Change Quotes – 61 Sayings About New Ways & Opportunities

Looking for inspirational quotes and sayings about change, transition and breaking new ground? Then you've come to the right place!

The world, we as a society, and all living beings on the planet in general are subject to constant change and adaptation. Sometimes it is easy for us - and often extremely difficult. But especially in the fight against Environmental problems of our time - such as the climate change - we MUST be adaptable. After all, we humans are the only living beings who can accelerate it to an extreme - and therefore the only ones who can stop it.

Whether it's global warming, plans to lose a few excess pounds, or a new career start - it doesn't matter! In this post, I want to give you a list of inspiring quotes that can give you that extra boost of courage and motivation for personal change in life for any occasion.

My please: Keep in mind that many of the quotes about change have been translated into English from other languages. I cannot guarantee that it is the original quote in each case. Therefore, double check them before you share them. If you like and share any of the quotes in the internet, please link this elaborately created collection. Thank you for your support!

Quotes about change, the change and new ways

Change is a good thing - because it opens new doors. Personally, for example, I'm extremely glad that I've allowed changes in my life to take me in new directions. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to work every day for environmental protection and a sustainable lifestyle of our society.

As promised, here are a variety of sayings that are guaranteed to encourage you to make positive changes. Have fun!

Change Quotes 1 - 10

1. "Be the change you wish to see in the world." (Mahatma Gandhi)
2. "What we do today will determine what the world looks like tomorrow." (Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach)
3. "They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom." (Confucius)
4. "The only constant in life is change." (Heraclitus)
5. "The purest form of insanity is to leave everything as it is and hope that something will change." (Albert Einstein)
6. "Your decision to walk creates the path ahead." (Paulo Coelho)
7. "We have the complainers to thank for our progress. Satisfied people don't want change." (Herbert George Wells)
8. "I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is that they must change if they are to get better." (Georg Christoph Lichtenberg)
9. "If you don't want to change anything, you will also lose what you want to preserve." (Gustav Heinemann)
10. "Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know." (Pema Chödron)

Tip: "I alone cannot change anything" is a weak excuse to leave everything as it is. Do you feel the same way? Read the linked article to learn why each of us can make a real difference.

Change Quotes 11 - 20

11. "We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance." (Harrison Ford)
12. "The biggest decision in life is about changing your life through changing your mind." (Albert Schweitzer)
13. "The world changes by your example, not by your opinion." (Paulo Coelho)
14. "To change people, they need love." (Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi)
15. "Let the world change you and you can change the world." (Che Guevara)
16. "We can't change the wind, but we can set the sails differently." (Aristotle)
17. "Prayers aren't gonna change the world. But prayers change people and people are able to change the world." (Albert Schweitzer)
18. "Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change." (Confucius)
19. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has." (Margaret Mead)
20. "No one knows what he can do until he tries." (Publilius Syrus)

Change Quotes 21 - 30

21. "A path is made by walking on it." (Franz Kafka)
22. "Uncertainty is the companion of all change." (Else Pannek)
23. "As soon as an optimist sees a light which does not exist, a pessimist will find a way to blow it out." (Giovanni Guareschi)
24. "Every moment is a fresh beginning." (Thomas Stearns Eliot)
25. "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got." (Henry Ford)
26. "Change is necessary like the renewal of leaves in spring." (Vincent van Gogh)
27. "Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction." (Francis Picabia)
28. "It often takes more courage to change one's mind than to remain true to it." (Friedrich Hebbel)
29. "We do not need to live on as we lived yesterday. Let's get rid of this view, and a thousand possibilities invite us to new life." (Christian Morgenstern)
30. "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." (Leo Tolstoy)

