Advertiser Disclosure
by Aidan Kang, CFA
Senior Writer
Saving & Budgeting
UPDATED: April 29, 2022

Are you going through some financial hardships today? Maybe you’re not sure whether to jump headfirst into that new venture you’ve been thinking about? Or maybe you’re feeling burnt out and want to know how you can find fulfillment and happiness? 

Good news, we’ve got the answers for you. We went through a million personal finance quotes, looking through impactful and effective ones that have really helped many who were in the same situation as you. We’ve listed down some of the most powerful ones here for you.

You’ll find some impactful quotes on building wealth, on managing debt and spending, on facing challenges, on embracing failure, and many more. These quotes are ones that some of the wealthiest individuals both today and in the past have always lived by, so we can guarantee that they will help uplift your spirits. 

On Building Wealth and Fulfillment

A lot of people focus on adding more zeroes into the balances of their bank accounts. Building wealth, however, is far more than that. Here are a few quotes that will remind you of how wealth and money are two different things, and why the former is a far more important thing to have.

  1. “Wealth after all is a relative thing since he that has little and wants less is richer than he that has much and wants more.” – Charles Caleb Colton
  2. “A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart”. – Jonathan Swift
  3. “You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.” – Maya Angelou
  4. ”Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” – Epictetus
  5. ”What we really want to do is what we are really meant to do. When we do what we are meant to do, money comes to us, doors open for us, we feel useful, and the work we do feels like play to us.” – Julia Cameron
  6. ”Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
  7. ”If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability.” – Henry Ford
  8. ”Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” – Henry David Thoreau
  9. ”Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” – Benjamin Franklin
  10. ”Wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it.” – Benjamin Franklin
  11. ”No wealth can ever make a bad man at peace with himself.” – Plato
  12. ”The real measure of your wealth is how much you'd be worth if you lost all your money.” – Anonymous

On Making Money

Of course, money is an important resource to have in this world. But you should never become slave to the dollar. 

Here are a few mindsets to keep when it comes to how you handle it: 

  1. ”It's not how much money you make, but how much money you keep, how hard it works for you, and how many generations you keep it for.” – Robert Kiyosaki
  2. ”Investing should be more like watching paint dry or watching grass grow. If you want excitement, take $800 and go to Las Vegas.” – Paul Samuelson
  3. ”Money is a terrible master but an excellent servant.” – P.T. Barnum

On the Stock Market

Investing in the stock market is a risky endeavor that few people truly understand. A lot of individuals turn to this, thinking that it’s an easy way to make tons of money overnight. As everyone knows, this isn’t true.

Christopher Sioco, COO of Parachor Consulting, shared the story of how this particular quote from Warren Buffett helped him manage his emotions when it came to stock trading. 

“Investors should remember that excitement and expenses are their enemies.” 

– Warren Buffett

Stock trading can be an exciting way to make money (or lose it) for many.

“As an investor, I was always eager to sell stocks as soon as possible and get small rewards,” Sioco shared. “I ended up losing more than I earned.”

The quote from Warren Buffett, however, helped change his perspective. He understood that investing in stocks was more like a marathon than a sprint. 

“I learned self-control the hard way and started playing the game with patience and mind. As a result, I am able to see the bigger picture more clearly and play the long game,” Sioco added.

Here are some mindsets that some of the most successful stock market players have when it comes to investing in these instruments.

  1. ”The Stock Market is designed to transfer money from the Active to the Patient.” – Warren Buffett
  2. ”When buying shares, ask yourself, would you buy the whole company?” – Rene Rivkin
  3. ”I never attempt to make money on the stock market. I buy on the assumption that they could close the market the next day and not reopen it for ten years.” – Warren Buffett
  4. ”Buy when everyone else is selling and hold until everyone else is buying. That’s not just a catchy slogan. It’s the very essence of successful investing.” – J. Paul Getty
  5. ”I will tell you the secret to getting rich on Wall Street. You try to be greedy when others are fearful. And you try to be fearful when others are greedy.” – Warren Buffett
  6. ”The individual investor should act consistently as an investor and not as a speculator.” – Ben Graham
  7. ”If you have trouble imagining a 20% loss in the stock market, you shouldn’t be in stocks.” – John Bogle
  8. ”The stock market is filled with individuals who know the price of everything, but the value of nothing.” – Phillip Fisher

On Budgeting

Budgeting is one of the most basic financial skills everyone should develop. If you’re struggling with your budget, here are some inspirations to draw upon.

