Many people don’t know this, but finding one’s purpose is a lifelong pursuit. True, there are a lucky few who discover their purpose early on. These lottery winners of life typically move along through life, almost effortlessly. So the purpose quotes on this page won’t really apply to them.
However, chances are extremely high that you are not one of these fortunate few.
Odds are that you are actually much more like us. You’ve had to struggle time and time again to figure out what exactly it is that you were put on this earth to do. Your search has consisted mostly of trial and error. If this is you, there is no need to fret. Here are two reasons why.
1. Some people go their whole lives never truly knowing what their purpose is. They never know, because they never seek. And because they never seek, most of their days are casually lived out lacking depth and experiencing chronic feelings of emptiness. But that’s not you.
2. You are probably like most people. You’ve found your purpose, well, at least you thought you did…only to realize a few years later, that perhaps your purpose wasn’t really your purpose after all. And that’s okay, because our life’s purpose is not a one-shot type of thing.
The Truth About Finding Your Purpose
Truth is, your life’s purpose is multi-layered. When you first start out in search of your purpose, you grab a hold of the first one you find (that 1st external layer) only to outgrow it. And then you’ll move on to your next level purpose. And for a while, you’ll be living on purpose again, a purpose that was different from what you thought it was only a few years ago, and yet, in due time, you will proceed to outgrow your current purpose only to discover your new purpose.

Now, the reality of it all is this; you’ll likely do this for the rest of your life.Discovering your purpose is a process. But the good news is that with every outgrowth of your old purpose and the discovery of your new one, you’ll become more and more aligned with your true life’s purpose.
So, if you’ve found yourself ever doubting your purpose, just know, it’s natural. It’s even natural to be purposeless for a while, so long as you never cease to seek. And so long as you never cease to seek, you’ll get closer and closer to eventually discovering your true purpose.
With that being said, these inspiring purpose quotes will help you on your journey as you seek, discover, and live your life’s purpose.
PURPOSE QUOTES TO HELP YOU FIND AND LIVE YOURS

1. “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” – Nietzsche
2. “To begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment.” – James Allen
3.“The person without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder.” – Thomas Carlyle
4. “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.” – Viktor Frankl
5. “It’s not enough to have lived. We should bedetermined to live for something.” – Winston S. Churchill
6. “Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.” – Paulo Coelho
7. “The two most important days in life are the day you born and the day you discover the reason why.” – Mark Twain
8. “Great minds have purposes, others have wishes.” – Washington Irving
9. “The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
10. “The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” – Robert Byrne
11.“The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn’t matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark.” – Barbara Hall
12.“When you stay on purpose andrefuse to be discouragedby fear, you align with the infinite self, in which all possibilities exist.” – Wayne Dyer
13. “When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced; live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice.” – Indian Proverb
14. “Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement.” – W. Clement Stone
15. “You can have anything you want if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose.” – Abraham Lincoln
16. “We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it.” – Rick Warren
17. “You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want.” – Margaret Young
18. “True happiness… is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” – Helen Keller
19. “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” – Maya Angelou
20. “Having a purpose is the difference between making a living and making a life.” – Tom Thiss

