85 Living Intentionally Quotes to Inspire a Meaningful Life
Now is a great time to stop just going through the motions of life. We’re at the beginning of a new year—a time when we seek to develop resolutions and goals. Living with intention is a great resolution! So why not make a conscious decision to live your life more intentionally?
By embracing the power of intention, you have the ability to shape your best life, one that is fulfilling, meaningful, and true to who you are.
I’ve curated a list of 85 living intentionally quotes for you to use as inspiration and daily reminders to live with intention. Keep these quotes in a safe place to use as reminders throughout your journey of intentional living and personal growth.
What Does Living Intentionally Mean?
Intentional living is the practice of making conscious choices that align with your values, goals, and true desires. It means living with purpose, taking deliberate actions, and being mindful of the impact each decision has on your life.
Living intentionally is essential for personal peace and fulfillment because it helps you stay focused on what truly matters. It allows you to prioritize your happiness, well-being, and growth while reducing distractions and stress.
By living with intention, you create a life that aligns with your personal values and goals, which leads to greater satisfaction, inner peace, and happiness.
Benefits of Intentional Living
Let’s look at benefits of intentional living so you can create a more purpose-driven and happy life:
- helps build confidence and clarity in decision-making.
- strengthens relationships and personal connections.
- fosters personal growth and resilience.
- leads to greater inner peace and happiness.
- strengthens relationships and personal connections.
- promotes a sense of accomplishment and purpose.
- helps develop a positive mindset and mindfulness.
Famous Living Intentionally Quotes
1. “The key is not to prioritize your schedule but to schedule your priorities.” — Steven Covey
- Living intentionally means aligning your daily activities with your core values and priorities rather than letting your schedule dictate your life.
2. “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” — Tony Robbins
- Intentional living requires change and growth; repeating old habits will lead to the same results, so you must adapt and evolve to achieve a fulfilling life.
3. “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” — Zig Ziglar
- The journey of achieving your goals shapes your character and purpose, making the process as meaningful as the outcome.
4. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe
- Intentional living starts with taking action in the present, using your available resources, and focusing on what you can do right now.
5. “When you get right down to it, intentional living is about living your best story.” — John C. Maxwell
- Living intentionally means crafting a life that tells a meaningful and authentic story, driven by purpose and personal values.
6. “Simplicity is complex. It’s never simple to keep things simple. Simple solutions require the most advanced thinking.” — Richie Norton
- Simplicity in intentional living often requires thoughtful effort and deep consideration to focus on what truly matters.
7. “Intentional days create a life on purpose.” — Adrienne Enns
- A purposeful life is built by being intentional in your daily decisions and actions, creating a meaningful and fulfilling existence.
8. “This is a wonderful day. I haven’t seen this one before.” — Maya Angelou
- Living intentionally involves appreciating the present moment as a unique opportunity to embrace life’s beauty and possibilities.
9. “It’s not about ‘what can I accomplish?’ but ‘what do I want to accomplish? Paradigm shift.” — Brené Brown
- Intentional living shifts the focus from mere productivity to pursuing meaningful and personally significant accomplishments.
10. “The slower the living, the greater the sense of fullness and satisfaction.” — Ann Voskamp
- A slower, more mindful pace of life fosters greater satisfaction and a deeper sense of purpose.
11. “Every action has an impact, choose wisely the impact you want to have.” — Mindy Hall
- Every choice you make influences your life and others, so living intentionally means making decisions aligned with the impact you want to create.
12. “The future depends on what you do today.” — Mahatma Ghandi
- Intentional living emphasizes the importance of present actions, as they shape the future and determine the life you create.
Living Intentionally Quotes for Positivity
Intentional living plays a powerful role in shaping a positive attitude by encouraging you to focus on what truly matters and let go of negativity. This allows you to cultivate a mindset of gratitude, positivity, optimism, and resilience.
