Reflection Quotes to Reflect on for a Growth Mindset & Perspective

Here are 50 of my top reflection quotes to ponder, think about, and gain inspiration from. I hope these quotes provide motivation, perspective, and a mindset for growth for you apply. Just click through the visual quote slides or scroll down for the reflection quotes in text. Reflect on each one. What does the quote mean to you? Which ones inspire you?
After the 50 quotes you will find some tips for using reflections in meetings.

 

“If you get, give. If you learn, teach.”

  • Maya Angelou

 

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”

  • Maya Angelou

 

“Courage is the most important of all virtues, because without courage, you cannot practice any of the other virtues consistently.”

  • Maya Angelou

 

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”

  • Maya Angelou

 

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

  • Maya Angelou

 

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

  • Maya Angelou

 

“Don’t tell me that worry doesn’t do any good. I know better. The things I worry about don’t happen,”

  • Anonymous

 

“No man is such a conqueror as the man who has defeated himself.”

  • Henry Ward Beecher

 

“Train people well enough so they can leave; treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”

  • Richard Branson

 

“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.”

  • Les Brown

 

“I can’t understand why people are frightened by new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.”

  • John Cage

 

“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.”

  • John Campbell

 

“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”

  • Joseph Campbell

 

“Be who you were created to be, and you will set the world on fire.”

  • Catherine of Siena

 

“You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.”

  • Winston Churchill

 

“The tragedy of life is not death but what we let die inside of us while we live.”

  • Norman Cousins

 

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”

  • George Eliot

 

“it is one of the beautiful compensations of this life that no one can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”

  • Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

“Find the journey’s end in every step.”

  • Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are small compared to what lies within us.”

  • Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

“Our strength grows out of weakness.”

  • Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

“We can’t do much about the length of our lives, but we can do plenty about its width and depth.”

  • Evan Esar

 

“You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.”

  • Henry Ford

 

“One meets his destiny often on the road he takes to avoid it.”

  • French Proverb

 

“The best way out is always through.”

  • Robert Frost

“A candle loses nothing of its light when lighting another.”

  • Kahlil Gibran

 

“One doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.”

  • Andre Gide

 

“It’s all right to have butterflies in your stomach. Just get them to fly in formation.”

  • Rob Gilbert

 

“Great stories happen to those who can tell them.”

  • Ira Glass

 

“Some things have to be believed to be seen.”

  • Ralph Hodgson

 

‘A moment’s insight is often worth a life’s experience.”

  • Oliver Wendell Holmes

 

It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.”

  • Mae Jemison

 

“Keep you face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.”

  • Helen Keller

 

“You can count how many seeds are in the apple, but not how many apples are in the seed.”

  • Ken Kersey

 

“If the wind will not serve, take to the oars.”

  • Latin Proverb

 

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

  • Bruce Lee

 

“Teach thy tongue to say, “I do not know,” and thou shall progress.”

  • Mainmonides

 

“Education costs money. But then so does ignorance.”

  • Sir Claus Moser

 

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”

  • Anais Nin

 

“Change your thoughts and you change your world.”

  • Norman Vincent Peale

 

“Either you run the day, or the day runs you.”

  • Jim Rohn

 

“Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.”

  • Seneca

 

“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.”

  • Roger Staubach

 

“Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

  • William Shakespeare

 

“Men are born to succeed, not to fail.”

  • Henry David Thoreau

 

“I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there. Perhaps it seemed to me that I had several more lives to live, and could not spare any more time for that one… I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

  • Henry David Thoreau

 

“You are built not to shrink down to less but to blossom into more.”

  • Oprah Winfrey

 

“if you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.”

  • Oprah Winfrey

 

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world.”

  • Henry David Thoreau

 

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.”

  • Zig Ziglar

    Reflections for Meetings

    Meetings are often the cornerstone of collaboration, decision-making, and progress in any organization. Incorporating reflections at the beginning of a meeting can set the tone for creativity, focus, and a growth mindset. By starting a meeting with an inspirational quote, story, reading or reflection, you invite participants to step back from the usual hustle and engage in thoughtful, intentional dialogue. Here’s how you can introduce reflections into your meetings:

    Inspirational Readings for Meetings

    Starting your meeting with an inspirational reading or reflection helps to center everyone’s thoughts and foster a positive environment. Here are a few tips and ideas to help you integrate reflections effectively:

    • Begin with a Quote or Reading: Open the meeting by sharing a powerful quote that relates to the topic at hand or inspires growth and collaboration. The quotes already featured in this post, such as those from Maya Angelou or Les Brown, are great examples. You can also share readings from leadership books or articles that align with the goals of your team.
    • Personal Stories or Experiences: Share a personal experience or invite a team member to share something meaningful. This could be a story of overcoming challenges, moments of learning, or experiences that reflect the values of growth and perseverance. Personal stories can create a deeper connection among team members.
    • Insightful Questions for Reflection: Pose a question to your team that encourages them to reflect on their personal and professional growth. For example:
      • “What is one lesson you’ve learned recently that has changed how you approach your work?”
      • “How can we support each other to take bold steps toward our collective goals?”
    • Mindful Moments: You might also use a short moment of mindfulness or meditation, asking everyone to take a deep breath and focus on the purpose of the meeting. This is especially helpful in fast-paced environments where stress can hinder creative thinking.
    • Encouraging a Growth Mindset: Encourage the team to adopt a growth mindset by asking them to reflect on how they can learn from recent setbacks or challenges. This can help shift the focus from problems to solutions and make space for innovative thinking.

    Examples of Reflections to Share

    1. Read a Motivational Quote:
      • Here’s a great quote (that motivates me into the small action I can take) from the Bird by Bird Anne Lamott book I’m reading. It’s long but great. “Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table, close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.’”
      • You can ask people in the meeting to reflect on the quote and even share their reflection with a partner or the team.
    2. Share a Short Story:
      • For example, share an interesting story you’ve come across such based on an interest or something happening at work. I like the Anne Lamott quote above because it also shares a story. Or for another example but this time about an author, you could share how J.K. Rowling faced numerous rejections before publishing “Harry Potter.” This story could highlight perseverance and creativity in overcoming obstacles. Even better, ask them if they have their own story to share. Share your own too.
    3. Reflect on a Recent Achievement or Challenge:
      • Ask your team to think about a recent achievement or challenge and what they learned from it. Invite volunteers to share how they applied those lessons to improve their work.
    4. Invite Participation:
      • Ask each participant to share something they’re grateful for or a small win from the past week. This builds positivity and helps shift the focus toward collective progress.

    Incorporating these types of reflections at the start of meetings can foster a culture of openness, learning, and growth. Whether you use a simple quote, a meaningful story, or a thoughtful question, these moments of reflection can transform routine meetings into opportunities for inspiration and deeper collaboration.

    Reflection Meetings

    While most meetings focus on planning, decision-making, or problem-solving, some meetings are designed with reflection as their central purpose. These meetings provide a dedicated space to look back, learn from past experiences, and align on future actions. Reflection meetings can be powerful tools for both individuals and teams to develop deeper insights, foster growth, and enhance collaboration.

    What are Reflection Meetings?

    A reflection meeting is a structured gathering where the primary goal is to reflect on what has been done, learned, or experienced. One of the most common examples is a retrospective—a type of meeting often used in agile project management. In a retrospective, the team looks back on a completed project or sprint to discuss what went well, what didn’t, and how processes can be improved for the future. (See how post for retrospective templates you can use.)

    Reflection meetings like these are not just about assessing success and failure; they are opportunities for continuous learning and fostering a growth mindset.

    The Power of Reflection in Workshops

    There are also workshops where the purpose is entirely focused on reflection. These reflection workshops offer individuals and teams a structured environment to step back, think critically, and share experiences. In these sessions, participants often engage in exercises that help them explore personal growth, team dynamics, and professional development.

    Examples of reflection-focused workshops include:

    • Team Retrospectives: Workshops where team members reflect on the progress of their work, interpersonal dynamics, and the overall performance to identify areas for growth and innovation.
    • Leadership Reflection Workshops: Leaders reflect on their leadership styles, challenges, and strategies, often gaining insights on how to improve team engagement and drive better results.
    • Personal Development Workshops: These sessions offer individuals a chance to reflect on their goals, achievements, and the obstacles they face, helping them to craft strategies for personal and professional growth.

    Learning Reflection Techniques

    You don’t have to wait for a special meeting to start incorporating reflection into your routine. Reflection training teaches individuals and teams effective techniques for deep reflection. In these training sessions, participants can learn:

    • Journaling Techniques: Writing down thoughts, challenges, and lessons learned can offer a powerful method for reflection. Journals are a space for self-expression and insight.
    • Group Sharing Exercises: In some reflection techniques, participants share their thoughts and experiences with a group, facilitating a collective learning experience.
    • Structured Reflection Methods: Tools like the “Stop-Start-Continue” framework or SWOT analysis can provide structure to reflection, making it easier to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in projects or personal endeavors.

    By engaging in reflection meetings and workshops, or by learning reflection techniques through training, you empower yourself and your team to pause, consider, and continuously improve. Whether it’s a formal retrospective or an informal team debrief, dedicating time for reflection can lead to more thoughtful, strategic, and impactful actions moving forward.

    Your Quotes for Reflection

    What are some of your favorite reflection quotes to reflect on or even share in a meeting? Which quotes help you gain perspective, motivation, or put you into the right mindset or attitude? Here’s a new one I like:

    “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”
    -Anne Lamott

    Keep reflecting to learn! You can also go deeper with innovation online courses, design thinking training, or innovation workshops!

    Did you enjoy these reflection quotes for growth, mindset, and motivation? Here are some other quote lists you might take inspiration from.

    Innovation Quotes: Inspirational & Motivational Quotes for an Innovation Mindset
    Innovation Training Quotes
    Quotes about the Power of Storytelling (for Leaders, Education & Business)