53 Growth Mindset Quotes to Become More Successful in Life

Updated Jan 10, 2023.
growth-mindset-quotes

The concept of a growth mindset was first introduced by Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford University. She first coined the term in her book “Mindset: The Psychology of Success“. Carol explained the growth mindset as believing skills and talents can be learned and developed in her book.

A growth mindset is critical to your success as an entrepreneur. It is a crucial characteristic for entrepreneurs. This is because entrepreneurship is filled with lots of challenges. Only those who can stay up-to-date and advance their skills are likely to survive. This article covers the critical growth mindset quotes on the importance of building a positive mindset. You will also learn the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset in business through these quotes.

growth mindset is critical to your success as an entrepreneur
Source: Medium

Inspirational Growth Mindset Quotes to Succeed

01
“You will either step forward into growth, or you will step backward into safety.”
— Abraham Maslow.

A growth mindset is essential to have as an entrepreneur. Your journey to success first begins with you and your value system.

However, not every entrepreneur has a growth mindset. Even if they do, the mindset gets weakened when challenges arise. This is why they always choose the “safe” option. The problem with this option is that there are no risks, and no risks equal no chance to grow. No growth equals stagnation and, eventually, depreciation.

02
After every difficulty, ask yourself two questions: “What did I do right?” and “What would I do differently?”
— Brian Tracy

Encountering failure in your business is not the end of the world. Instead, it is a lesson to learn about building your business. Failure is a chance to go back and improve on your craft. It means you were doing something wrong, and now you have the chance to replan and try another approach.

03
“Be so busy improving yourself that you have no time to criticize others.”
— Chetan Bhagat

Entrepreneurship shapes your mindset. It challenges you to think and innovate. Because you are constantly faced with new challenges to overcome, your brain is trained to always be active. With the right attitude, you will be able to turn your business into a profitable success.

04
“Spend eighty percent of your time focusing on the opportunities of tomorrow rather than the problems of yesterday.”
— Brian Tracy

As an entrepreneur, developing a growth mindset is very critical. This mindset encourages you to see each major or minor challenge as an opportunity to get to the next level.

05
“The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and change.”
— Carl Rogers

You cannot say you have grown unless you have passed through fire and survived. Although you may be scathed, at least you have stories to tell. Challenges bring out the “survivor” in you. You learn and apply new skills. That is when growth comes in.

06
“We become what we think about most of the time, and that's the strangest secret.”
— Earl Nightingale

Your focus determines your direction. When you focus on the wrong things, you will keep making dreadful mistakes. As a startup entrepreneur or small business owner, you probably have a lot of startup ideas. Your focus should be on how to improve your services or products. There is no doubt that there are already more prominent companies doing more than you. However, having a growth mindset would mean that you focus on what you have, not what you don't have.

focus determines your direction
Source: ResearchGate
07
”A year from now, you may wish you had started today.”
— Karen Lamb

Regretting not starting something is worse than starting it and failing at it. The good thing about the second option is that at least you know your capacity, strengths, and weaknesses. You need to know that a growth mindset is critical for a positive entrepreneurial mindset. This is why you need to take these growth mindset quotes very seriously.

08
”Challenges are what make life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
— Joshua Marine

Entrepreneurship is risky. It means putting your idea out there for the unfriendly masses to be your judge. Many ‘supposed' entrepreneurs do not have a growth mindset, making them unwilling to take risks.

Because these startup entrepreneurs are scared to take risks, they choose the easy way out and prefer to be cowards. By doing this, they halt their growth process. Sadly, this is what causes these entrepreneurs to maintain a mediocre status for as long as possible. No knowledge, no passion for growth, and no new skill learned.

09
“Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.”
— Napoleon Hill

The bitter truth is that entrepreneurship is challenging; that is why many startups fail even before five years. It takes someone who is strong-willed, persistent, resilient, and intelligent to survive in the streets of entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, not everyone is cut out for entrepreneurship because not everyone is ready to make the tough (and only natural) road to entrepreneurial success.

10
“Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting, not the triumph in the trying. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.”
— Zig Ziglar

When successful entrepreneurs tell their success stories, you will notice that they are not always the same. However, one common thing these success stories have in them is that there was a time when these entrepreneurs failed woefully at what they wanted to achieve. This goes to show that there is no success story without failure. It sounds ironic, but it is true. To get satisfying results, you have to pass through painful circumstances.