Change Quotes 31 - 40

31. "You have to pray for miracles, but you have to work for change." (Thomas Aquinas)
32. "As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it." (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
33. "Difficulties break some men but make others." (Nelson Mandela)
34. "It's completely superfluous to me to know what I can't change." (Paul Valéry)
35. "Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you." (Aldous Huxley)
36. "All the old, so far as it has earned the right to it, we are to love; but for the new we are actually to live." (Theodor Fontane)
37. "Only those who know the lows of life learn to appreciate the highs." (Unknown)
38. "He who wants to break new ground, has to do it without signposts." (Ernst Ferstl)
39. "Only one principle will give you courage, that is the principle that no evil lasts forever nor indeed for very long." (Epicurus of Samos)
40. "It is the fate of every generation to live in a world under conditions that it has not created." (John F. Kennedy)

Secret tip: Motivational quotes can have a great effect! Especially if you have see them every day. The sayings from this collection that you like the most, you can print here as a personalized poster*.

Change Quotes 41 - 50

41. "If you would one day renovate yourself, do so from day to day." (Confucius)
42. "Who wants to read in the future, must scroll in the past." (André Malraux)
43. "The heaviest rain starts with a single drop." (Proverb)
44. "To see clearly, it is often enough to change the direction of your gaze." (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
45. "My commitment is to truth not consistency." (Mahatma Gandhi)
46. "If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake." (Confucius)
47. "If you want the world to stay the way it is, you don't want it to stay." (Erich Fried)
48. "What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" (Vincent van Gogh)
49. "Do something wonderful, people may imitate it." (Albert Schweitzer)
50. "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future." (John F. Kennedy)

Change Quotes 51 - 61

51. "People would rather go down before changing their habits." (Leo Tolstoy)
52. "A new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive and move toward higher levels." (Albert Einstein)
53. "Do what you feel in your heart to be right — for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't." (Eleanor Roosevelt)
54. "They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." (Andy Warhol)
55. "The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." (Socrates)
56. "Life is change, and without renewal it is inconceivable." (Nikolai Berdyaev)
57. "Many little people in many little places doing many little things can change the face of this world." (African proverb)
58. "You can count on evil people. At least they don't change." (William Faulkner)
59. "When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills." (Chinese wisdom)
60. "Anything that is against nature will not last in the long run." (Charles Darwin)
61. "You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending." (C. S. Lewis)

Can you think of any other sayings about change or subject areas that I should definitely do an inspirational sayings collection on? Then always come up with your ideas in the comments!

What does change mean for people?

To change means, in certain respects, to become different. It is the letting go of something old and the beginning of something new. Fundamental, conscious changes in life often take some time - but they allow a great opportunity for us to feel better afterwards.

Why are changes in life often so difficult?

Changes are often so difficult for us humans because they mean destabilization for a short time and we actually strive for security and stability. Fear of the unknown and a possible lack of foresight also complicate the change process.

Why is change needed?

We humans are creatures of habit, but we still have to adapt and change every day - whether on a large or small scale. Changes are quite normal and important processes that help us to cope in society and to develop personally.

Additional book tip: In case you want to make your life more eco-friendly, I can additionally offer you my Book "Sustainable Living for Beginners recommend. You will learn about the environmental problems of our time and how you can become a part of their solution. You can secure it here*.

Using Proverbs and Quotes for Change and New Ways

Now you have a real cornucopia of rousing and inspiring sayings about personal and social change and blazing new trails at your fingertips. Nothing is more boring than keeping everything the same. Often changes in life open new doors for you, behind which great things are waiting for you that you would have hated to miss.

I hope these quotes help you to make positive changes for yourself and also for many other people. Here are some further articlesthat can positively influence your life:

• Sustainable resolutions
• Plastic free living - tips & tricks
• Become a vegetarian - Here's how
• Why we should eat a plant-based diet
• Living minimalist - Here's how
• Protect animals in everyday life

Do you have any questions or suggestions - or can you think of any other sayings about change? As always, feel free to leave me a comment.

Stay curious and open to new things,

PS.: I have also given you a list of stirring environmental protection quotes compiled. Take a look. There you will also find an overview with other Collections Of Quotes, Such As The One About Positive Thinking. Have fun!