quotes for personal statements

100 Quotes to Kickstart Your Personal Statement (with examples)

by Talha Omer, MBA, M.Eng., Harvard & Cornell Grad

In personal statement tips & advice.

Starting your personal statement for university admissions can be a daunting task. It’s the first thing the admissions committee will read about you, and it needs to capture your unique voice, experiences, and aspirations in just a few words. So, where do you begin?

One effective way to start is with a powerful quote that reflects your values, interests, or goals.  

A great quote can set the tone for your essay, grab the reader’s attention, and showcase your personality and potential. In this blog post, I’ll explore quotes that you can draw from. I’ll also provide a couple of examples where successful candidates used quotes to begin their personal statements.

To make the process of selecting the perfect quote for your personal statement even easier, I’ve organized the list into categories that are common themes in personal statements. Whether you’re seeking to showcase your resilience, or creativity, I’ve got you covered with a range of quotes that can help you stand out from the crowd.  

In this Article

• Inspirational Quotes for personal statement 

Leadership Quotes for personal statement

Personal growth quotes for personal statement, academic quotes for personal statement, professional quotes for personal statement, cultural quotes for personal statement, creative quotes for personal statement, perseverance quotes for personal statement, inspirational quotes for personal statement  .

Inspirational quotes can be a great way to show your motivation, resilience, and determination. They can also help you communicate your values and beliefs and demonstrate your commitment to achieving your goals.

• “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
• “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
• “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
• “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
• “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean
• “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” – Maya Angelou
• “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
• “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” – Malcolm X
• “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
• “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis 

Here is an example opening paragraph of a personal statement where the candidate used an inspirational quote to begin:

As a lifelong learner and problem-solver, I’ve always been drawn to the field of artificial intelligence. But it wasn’t until I read a quote by Alan Turing that I truly appreciated the transformative potential of this field: ‘We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.’ These words resonated with me deeply, and I realized that the possibilities of artificial intelligence are limited only by our imaginations and our willingness to take risks. Throughout my academic and professional journey, I’ve sought out opportunities to push the boundaries of what’s possible, from pursuing advanced degrees in computer science to working on cutting-edge research projects. Through these experiences, I’ve learned the importance of collaboration, innovation, and perseverance in tackling the toughest challenges facing our world today. And as I look forward to contributing to the field of artificial intelligence, I’m inspired by the limitless potential of this technology and committed to using it to make a positive impact on society.

Leadership quotes can help you showcase your ability to lead and inspire others, and your commitment to making a positive impact in your community. They can also demonstrate your understanding of the importance of teamwork, communication, and collaboration, which are essential skills in many fields of study and careers.

• “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C. Maxwell
• “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” – John F. Kennedy
• “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
• “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” – Ronald Reagan
• “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
• “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” – Warren Bennis
• “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” – Peter Drucker
• “The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.” – Jim Rohn
• “The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.” – Tony Blair
• “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” – Ralph Nader

Here is an example opening paragraph of a personal statement where the candidate used a leadership quote to begin:

As an aspiring business leader, I am always striving to develop the qualities and characteristics that will enable me to make a positive impact in my chosen field. To me, leadership is not just about achieving success, but also about helping others to reach their full potential. That’s why I find inspiration in the words of former U.S. President John Quincy Adams, who once said, ‘If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.’ This quote captures the essence of what I believe it means to be a leader – to inspire, to guide, and to empower others to achieve their goals. I am committed to embodying these qualities as I pursue my education and career in business, with the goal of making a meaningful difference in the lives of those around me.

Personal growth is a lifelong process of learning, self-discovery, and personal development, and it’s an important aspect of personal and academic success. Using a personal growth quote in your personal statement can demonstrate your commitment to self-improvement, your willingness to learn and grow, and your ability to overcome challenges and setbacks.

• “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela
• “Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.” – W. Clement Stone
• “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas A. Edison
• “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss
• “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
• “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas A. Edison
• “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
• “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” – Epictetus

These quotes can be particularly relevant for students who have excelled academically, or who are interested in pursuing a career in academia or research. Academic quotes can be used to demonstrate your knowledge, and intellectual curiosity, as well as your ability to think critically and engage with complex ideas. They can also show your dedication to your field of study and your commitment to academic excellence.

• “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
• “The aim of education is the knowledge, not of facts, but of values.” – William S. Burroughs
• “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” – W.B. Yeats
• “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” – Malcolm X
• “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” – Socrates
• “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela
• “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” – B.B. King
• “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” – John Dewey
• “Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
• “Education is the movement from darkness to light.” – Allan Bloom 

These quotes can be used to demonstrate your understanding and passion for your chosen field, as well as your commitment to excellence and professionalism. They can also be used to highlight specific skills or achievements that you have acquired in your professional pursuits, such as teamwork, problem-solving, or leadership.

• “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius
• “Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you’re not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were.” – David Rockefeller
• “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.” – Colin Powell
• “Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.” – Chris Grosser
• “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker
• “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

These quotes can help you showcase your appreciation and understanding of cultural diversity, your willingness to learn from different perspectives, and your interest in contributing to the global community. They can also be used to highlight any experiences or achievements that you have had in cultural immersion, cross-cultural communication, or intercultural exchange.  

• “No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive.” – Mahatma Gandhi
• “Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit.” – Jawaharlal Nehru
• “Culture makes people understand each other better. And if they understand each other better in their soul, it is easier to overcome the economic and political barriers.” – Paulo Coelho
• “Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going.” – Rita Mae Brown
• “Culture is not a luxury, but a necessity for every society.” – Pearl S. Buck
• “Culture is the arts elevated to a set of beliefs.” – Thomas Wolfe
• “Culture is the sum total of all the things that make a society distinctive.” – Clifford Geertz
• “The beauty of culture is that it evolves through time and generations, shaping our values and beliefs.” – Chinua Achebe
• “The richness of our culture reflects the diversity of our people.” – Unknown
• “Culture is the window reflecting the soul of a nation.” – Wang Meng

They can also be used if you want to showcase your ability to think outside the box or to approach problems in a creative and innovative way, regardless of your field of study.

• “Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen, and thinking what no one else has thought.” – Albert Einstein
• “The creative adult is the child who survived.” – Ursula K. Le Guin
• “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath
• “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” – Albert Einstein
• “Creativity takes courage.” – Henri Matisse
• “To be creative means to be in love with life.” – Osho
• “The creative process is a process of surrender, not control.” – Julia Cameron
• “The chief enemy of creativity is ‘good’ sense.” – Pablo Picasso
• “Creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye.” – Dorothy Parker
• “Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.” – Albert Einstein

Perseverance is a universal quality that is admired by all, and demonstrating a strong work ethic and determination to overcome challenges can be valuable in any academic or professional setting. Whether you have overcome personal obstacles or worked hard to achieve academic or professional success, using a perseverance quote can be a powerful way to convey your resilience and determination to admissions committees.  