11
“To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.”
— Unknown

Trying to be on the “safe” side is a cowardly direction to take. It is only intelligent to avoid risks and play safe when you are sure that the results are ineffective. If the risks cost you more than you would gain, then find an alternative. Entrepreneurship involves trying out new strategies; testing what works and what doesn't.

When you analyze why you failed, you will be able to identify what went wrong and work on it. For example, your marketing strategies may have failed because you didn't identify the right target audience. Making assumptions about why you failed will do you more harm than good. Instead, go back to your place of study to know what went wrong and how to fix it.

12
“Press forward. Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, but strive for the mark set before you.”
– George Whitefield

Set smart goals and focus on achieving them. Setting defined goals helps you stay focused because you know the direction you are heading to. The impossible becomes possible if you maintain the right mindset and are persistent enough to persevere through it.

13
“A challenge only becomes an obstacle when you bow to it.”
– Ray Davis

A growth mindset is a mindset that believes that intelligence is not fixed, but can be developed. It means believing that success can be achieved by deliberately improving your skills. There is no limit to what you can learn, especially if you have the mindset to grow.

Just because you are not good at advertising, marketing, or any other aspect of business doesn't mean you can never be good at it.

14
“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
– Thomas Edison

One truth you should know is that success is a mindset, and failure is also a mindset. You become what you believe. If you don't believe that success is achievable, you will lose the motivation to even try or persevere irrespective of all the tough times.

Your mindset is so powerful because it influences your actions. If you have the mindset to succeed, you positively influence the nature of your business.

15
“If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a time for great personal growth ahead.”
– Oswald Chambers

Your small business cannot grow if you don't have a growth mindset. Just because your plans didn't work out doesn't mean they will never work out.

As a startup entrepreneur, you have probably studied the best business books, researched the latest small business statistics, and even learned the essential skills your business needs. But all this knowledge will have no effect if you do not take action. Every new challenge you encounter helps shape and define your skills.

Best Growth Mindset Quotes to Overcome Failure

16
“Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.”
– Robert H. Schuller

The differences between a growth mindset and a fixed one are apparent. An entrepreneur with a mindset of growing, no matter what, embraces challenges. They persist in the face of setbacks and learn from criticism.

It is only till you have this mindset that you can achieve success. You will see every effort as a step to mastery with a growth mindset.

17
“You don't have to have a small fortune to achieve your dreams. You simply must overcome the obstacles that get in your way and be willing to triumph over your fear and take a leap of faith.”
– Alicia Garcia

You don't need to wait till you have so much money before you can finally launch your business. The more you wait, the less motivated you become. If eventually you have the money, but no innovation you may be wasting funds.

Failing gives you a chance to discover new things and new ways to solve a problem. There are unlimited opportunities to take advantage of if you have the right mindset. You see challenges as a chance to be innovative, to create something new — a better solution to a problem.

Common Reasons for Startup Failure
Source: Appedus
18
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
– Walt Disney

Operating a small business involves spending a large portion of your time on your craft. It also requires you to develop skills in critical areas, especially if you do not have enough funds to hire a professional team.

You may have created a solid action plan on achieving your goals. But that plan is as good as useless if you don't put it into motion. Just talking won't do the work. Instead, learn what you need to learn to succeed, then implement it.

19
“It is always the start that requires the greatest effort.”
– James Cash Penney

As a small business owner, you have to wear many hats. It can be frustrating and the thought of it is enough to reduce any enthusiasm you have in you.

When you finally decide to launch your idea and start your business, there will be thoughts of uncertainties flooding in your head. “Will they like my idea”? “Will I get investors”?, or “Is my business ever going to make it among these top competitors”?

You will never know the answers to your questions unless you take the bold step of trying. That is how I was able to build my two top-ranking websites — FounderJar and Cleverism.

20
“Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.”
– Dale Carnegie

When it comes to running a business, there is a lot of trial and error. Each error lets you know one way your business doesn't work and leads you closer to discovering how it works.

A lot of entrepreneurs settle for mediocrity. They are satisfied with whatever life throws at them, whatever level their business gets to. But in reality, they want more. It is only the strong-willed and those who are crazy enough to chase what they want that will ever make it to the table of success.

21
“Successful people have fear, successful people have doubts, and successful people have worries. They just don't let these feelings stop them.”
– T. Harv Eker

Don't be afraid to take that bold step that could take your business to the next level. Be bold enough to take that risk and make that investment. You can never know how it will turn out unless you try.