  1. ”You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you.” – Dave Ramsey
  2. ”Too many people spend money they earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people that they don't like.” – Will Rogers
  3. ”Don't tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value.” – Joe Biden
  4. ”Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving.” – Warren Buffett 
  5. ”A simple fact that is hard to learn is that the time to save money is when you have some.” – Joe Moore
  6. ”The habit of saving is itself an education; it fosters every virtue, teaches self-denial, cultivates the sense of order, trains to forethought, and so broadens the mind.” – T.T. Munger

On Debt and Spending

Managing one’s debt and spending seems to be a problem that plagues a lot of people. Too many individuals live one-day millionaire lives, and end up living from paycheck to paycheck because of it. 

Caleb Reed, personal finance expert and founder of TheDollarBudget, shared a story of how this quote from Josh Billings helped him get out of debt and improve his financial situation. 

“Debt is like any other trap: easy enough to get into, hard enough to get out of.”

– Josh Billings

“Not knowing the consequences of credit card debt, I used a credit card to buy everything when I first got one,” Reed shared. 

However, he only made the minimum required payment each month. 

Eventually, this habit left him with several maxed out credit cards and a ton of interest to pay. This was when he came upon Josh Billings’ quote. 

Caleb was motivated to turn his life around as he realized that paying for things with his credit card was nothing more than a trap he needed to escape. 

While it was a difficult journey, he used the quote to motivate himself to pay off his credit cards and become debt-free. 

Here are a few more quotes that’ll help you keep your debt and spending under control.

  1. ”Every time you borrow money, you're robbing your future self.” – Nathan W. Morris
  2. ”Never spend your money before you have it.” – Thomas Jefferson
  3. ”If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of car payments.” – Earl Wilson
  4. ”Know what you own, and know why you own it.” – Peter Lynch
  5. ”Beware of small expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.” – Benjamin Franklin
  6. “Debt is like any other trap: easy enough to get into, hard enough to get out of.” – Josh Billings

On Rich People’s Mindsets

Rich people often have unique mindsets that help propel them to where they are. Here’s an insight into the minds of some of the richest and most successful people in the past. 

  1. ”An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” – Benjamin Franklin
  2. ”Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs
  3. ”He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses much more; He who loses faith, loses all.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
  4. ”Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver.” – Ayn Rand
  5. ”Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” – Jim Rohn
  6. ”Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi
  7. ”The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” – Bruce Lee
  8. ”Wealth is largely the result of habit.” – John Jacob Astor
  9. ”Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt

On Working Hard and Sacrificing for the Future

We’ve all heard the cliche of sacrificing today so you can live a better life tomorrow. Despite all these reminders, it’s still very hard to actually live by them. 

These quotes, however, should do that job for you and remind you not just to do it, but of the reasons why you should do it. 

  1. ”Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison
  2. ”I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” – Thomas Jefferson
  3. ”You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” – Steve Jobs
  4. ”The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vidal Sassoon
  5. ”It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.” – George Lorimer
  6. ”Persist – don’t take no for an answer. If you’re happy to sit at your desk and not take any risk, you’ll be sitting at your desk for the next 20 years.” – David Rubenstein
  7. ”A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
  8. ”Money grows on the tree of persistence.” – Japanese Proverb
  9. ”It is time for us to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever, the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it.” – Vince Lombardi
  10. ”My formula for success is to rise early, work late and strike oil.” – JP Getty

On Being Poor

Sometimes, being poor is simply in the mind. Experiencing financial setbacks is normal. Understanding what is truly important is the key to being rich and wealthy. 

Here are a few quotes that will remind you of that. 

  1. ”Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.” – Norman Vincent Peale
  2. ”It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.” – Seneca
  3. ”If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free. If our wealth commands us, we are indeed poor.” – Edmund Burke
  4. ”Rich people have small TVs and big libraries, and poor people have small libraries and big TVs.” – Zig Ziglar
  5. ”I'd like to live as a poor man with lots of money.” – Pablo Picasso
  6. ”Everyday is a bank account, and time is our currency. No one is rich, no one is poor, we've got 24 hours each.” – Christopher Rice

On Embracing Failure

Everyone falls. What matters is that you learn, you get back up, and you push through. 

Failures are signs that you’re trying. Keep failing, keep learning, keep getting back up, and keep pushing on. 

Here are some quotes that’ll help you do these things when you feel like giving up.

