In this article, you will find 50+ of the most amazingly inspirational quotes about living life on your own terms. You will be inspired to take charge and live your best life to make your dreams come true!
We hear so much about living life on your own terms, but do we know exactly what that means? Are we living life on our own terms? Are we fulfilling our dreams and goals in life? We’ll explore answers to these questions, also.
A wonderful guest writer, Anya Willis, recently wrote an article for Sassy Sister Stuff about 10 purposeful ways to live life on your own terms. She also included 10 related quotes that I found highly motivational.
I was so inspired by her words and the intention of the article that I decided to explore quotes about living life on your own terms and share my 50+ favorites with you. I hope you enjoy the quotes and images I’ve selected and created on Canva.com.
“You should not have to rip yourself into pieces to keep others whole.” ~ Emma Bleker
Quotes About Living Life on Your Own Terms
Before we get to the quotes about living life on your own terms, I want to address the meaning of “living life on your own terms.”
What exactly does it mean?
“Sometimes you have to stop thinking so much and just go where your heart takes you.” ~ tinybuddha.com
What Does Living Life on Your Own Terms Mean?
Let me be very clear that living life on your own terms does not mean being selfish.
Living life on your own terms means that you choose a way of living that supports your goals and dreams. You choose to create a meaningful and fulfilled life for you and your loved ones. You are able to lead a balanced life of work and family while also accepting that there may be consequences of others judging you and your choices.
Living life on your own terms goes hand-in-hand with positive selfishness. Being positively selfish — doing that which feeds your soul and enriches your life — produces many positive results. It empowers, re-energizes, and motivates you to keep moving forward toward your best self and your goals.
Furthermore, you will sometimes do things that you don’t want to do (even while living life on your own terms). But you’ll be making a conscious decision to do it — not making it from a place of obligation. This is part of living on your own terms — making conscious choices without resentment or frustration.
For further reading on this topic, I recommend an amazing article by Kate Swoboda from Your Courageous Life. She does a phenomenal job of explaining what “living on your own terms” means and what it does not mean. She also explains the consequences that may arise because of your choice to live life on your own terms.
“There are times when you’ll realize that doing something that you don’t particularly want to do — but doing it for some reason that supports another one of your values — will end up being another expression of living ‘on your own terms.’” ~Kate Swoboda
It’s not always about doing what you want to do, or not doing what you don’t want to do. It’s about consciously choosing what you are going to do on your terms based on what’s best for you and your loved ones.
Now let’s move on to these important life quotes! Please note that wherever possible I try to include the accurate name of the author for each quote.
“Do what you feel in your heart to be right — for you’ll be criticized anyway.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Short Inspirational Quotes About Living Life on Your Own Terms
These short inspirational quotes about living life on your own terms can be used on social media — Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc — as captions. Or they can be sent to friends via text for special inspirational messages.
“Destiny is not a matter chance, it is a matter of choice.” ~William Jennings Bryan
“Keep believing, keep achieving.” ~Various
“This is your life. Do what you love and do it often.” ~Unknown
“All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.” ~Walt Disney
“Say yes take risks and live life on your own terms.” ~Unknown
“There is no way everyone will approve of what you’re wearing. So just do what makes you happy.” ~Unknown
“Life’s too short to live someone else’s.” ~Nathan W Morris
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” ~Oscar Wilde
“It’s not always clear at first either. Listen to your heart.” ~Unknown
“Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor.” ~H. Jackson Brown
“Why wait and let the chance pass you by more and more? Start now…” ~Unknown
“If you obey all the rules, you’ll miss all the fun.” ~Katharine Hepburn
“There’ll be two dates on your tombstone and all your friends will read ’em but all that’s gonna matter is that little dash between ’em.” ~Kevin Welch
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did.” ~Mark Twain
“There is only one success, to be able to spend your life in your own way.” ~Christopher Morley
“Life has no limitations, except the ones you make.” ~Les Brown
“The whole point is to live life and be — to use all the colors in the crayon box.” ~RuPaul
“It’s not about what you tell your children, but how you show them how to live life.” ~Jada Pinkett Smith
“Don’t be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin.” ~Grace Hansen
“There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It’s why you were born. And how you become most truly alive.” ~Oprah Winfrey
“You have to be unique and different and shine in your own way.” ~Lady Gaga
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” ~Joe Lewis
“Think about it: What’s the worst thing that can happen to you if you just totally go for it?” ~Grant Cardone
“Happiness is not by chance, but by choice.” ~Jim Rohn
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.” ~Henry David Thoreau
“Don’t be pushed by your problems, be led by your dreams.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece.” ~John Wooden
“The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.” ~Oprah Winfrey
Motivational Quotes About Living Life on Your Own Terms
Some of these quotes caused me to pause and think about the choices I make and how I want to live my life. Many of them are deeply personal and have several layers of reflection. Take time to really think about each of these quotes and how they can help you maintain a healthy mindset about how to live life your way and be happy!