Success is achieved by ordinary people who set out to achieve extraordinary things. Like you and I, these ordinary people decided to hold on to every challenge as a lesson. They decided to turn their crazy tiny ideas into a reality. But it wasn't the result that made these people successful. It was the process. Although they had fears and doubts, they didn't let these challenges command their actions.

22
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”
– Steve Jobs

People often refer to entrepreneurs as “the crazy ones who want to make a change”. As an entrepreneur, you are a game-changer, an innovator. But you need to understand that you don't have to be an expert to start something. For example, you don't have to be an expert writer before you can finally launch your blog. A growth mindset understands that you can always learn and develop your skills as you progress in the business.

23
“High expectations are the key to everything.”
– Sam Walton

Setting reasonably high goals keeps you motivated. But it is essential that you set realistic expectations. Unreasonably high expectations lead to stress, which can affect your mental health. Set milestones to achieve. Each completed milestone encourages you to complete the next one.

24
“An entrepreneur is someone who has a vision for something and a want to create.”
– David Karp

The day you decided to launch your own business, you decided to dedicate yourself to turning your dream into a reality. Even if you want your business to be a source of passive income so you can attain financial freedom, you still need the passion and dedication to succeed.

25
“Failure is not about insecurity, it's about lack of execution.”
– Jeffery Gitomer

People fail not because they are uncertain about what would happen but because they refuse to take any action. They let the uncertainties become powerful enough to cripple them.

Best Quotes on Building a Growth Mindset

Now you know the importance of a growth mindset and how it can help you in your business, it's time to know how to build up a growth mindset. These growth mindset quotes aren't just for you but your entire team as well. You can't go high if your entire team thinks so low.

26
“Success is not in what you have, but who you are.”
– Bo Bennett

The journey to success is progressive. You take tiny steps to your destination. However, every step you take or effort you make draws you closer to your goals. That is why you should never give up. You never know how close you are to success till you get it.

27
“Chase the vision, not the money, the money will end up following you.”
– Tony Hsieh

Surround yourself with like minds. If you want to build up your growth mindset, surround yourself with positive people. As you motivate your team, they also motivate you. One of the best ways of motivating your team is to inspire them with the best quotes of resilience. These powerful resilience quotes will guide them in staying motivated in the face of intense challenges.

28
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”
– Albert Einstein

Savvy entrepreneurs know that they should always prioritize innovation to make their businesses stand out. Innovation challenges you to bring out your inner creativity. You are always looking for newer and more innovative ways to deliver value to your target audience.

However, it may be challenging to bring out your creative side when faced with so many oppositions from different sides. Two primary barriers to creativity are fear of failure and fear of judgment. These fears cripple your desire to succeed and cause you to underperform. The best way to beat these fears is to focus on the goal and not the opposition.

29
“There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder.”
– Ronald Reagan

Developing a growth mindset doesn't just happen overnight. It is a journey you intentionally choose to embark on. Because building a growth mindset is not instant, you need to continue learning. There is never a limit to what you can achieve; therefore, there is never a limit to what you can learn. Learn about the latest trends in your industry, study about the successful entrepreneurs in your niche — you learn from their experiences as you create your own.

30
“The moment you arrive is the perfect time to set out again.”
– Dan Sullivan

Growth is continuous. The moment we stop aiming for growth, we start dwindling. Aside from learning from books or taking online courses, you should also engage/encourage valuable conversations among your team. If your team has a fixed mindset, it will affect the quality of service or products you give. Teach your team that they can learn any critical skills to boost your business. They can also learn how to use the best online tools for small businesses.

31
“With confidence, you have won before you have started.”
– Marcus Garvey

Confidence gives you a good look. It makes you work towards becoming an expert in your field. Self-confidence allows you to take intelligent risks and evaluate the areas in your business that need improvement. Without confidence in yourself, your team, and the value you offer your business, you will be afraid to learn something new. Your level of confidence affects your growth mindset. Lack of self-confidence causes you to have a fixed mindset.

Work on ways to improve your self-confidence, including identifying your fears, trying out new things, and recognizing your strengths and weaknesses. Ensure that both you and your team have a positive confidence level.

32
“Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result but the cause of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different actions or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.”
– Norman Vincent Peale

One way to build your growth mindset in business is to take responsibility. Have you ever heard the saying, “when you identify a problem, you have solved it halfway”? The second half of the solution is by actually doing something about it. Be willing to take responsibility for the running of your business. Being accountable challenges you to put in the effort and time.

Also, learn to delegate responsibilities. Delegation is significant for you as a small business owner. It allows you to accomplish more, even while doing well. Unless you are a solopreneur, your team needs to also take responsibility for the business operations. Because they are held accountable for various aspects of the business, they are willing to improve their skills and boost their results.