  1. ”Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it.” – Oprah Winfrey
  2. ”I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison
  3. ”Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill
  4. ”Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” – Dale Carnegie
  5. ”Don’t let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning.” – Robert Kiyosaki
  6. ”Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end you are sure to succeed.” – Abraham Lincoln
  7. ”Screw it, Let’s do it!” – Richard Branson
  8. ”I’m only rich because I know when I’m wrong…I basically have survived by recognizing my mistakes.” – George Soros
  9. ”If plan A fails, remember there are 25 more letters.” – Chris Guillebeau
  10. ”My old father used to have a saying:  If you make a bad bargain, hug it all the tighter.” – Abraham Lincoln
  11. ”It's how you deal with failure that determines how you achieve success.” – David Feherty

On Taking Risks and Being Brave

The bigger the risk, the higher the reward – we’ve all heard this before. But taking risks is something that not many of us have the heart to do. If you truly want to be successful, however, you’ll have to muster up that courage, take that leap of faith every now and then, and do everything in your power to make sure that you have a smooth landing. 

Alex Mastin, CEO and Founder of Home Grounds, shared how this particular quote from Milton Berle encouraged him to finally take that leap of faith to pursue his own venture.

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” – Milton Berle 

At one point in his past, Alex, like many of us, was stuck in a 9-5 that he hated. He had that itch to do something different – to strike out on his own and make his own success in life.

For him, it was an itch that no corporate 9-5 job could ever satisfy. At the same time, though, it never seemed like the right time. He was always waiting for the right opportunity. 

Until he found Berle’s motivational quote. 

For Alex, it was such a simple statement, yet it hit him like a ton of bricks. 

He realized that he was in control of his own destiny and his finances. He had the power to make it happen – he just needed to act. 

Here are a few reminders that should help. 

  1. ”Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
  2. ”If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to meet it!” – Jonathan Winters
  3. ”Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” – John Wayne
  4. ”A real entrepreneur is somebody who has no safety net underneath them.” – Henry Kravis
  5. ”What’s keeping you from being rich? In most cases, it’s simply a lack of belief. In order to become rich, you must believe you can do it, and you must take the actions necessary to achieve your goal.” – Suze Orman
  6. ”It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
  7. ”I say always follow your passion, no matter what, because even if it’s not the same financial success, it’ll lead you to the money that’ll make you the happiest.” – Ellen DeGeneres
  8. ”Never stand begging for that which you have the power to earn.” – Miguel de Cervantes
  9. ”How many millionaires do you know who have become wealthy by investing in savings accounts? I rest my case.” – Robert G. Allen
  10. ”It is our choices, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” – J. K Rowling
  11. ”Fortune sides with him who dares.” – Virgil

On Facing Challenges and Hardships

Everyone encounters challenges and hardships in life. It’s how you stand up to them, what mindset you have when dealing with them, that makes all the difference. 

Adelle Archer, co-founder and CEO of Eterneva, shared how this quote from Mark Twain allowed her to power through the challenges she faced during the earlier parts of her business. 

”Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.” – Mark Twain

Eterneva is an innovative company that honors the lives of remarkable people and pets by turning their cremated ashes into diamonds. The business, she thought, fell too much into the niche category that she doubted whether she should even start it. 

This quote from Mark Twain inspired her to move forward and pursue her concept. Despite the doubts, she found the strength to put her apprehensions away and take on the challenge. 

Here are some reminders on what you need to do when you face up to those challenges and hardships. 

  1. ”A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” – David Brinkley
  2. ”It's not the situation, but whether we react (negative) or respond (positive) to the situation that's important.” – Zig Ziglar
  3. ”If you don’t value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents. Value what you know & start charging for it.” – Kim Garst
  4. ”The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” – Ayn Rand

On Finding Contentment and Giving Back

At the end of the day, this race or marathon that we call life is all about finding contentment and giving back to others. At least that’s what it should be about. Too many people lose themselves along the way and end up wasting their lives living to work instead of working to live. Here are some quotes that’ll keep you from making those same mistakes. 

  1. ”Success isn’t measured by money or power or social rank. Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace.” – Mike Ditka
  2. ”We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill
  3. ”Financial peace isn't the acquisition of stuff. It's learning to live on less than you make, so you can give money back and have money to invest. You can't win until you do this.” – Dave Ramsey
  4. ”If you live for having it all, what you have is never enough.” – Vicki Robin
  5. ”Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” – Albert Einstein
  6. ”The best thing money can buy is financial freedom.” – Me
  7. ”Before you speak, listen. Before you write, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you invest, investigate. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try. Before you retire, save. Before you die, give.” – William A. Ward
  8. ”Money cannot buy peace of mind. It cannot heal ruptured relationships, or build meaning into a life that has none.” – Anonymous

Final Thoughts

Whether you’ve been having some recent financial troubles, finding it hard to maintain a budget, or simply looking for a mantra that you can recite when you’re in a tight spot and you feel like giving up, these quotes are here to help. 

They are great snapshots of how the minds of some of the most successful people worked, and if you live by them, they can help you in your journey as well.

Related Posts