“You’ll learn, as you get older, that rules are made to be broken. Be bold enough to live life on your terms, and never, ever apologize for it. Go against the grain, refuse to conform, take the road less traveled instead of the well-beaten path. Laugh in the face of adversity, and leap before you look. Dance as though EVERYBODY is watching. March to the beat of your own drummer. And stubbornly refuse to fit in.” ~ Mandy Hale
“I will one day accept death with gratitude if I meet it having lived a life that became truly my own.” ~Dan Pearce
“Remember, if you keep living your life on your terms, people can mock you all they want, but they’ll respect you in the end.” ~Cassidy Calloway
“Why are you doing this to yourself? Ask yourself and make changes.” ~Unknown
“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.” ~Flora Whittemore
“You know, everybody has setbacks in their life, and everybody falls short of whatever goals they might set for themselves. That’s part of living and coming to terms with who you are as a person.” ~Unknown
“Your ability to make things happen, increases in direct proportion to your awareness that you have the ability to make things happen.” ~Unknown
“3 Ways To Shut Down Your Haters: 1) Accept yourself, 2) Keep being the best you, 3) Live life on your own terms.” ~Germany Kent
“Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid. In the past, whenever I had fallen short in almost any undertaking, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all.” ~Authur Gordon
“Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only so many tomorrows.” ~Pope Paul VI
“The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt
“There are some people who don’t want to deal with the fact that we are not forever. Some people decide to live life to the fullest.” ~Tessa Thompson
“‘Carpe Diem’ is a phrase that I try to embrace. It means seize the day, to make the most of the present and to give little thought to the past or future. In the time that I have here, I want to love and live life to the fullest while being a positive influence on others. And I want a full life for everyone.” ~Matt Czuchry
“We can all tend to get caught up in the complications of life that we create; we live life for other people. It’s a harrowing moment when you’re confronted with an end, and you have to make the choice to live your life for you.” ~Elliot Knight
“I try to explain to people that the only way to be cool is to be who you truly are, and the only way to live life is to do the things that you want to do and be the person that you want to be no matter who that is or what that is or how you have to do it. That’s the only way you can be genuinely happy.” ~Tucker Max
“There’s people who live life authentically and there’s people who live a life of fabrication. And it begins with the question of how you’re gonna do your time. And these are observations I made about Folsom when I was there with Dustin Hoffman when he was directing ‘Straight Time.’” ~Michael Mann
“If you want to be happy you need to think of yourself as a container of energy. There is a universal energy, yes of course, it embraces us. When you appreciate this, life becomes a lot more exciting. You don’t live life, life lives you.” ~Noel Edmonds
“I’m going to be true to what I want to do, because if I care what people think about me, I’m a puppet. Which I have been in my life. And you can’t live life that way, man!” ~Donny Osmond
“There is no reason to ever be ashamed of where you’re at. Not when you’re doing your best. Not when you’re in your best moment. There’s always gonna be people to tell you no. Or “You can’t.” Or “You shouldn’t.” It’s gonna happen. No matter what anybody says, you just have to still be like, “I’m still doing this. I’m still gonna succeed. I’m still gonna do my best.” Defy the odds. Why not?” ~ Jennifer Lopez
“The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.” ~Joseph Campbell
“All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.” ~Earl Nightingale
“The great courageous act that we must all do, is to have the courage to step out of our history and past so that we can live our dreams.” ~Oprah Winfrey
“The way to choose happiness is to follow what is right and real and the truth for you. You can never be happy living someone else’s dream. Live your own. And you will for sure know the meaning of happiness.” ~Oprah Winfrey
“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
Final Thoughts: Quotes About Living Life on Your Own Terms
I hope you’ve been inspired by these quotes about living life on your own terms. It’s such an important aspect of living your best life!
This means being true to yourself, listening to your heart, and doing what makes you happy. It is also important to be surrounded by people who support your decisions and who make you feel good about yourself. And so much more! If you can do these things, you will be living a happy and fulfilling life.
Plus, it’s never too late to start living life on your own terms!