21.“I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply ALL my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.” – Og Mandino
22. “Above all be of single aim; have a legitimate and useful purpose, and devote yourself unreservedly to it.” – James Allen
23. “The soul which has no fixed purpose in life is lost; to be everywhere, is to be nowhere.” – Michel de Montaigne
24.“People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.” – Dalai Lama
25. “You’ve got to have a purpose no matter what you do in life.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
26. “The great thing in this world is not so much where we are, but in what direction we are going.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
27.“Life is a promise; fulfill it.” – Mother Teresa
28.“Never work just for money or for power. They won’t save your soul or help you sleep at night.” – Marian Wright Edelman
29. “Everyone has a purpose in life…a unique gift or special talent to give to others. And when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the exctasy and exultation of our own spirit, which is the ultimate goal of goals.” – Deepak Chopra
30. “The purpose of life is to know God.” – Wayne Dyer
31. “The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving.” – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
32. “Pay attention to the things you are naturally drawn to. They are often connected to your path, passion, and purpose in life. Have the courage to follow them.” – Ruben Chavez
33. “Nothing is more likely to help a person overcome or endure troubles than the consciousness of having a task in life.” – Victor Frankl
35.“Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it” – Buddha
“In the end, themoney and successthat truly last come not to those who focus on such things as goals, but rather to those who focus on mastery and fulfilling their Life’s Task.” – Robert Greene
36. “As you open yourself to living at your edge, your deepest purpose will slowly begin to make itself known.” – David Deida
37. “The secret of successis constancy of purpose!” – Napoleon Hill
38. “Have a higher purpose than money.” – Grant Cardone
39. “There is something that you can do better than anyone else in the whole world―and for every unique talent and unique expression of that talent, there are also unique needs.” – Deepak Chopra
40. “The purpose of life for man is growth, just as the purpose of life for trees and plants is growth.” – Wallace D. Wattles
41. “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
42. “Passion and purpose scale – always have, always will.” – Elon Musk
43. “Live the Life of Your Dreams: Be brave enough to live the life of your dreams according to your vision and purpose instead of the expectations and opinions of others.” – Roy T. Bennett
44. “Your purpose becomes your inner motivator, turning on the ignition switch in your brain to transcend the noise in your life and focus on what matters most.” – Victor Strecher
45. “Even if he fails again and again toaccomplish his purpose, the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success.” – James Allen
46. “I want to live my life in such a way that when I get out of bed in the morning, the devil says, “aw shit, he’s up!” – Steve Maraboli
47. “Make your work to be in keeping with your purpose” – Leonardo da Vinci
48. “The crowning fortune of a man is to be born to some pursuit which finds him employment and happiness, whether it be to make baskets, or broadswords, or canals, or statues, or songs.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
49. “Believe in your heart that you’re meant to live a life full of passion, purpose, magic and miracles.” – Roy T. Bennett
50. “The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.” – Rick Warren
More Than Halfway There
You are more than halfway there! Keep going. Each one of these purpose quotes should help bring you more clarity on who you are and what your purpose is. Remember, your life purpose is essentially the central motivating aim of your life. In other words, what moves you to get up and out of bed every morning.
So keep reading, and increase your awareness of your life’s purpose with each new quote.
Related: Finding More Direction in Life
51. “When a person can’t find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure.” – Victor Frankl
52. “Purpose is not a noun, it is a verb. It is about how we work. We experience purposewhen we do something that’s greater than ourselves. We experience purposewhen we push ourselves and grow. We experience purpose as part of a community.” – Aaron Hurst
53. “The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly andwithout fearfor newer and richer experience.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
54. “Follow your dreams, they know the way.” – Kobe Yamada
55. “To the person who does not know where he wants to go there is no favorable wind.” – Seneca
56. “Activity without purpose is the drain of your life.” – Tony Robbins
57. “If you have a strong purpose in life, you don’t have to be pushed. Your passion will drive you there.” – Roy T. Bennett
58. “The purpose of life is to discover your gift. The work of life is to develop it. The meaning of life is to give your gift away.” – David Viscott
59. “After climbing a great hill, one only finds there are many more hills to climb.” – Nelson Mandela
60. “Your real job in life is to figure out what it is you are called to do.” – Oprah Winfrey

