Motivational Quotes for Students by Famous People [40 Quotes]

You might want to give up on studying because of bad grades and failures. But, remember, you can also achieve top grades and excel in each aspect of academics. When nothing is working in your way, you have to condition your mind and motivate yourself.

Thus, it is necessary to stay motivated by reading positive quotes, and keeping that in mind, we like to share 40 motivational quotes for students with explanations. Make sure to read them whenever you don’t feel like studying or when you feel disappointed.

Here are 40 Motivational Quotes for Students by Famous People:

1. “If you want something different, you are going to have to have to do something different.”

– Jack Canfield, Author of ‘Chicken Soup for The Soul’ 

Just remember one thing, if you are planning to pass an exam or achieve merit then there are hundreds and maybe thousands of students with the same goal. So, your dream can turn into reality only if you are willing to do things that most people are reluctant to do.

2. “You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.”

– Brian Tracy, Motivational Public Speaker

As a student, less time, a difficult syllabus, or some problems may arise while working hard to achieve your goals. You must not lose hope and keep the right attitude with a complete focus on only achieving what you want in life.

3. “If you really want to do something, you will find a way. If you don’t, you will find excuses.”

– Jim Rohn, An American Entrepreneur and Motivational Speaker

Just ponder for a while and find the moments from your past where you gave excuses. Excuses shift the blame to someone else. But, if you want to become something and studies are a medium to achieve it, then you will leave no stone unturned to achieve excellence.

4. “If you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people aren’t willing to do.”

– Michael Phelps, Most Decorated Olympian of All Time

You must overcome every ill of the mind, let it be ego, or laziness with the sole aim to master the knowledge because this will help you to be the best student.

5. “I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principle unto death.”

– Leonardo da Vinci, Leading Figure of The Italian Renaissance

It’s tough, but have a smile on your face when you face struggles. It will not lessen the gravity of the problem but boost your attitude with positivity, which in turn helps you to not only handle problems but turn them into an opportunity to achieve what you want.

6. “I always say that practise gets you to the top, most of the time.”

– David Beckham, Famous Sportsman

Failures are part and parcel of life; if you fail as a student, don’t lose hope or question your strength. Failures are, in reality, an indicator that tells you about the improvements that need to be done. So smile, as these failures are temporary, but your will to achieve greatness is permanent.

7. “There is a huge difference between a dog that is going to eat you in your mind and an actual dog that’s going to eat you.”

– Jim Carrey, Famous Canadian-American Actor

Most of our fears of future events never happen, but they do ruin our present. So, don’t let the fear of failing in exams ruin your plan, schedule, and hard work that you are doing with a positive intention.

8. “We should not give up and we should not allow the problem to defeat us.”

– A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, 11th President of India

Success is never easy, and that’s why very few become a legend; that’s why you should not give up if you know you have the potential to achieve big things and work on your problems instead of whining about them.

9. “Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own.”

– Bruce Lee, Famous Martial Artist and Movie Star

There is not a single route to achieving success or maximum marks as a student. Know your strength and weakness, study what toppers do, analyze their strategy and adapt it to your schedule and approach to make it your unique strategy.

10. “Leaders spend 5% of their time on the problem & 95% of their time on the solution. Get over it & crush it!”

– Tony Robbins, Life Coach and American Author

You always have a choice, whether to concentrate on opportunities that come with a problem or the magnitude of the problem. It is this moment that decides your path to success or failure.

11. “If you are hurt, lick your wound and get up again. If you have given it your best, it’s time to move forward.”

– Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group

Don’t stop on disappointments and failures in exams. If you know you have done your best, just believe in yourself, and move on to conquer the next test you have.

12. “Don’t wait until everything is right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges. obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now.”

– Mark Victor Hansen, American Inspirational and Motivational Speaker

Perfect conditions are a myth, and you must never depend on external conditions to go right before you attempt. Remember, now is a perfect time, and you must start now without any excuses.

13. “A year from now on you may wish you had started today.”

– Karen Lamb, Famous English Author

Many times you curse the bad decision of the past but fail to know that the present is all you have, and it’s the foundation to create a past that you are proud of.

14. “My advice is, never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time. Collar Him.”

– Charles Dickens, Famous English Writer and Social Critic

What separates high-grade achievers from others is that they value time and never allow procrastination to postpone their study schedule. As a student, you must value time and study consistently to prepare for any emergencies that come in front of you.