33
“Do what you can, with what you've got, where you are.”
– Theodore Roosevelt

Don't get carried away by what others have. Your primary focus should be on possible ways to achieve better results. This also means using what you have to get what you want.

It is imperative to know that you can never be fully prepared before starting. The greatest lessons you learn in business are those you learn while taking action. Start with the bit of knowledge you have and be willing to learn more on the way.

34
“There's nothing as exciting as a comeback – seeing someone with dreams, watching them fail, and then getting a second chance.”
– Rachel Griffiths

A comeback is more glorious after falling and getting back up when no one thought you could. Successful entrepreneurs have been knocked down multiple times, but they haven't been knocked out.

Always have a mindset to win, no matter how many times you fall. Have as many backup plans as possible. You should be prepared for any worst-case scenarios that may happen.

35
“One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.”
– Maya Angelou

The growth journey thrives on consistency. It takes consistent and deliberate actions to build courage. Entrepreneurs with a growth mindset are courageous enough to believe that they can develop their talents and skills through hard work and consistent efforts. Your talents can be trained to their maximum potential.

36
“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.”
– Roy T. Bennett

This growth mindset quote is an illustration of leading by example. As a business owner, you are a leader to your entire team and your actions influence them. Being a leader means you have to be committed to growth and learning. You cannot effectively lead if you don't act out what you teach.

Focus on what you can change. Worrying cannot change things. If you are always worried, your team will follow suit. Leverage your strengths on what you can change.

37
“Nothing is cooler and more attractive than a big comeback, and that'll be me.”
– Steven Adler

Set your mind to success no matter how many times you fall. Only someone who has tried in his craft, failed and devised other ways to improve that craft can be called a skilled craftsman.

I always say that success is not accidental. You plan out effective strategies and tactics on how to get what you want. What is your strategy for success? Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy are the noise before defeat. When setting your goals, plan out your strategies and tactics on how you will achieve the goals.

38
“If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.”
– The Dalai Lama

This growth mindset quote is a simple rule of thumb for every dedicated entrepreneur. It clearly states that there is no use in worrying. Worrying about challenges and setbacks makes you even more unwilling to move on. The human mind can be very tricky. The more it dwells on a situation, the more it conforms to that situation negatively. Worrying has consequences that build up over time.

A growth mindset doesn't give time and space to leverage negative thoughts. It is focused on the “how can I change this for the better?” thoughts.

39
“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.”
– Zig Ziglar

Your attitude to growth also greatly influences how you build up a growth mindset. A negative attitude affects your mindset and every possible action you may take to achieve your goal. Spend time meditating on a positive attitude to growth and success.

Growth Mindset Quotes Cultivating Resilience

40
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
– Marcus Aurelius

Your strength begins from the mind. It is usual for the mind to dwindle and react to the moment. However, you can control your mind and direct it to think positively. This is how resilience is built. A growth mindset knows that challenges do not last forever, and they will always emerge victoriously. This mindset encourages resilience and perseverance.

41
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
– Nelson Mandela

One major cause of failure is fear. Fear is the greatest adversary to success. It causes inaction and stagnation. Identifying your fears and working on them gives you a better chance at overcoming them. Learn to face fear head-on. You will be surprised at how strong you are.

42
“To have a comeback, you have to have a setback.”
– Mr. T.

Setbacks are there to get you prepared for greater glory. Grit and resilience go hand-in-hand if you want to have that glorious comeback. Grit is the ability to sustain your interest and efforts towards long-term goals. It means you don't lose your motivation and enthusiasm no matter how long it takes to achieve your goal. Grit develops through experience. The more you fall but still manage to stay in the game, the more you build your resilience and grit level.

Setbacks are there to get you prepared for greater glory
Source: 280group
43
“When it comes to life, we spin our own yarn, and where we end up is really, in fact, where we always intended to be.”
– Julia Glass

In life, especially in business, don't be too fast to conclude. Most setbacks are there to help you see the bigger picture. The struggle is not over till you decide it is over. Your resilience level determines how far you can go. But resilience can be learned and developed.

As you are resilient in little challenges, you will likely be resilient in more demanding challenges. Developing your Grit and resilience level will help you develop a strong growth mindset.

44
“There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge. Both poverty and riches are the offspring of thought.”
– Napoleon Hill

The journey to success is just like a child who is learning to walk for the first time. The child gets up, takes a few steps, and falls again. It repeats this consistently for days and weeks till it can walk over 100 steps without falling. This child has both a growth mindset and is resilient.