• “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas Edison
• “I have failed again and again throughout my life. That’s why I am a success.” – Michael Jordan
• “Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” – Walter Elliot
• “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” – Michael Jordan
• “When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe
• “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” – Christian D. Larson
• “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison
• “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb
• “The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the story you keep telling yourself that you can’t achieve it.” – Jordan Belfort
• “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” – Newt Gingrich
• I hope these quotes provide some inspiration and ideas for your personal statement! Remember, choose quotes that speak to you personally and help showcase your unique strengths and qualities to the admissions committee.

Selecting the right quote to begin your personal statement can be a powerful tool to help you stand out in the admissions process. By choosing a quote that resonates with you and reflects your unique qualities and aspirations, you can set the tone for your personal statement and make a memorable first impression on the admissions team.

Whether you choose a quote about perseverance, leadership, or anything else, make sure it authentically represents who you are and what you hope to achieve. With these inspiring quotes as your guide, you’ll be one step closer to crafting a personal statement that showcases your strengths, character, and potential.

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101 Inspirational Quotes for Personal Statements: Crafting Your Personal Story

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of inspirational quotes to help you write a compelling and inspiring personal statement that showcases your unique qualities, experiences, and aspirations. From words of wisdom to motivational reminders, these quotes are perfect for inspiring you to stay authentic, embrace self-care, and tell your story with confidence. So, if you’re looking to create a personal statement that stands out and gets noticed or know someone who is, keep reading for 101 uplifting quotes that will inspire and empower you to craft a statement that reflects the best of who you are.

101 Inspirational Quotes for Personal Statements

1. “Your dreams are the blueprints of your destiny; dare to build them with courage and perseverance.”

2. “The greatest adventure you can embark on is the journey to discover your true self.”

3. “In the face of adversity, remember that your strength lies within your ability to rise again.”

4. “Life’s challenges are not stumbling blocks but stepping stones towards greatness.”

5. “Be the master of your fate, the captain of your soul, and the architect of your dreams.”

6. “Embrace uncertainty, for within it lies the potential for extraordinary growth.”

7. “Your past does not define you; it prepares you for the brilliance of your future.”

8. “Success is not measured by your accomplishments but by the positive impact you leave on others.”

9. “The pursuit of knowledge is a lifelong endeavor that fuels the fire of wisdom within.”

10. “Believe in the power of your unique voice, for it has the potential to change the world.”

11. “Cherish the present, for it is the canvas upon which you paint your future.”

12. “When you embrace authenticity, you radiate a light that inspires others to do the same.”

13. “It’s in the darkest of nights that the stars within you shine the brightest.”

14. “Kindness is a ripple that can turn into a wave of transformation and love.”

15. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.”

16. “Every step forward, no matter how small, propels you closer to your aspirations.”

17. “Be the conductor of your life’s symphony, guiding it with passion and purpose.”

18. “The more you love yourself, the more you have to give to others.”

19. “Dare to see the world as a canvas of possibilities and let your imagination paint the future.”

20. “Your journey may be unique, but your destination is always within reach.”

21. “Embrace failure as a stepping stone, and you’ll pave a path to success.”

22. “The greatest joy is not in receiving but in giving with a compassionate heart.”

23. “Your mind is a garden; cultivate thoughts that bloom into greatness.”

24. “The seeds of success are sown with patience, nurtured by determination, and harvested with gratitude.”

25. “Choose courage over comfort, and you’ll unlock the door to transformation.”

26. “In the tapestry of life, your individuality weaves a thread of brilliance.”

27. “Adopt a mindset of abundance, and you’ll attract boundless opportunities.”

28. “Rise above the noise of doubt, and let your faith guide you to victory.”

29. “Every sunrise brings a new chance to embrace the extraordinary in the ordinary.”

30. “The key to unlocking your potential is within your willingness to take risks.”

31. “Success is not a destination but a continuous journey of self-improvement.”

32. “You are the author of your story; wield the pen with purpose and passion.”

33. “The world needs your unique gifts; don’t hide them, but let them shine.”

34. “A single act of kindness can ignite a spark that brightens the lives of many.”

35. “Look beyond the horizon of doubt, and you’ll discover a realm of endless possibilities.”

36. “Your thoughts shape your reality; choose them wisely to create a masterpiece.”

37. “Life’s challenges are opportunities in disguise, leading you towards growth and resilience.”

38. “The pursuit of knowledge is not a race but a beautiful journey of self-discovery.”

39. “Embrace your imperfections, for they are the brushstrokes that make you a masterpiece.”

40. “Courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it; be brave and stand tall.”

41. “The secret to success lies in finding joy in the process of becoming.”

42. “Celebrate the small victories, for they fuel the motivation to achieve greater triumphs.”

43. “Live with intention, and you’ll find purpose in every step of your journey.”

44. “Your potential knows no bounds; unlock it with unwavering self-belief.”

45. “The power of a positive mindset can turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones.”

46. “Seize the present moment, for it is the gift that shapes your future.”

47. “In the depths of struggle, you’ll discover the strength that resides within you.”

48. “Kindness is the language that transcends barriers and unites hearts.”

49. “Cherish the lessons of the past, but let the present define your future.”

50. “The road to success is often winding, but every turn brings valuable lessons.”

51. “Believe in your dreams, for they hold the seeds of a future yet to bloom.”

52. “Success is not an accident but the result of purposeful dedication and hard work.”

53. “Life is a canvas; paint it with the vibrant colors of love and compassion.”

54. “Let your actions be the song of inspiration that resonates with the world.”

55. “In the dance of life, let passion be your guide, and purpose your partner.”

56. “The power of resilience lies in bouncing back stronger after every setback.”

57. “Your potential is limitless; it is the courage to pursue it that sets you free.”

58. “The greatest gift you can give to the world is the true expression of yourself.”

59. “Embrace the journey of self-discovery, for it leads to profound transformation.”

60. “Success is not found in perfection but in the beauty of imperfection.”

61. “Your story is a tapestry woven with threads of perseverance and triumph.”

62. “Rise above the noise of doubt, and your wings will carry you to great heights.”

63. “The ripple effect of kindness can change the world one heart at a time.”

64. “In the pursuit of knowledge, you’ll find the treasures that enrich your soul.”

65. “Celebrate the uniqueness that sets you apart, and let it be your guiding star.”

66. “The path to success is carved with purpose, passion, and an unyielding spirit.”

67. “Your dreams are the seeds of possibility; water them with action and dedication.”

68. “The key to happiness lies in embracing the journey rather than the destination.”

69. “Be the architect of your dreams, and your vision will become a reality.”

70. “Life’s challenges are stepping stones leading you to the strength within.”

71. “Kindness is a beacon of light that illuminates even the darkest paths.”

