Feeling Defeated? 10 Inspirational Life Quotes for a Confidence Boost

One of the saddest things about being put down, mistreated, or bullied is what it does to a person’s self-esteem. It’s tough when children are persecuted, picked on, and humiliated, but it is even more tragic when a child begins believing that he or she is not as good as others or even deserves the abuse.

Inspiration from those who have suffered similar maltreatment and then restored their confidence and dignity can remind other victims that another person’s words and actions don’t define who they are.

The following quotes may help boost the confidence of those experiencing any form of verbal abuse such as bullying. And read on for a few additional quotes that will inspire you to stand up for victims of such abuse or injustice. Some of these quotes are available as printables at the end of this post.

10 Life Quotes for Those in Need of a Confidence Boost

“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” —Christopher Robin to Pooh, A.A. Milne

“When people see you’re happy doing what you’re doing, it sort of takes the power away from them to tease you about it.” —Wendy Mass, Every Soul a Star

“I would rather be a little nobody, than to be an evil somebody.” —Abraham Lincoln

“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt

“I never set out to be weird. It was always other people who called me weird.” —Frank Zappa

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.” —Harvey Fierstein

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'” —Eleanor Roosevelt

“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.” 
―Bertrand Russell

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.”Helen Keller

Life Quotes for Standing Up for What’s Right

“Knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right.” —Theodore Roosevelt

“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” —Elie Wiesel

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” —Desmond Tutu

“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.” —Martin Luther King Jr.

“Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.” —Haile Selassie

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”—Martin Luther King, Jr.

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