The child is not concerned about the limitations before it. It is only concerned with reaching its goal — to start walking. Likewise, successful entrepreneurs are not hindered by any limitations except for the ones in their minds.

45
“What you feed your mind, will lead your life.”
– Kemi Sogunle

Courage, success, and even failure all start from the mind. Focus on growth mindset and success books. Also, feed your entrepreneurial mind by reading the best marketing books for entrepreneurs. Strong-willed and goal-driven entrepreneurs do not quit.

The only quitting you need to do, as an entrepreneur is to quit thinking small. Quit thinking small and quit talking small. Your words are so powerful that they register in your subconscious, and your actions start to conform to them when continuously spoken.

46
“If ever you think that you're losing control of a situation, just shift your mindset and watch your situation change.”
– Dr. Amelia Rose

Whenever a challenging situation arises, the first thing to do is to ask yourself, “How do I see this problem?” Then you can analyze it and see if you have the necessary skills needed to solve the problem. If you don't have the necessary skill, then you can check if your team is strong enough to handle it. Worrying about what you cannot do does not change anything.

47
“Success is a mindset and not a point in time but an inbuilt combination of character, discipline, behaviors and set of principles that make who the person becomes.”
― Dr. Lucas D. Shallua

Making fast decisions is a critical skill you need to possess. As a business owner, your mind needs to be proactive in its thinking, rather than spending time worrying or taking some unstable actions out of fear.

48
“Always stay calm in every situation and see beauty in everything. You'll win!”
– Lord Robin

Panicking makes you imagine and believe the worst. When you believe the worst out of every situation, you are blinded to seeing the many opportunities in that setback. Take a chill pill, relax, and let your mind work in the right way. Challenge yourself to maintain decorum in the face of challenging situations.

49
“A positive mindset can build a positive physical and mental structure for an amazing life.”
– Hormuzd Dossabhoy

Be optimistic about everything. Practice optimism, even if your projects fail. Optimism does not mean denying the challenges in front of you. Instead, it means choosing to acknowledge the good and positive things you have. You are focused on the little you can change because consistent minor changes cause a significant change.

The 5 building blocks of resilient teams
Source: RallyBright
50
“Don't think about what happens if you fall? Think about what if you fly?”
― Amit Kalantri

Everything in business is a leap of faith — from taking the first step to launch your business by creating your business plan to writing your pitch deck and seeking investors and partners. The best way to take that leap is not to focus on what could possibly go wrong but on what can go right.

51
“If you don't succeed at first, try, try, try again.”
– Thomas H. Palmer

In the process of trying, learn from your mistakes. Implement the new knowledge you have learned, add it to your first knowledge and see the results. Business involves a lot of trial and error.

The problem with a fixed mindset is that you're still static as the world is evolving. Eventually, you become irrelevant and displaced.

52
“A man's mind, stretched by new ideas, may never return to its original dimensions.”
— Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

Talent and intelligence are not always something you are just born into. You learn and develop it. Every skill you need to succeed in life, you can learn them and that is what a growth mindset is about.

If you want to succeed in life — or any area of your life, including business — don't ever stop learning and developing yourself and your skills. The reason for improving yourself is so that you can achieve your goals and equip yourself on your journey to success.

53
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”
– Winston Churchill

Finally, only those who keep moving forward eventually get to their destination by developing a strong growth mindset. The trick to conquering failure is not to fear failure. Those who fear failure are more likely to fail and when it does happen, there may be no comeback.

Develop a Growth Mindset For Your Business

Running a business is just like survival of the fittest. You have to prove to your customers why they should choose you every day. This means you have to keep improving yourself by learning new skills, especially if you want to increase your value. Don't be afraid to learn new skills concerning your business.

Encourage resilience and a growth mindset among your team members. The mindset of your team is as vital as your own. Your team members are the ones responsible for the running of the business when you are not available. They are your representatives. Reward efforts made, not the talent.

Use these quotes about growth mindset to guide you whenever you want to give up or you feel you are stuck with a fixed mindset. 

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Anastasia Belyh

Editor at FounderJar

Anastasia has been a professional blogger and researcher since 2014. She loves to perform in-depth software reviews to help software buyers make informed decisions when choosing project management software, CRM tools, website builders, and everything around growing a startup business.

Anastasia worked in management consulting and tech startups, so she has lots of experience in helping professionals choosing the right business software.