61. “Your life is your story, and the adventure ahead of you is the journey to fulfill your own purpose and potential.” – Denzel Washington
62. “People with a sense of purpose have learned to let life question them and have moved the focus of their attention and concern away from themselves to others. Purpose, then, is not a job or a role or a goal. It is the belief that our lives, our part in the whole of things, truly matters.” – Richard J. Leider
63. “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
64. “The important thing is that men should have a purpose in life. It should be something useful, something good.” – Dalai Lama
65. “Winners are people with definite purpose in life.” – Denis Waitley
66. “The purpose of life is not to be happy but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you lived at all.” – Leo Rosten
67. “If your life is cloudy and you’re far, far off course, you may have to go on faith for a while, but eventually you’ll learn that every time you trust your internal navigation system, you end up closer to your right life.” – Martha Beck
68. “The power of the purpose must be greater than the pain we experience along the journey.” – Billy Cox
69. “A man without a sense of purpose, even one whose bank accounts are stuffed with money, is always a small man.” – Stephen King
70. “Good luck is another name for tenacity of purpose.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
71. “Purpose spurs passion, which fans the sparks that light the fires that fuel change.” – Richard Branson
72. “The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.” – Albert Schweitzer
73. “When your life is on course with its purpose, you are your most powerful.” – Purpose Quote
74. “Nothing can withstand the power of the human will if it is willing to stake its very existence to the extent of its purpose.” – Benjamin Disraeli
75. “Never underestimate your own strength. You were born for a purpose and blessed with the power to achieve it.” – Leon Brown
76. “The main purpose of life is to live rightly, think rightly, act rightly. The soul must languish when we give all our thought to the body.” – Mahatma Gandhi
77. “When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.” – Patanjali
78. “Here is a test to find out whether your mission in life is complete. If you’re alive, it isn’t.” – Lauren Bacall
79. “You are here to enable the divine purpose of the Universe to unfold. That is how important you are.” – Eckart Tolle
80. “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Pablo Picasso
81. “Purpose requires self-knowledge which requires silence.” – Maxime Lagac’e
82. “You don’t decide what your purpose is in life, you discover it. Your purpose is your reason for living.” – Bob Proctor
83. “If you path is difficult, it is because your purpose is bigger than you thought.” – Anonymous
84. “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” – Rumi
85. “The pen that writes your life story must be held in your own hand.” – Irene C. Kassorla
86. “Every life has a purpose. Share your story and you may help someone find their own.” – Demi Lovato
87. “The real joy in life comes from finding your true purpose and aligning it with what you do every single day.” – Tony Robbins
88. “No man or woman is an island. To exist just for yourself is meaningless. You can achieve the most satisfaction when you feel related to some greater purpose in life, something greater than yourself.” – Denis Waitley
89. “Your dharma is your divine purpose on this planet, your soul’s essence, the unique vibration only you can carry out in the world.” – Sahara Rose
90. “More men fail through lack of purpose than lack of talent.” – Billy Sunday
91. “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.They somehow know what you truly want to become.” – Steve Jobs
92. “Success demands singleness of purpose.” – Vince Lombardi
93. “The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don’t like to do. They don’t like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength oftheir purpose.” – E.M. Gray
94. “Authentic freedom is actually the freedom of knowing who you are, why you are here, your purpose in life and where you are going when you leave here.” – Wayne Dyer
95. “There is not greater gift you can receive than to honor your calling. It’s why you were born. And how you become most truly alive.” – Oprah Winfrey
96. “When you find your WHY, you don’t hit snooze no more! You find a way to make it happen.” – Eric Thomas
97. “Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it.” – Stephen Hawking
98. “A difficult time can be more readily endured if we retain the conviction that our existence holds a purpose – a cause to pursue, a person to love, a goal to achieve.” – John Maxwell
99. “There never has been and never will be another you. You have a purpose — a very special gift that only you can bring to the world.” – Marie Forleo
100. “If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.” – Bishop T.D. Jakes

101. “When my intention changed so did everything in my life. I began tolive in purposeand on purpose. I never thought about money or success again, but it kept coming my way.” – Tyler Perry
Final Words on Finding Your Purpose
Alright friend, I hope these top tier quotes about purpose serve you well in both finding and living yours out.
If you’ve yet to find your purpose, which you most certainly do have… do not relent in your search. Because if you seek and ye shall find. So, stay patient, trust the journey, but most importantly…Keep pressing forward.
Till your reach your aims,
STRIVE
PS – If you enjoyed these purpose quotes, then you’ll love our popular quotes on following your dreams.