20 inspirational words from famous quotes — for resumes and cover letters

Words of inspiration serve multiple purposes: They offer hope, re-frame what “success” means, identify behavior worth repeating, and communicate passion and drive on resumes and in cover letters.

Below, we put together a list of 20 words used to inspire people in quotes from dynamic leaders and achievers as diverse as Abe Lincoln, Desmond Tutu, Og Mandino, Bo Jackson, and Blake Lively.

1. Accomplish

Inspiration is often tied to accomplishments, which is why the word “accomplish” made our list. Several famous quotes also incorporate this word:

• “You can have anything you want if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose.” – Abraham Lincoln
• “People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.”  – Edmund Hillary

2. Action

Intention without action is meaningless. Inspiration comes through action, which is why the word “action” is so inspirational.

• “The path to success is to take massive, determined actions.” – Tony Robbins

3. Believe

When people believe in us, it pushes us toward our goals. When we believe in ourselves, there are no boundaries.

• “Believe it can be done. When you believe something can be done, really believe, your mind will find the ways to do it. Believing a solution paves the way to solution.” –  motivational writer David Joseph Schwartz
• “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
  
  

4. Confidence

Confidence goes hand in hand with believing in yourself.

• “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” – Helen Keller
• “The most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence.” – Blake Lively

5. Courage

When you want to be king of the jungle, you need courage — just ask the cowardly lion in “The Wizard of Oz.”

• “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear — not absence of fear.”  – Mark Twain
• “Courage is the commitment to begin without any guarantee of success.” – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
  
  

6. Determination

Inspiration and determination are a force to be reckoned with.

• “Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal—a commitment to excellence—that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” – Mario Andretti
• “You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” – journalist George Lorimer

7. Envision

By envisioning that moment you achieve your goal, you can increase your inspiration to follow through.

• “Envisioning the end is enough to put the means in motion.” –  writer Dorthea Brande
• “The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100%.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

8. Focus

Achieving results is heavily determined by your focus.

• “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” – Aristotle
• “Stay focused and stay determined. Don’t look to anyone else to be your determination — have self-determination. It will take you very far.” –  actor Justice Smith
  
  

9. Goals

Without goals, what are you working toward?

• “If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you.” – motivational speaker Les Brown
• “Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.” – Bo Jackson

10. Hope

Hope has a way of carrying us through the darkness.

• “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” – Desmond Tutu
• “Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams reality.” –  Jonas Salk
  
  

11. Inspiration

Dating back to 1300, the word inspiration comes from “immediate influence of God or a god,” especially that under which the holy books were written, from Old French inspiracion “inhaling, breathing in; inspiration.”

• “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” – Thomas A. Edison
• “Inspiration comes from within yourself. One has to be positive. When you’re positive, good things happen.” – actorDeep Roy

12. Joy

From hope comes joy.

• “We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy.” – Joseph Campbell
• “Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” – President Franklin D. Roosevelt

13. Mission

Our mission should be focused on our goals.

• “Outstanding people have one thing in common: an absolute sense of mission.” – motivational speaker Zig Ziglar
• “To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal.” –  former Indian president A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

14. Outstanding

We are all unique and can achieve outstanding results based on our life experiences and contributions.

• “The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results.” – Tony Robbins
• “Outstanding people have one thing in common: an absolute sense of mission.” – Zig Ziglar

15. Passion

When you are passionate about something, you will go through anything to achieve it.

• “Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don’t let anyone limit your dreams.” – sprinter Donovan Bailey
• “Focus on you — your soul, spirit, blessing people with who you are, and following your heart’s passions.”  –  singer Ally Brooke
  
  

16. Perseverance

Some of the most successful people in this world persevered through some of the most difficult circumstances.

• “Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.” – Julie Andrews
• “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” –  Pele
  
  

17. Self-control

By being in control of yourself, you can control the direction you are headed and avoid obstacles along the way.

• “Emotional self-control is the result of hard work, not an inherent skill.” – author Travis Bradberry
• “By constant self-discipline and self-control you can develop greatness of character.” – self-help author Grenville Kleiser

18. Succeed

When you accomplish your mission and succeed through your trials and trouble, you realize how awesome you really are.

• “However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.” – Stephen Hawking
• “Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.” – self-help author Og Mandino
  
  

19. Trust

Trust is usually earned and should be guarded with caution.

• “Trust yourself, you know more than you think you do.” – Dr.Benjamin Spock
• “Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.” – Khalil Gibran

20. Winner

We were all born to succeed and to be winners in our own right.

• “Winners embrace hard work. They love the discipline of it, the trade-off they’re making to win. Losers, on the other hand, see it as punishment. And that’s the difference.” – sports analyst Lou Holtz
• “Winners fail until they succeed.” – self-help author Robert Kiyosaki