26 Quotes to Inspire Your Job Search

As a job seeker, you’ll face ups and downs. Motivational job search quotes can inspire you on the days you feel like giving up.

Between preparing for interviews and sending out resumes, you may not have time to find these quotes yourself. That’s why our team gathered 26 of our favorite quotes from people who were in your shoes and nailed the job search.

Read on and keep pursuing your dream job!

Table of Contents

Quotes About Following Your Passion

Pursuing your passion and following your interests can be challenging. Sometimes, it feels like everyone else is pursuing their dream career except for you. Don’t give up hope! The payoff of finding the right role will make the process worthwhile.

Keep reading for quotes about following your passion.

1. “Passion is not a job, a hobby, or a sport. It’s a full force of your attention and energy that you give to whatever is right in front of you. Don’t wait for a passion. Instead, spend your time solving your favorite problems. People will love you, thank you, hug you, and pay you for it. That’s where passion is. Chase opportunities, not passions.” — Terri Trespicio, Author of Unfollow Your Passion. Keynote TEDx Speaker.

Why we love this quote: Remember the feeling when you start something new — say, taking a new course — and suddenly, you feel this warm wave of energy running through your body. You're 100% focused on the material. You begin to imagine how you’ll capitalize on this new knowledge. That’s exactly how to develop a passion. This quote keeps the emphasis on doing.

2. "Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you." — Oprah Winfrey, a widely-known talk show host, television producer, actress, and author.

Why we love this quote: Passion can feel like a nebulous idea. Oprah makes the idea of passion more concrete. You just need to look for the tasks or ideas that make you excited.

3. “To be successful, the first thing to do is fall in love with your work.” — Sister Mary Lauretta, educator.

Pro Tip: Listen closely to your inner self. If your work delivers you joy, you’re on the right path. If not, experiment with other activities until you find the one that ignites a passion within you.

4. "I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." — Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist.

Pro tip: When going into an interview, remember to stay curious. If you’re feeling imposter syndrome, remember that curiosity and a willingness to learn are keys to success

5. “I'd rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I hate.” — George Burns, an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer.

Why we love this quote: When job hunting, sometimes several failures lead to success. This quote acts as a reminder that failure can lead to opportunities down the line.

6. “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” — Steve Jobs, the late co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple.

Why we love this quote: Waiting for the right opportunity may feel tiresome. But remember, you’re looking for a role that makes going to work exciting.

Motivational Quotes to Keep You Resilient

Rome wasn’t built in a day, so it’s okay if you make mistakes in an interview. Keep applying to the jobs that appeal to you, and be patient.

Rejection can undermine our sense of self-worth. Regardless, it’s important to keep going.

The following quotes will help you keep the big picture in mind if you encounter any job-hunting hurdles.

7. “Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted.” – David Bly, a former Senior copy editor at the Calgary Herald, author, photographer, and teacher.

Why we love this quote: On some days, the job hunt may feel exhausting. Bly reminds us that the hard work you invest in your job hunt will pay off in the future.

8. “The day you take complete ownership over what’s happening in your life is the day you'll start living a new life.” — Guillaume Moubeche, founder & CEO at Lemlist, author of The 150M Secret.

Why we love this quote: Moubeche reminds us that the power to make a change is in our hands. Put another way, don’t wait for someone to help you with the job search process. Take the lead, and go after what you want.

9. “Sometimes when you're in a dark place you think you've been buried, but you've actually been planted.” — Christine Caine, activist, an advocate for A21, author, and international speaker.

Why we love this quote: This quote is particularly meaningful to us. At times, you may face failure after failure, and that’s the time when we develop our resilience. Failures lead to progress when we learn from them. So, keep trying and experimenting with approaches until you succeed.

10. "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard." — Tim Notke, a high school basketball coach.

Why we love this quote: On tough days, you may feel like other candidates are more talented or qualified than you are. Note reminds us that persistence and hard work are just as important.

11. "The only thing standing between you and outrageous success is continuous progress." — Dan Waldschmidt, a business strategist, Inc 5000 Leader, author, Ultra-runner, and CRO at Panzura.

Why we love this quote: Waldschmidt reframes challenges as progress. Learning involves both success and failure. On tough days, remember that you’re still learning and growing.

Quotes About Creating Opportunities

Job searching hinges on your personal brand, network, and case studies. The market is competitive, especially for entry-level positions. Top performers take the initiative and create job opportunities.

How? Start by building your professional network online and offline. Join industry-related events. Engage with potential employers on LinkedIn. These quotes will encourage you to create your own opportunities.

12. “If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.” — Milton Berle, an American actor, and comedian.

Why we love this quote: Berle states the importance of creating opportunities simply and elegantly.

13. “Don’t wait for the right opportunity: create it.” — George Bernard Shaw, playwright, critic, and political activist.

Pro tip: French author Jules Renard once wrote, “A man who waits for roast duck to fly into his mouth must wait a very, very long time.” That explicitly describes what’s going to happen with those who passively wait for the perfect role. Take the lead, act, and create job opportunities by stepping outside of your comfort zone.

14. "Decide what you want, and then act as if it were impossible to fail." — Brian Tracy, a motivational speaker and best-selling, self-development author.

Pro tip: If you fail once, go for the second time. What if you fail? Try to apply another tactic to get a job offer. Think of scientists: They never give up despite mountains of failures. Scientists keep exploring and searching for a way to make success happen, and so should you.

15. ”A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston S. Churchill, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Why we love this quote: Creating opportunities stems from having the right attitude. This quote expresses the importance of reframing your thoughts to find the right role.

16. “People you just met today, they’re your ticket to a whole new social world.” — Tanya Menon, Professor of Management and Human Resources at Fisher College of Business, Ohio State University.

Pro Tip: Create job opportunities by attending relevant events. For instance, visit SaaS marketing conferences and connect with new people on-site if you want to work as a product marketer.

Quotes About Networking

Networking is essential to the job search. Recruiters tend to hire people who’re active on professional social media like LinkedIn. This way, they can assess your proactivity, attitude, and more.

Online networking can also help you find a job faster. So when it’s time to change jobs, people with a diverse network are more likely to receive job offers.

See what these influential people have to say about networking and how it facilitates the job-hunting process.

17. “Your network is your net worth.” — Porter Gale, Board Director of Reddit, Former VP of Marketing at Virgin America, author, and speaker.

Why we love this quote: The more meaningful connections you’ve built, the faster you can achieve your goal. You can reach out to any person in your circle and ask for a helping hand.

18. “Networking is the No. 1 unwritten rule of success in business.” — Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, a digital financial advisor for women, and the most powerful woman on Wall Street.

Why we love this quote: Networking can help you uncover new job opportunities, find mentors, and unlock unknown passions. No matter how you define success in business, networking can help you get there.

19. “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” — Brene Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston, best-selling author, and speaker.

Why we love this quote: Networking can be nerve-wracking, especially if you’re new to a field or early in your career. This quote emphasizes and applauds the courage it takes to get started.

20. “If you’re not networking, you’re not working.” — Denis Waitley, a motivational speaker, best-selling author, and consultant.

Pro tip: Waitley reminds us that networking is hard, but essential, work. If networking is a challenge for you, find ways to reward yourself for your efforts. That can be unwinding with your favorite television show or enjoying your favorite snack.

21. "Networking is marketing. Marketing yourself, your uniqueness, what you stand for." — Christine Comaford-Lynch, author and serial entrepreneur, founder of SmartTribes Institute.

Pro tip: Cultivating professional relationships helps bolster your personal brand. Soon you’ll be seen as a specialist. Networking is a form of marketing that can help you make career strides. Soon, you’ll start receiving proactive job opportunities.

Quotes About Personal & Professional Growth

To climb the corporate ladder, you’ll need top-notch soft and hard skills. But growth doesn’t come that easy. In fact, growth can make you uncomfortable and throw you off your rhythm.

Read on for inspirational quotes about growth from world-famous coaches, businessmen, and politicians to set yourself up for success.

22. “What do babies do when their teeth start growing? They cry... because growth is uncomfortable and painful. And it's the same in every single aspect of life. If you don't feel somehow uncomfortable, you're not growing.” — Guillaume Moubeche, founder and CEO at Lemlist, author of The 150m Secret.

Why we love this quote: As you pursue new opportunities outside of your comfort zone, you may feel nervous. That’s completely normal. It may even be a sign that you’re growing. This quote reminds us that making changes may lead to discomfort. You’re not alone if you’re feeling stressed during the process.

23. “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth." — John F. Kennedy, 35th president of the United States of America.

Pro tip: Don’t settle for less or what others think of you. If someone questions how high you can climb on the career ladder, avoid these negative narratives and pursue your goals.

24. “I don’t want you to be comfortable right now; I want you to be uncomfortable. Growth takes place outside of your comfort zone.” — Dawn Staley, USA Women's Basketball Team head coach, Olympics Gold medalist.

Why we love this quote: Perhaps networking makes you nervous. Or maybe, you saw a great job opportunity but you’re scared of changing companies. Great opportunities may lie outside of your comfort zone. This quote encourages us to gather courage and move forward.

25. “Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.” — Sigmund Freud, neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis.

Why we love this quote: You may find that you faltered in interviews a year ago, and today, you’re comfortable talking to recruiters. One day, your weaknesses may become your strengths. All you need is practice.

26. “Growth can be painful, change can be painful, but nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.” — Charles H. Spurgeon, preacher and author.

Why we love this quote: Remember, you’re job hunting to find a great new role and pursue your goals. Even if there are challenges on the way, your growth hinges on these changes. Stagnating will hinder your growth. This quote reminds you to stay resilient and keep the big picture in mind.