15. “Work like hell, I mean you just have to put 80 to 100 hours per week. This improves the odds of success. If other people are putting in 40 hours work week and you are putting in 100 hours work week, then even if you are doing the same thing, you know that you will achieve in four months what it takes them a year to achieve.”

–  Elon Musk, Famous Entrepreneur

Remember, as a student, if you are preparing for an exam for getting a job, then work hard for a long time and duration; this gives you a decisive lead over the rest of the people. Start early, study for a long time, revise, and practice your exams multiple times to achieve your dreams, and get that lucrative job.

16. “The activity you are avoiding contains your biggest opportunity.”

– Robin Sharma, Canadian Writer and Leadership Speaker

Many times you resist touching that tough chapter or subject and leave it for the future. But, if you dare to complete it first, note down the difficulties you face, and seek solutions to become better, you massively improve your chances of becoming a topper student.

17. “Success is not a destination, but the road that you’re on. Being Successful means that you are working hard and walking your walk every day. You can only live your dream by working hard towards it. That’s living your dream.”

– Marlon Wayans, American Actor

Your true success doesn’t lie in achieving high grades; it’s just a by-product. True success lies in mastering the subject and your field of study. How much will you show to learn details and every aspect of the course determines your result.

18. “Only you and you alone can change your situation. Don’t blame it on anything or anyone.”

– Leonardo DiCaprio, Famous Oscar-Winning Actor

If you wish to change the situation in your school performance, you must not focus on what others are doing and think about their position and chances; you must focus on finding your strength and seek solutions that will make you an inspiration.

19. “Talent without working hard is nothing.”

– Cristiano Ronaldo, Star Football Player

Your grasping power, strong memory, and intelligence will help you up to a certain limit. But when you are about to compete with thousands of other people in an exam for very few seats, then it all becomes a game of hard work. Because when you are relaxing and not giving your best, someone else is pushing his limits to become better than you.

20. “If you’ve never tried, how will you know if there’s any chance?”

– Jack Ma, Founder of Alibaba Group

One of the worst things is to not attempt a competitive exam because of the fear of failing. It’s the most unfortunate thing to do, as you demean your potential, and lose an opportunity to know your skills and knowledge much better, which further helps in improving.

21. “The deepest and most overlooked truth is that innovation cannot happen without failures.”

– Matthew Syed, Sunday Times Best-Seller Author

All the scientific advances in the world have a foundation of countless failures, and you can’t separate failures from innovation. Similarly, if you want to achieve big things in life, then you have to go through defeats. There is simply no alternative, so just make sure that every disappointment helps you to grow and not stop.

22. “Till the full stop does not come the sentence is not complete.”

– M. S. Dhoni, Famous Indian Cricketer

Sometimes, uncontrollable factors may hinder your exam preparations, but remember that nothing is predicted till the end. So instead of lamenting over the loss of time, gives a massive effort in the present to cover up the lost time. Time does test, but a winner faces it with grace.

23. “You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.”

– Serena Williams, Famous Tennis Player

It is in the toughest times and situations that you need your moral support. The situation might become worse if you fail an exam and concrete the thoughts that you are good for nothing in life. Life is all about ups and downs, and you will succeed as a student if you support yourself in your struggles.

24. “The most important thing of all is the maintenance of aim. If I could pass on one thing, it is that. My business success came from the maintenance of aim. I said to myself, no matter what else I will make the best programmes I can.”

– Waheed Alli, Famous Media Entrepreneur

You can’t work aimlessly in life; your energy and efforts require direction, and your goal is the route to it. Just fix a goal like, “Achieve a rank under 10 in the end exam”. After this, you must strategize your study and divide it into small tasks that will make you prepared and give an attempt with the maximum chance of achieving the end goal.

25. “The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started.”

– Dawson Trotman, Founder of The Navigators

You will face the greatest mental resistance before you do any task, the mind doesn’t like any constraints and likes to roam free in a sea of different thoughts, and a task will make it focus on one thing. So, you have to overcome this initial mental obstacle because once you start studying, the flow helps you keep going forward.

26. “If you want to accomplish the goals of your life, you have to begin with the spirit.”

– Oprah Winfrey, Famous Actress and American Media Proprietor

No matter how ambitious or intelligent are you, you will like to give up when you face initial struggles and hardship. Hard work and skills alone don’t help you in achieving your goals; it is the spirit and unwavering belief that drives you forward when nothing works in your favour.

27. “Hard work without meaning is like a prison sentence. But, once you have meaning, it is a kind of thing that makes you grab your wife around the waist and dance a jig.”