13. “Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose without regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.” — Mary Ann Radmacher
14. “Note to self: None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an afterthought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you’re carrying in your heart like hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There’s no time for anything else.” — Nanea Hoffman
15. “By banishing doubt and trusting your intuitive feelings, you clear a space for the power of intention to flow through.” — Wayne Dyer
16. “Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. The best is yet to come.” — Zig Zigler
17. “Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink in the wild air.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
18. “For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.” — Amanda Gorman
19. “When you intentionally use your everyday life to bring about positive change in the lives of others, you begin to live a life that matters.” — John C. Maxwell
20. “We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from life.” — William Osler
21. “To do the useful thing, to say the courageous thing, to contemplate the beautiful thing: that is enough for one man’s life.” — T.S. Eliot
22. “Life is a song – sing it. Life is a game – play it. Life is a challenge – meet it. Life is a dream – realize it. Life is a sacrifice – offer it. Life is love – enjoy.” — Sai Baba
23. “Don’t waste your time in anger, regrets, worries, and grudges. Life is too short to be unhappy.” — Roy T. Bennett
24. “Three things in life – your health, your mission, and the people you love. That’s it.” — Naval Ravikant
25. “Success isn’t about how your life looks to others. It’s about how it feels to you.” — Michelle Obama
Intentional Living Quotes for Overcoming Challenges
Intentional living equips you with the mindset and tools needed to face life’s obstacles with resilience and purpose. You can navigate difficulties more effectively, approaching challenges not as roadblocks, but as opportunities for growth and learning.
26. “Although difficult, change is always possible. What hold us back from making the changes we desire are our own limiting thoughts and actions.” — Satsuki
27. “If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.” — Nora Roberts
28. “It’s never too late to begin living more courageously.” — Brendon Burchard
29. “When you live each day with intentionality, there’s almost no limit to what you can do. You can transform yourself, your family, your community, and your nation.” — John C. Maxwell
30. “When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.” — Roy E. Disney
31. “Instead of working so hard to make ends meet, work on having fewer ends.” — Courtney Carver
32. “Difficult and meaningful will always bring more satisfaction than easy and meaningless.” — Maxime Lagace
33. “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is a quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.'” — Mary Anne Radmacher
34. “Life has no limitations, except the ones you make.” — Les Brown
35. “You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” — George Lorimer
Quotes About Mindfulness and Presence: The Heart of Intentional Living
Living intentionally is deeply intertwined with mindfulness and presence. It is about being fully aware of your choices, actions, and priorities, and aligning them with what truly matters to you so life becomes richer and more fulfilling.
36. “Hold close to your essential self.” — Shauna Niequist
37. “Wherever you are, be all there.” — Jim Elliot
38. “The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.” — William Hazlitt
39. “Meditation is the only intentional, systematic human activity, which at the bottom is about not trying to improve yourself or get anywhere else, but simply to realize where you already are.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn
40. “Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but moments.” — Rose Kennedy
41. “A secret to life: Know that none of this matters, and yet… live as if every single moment does.” — Kamal Ravikant
42. “You have peace when you make it with yourself.” — Mitch Albom
43. “Relax, recharge, and reflect. Sometimes it’s OK to do nothing.” — Izey Victoria Odiase
44. “I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness — it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” — Brené Brown
45. “Many of us slog through life without conscious awareness or intention. We set ourselves a course and we barrel ahead, without stopping to ask whether this path is fulfilling our most important goals. That’s partly because many of us believe that happiness is not possible in the here and now. We think we need to struggle now so that we will be happy in the future. So we postpone happiness and try to run into the future and attain the conditions of happiness that we don’t have now.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
46. “You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.” — M. Scott Peck
47. “Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make us.” — Richie Norton
48. “Be mindful. Be grateful. Be positive. Be true. Be kind.” — Roy T. Bennett
49. “Don’t count the days, make the days count.” — Muhammad Ali
50. “Every action we take impacts the lives of others around us. The question is: Are you aware of your impact?” — Arthur Carmazzi
Living with Intention Quotes for Motivation
Motivation is the driving force behind intentional living, giving you the energy and determination to pursue a life aligned with your values and dreams. When motivation is paired with intentional living, you become unstoppable.