72. “Your potential knows no limits; it is bound only by the depths of your belief.”

73. “In the symphony of life, play the melody of your heart with purpose and passion.”

74. “The pursuit of knowledge enriches the soul and opens doors to endless possibilities.”

75. “Success is not defined by accolades but by the impact you leave on others.”

76. “Life’s journey is a canvas; let your actions paint a masterpiece of love and compassion.”

77. “The path to success may be challenging, but your determination will lead you to triumph.”

78. “Embrace the lessons of the past, the opportunities of the present, and the promise of the future.”

79. “Your uniqueness is your superpower; embrace it and let it shine brightly.”

80. “The road to success is paved with resilience, determination, and unwavering faith.”

81. “In the garden of life, cultivate seeds of positivity to bloom into greatness.”

82. “Success is not a destination but a continuous journey of growth and improvement.”

83. “Your story is a masterpiece in the making; create it with purpose and passion.”

84. “The power of kindness can heal wounds and bridge divides.”

85. “Life’s challenges are opportunities to discover the strength within you.”

86. “Your dreams are the compass guiding you to the life you’re destined to lead.”

87. “Embrace the uncertainties of life, for they lead to remarkable discoveries.”

88. “Success is the art of turning setbacks into stepping stones for progress.”

89. “In the grand tapestry of life, your uniqueness weaves a thread of brilliance.”

90. “Cherish the moments of struggle, for they shape the person you become.”

91. “Let your light shine brightly, inspiring others to ignite their own flames.”

92. “The pursuit of knowledge is a journey that fuels the fire of wisdom within.”

93. “Your potential is a vast ocean of possibilities; dive into it with courage.”

94. “In the orchestra of life, let your passion play the sweetest melody.”

95. “The power of resilience lies in rising stronger after every fall.”

96. “Kindness is a language that transcends barriers and brings hearts together.”

97. “Your dreams are the stars guiding you towards your true purpose.”

98. “Life’s challenges are opportunities for growth and self-discovery.”

99. “Believe in yourself, for your potential knows no bounds.”

100. “Success is not found in the destination but in the journey itself.”

101. “Embrace your uniqueness, for it holds the key to your greatness.”

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• Knowledge Base
• Applying to graduate school
• How to Write Your Personal Statement | Strategies & Examples

How to Write Your Personal Statement | Strategies & Examples

Published on February 12, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on July 3, 2023.

A personal statement is a short essay of around 500–1,000 words, in which you tell a compelling story about who you are, what drives you, and why you’re applying.

To write a successful personal statement for a graduate school application , don’t just summarize your experience; instead, craft a focused narrative in your own voice. Aim to demonstrate three things:

• Your personality: what are your interests, values, and motivations?
• Your talents: what can you bring to the program?
• Your goals: what do you hope the program will do for you?

This article guides you through some winning strategies to build a strong, well-structured personal statement for a master’s or PhD application. You can download the full examples below.

Urban Planning Psychology History

Table of contents

Getting started with your personal statement, the introduction: start with an attention-grabbing opening, the main body: craft your narrative, the conclusion: look ahead, revising, editing, and proofreading your personal statement, frequently asked questions, other interesting articles.

Before you start writing, the first step is to understand exactly what’s expected of you. If the application gives you a question or prompt for your personal statement, the most important thing is to respond to it directly.

For example, you might be asked to focus on the development of your personal identity; challenges you have faced in your life; or your career motivations. This will shape your focus and emphasis—but you still need to find your own unique approach to answering it.

There’s no universal template for a personal statement; it’s your chance to be creative and let your own voice shine through. But there are strategies you can use to build a compelling, well-structured story.

The first paragraph of your personal statement should set the tone and lead smoothly into the story you want to tell.

Strategy 1: Open with a concrete scene

An effective way to catch the reader’s attention is to set up a scene that illustrates something about your character and interests. If you’re stuck, try thinking about:

• A personal experience that changed your perspective
• A story from your family’s history
• A memorable teacher or learning experience
• An unusual or unexpected encounter

To write an effective scene, try to go beyond straightforward description; start with an intriguing sentence that pulls the reader in, and give concrete details to create a convincing atmosphere.

Strategy 2: Open with your motivations

To emphasize your enthusiasm and commitment, you can start by explaining your interest in the subject you want to study or the career path you want to follow.

Just stating that it interests you isn’t enough: first, you need to figure out why you’re interested in this field:

• Is it a longstanding passion or a recent discovery?
• Does it come naturally or have you had to work hard at it?
• How does it fit into the rest of your life?
• What do you think it contributes to society?

Tips for the introduction

• Don’t start on a cliche: avoid phrases like “Ever since I was a child…” or “For as long as I can remember…”
• Do save the introduction for last. If you’re struggling to come up with a strong opening, leave it aside, and note down any interesting ideas that occur to you as you write the rest of the personal statement.

Once you’ve set up the main themes of your personal statement, you’ll delve into more detail about your experiences and motivations.

To structure the body of your personal statement, there are various strategies you can use.

Strategy 1: Describe your development over time

One of the simplest strategies is to give a chronological overview of key experiences that have led you to apply for graduate school.

• What first sparked your interest in the field?
• Which classes, assignments, classmates, internships, or other activities helped you develop your knowledge and skills?
• Where do you want to go next? How does this program fit into your future plans?

Don’t try to include absolutely everything you’ve done—pick out highlights that are relevant to your application. Aim to craft a compelling narrative that shows how you’ve changed and actively developed yourself.

My interest in psychology was first sparked early in my high school career. Though somewhat scientifically inclined, I found that what interested me most was not the equations we learned about in physics and chemistry, but the motivations and perceptions of my fellow students, and the subtle social dynamics that I observed inside and outside the classroom. I wanted to learn how our identities, beliefs, and behaviours are shaped through our interactions with others, so I decided to major in Social Psychology. My undergraduate studies deepened my understanding of, and fascination with, the interplay between an individual mind and its social context.During my studies, I acquired a solid foundation of knowledge about concepts like social influence and group dynamics, but I also took classes on various topics not strictly related to my major. I was particularly interested in how other fields intersect with psychology—the classes I took on media studies, biology, and literature all enhanced my understanding of psychological concepts by providing different lenses through which to look at the issues involved.

Strategy 2: Own your challenges and obstacles

If your path to graduate school hasn’t been easy or straightforward, you can turn this into a strength, and structure your personal statement as a story of overcoming obstacles.

• Is your social, cultural or economic background underrepresented in the field? Show how your experiences will contribute a unique perspective.
• Do you have gaps in your resume or lower-than-ideal grades? Explain the challenges you faced and how you dealt with them.

Don’t focus too heavily on negatives, but use them to highlight your positive qualities. Resilience, resourcefulness and perseverance make you a promising graduate school candidate.

Growing up working class, urban decay becomes depressingly familiar. The sight of a row of abandoned houses does not surprise me, but it continues to bother me. Since high school, I have been determined to pursue a career in urban planning. While people of my background experience the consequences of urban planning decisions first-hand, we are underrepresented in the field itself. Ironically, given my motivation, my economic background has made my studies challenging. I was fortunate enough to be awarded a scholarship for my undergraduate studies, but after graduation I took jobs in unrelated fields to help support my parents. In the three years since, I have not lost my ambition. Now I am keen to resume my studies, and I believe I can bring an invaluable perspective to the table: that of the people most impacted by the decisions of urban planners.

Strategy 3: Demonstrate your knowledge of the field

Especially if you’re applying for a PhD or another research-focused program, it’s a good idea to show your familiarity with the subject and the department. Your personal statement can focus on the area you want to specialize in and reflect on why it matters to you.

• Reflect on the topics or themes that you’ve focused on in your studies. What draws you to them?
• Discuss any academic achievements, influential teachers, or other highlights of your education.
• Talk about the questions you’d like to explore in your research and why you think they’re important.

The personal statement isn’t a research proposal , so don’t go overboard on detail—but it’s a great opportunity to show your enthusiasm for the field and your capacity for original thinking.

In applying for this research program, my intention is to build on the multidisciplinary approach I have taken in my studies so far, combining knowledge from disparate fields of study to better understand psychological concepts and issues. The Media Psychology program stands out to me as the perfect environment for this kind of research, given its researchers’ openness to collaboration across diverse fields. I am impressed by the department’s innovative interdisciplinary projects that focus on the shifting landscape of media and technology, and I hope that my own work can follow a similarly trailblazing approach. More specifically, I want to develop my understanding of the intersection of psychology and media studies, and explore how media psychology theories and methods might be applied to neurodivergent minds. I am interested not only in media psychology but also in psychological disorders, and how the two interact. This is something I touched on during my undergraduate studies and that I’m excited to delve into further.

Strategy 4: Discuss your professional ambitions

Especially if you’re applying for a more professionally-oriented program (such as an MBA), it’s a good idea to focus on concrete goals and how the program will help you achieve them.

• If your career is just getting started, show how your character is suited to the field, and explain how graduate school will help you develop your talents.
• If you have already worked in the profession, show what you’ve achieved so far, and explain how the program will allow you to take the next step.
• If you are planning a career change, explain what has driven this decision and how your existing experience will help you succeed.

Don’t just state the position you want to achieve. You should demonstrate that you’ve put plenty of thought into your career plans and show why you’re well-suited to this profession.

One thing that fascinated me about the field during my undergraduate studies was the sheer number of different elements whose interactions constitute a person’s experience of an urban environment. Any number of factors could transform the scene I described at the beginning: What if there were no bus route? Better community outreach in the neighborhood? Worse law enforcement? More or fewer jobs available in the area? Some of these factors are out of the hands of an urban planner, but without taking them all into consideration, the planner has an incomplete picture of their task. Through further study I hope to develop my understanding of how these disparate elements combine and interact to create the urban environment. I am interested in the social, psychological and political effects our surroundings have on our lives. My studies will allow me to work on projects directly affecting the kinds of working-class urban communities I know well. I believe I can bring my own experiences, as well as my education, to bear upon the problem of improving infrastructure and quality of life in these communities.

Tips for the main body

• Don’t rehash your resume by trying to summarize everything you’ve done so far; the personal statement isn’t about listing your academic or professional experience, but about reflecting, evaluating, and relating it to broader themes.
• Do make your statements into stories: Instead of saying you’re hard-working and self-motivated, write about your internship where you took the initiative to start a new project. Instead of saying you’ve always loved reading, reflect on a novel or poem that changed your perspective.

Your conclusion should bring the focus back to the program and what you hope to get out of it, whether that’s developing practical skills, exploring intellectual questions, or both.

Emphasize the fit with your specific interests, showing why this program would be the best way to achieve your aims.

Strategy 1: What do you want to know?

If you’re applying for a more academic or research-focused program, end on a note of curiosity: what do you hope to learn, and why do you think this is the best place to learn it?

If there are specific classes or faculty members that you’re excited to learn from, this is the place to express your enthusiasm.

Strategy 2: What do you want to do?

If you’re applying for a program that focuses more on professional training, your conclusion can look to your career aspirations: what role do you want to play in society, and why is this program the best choice to help you get there?

Tips for the conclusion

• Don’t summarize what you’ve already said. You have limited space in a personal statement, so use it wisely!
• Do think bigger than yourself: try to express how your individual aspirations relate to your local community, your academic field, or society more broadly. It’s not just about what you’ll get out of graduate school, but about what you’ll be able to give back.

You’ll be expected to do a lot of writing in graduate school, so make a good first impression: leave yourself plenty of time to revise and polish the text.

Your style doesn’t have to be as formal as other kinds of academic writing, but it should be clear, direct and coherent. Make sure that each paragraph flows smoothly from the last, using topic sentences and transitions to create clear connections between each part.

Don’t be afraid to rewrite and restructure as much as necessary. Since you have a lot of freedom in the structure of a personal statement, you can experiment and move information around to see what works best.

Finally, it’s essential to carefully proofread your personal statement and fix any language errors. Before you submit your application, consider investing in professional personal statement editing . For $150, you have the peace of mind that your personal statement is grammatically correct, strong in term of your arguments, and free of awkward mistakes.

A statement of purpose is usually more formal, focusing on your academic or professional goals. It shouldn’t include anything that isn’t directly relevant to the application.

A personal statement can often be more creative. It might tell a story that isn’t directly related to the application, but that shows something about your personality, values, and motivations.

However, both types of document have the same overall goal: to demonstrate your potential as a graduate student and s how why you’re a great match for the program.

The typical length of a personal statement for graduate school applications is between 500 and 1,000 words.

Different programs have different requirements, so always check if there’s a minimum or maximum length and stick to the guidelines. If there is no recommended word count, aim for no more than 1-2 pages.

If you’re applying to multiple graduate school programs, you should tailor your personal statement to each application.

Some applications provide a prompt or question. In this case, you might have to write a new personal statement from scratch: the most important task is to respond to what you have been asked.

If there’s no prompt or guidelines, you can re-use the same idea for your personal statement – but change the details wherever relevant, making sure to emphasize why you’re applying to this specific program.

If the application also includes other essays, such as a statement of purpose , you might have to revise your personal statement to avoid repeating the same information.

If you want to know more about college essays , academic writing , and AI tools , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.