– Malcolm Gladwell, Journalist and Author with Five New York Times Best Sellers.

Studying hard for exams might feel like a punishment to you if you don’t have any purpose in front of you. But, as a student, if you see your hard work, as a tool to bring happiness to your parent’s faces or change your financial conditions, then you will find happiness in your hardship and long study hours.

28. “Let them sleep while you grind, let them party while you work. The difference will show.”

– Eric Thomas, American Motivational Speaker

Never compare yourself to others. As a student, don’t get waivered; if others are wasting their time to feel good for some time, you just keep the focus on your goal and give your hundred per cent, and you will have the last laugh at the end.

29. “You can’t sit there and worry about everything.”

– Michael Bloomberg, CEO of Bloomberg L. P.

It’s funny that many times we worry a lot about a future event like a career-defining exam. It’s a natural thing, but spending too much time pondering over it is useless. Just concentrate on your present, take one step at a time, give everything that you have got with good intentions, and don’t worry much about the outcome, and that’s how you will overcome the obstacle.

30. “I hated every minute of training, but said, ‘Don’t quit, suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'”

– Mohammad Ali,  Legendary Boxer

Nobody likes getting out of their comfort zone, but that’s where the true opportunity and development lies. If you are thinking about giving up or reducing your study hours, then remember this quote. Just hold one for some more time because glory will be yours then.

31. “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.”

– Thomas Jefferson, One of The Founding Fathers of the United States

The more you work, there are higher the chances that you will be lucky and find solutions, think new thoughts, and seek better alternatives to achieve your goals in a short time.

32. “For those who don’t believe in themselves, hard work is worthless.”

–  Masashi Kishimoto, Famous Japanese Manga Artist

You must believe in your abilities and strength before setting out for the haul to get what you want. Because if you don’t believe in yourself, work hard, and face failure in between, then there are huge chances that you might give up in the middle.

33. “Why did I become Jackie Chan? Mostly because I work hard. When people were sleeping, I was still training.”

– Jackie Chan, Famous Honk Kong Martial Artist and Actor

One of the traits of successful people is that they compete with themself, and don’t care what others do. So, if you want to achieve maximum marks in your upcoming exams, just focus on your improvement, don’t care or follow the routines of other people, and keep pushing your limits.

34. “Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. So don’t lose faith.”

– Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple Inc.

Difficult times are inevitable, and you might perform worse in your studies; just don’t lose faith or consider yourself inferior at that time. Have self-belief and you will perform better in future.

35. “I’m tough, I’m ambitious and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, it’s okay.”

– Madonna, The Queen of Pop

While studying for achieving your dreams, you might face distractions from your friends or family members, who might point out your study hours or recommend going lenient. But, counter every argument with a stern ‘No’. Those who truly care for you will understand your commitment and dedication, and those who don’t; should not disturb you with their opinions about you.

36. “It’s not something that happens overnight. I kept saying that until mathematically things are impossible, I will keep fighting.”

– Michael Schumacher, Famous F1 champion

You will not achieve high grades or a rank one with just one night of preparations; you have to carefully attend lectures, study at home, and discuss with peers to understand the content of a subject. Achieving a top position might seem impossible at the start, but your daily work to become better can make it possible.

37. “When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”

– Paulo Coelho, Author of Bestselling Book, ‘The Alchemist’

When you inculcate discipline and punctuality in life, you find many problems become obsolete on their own, and your energy is spent more on doing things that uplift your personality.

38. “For me, I’m focused on what I want to do. I know what I need to do to be a champion, so I’m working on it.”

– Usain Bolt, Jamaica’s Most Decorated Athlete

The first step towards becoming a champion or a winner is knowing what you want. Once you transform your dreams into concrete and realistic goals, it will get easier to focus and channel your energy to achieve them.

39. “Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summer off, and very few employers are interested in helping you. So, find yourself.”

– Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft Corporation

The real world is more challenging and more complex than your academic days. An average student might perform better in a job than a topper. So, along with studies, try to experience and learn from real-life scenarios. Your goal should not be just limited to achieving grades but to developing as a complete human being.

40. “The man who does not read books has no advantage over the man that cannot read them.”

– Mark Twain, Famous American Writer

What is the use of all the resources, and your intelligence, if you don’t spend more time reading books than a man who doesn’t. Your thinking never evolves, and you never give true justice to the opportunities or brilliance that you possess.

So which quote motivated you to study harder? Or do you have any favourite ‘motivational quotes for students’ other than the above? Do comment below.