51. “The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
52. “We pass through this world but once.” — Stephen Jay Gould
53. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” — Theodore Roosevelt
54. “Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down.” — Roy T. Bennett
55. “An unintentional life accepts everything and does nothing. An intentional life embraces only the things that will add to the mission of significance.” — John C. Maxwell
56. “Most people want to hear or tell a good story. But they don’t realize they can and should be the good story. That requires intentional living.” — John C. Maxwell
57. “It’s not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?” — Henry David Thoreau
58. “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.” — C.G. Jung
59. “Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story.” — Cheryl Strayed
60. Life itself is a privilege, but to live life to the fullest — well, that is a choice.” — Andy Andrews
61. “Saying no to one thing is saying yes to the possibility of another.” — Ellie Roscher
62. “Make your life a meaningful one.” — Sunday Adelaja
63. “Make a commitment to grow daily.” — John C. Maxwell
64. “Act is if what you do makes a difference. It does.” — William James
65. “Intentional days create a life of purpose.” — Adrienne Enns
66. “When your intention is clear, so is the way.” — Alan Cohen
67. “I choose to make the rest of my life the best of my life.” — Louise Hay
68. “Living with intention means … saying yes to what matters most.” — Crystal Paine
69. “I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy. I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” — Art Williams
70. “The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” — Socrates
Inspirational Quotes for Joy, Happiness, and Intention
Living with intention promotes a profound sense of accomplishment as you see the positive impact of your choices. This harmony between your priorities and actions creates a foundation for lasting happiness, empowering you to embrace each day with gratitude and joy.
71. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” — Henry David Thoreau
72. “Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” — Oprah Winfrey
73. “The high value put upon every minute of time, the idea of hurry-hurry as the most important objective of living, is unquestionably the most dangerous enemy of joy.” — Hermann Hesse
74. “Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
75. “Your life should consist of more than commuting, working, eating, surfing the Internet, sleeping and watching TV. Your life should be filled with purpose-driven experiences and projects that bring excitement, passion, energy, and authentic meaning and joy into your life.” — Richie Norton
76. “Create a life by design, not a life by default. Ground yourself in your Core Values, create your life vision and say yes to what you really want in life and no to what you don’t.” — Lora deVries
77. “Intentional living is a lifestyle. It is a holistic way to show up for the things that matter most in your life.” — Lora deVries
78. “Once you plant the seed of intentionality; your life will begin to flourish.” — Lora deVries
79. “TIME: Today Is My Everything.” — Richie Norton
80. “I don’t say no because I am so busy. I say no because I don’t want to be so busy.” — Courtney Carver
81. “The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” — Socrates
82. “Edit your life frequently and ruthlessly. It’s your masterpiece after all.” — Nathan W. Morris
83. “Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.” — Unknown
84. If you’re always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be.” — Maya Angelou
85. “Just don’t give up on what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” — Ella Fitzgerald
How to Apply Intentional Living Quotes Daily
Incorporating living intentionally quotes into your daily life can be a powerful way to stay focused and inspired. One simple way is by setting them as wallpapers on your phone or computer, allowing these reminders to be present throughout the day.
You can also take a few moments each morning or evening to reflect on a quote that resonates with you, using it as a guide to shape your thoughts, actions, and decisions. You can journal about them, write them on your calendar, put them in sticky notes around your home, text them to friends or post them on social media.
By consistently connecting with these words of wisdom, you can create a daily practice that encourages intentionality, positivity, and personal growth. Be committed and deliberate in your practices.
Final Thoughts
Incorporating intentional living into your daily life can lead to amazing changes, bringing you closer to your best self. By making mindful choices, staying true to your values, and embracing each moment with purpose, you’ll unlock greater peace, happiness, and fulfillment.
I hope you’ll let these insights inspire you to live intentionally and transform your life one meaningful decision at a time.
You may find these articles valuable because they relate directly to intentional living:
- What is Living Aware? The Benefits of Conscious Living
- Slow Living Movement: The 7 Principles of this Lifestyle
Love to ALL! ~ Susan
