77 Greatest Norman Vincent Peale Quotes Of All Time

Norman Vincent Peale was an American minister and author best known for popularising the concept of positive thinking with his bestselling book The Power Of Positive Thinking.

Although Norman Vincent Peale’s work received frequent criticism both from church figures and from the psychiatric profession, to me his philosophies on living a good life and being successful echo a lot of what Napoleon Hill or Jim Rohn would say.

Tony Robbins has also cited him as a source of inspiration.

Below you’ll find what I consider to be the greatest Norman Vincent Peale quotes of all time.

Not only are they valuable lessons to apply into your life but also an incredible source of positivity and inspiration.

77 Norman Vincent Peale Quotes

1. “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” – Norman Vincent Peale

2. “The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.” – Norman Vincent Peale

3. “Repetition of the same thought or physical action develops into a habit which, repeated frequently enough, becomes an automatic reflex.” – Norman Vincent Peale

4. “Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have.” – Norman Vincent Peale

5. “If you put off everything till you’re sure of it, you’ll never get anything done.” – Norman Vincent Peale

6. “Understanding can overcome any situation, however mysterious or insurmountable it may appear to be.” – Norman Vincent Peale

7. “Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop the picture… Do not build up obstacles in your imagination.” – Norman Vincent Peale

8. “Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you think about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are.” – Norman Vincent Peale

9. “When every physical and mental resources is focused, one’s power to solve a problem multiplies tremendously.” – Norman Vincent Peale

10. “It’s always too early to quit.” – Norman Vincent Peale

11. “Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.” – Norman Vincent Peale

12. “If you paint in your mind a picture of bright and happy expectations, you put yourself into a condition conducive to your goal.” – Norman Vincent Peale

13. “Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don’t have any problems, you don’t get any seeds.” – Norman Vincent Peale

14. “We tend to get what we expect.” – Norman Vincent Peale

15. “Getting people to like you is merely the other side of liking them.” – Norman Vincent Peale

16. “One of the greatest moments in anybody’s developing experience is when he no longer tries to hide from himself but determines to get acquainted with himself as he really is.” – Norman Vincent Peale

17. “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” – Norman Vincent Peale

18. “Four things for success: work and pray, think and believe.” – Norman Vincent Peale

19. “Drop the idea that you are Atlas carrying the world on your shoulders. The world would go on even without you. Don’t take yourself so seriously.” – Norman Vincent Peale

20. “It is of practical value to learn to like yourself. Since you must spend so much time with yourself you might as well get some satisfaction out of the relationship.” – Norman Vincent Peale

21. “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 action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.” – