50 Quotes About Change

About Life Changes, Challenges and Transitions

Life is a journey marked by constant change, filled with unexpected changes, challenges and transitions that test our resilience and adaptability. I have lived through so many of these that I now host Manifest Your Next Chapter retreats on my little farm in France, to help others through challenging periods in their own lives. Whether it’s a new job, a move to a different city, the end of a relationship, or an unexpected shift in your health, these moments of change often come with a heady mix of excitement, trepidation, and uncertainty. Yet, it’s in these very transitions that we find our greatest opportunities for growth, resilience, and self-discovery. These quotes can help us embrace life’s twists and turns with patience and confidence, turning potential obstacles into powerful stepping stones on our journey.

Sometimes, as I search the web for a quote to add to a post, I come across a quote so meaningful to me at that specific moment in time that it takes my breath away. I copy and paste it into my “best-ever-quotes”-file and when life gets a bit difficult I reread my favourite quotes. Or I turn them into affirmations. Often a particularly spot-on quote ends up in my gratitude journal. It is reassuring to know that others have survived whatever I am struggling through.

Below is a list of quotes about change, life changes, challenges and transitions. Some I agree with wholeheartedly, other less so. Which one do you find most inspiring?

1. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it without knowing what’s going to happen next.” — Gilda Radner
2. “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it and join the dance.” — Alan Watts
3. “Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They are an opportunity to purge, rethink priorities, and be intentional about new habits. We can make our new normal any way we want.” – Kristin Armstrong
4. “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” — Maya Angelou
5. “Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene.” — A. C. Benson
6. “Change before you have to.” — Jack Welch
7. “Sometimes if you want to see a change for the better, you have to take things into your own hands.” — Clint Eastwood
8. “You’re only as young as the last time you changed your mind.” — Timothy Leary
9. “All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward.” — Ellen Glasgow
10. “Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly.” — Francis Bacon
11. “The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.” — Charles Kettering
12. “If you want to make enemies, try to change something.” — Woodrow Wilson
13. “Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots.” — Victor Hugo
14. “Miracles happen every day. Change your perception of what a miracle is and you’ll see them all around you.” — Jon Bon Jovi
15. “All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves. We must die to one life before we can enter another.” — Anatole France
16. “Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable and remove yourself from the unacceptable.” — Denis Waitley
17. “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” — Wayne W. Dyer
18. “Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” — Hermann Hesse
19. “Since we can not change reality, let us change the eyes which see reality.” — Nikos Kazantzakis
20. “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.” — Margaret Mead
21. “Change will never happen when people lack the ability and courage to see themselves for who they are.” — Bryant H. McGill
22. “Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
23. “Change brings opportunity.” — Nido Qubein
24. “When you blame others, you give up your power to change.” — Robert Anthony
25. “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” — Frederick Douglass
26. “Ignorance is always afraid of change.” — Jawaharlal Nehru
27. “Change in all things is sweet.” — Aristotle
28. “To change what you get, you must change who you are.” — Vernon Howard
29. “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” — Dolly Parton
30. “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” — Albert Einstein
31. “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” — Harriet Tubman
32. “Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better.” — Sydney J. Harris
33. “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
34. “How wonderful is it that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” — Anne Frank
35. “You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget the mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.” — Johnny Cash
36. It doesn’t matter how strong your opinions are. If you don’t use your power for positive change, you are indeed part of the problem.” — Coretta Scott King
37. “Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future.” — Walt Disney
38. “To change one’s life: 1. Start immediately. 2. Do it flamboyantly. 3. No exceptions.” — William James
39. “Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.” — Mary Shelley
40. “Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.” — Eckhart Tolle
41. “No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself.” — Madonna
42. “Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.” — Bertolt Brecht
43. “Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken.” — Frank Herbert
44. “Things do not change; we change.” — Henry David Thoreau
45. “I suppose whenever you go through periods of transition, or in a way, it’s a very definite closing of a certain chapter of your life – I suppose those times are always going to be both very upsetting and also very exciting by the very nature because things are changing and you don’t know what’s going to happen.” – Daniel Radcliff
46. “I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.” — Stephen Hawking
47. “A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you’re in and take advantage of it.” – Nikki Giovanni
48. “The thing that lies at the foundation of positive change, the way I see it, is service to a fellow human being.” — Lech Walesa
49. “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” — Steve Jobs
50. “In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.” — Abraham Maslow

Change may bring uncertainty and discomfort, but it also offers opportunities to redefine our paths, discover new strengths, and create a life more aligned with our true selves. By embracing change with an open heart and a resilient mindset, we can navigate these transitions not as obstacles, but as stepping stones to a more fulfilled and empowered future.