College essays

• College essay examples
• College essay format
• College essay style
• College essay length
• Diversity essays
• Scholarship essays

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Avoiding repetition
• Literature review
• Conceptual framework
• Dissertation outline
• Thesis acknowledgements
• Burned or burnt
• Canceled or cancelled
• Dreamt or dreamed
• Gray or grey
• Theater vs theatre

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Quotes In A Personal Statement: What You Need To Know

There is a great deal of debate around the use of quotes in personal statements, with assumption and misinformation rife. Unless the application guidelines specifically prohibit the use of quotes in a personal statement, you are free to use them, but only if they add value . Here’s the answer to how you should use quotes in a personal statement…

You can use quotes in a personal statement to evidence your wider reading and subject knowledge or to put your personal experiences into context for the reader. Quotes can also help you compare opinions, define positions and engage the reader when used appropriately.

There’s lots of detail on how to use quotes for each of these purposes, as well as the pitfalls to avoid, below…

Use a Quote to Evidence Wider Reading and Knowledge

Using a quote to show that you have undertaken and understood an aspect of wider reading related to your application is a powerful way to engage the reader. You need to make sure that the quote is relevant and that it actually demonstrates that you have read a book or article, not that you just used the first result that came up when you Googled it. Evidencing that you have a comprehensive understanding of the sector or industry into which your subject falls and the contemporary challenges within your field of study is vital, and using a brief quote to support your own original opinion is an ideal way to do this.

Look at the image below.

I’ve used the search term ‘quotes on Geography’ and immediately I have a range of options from which to choose.  Maybe I think the first one looks good; it’s a relevant quote, and a well-known source. The problem here is that thousands of other people will do the same, and including this quote doesn’t show any evidence of a depth of knowledge or understanding in the eyes of an admissions officer. It is also far too long for most personal statement length limits, and you may end up with too much of your content being someone else’s words.

It would be far more compelling to have read a significant book on contemporary geography , and to be able to use a specific, relevant quote from somewhere within that book. That would show wider reading and knowledge, but also a far higher level of commitment to your intended course of study than a quick internet search.

Use a Quote to Contextualise Personal Experience

A quotation can be used to convey an aspect of your own life experience more convincingly than a simple description of a moment or encounter might. If you have been inspired by a person in real life, online, in a storybook, in your research or in popular culture, and it’s relevant to the point you want to make , then use a quote. Some examples of the kinds of quotations that might underpin a powerful point in a personal statement might be…

Everyone has the right to compassionate healthcare, free at the point of delivery. Someone Inspiring

Perhaps you attended a lecture in the past, or heard a speech that you’ve always remembered, and words similar to the ones above motivated you to pursue a study of Medicine. You might well want to use the quote to introduce and outline your commitment, your focus or your ambition.

You can make a difference to the world if you study hard. A Parent or Grandparent

Maybe you had a parent or grandparent who gave you this piece of advice and you’ve never forgotten it. Perhaps it plays a part in your desire to study Engineering or Physics. If so, it might be a legitimate quote to use to introduce your connection with the subject.

To read is to enter another world. To write is to open the door to that world for generations to come. Your favourite Author

This could easily be a quote from the introduction to a childhood book that might have prompted your creativity or inspired your imagination. As a consequence, this could be a wonderfully relevant quote to use in a personal statement related to the creative arts or literature. Any quote can be compelling to the reader and illustrate your connection to a subject or industry if it genuinely acts as a relevant link between your experiences, the course and your academic ambitions.

Use a Quote to Compare and Contrast Viewpoints

If your personal statement is one which could successfully utilise opposing viewpoints to show understanding and wider research, then quotations can be an excellent way to evidence a depth of understanding whilst writing in a concise way. Don’t use too many quotes to achieve this, as you will end up with a personal statement that seems repetitive and tells the reader more about the quotes than about the applicant, but judicious use of this technique can certainly be effective.

Suppose you are writing a personal statement related to Theatre Studies. To show your understanding of key practitioners and artistic movements, as well as your own approach to practice, you might begin with a comparative quote. Maybe something like…

You could then go on to discuss your own experiences in more detail, relating them to the demands of the course. By comparing other perspectives through the use of quotations, not only do you show a depth of understanding, but you provide a context for your own approach.

If you want to illustrate opposing viewpoints whilst also offering a relevant opinion, your passage might look something like this…

Mistakes You MUST Avoid When Using Quotations

Now that you have some examples of the most effective ways to use quotes in your personal statement, it is worth finishing with a consideration of the mistakes to avoid when using quotations…

Do not use quotes if they cause your personal statement to pass the word limit or veer off-topic. They should be avoided if too much of your own voice is lost, or their use becomes repetitive. Quotations that are commonly used, used without relevance or used inaccurately will harm, not support your application.

If you would like some advice on getting started with your personal statement , then check this post out, or use this resource to develop some excellent sentence starters.

Last of all, don’t forget to check out Grammarly . It’s a tremendously effective, free software application that helps you get your spelling and grammar to a precise and accurate level. I often recommend it to the applicants I work with, especially if the are plannin gto move in into higher education, where it is an essential for essays and papers. You can check out the benefits here or clik the banner.

Good luck with your personal statement, and don’t forget to contact me if you’d like some 1-1 support. You’ve got this! D

Research and content verified by Personal Statement Planet.

David Hallen

I've worked in the Further Education and University Admissions sector for nearly 20 years as a teacher, department head, Head of Sixth Form, UCAS Admissions Advisor, UK Centre Lead and freelance personal statement advisor, editor and writer. And now I'm here for you...

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50 Best Personal Growth Quotes for Everyday Evolution

Looking for some inspiration to kick off a new chapter of growth or jumpstart your next evolution? Regardless of your goals, these words — from some of the most notable authors, scientists, artists, philosophers, politicians, activists, business professionals and athletes — are sure to resonate.

Bookmark these 50 best personal growth  quotes to draw upon in the months ahead.

Quotes for a Growth Mindset

• “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” - Maya Angelou
• “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” - Ernest Hemingway
• “Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.” - Carrie Fisher
• “One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.” - Abraham Maslow
• “We can’t become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” - Oprah Winfrey
• “When we’re growing up there are all sorts of people telling us what to do when really what we need is space to work out who to be.” - Elliot Page
• “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” - Frederick Douglass
• “Permit yourself to change your mind when something is no longer working for you.” - Nedra Glover Tawwab
• “Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.” - Chinese Proverb
• “Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” - Carl Bard

Quotes About Change

• “Change brings opportunity.” - Nido Qubein
• “Sometimes good things fall apart so better things could fall together.” - Marilyn Monroe
• “Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.” - Steve Maraboli
• “Recognizing that you are not where you want to be is a starting point to begin changing your life.” - Deborah Day
• “People who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” - Rob Siltanen
• “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” - Angela Davis
• “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” - Jane Goodall
• “Change is made of choices, and choices are made of character.” - Amanda Gorman
• “Tradition is nothing but ancestral peer pressure.” - Indya Moore
• “Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” - John F. Kennedy

Quotes About Education

• “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” - Malcolm X
• “A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers.” - Helen Keller
• “Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children.” - Walt Disney
• “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” - John Dewey
• “You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read.” - Cesar Chavez
• “Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.” - Bill Nye
• “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” - Benjamin Franklin
• “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela
• “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” - Sydney J. Harris
• “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” - Malala Yousafzai

Find Your Program

Quotes about success.

People often think of achievement as an end goal, but if you're wondering how to be successful , you should prepare for an ongoing process of growth and self-discovery. Look to these quotes remind you of what's really important on your personal quest for success.

• “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” - Albert Einstein
• “The swiftest way to triple your success is to double your investment in personal development.” - Robin Sharma
• “I would like to think that all of my successes in life are really just the fruit of my failures.” - Yvie Oddly
• “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” - Warren Buffett
• “Always work hard and have fun in what you do because I think that's when you're more successful. You have to choose to do it.” - Simone Biles
• “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” - Thomas Jefferson
• “Failure is not the opposite of success; it is a stepping stone towards it.” - Sundar Pichai
• “When someone tells me ‘no,’ it doesn’t mean I can’t do it, it simply means I can’t do it with them.” - Karen E. Quinones Miller
• “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” - Babe Ruth
• “Success isn't about the end result, it's about what you learn along the way.” - Vera Wang

Quotes About Life

Because personal growth is a long-term effort, you're bound to encounter obstacles along the way. These quotes might help you find your life direction  or guide you toward growth when you're facing hardship or feeling discouraged.

• “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain
• “We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it.” - Rick Warren
• “You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.” - Shonda Rhimes
• “You are the one that possesses the keys to your being. You carry the passport to your own happiness.” - Diane von Furstenberg
• “When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you… never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” - Harriet Beecher Stowe
• “Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.” - Les Brown
• “Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experiences that reveals the human spirit.” - e.e. cummings
• “If you don’t make the time to work on creating the life you want, you’re eventually going to be forced to spend a lot of time dealing with a life you don’t want.” - Kevin Ngo
• “It is never too late to be who you might have been.” - George Eliot
• “The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” - Dolly Parton

Whether you’re pursuing a new dream , working hard toward ongoing goals or making a plan to transform your life in some way, you're bound to encounter challenges along the way. But those challenges could be a gateway to growth and new opportunities.

If you find any of these quotes particularly inspirational, consider printing them out and posting them in the places you view often throughout the day. Sometimes a simple quote can impact you in the most positive of ways.

Know someone who needs a bit of motivation? Share these quotes and help them on their personal growth journey.

A degree can change your life. Find the SNHU online college degree  that can best help you meet your goals.

Mars Girolimon '21 '23G is a staff writer at Southern New Hampshire University where they earned their bachelor's and master's, both in English and creative writing. In addition to their work in higher education, Girolimon's short fiction is published in the North American Review, So It Goes by The Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library, X-R-A-Y and more. They're currently writing their debut novel, which was Longlisted for The First Pages Prize. Connect with them on LinkedIn .

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Founded in 1932, and online since 1995, we’ve helped countless students reach their goals with flexible, career-focused programs . Our 300-acre campus in Manchester, NH is home to over 3,000 students, and we serve over 135,000 students online. Visit our about SNHU  page to learn more about our mission, accreditations, leadership team, national recognitions and awards.

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55 Personal Mission Statement Quotes for 2024

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Do you ever feel like you’re just drifting through life? Have you ever asked yourself what more you could be doing with the abilities and talents you possess?

Many people have had the same feeling and asked the same question in their quest for a more meaningful life. The truth is, we all hunger for a sense of purpose—something that becomes our reason for getting up every morning .

A personal mission statement is a concise representation of this purpose. Having one gives you a destination in life.

In this article, we’re sharing a compilation of personal mission statement quotes to help you discover your life’s purpose.

Hopefully, these quotes will inspire you to craft your own personal mission statement .

Before heading on to the quotes, let’s talk about specific reasons why a personal mission statement is important.

Table of Contents

Why Do You Need a Personal Mission Statement?

As mentioned earlier, a mission statement provides you with a sense of purpose.

It clarifies the goals you want to achieve. This short statement allows you to stay on track and ensure that you’re working toward the goals that are aligned with your purpose.

When you have a personal mission statement, you’ll find that it is liberating to base your decisions and actions on it. Distractions are minimized or even avoided entirely.

Considering that your personal mission statement is the foundation of your actions and decisions, you’ll also discover that success comes more easily.

If you already have a personal mission statement, the following quotes can serve as additional inspiration as you continue to live out your life’s purpose .

This list of quotes is an affirmation of all that you have worked on to gain a deeper understanding of who you truly are and what you’re meant to do in this lifetime.

Here they are!

55 Personal Mission Quotes

• “ The most effective way I know to begin with the end in mind is to develop a personal mission statement or philosophy or creed. It focused on what you want to be (character) and to do (contributions and achievements) and on the values or principles upon which being and doing are based. ” – Stephen Covey
• “ Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about mission statements. ” – Ron Livingston
• “ Make your life a mission – not an intermission. ” – Arnold H. Glasgow
• “ To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal. ” – Abdul Kalam
• “ Mission defines strategy, and strategy defines structure. ” – Peter F. Drucker
• “ Without a mission statement, you may get to the top of the ladder and then realize it was leaning against the wrong building! ” – Dave Ramsey
• “ The mission of your life should be to leave a better world behind than what you inherited. ” – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
• “ Every person above the ordinary has a certain mission that they are called to fulfill. ” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

• “ Surround yourself with those who are on the same mission as you. ” – Richard Blackmore
• “ Outstanding people have one thing in common: an absolute sense of mission. ” – Zig Ziglar
• “ A mission statement is not something you write overnight… But fundamentally, your mission statement becomes your constitution, the solid expression of your vision and values. It becomes the criterion by which you measure everything else in your life. ” – Stephen Covey
• “ Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you're alive it isn't. ” – Richard Bach
• “ Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal. ” – Henry Ford

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal. ” – Henry Ford

• “ The only permission, the only validation, and the only opinion that matters in our quest for greatness is our own. ” – Steve Maraboli
• “ Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it. ” – Buddha
• “ I define personal success as being consistent to my own personal mission statement: to love God and love others. ” – Joel Manby
• “ To ensure that your work is also a play, I recommend that you develop a personal mission statement. This will help you find what it is to enjoy so much that you lose track of time when you're doing it. ” – Ken Blanchard
• “ What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. ” – Zig Ziglar

• “ You are here for a special mission. There is a purpose of your life. Find that purpose of your life, work on it and live your life happily. ” – Raaz Ojha
• “ The most extraordinary people in the world today don’t have a career. They have a mission. ” – Vishen Lakhiani
• “ Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose. ” – Viktor Frankl
• “ We all have a purpose in life, and when you find yours you will recognize it. ” – Catherine Pulsifer
• “ The secret of success is constancy to purpose. ” – Benjamin Disraeli
• “ Bitter experience has taught us how fundamental our values are and how great the mission they represent. ” – Jan Peter Balkenende
• “ A man with money is no match against a man on a mission. ” – Doyle Brunson
• “ When you discover your mission… it will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it. ” – W. Clement Stone
• “ 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
• “ Success demands singleness of purpose. ” – Vincent Lombardi
• “ Life without purpose is like a body without soul. ” – Tasneem Hameed

• “ Knowing our personal mission further enhances the flow of mysterious coincidences as we are guided toward our destinies. First, we have a question, then dreams, daydreams, and intuitions lead us toward the answers, which usually are synchronistically provided by the wisdom of another human being. ” – James Redfield
• “ A warrior’s mission is to foster the success of others. ” – Morihei Ueshiba
• “ My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some humor, and some style. ” – Maya Angelou
• “ It’s not enough to have lived. We should be determined to live for something. ” – Winston Churchill
• “ Anything and everything you have experienced has been purposeful; it has brought you to where you are now. ” – Iyanla Vanzant
• “ To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people just exist. ” – Oscar Wilde
• “ In the midst of excitement, grief, joy, and solitude, I remind myself every moment that the sole mission of my life is to find ‘the ultimate questioner' — that unimaginable who has put me in this madness to answer an unanswerable question. ” – Kedar Joshi
• “ The bigger your mission becomes, the greater inspiration you will be given. ” – Ryuho Okawa
• “ Greatness is a life mission, being the best is not about being better than anyone else but striving to be the best that you can and bringing out the best in others. ” – Dominick Cruz
• “ 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
• “ Knowing your life purpose is the first step toward living a truly conscious life. A life purpose provides us with a clear goal, a set finish line that you truly want to reach. ” – Simon Foster
• “ The person without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder. ” – Thomas Carlyle
• “ Peak performers see the ability to manage change as a necessity in fulfilling their missions. ” – Charles A. Garfield

• “ He who has a why to live can bear almost any how. ” – Friedrich Nietzsche
• “ Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated, thus, everyone’s task is unique as his specific opportunity to implement it. ” – Viktor Frankl
• “ Having a purpose is the difference between making a living and making a life. ” – Tom Thiss
• “ Discovering your purpose is the most significant thing you will do in your life, and you, your loved ones, and the world will be better off because you went on this journey. ” – Mastin Kipp
• “ The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away. ” – Pablo Picasso

The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away. ” – Pablo Picasso

• “ We are not in a position in which we have nothing to work with. We already have capacities, talents, direction, missions, callings. ” – Abraham H. Maslow
• “ The two most important days in life are the day you born and the day you discover the reason why. ” – Mark Twain
• “ Until your mission is an obsession, nothing will change in your life. ” – Robin Sharma
• “ What matters most in a purposeful life is giving ones fullest strength to ones cause. Great efforts assure satisfaction, while common efforts can lead to regrets. ” – John Soforic
• “ Understanding purpose is one thing, but recognizing the importance of having purpose is another. Everybody has a unique purpose in their life, whether it be to help others, provide for family, or be free. ” – Ben Gothard
• “ The best way to lengthen out our days is to walk steadily and with a purpose. ” – Charles Dickens
• “ Can you have more than one major mission pervading your life? No. That would be like coming to a fork in the road and trying to go both ways by straddling it. ” – Charles A. Garfield
• “ The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for. ” – Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Final Thoughts on Personal Mission Statement Quotes

There you have it—a list of the finest personal mission statement quotes to inspire and motivate you to live in alignment with your true purpose.

We hope you enjoyed reading these words as much as we enjoyed compiling them.

If you are looking for more resources about personal mission statements, you can check out these amazing personal mission statement examples . Finally, here is a five-step guide to writing your personal mission statement .

Related Posts:

• Mission Statements VS Goals: 5 Key Differences
• 11 Life Purpose Questionnaires & Quizzes to Take
• 9 Best Books on Finding Your Purpose in Life

Professionals

Why Quotes Should Be Avoided in a Personal Statement

Written by David Lombardino   |  Updated February 23, 2024

How Do I Stand out?

One of the greatest challenges—and for many the single greatest challenge—in applying for medical residency is deciding what to write in the personal statement. How do I stand out? What can I write to catch the program director’s attention?

These are questions that plague every one of the 45,000 applicants for medical residency across the U.S. and Canada every year, and they are ones that both U.S. and Canadian medical graduates and international medical graduates (IMGs) have to answer.

The Greatest Obstacle to Writing a Personal Statement

I have been editing, proofreading and critiquing personal statements for medical residency since 2008. It started as a favor I would do for friends and acquaintances, and has grown to overseeing, as editor in chief, the 1,000+ personal statements DLA Editors & Proofers reviews annually.

From what I have seen, the greatest obstacle preventing candidates from knowing what to write in their personal statements is not actually understanding what a personal statement is.

What Exactly Is a “Personal Statement”?

To understand what a personal statement is—and therefore to avoid the common pitfalls in writing one—it is necessary to consider first what the words “personal” and “statement” mean.

Let us start with the word “statement,” since it is the noun and therefore the foundation of the term.

According to Webster's Third New International Dictionary , a “statement” is “a report or narrative (as of facts, events, or opinions),” an “account” or “recital.” A “narrative,” or “narration,” is “the act or process of telling the particulars of an act, occurrence, or course of events.”

For candidates applying for medical residency, both the “act” and “occurrence” is the process of applying for medical residency, and the “course of events” is the path that has led to the candidate's now applying for medical residency.

When we add the definition of “personal” to this description, we get an even clearer picture.

“Personal” means “of or relating to a particular person.” It is “not public or general.” The “particular person,” of course, is the candidate preparing for medical residency.

Applying this meaning to that of “statement,” we can see that the “path” that is to be described by the “personal statement” should be the one of the applicant, and no one else.

The Challenge of Being “Personal” in a “Personal Statement”

Of the two components of the “personal statement,” by far the one that most applicants struggle with is the “personal” aspect.

Our clients are smart, driven individuals who excel at gathering, analyzing and prioritizing information to find possible solutions to a problem. The process is one in which they have been well trained, as the foundation for taking an effective patient history to arrive at the most likely differential diagnosis.

The greatest difficulty they have when needing to write their personal statements is not in their ability to approach a problem logically, but in being able even to know how to approach the problem of what to write, which for many defies logic.

This is particularly true for applicants raised outside the U.S. or Canada in cultures in which they were taught never to focus on themselves or to divulge any personal details, no matter how trivial.

Why Candidates Use Quotes in Their Personal Statements

No matter whether the candidates are U.S. or Canadian medical graduates or IMGs—and therefore for various reasons—they tend just the same to want to use quotes in their personal statements, with the quotes they want to use tending to fall into one of three categories.

