Hesse
12. “The day you decide you know all you should or could is the day you start dying.” ― Gavin Mills
13. “A very wise man once told me that you can’t look back — you just have to put the past behind you, and find something better in your future.” ― Jodi Picoult
14. “As life’s lessons are learned, spiritual truth emerges.” ― Eric Alsterberg
15. “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
16. “Letting go doesn’t mean that you don’t care about someone anymore. It’s just realizing that the only person you really have control over is yourself.” ― Deborah Reber
See also: 130 Deep Goodbye Letting Go Of Someone You Love Quotes
17. “It’s clearly easier to get the snake out of the sack than it is to shove it back.” — Mary Morris
18. “Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.”— Lyndon B. Johnson
19. “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react.” — Tony Robbins
20. “Every relationship offers one of two things: a lesson or a blessing. In many instances, the lesson is the ultimate blessing.” — Anquanette Gaspard
21. “Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.” ― Roy T. Bennett
22. “Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There’s no better rule.” — Charles Dickens
23. “Life’s lessons are about learning one or more of the values of the Truth.” ― Mary E McGovern
24. “I don’t dwell on the things that are too late to fix, but I do my best to get life’s lessons and put them into action.” — Les Brown
25. “The past is a place of reference, not a place of residence; the past is a place of learning, not a place of living.” ― Roy T. Bennett
26. “Happiness is not the absence of problems, it’s the ability to deal with them.” ― Steve Maraboli
27. “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” — Seneca
28. “The only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed. And the only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out into the open. Do it. Throw yourself.” ― C. JoyBell C.
29. “But war is also an incredible teacher — a brutal instructor. We learned lessons in war, written in blood, about sorrow, loss, and pain.” — Jocko Willink
30. “Learning to appreciate those things that aren’t related to success has proved the biggest lesson.” — Chet Faker
Quotes About Life Lessons And Mistakes
1. “Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.” ― Mary Tyler Moore
2. “Forgive yourself for your faults and your mistakes and move on.” — Les Brown
3. “We all make them, the difference is what we do after we make the mistake, how we see the mistake — a learning experience or a failure.” — Catherine Pulsifer
4. “Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.” — Sophia Loren
5. “So learning to appreciate your lessons, mistakes, and setbacks as stepping-stones to the future is a clear sign you’re moving in the right direction.” ― Oprah Winfrey
6. “It’s not the mistake that matters, it’s how you interpret the lesson.” — Michelle C. Ustaszeski
7. “It happens to everyone as they grow up. You find out who you are and what you want, and then you realize that people you’ve known forever don’t see things the way you do. So you keep the wonderful memories, but find yourself moving on.” ― Nicholas Sparks
8. “Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.”— Guy Finley
9. “A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.” — John C. Maxwell
10. “If you’re not making some notable mistakes along the way, you’re certainly not taking enough business and career chances.” — Sallie Krawcheck
11. “It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” — Bill Gates
12. “Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way.” — Al Franken
13. “Failure teaches you everything — you learn nothing from success.” ― George Clooney
14. “People can be more forgiving than you can imagine. But you have to forgive yourself. Let go of what’s bitter and move on.” — Bill Cosby
15. “If you have the guts to keep making mistakes, your wisdom and intelligence leap forward with huge momentum.” — Holly Near
16. “You make mistakes. Mistakes don’t make you.” — Maxwell Maltz
17. “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
18. “Over the years I’ve come to realize that mistakes are just lessons, life lessons almost like school. Once you’ve learned a lesson in class, you move on to the next lesson because now you know it. Well, mistakes are exactly the same.” — Rashard Royster
19. “Knowing when to forgive yourself and correct yourself is a blessing.” — Angel Moreira
20. “You have to make mistakes to find out who you aren’t. You take the action, and the insight follows: You don’t think your way into becoming yourself.” — Anne Lamott
21. “Use teachable moments as a blueprint for what you should not do in the future.” ― Germany Kent
22. “Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes.” ― John Dewey
23. “There is no sense in punishing your future for the mistakes of your past. Forgive yourself, grow from it, and then let it go.” — Melanie Koulouris
24. “Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to error that counts.” — Nikki Giovanni
25. “Learning by making mistakes and not duplicating them is what life is about.” — Lindsay Fox
26. “Every fault made is another valuable lesson learned.”― Kaylee Stepkoski
27. “How much you can learn when you fail determines how far you will go into achieving your goals.” ― Roy Bennett
28. “One man’s fault is another man’s lesson.” — Maltese Proverb
29. “Many times what we perceive as an error or failure is actually a gift. And eventually, we find that lessons learned from that discouraging experience prove to be of great worth.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich
30. “I am not someone who is ashamed of my past. I’m actually really proud. I know I made a lot of mistakes, but they in turn were my life lessons.” ― Drew Barrymore
Morals Of Life To Live By
1. “Every day is a new day, and you’ll never be able to find happiness if you don’t move on.” — Carrie Underwood
2. “Be yourself — everyone else is already taken.” — Oscar Wilde
3. “You ought to know how to rise above the trivialities of life, in which most people are found drowning themselves.” ― D.T. Suzuki
4. “It’s never too late to reinvent yourself.” — Marc Russell Scarioni
5. “Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.” ― Roy T. Bennett
6. “Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.” ― Les Brown
7. “Sheer persistence is the difference between success and failure.” — Donald Trump
8. “Think of each failure, each heartache, and each loss in your life as a lesson in courage and resilience.” — Kate Anderson
9. “Focus and simplicity…once you get there, you can move mountains.” ― Steve Jobs
10. “Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.” — Oprah Winfrey
Final Words
As you could see in this collection of life lessons quotes, most of the important life lessons are learned the hard way.
So be wise and soak up the experiences shared in these words of wisdom to learn a thing or two about life challenges and opportunities, and use them to create the best life for yourself!