The first and most common is a quote from someone famous. Examples of this are quoting Mohammed, Nelson Mandela or Thomas Jefferson.

The second is a quote from what a professor, attending or public speaker said in front of a class or group.

The third is a quote from a close friend, family member or otherwise particularly influential individual that has had a profound effect on the candidate.

In most cases, the quote is used in the introduction, and in most of these the candidate uses it in the first sentence. The reason for this is quite simple: the candidate is stuck on how to start, they do not have enough confidence in their own words, they believe such a device will attract the attention of an otherwise disinterested program director, or all of the above.

Why Using a Quote in a Personal Statement Is Almost Always a Mistake

What many candidates do not realize is that quoting someone else—particularly in the introduction and especially in the first sentence—is almost always a mistake.

There are several reasons for this.

Most commonly—as in the first two types of quotes described above—the quote has had no direct influence in shaping the candidate’s personal or professional path.

For a quote from Mohamed, Mandela or any other person to be effective, it must be crucial to the point in the narrative at which it occurs.

If it occurs in the first sentence, for example, it must be that the quote, above all the other candidate’s influences, has been foundational in their path. This is rarely likely, except in the case in which the candidate first heard the quote at a very young age and replayed it over and over again in their mind every—or almost every—day since.

Such quotes are more likely to have come from a parent or close family member or family friend than from a famous person.

When the quote occurs somewhere in the introduction after the first sentence, or elsewhere in the personal statement, it must similarly have had a profound effect on the candidate's individual path, or it must be otherwise crucial to the narrative.

In the first case it would be from someone particularly influential in the candidate’s life. This could be from a close family member or from some other individual close to the candidate. It could be from a professor or attending if it represents a key moment in the candidate's development.

What I mean by “gimmick” is something that someone writes as a crutch in place of what should actually be written.

In most cases the candidate does not realize that what they have written will come across as a gimmick, or they—at least before using our services—are at a loss with regard to what else to write.

When evaluating whether a quote is being used effectively, we come back to the key pillar of the personal statement, which is that it must be “personal.”

Too often, the quotes come across as either filler material or as a result of the candidate's, for whatever reason, not taking the effort simply to tell their own story.

What Candidates Should Write in Their Personal Statements Instead of a Quote

One problem we see is that there is a lot of misleading advice—and, even worse, examples—on how to write a personal statement that encourage the candidate to start with a famous quote. For almost every candidate, this is, by contrast, the worst place to start.

What is easy, though, is to ask one simple question to help decide whether starting with a quote is a good idea. This is: “Where did I get the idea for using this quote?”

If the answer is not that “it has had a profound effect on me since I heard it” or, in other words, that “there is no other way for me to tell my story without it,” then chances are it will not be successful to use it in the personal statement.

What a candidate should write instead is simply their own path in their own words.

Instead of trying to find a quote to use for the first sentence, the candidate should reflect on what exactly was the beginning of their path, and start with describing that.

One way to start could be: “As far back as I can remember, I have had a strong desire to help others” or “I will never forget the first time my uncle took me to visit the slums.”

Opening with a clear, direct statement like this from the candidate's own point of view will always be the most effective way to gain the attention of the program director, and to encourage them to read past the first sentence.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published January 30, 2017, and last updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness June 16, 2022.

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50 positive life quotes to inspire, and lift your spirit each day

" Life's a climb. But the view is great ." There are times when things seemingly go to plan, and there are other moments when nothing works out.

During those instances, you might feel lost. But words of encouragement can help. Certain quotes can inspire and remind you to live life to the fullest and persevere through whatever challenges come your way.

If you're looking for more, here is a list of quotes about life throughout the decades:

50 quotes about life

• "You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated." – Maya Angelou , "And Still I Rise"
• "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on." –  Robert Frost
• "Life is a long lesson in humility." – J.M. Barrie , "The Little Minister"
• "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." – Oscar Wilde
• "The most important thing is to enjoy your life–to be happy–it's all that matters." – Audrey Hepburn
• "To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone." – Reba McEntire
• "We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us." – Joseph Campbell
• "Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
• "Love the life you live. Live the life you love." – Bob Marley
• "I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy." – Marie Curie
• "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how." –  Friedrich Nietzsche
• "You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." – Mae West
• "The whole secret of a successful life is to find out what is one's destiny to do, and then do it." – Henry Ford
• "In order to write about life first you must live it." – Ernest Hemingway
• "Life has no limitations, except the ones you make." – Les Brown
• "It's your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and don't take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver." – Betty White
• "Live for each second without hesitation." – Elton John
• "The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." – E. E. Cummings
• "Start each day with a positive thought and a grateful heart." – Roy Bennett
• "All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure." – Mark Twain
• "I believe that if you'll just stand up and go, life will open up for you. Something just motivates you to keep moving." – Tina Turner
• "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." – Thomas Edison
• "I have very strong feelings about how you lead your life. You always look ahead, you never look back." – Ann Richards
• "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." – Albert Einstein
• "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." – Anais Nin
• "You do not find the happy life. You make it." – Camilla Eyring Kimball
• "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." – Jackie Robinson
• "The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." – Eleanor Roosevelt
• "The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams." – Oprah Winfrey
• "If you own this story you get to write the ending." – Brené Brown
• "Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once." – Lillian Dickinson
• "Life is about making an impact, not making an income." – Kevin Kruse
• "There are no regrets in life, just lessons." – Jennifer Aniston
• "Accept no one's definition of your life, define yourself." – Harvey Fierstein
• "The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes." – Frank Lloyd Wright
• "If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of." – Bruce Lee
• "Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts." – Nikki Giovanni
• "Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced." – Soren Kierkegaard
• "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life." – Steve Jobs
• "If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow." – Beyoncé
• "If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living." – Gail Sheehy
• "I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed." – Booker T. Washington
• "Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful." – Annette Funicello
• "The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything." – Frank Sinatra
• "I think I've discovered the secret of life – you just hang around until you get used to it." – Charles Schulz
• "Life is very interesting... in the end, some of your greatest pains, become your greatest strengths." – Drew Barrymore
• "Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." – Joshua J. Marine
• "Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can't build on it; it's only good for wallowing in." – Katherine Mansfield
• "The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway." – Henry Boye
• "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." – George Bernard Shaw

Quotes about love: 50 love quotes to express how you feel: 'Where there is love there is life'

Inspirational quotes: 50 motivational motivational words to brighten your day.

Just Curious for more? We've got you covered

USA TODAY is exploring the questions you and others ask every day. From " What is the rarest blood type? " to " Who was the oldest Golden Girl? " to " What state has the lowest population? " – we're striving to find answers to the most common questions you ask every day. Head to our  Just Curious section  to see what else we can answer.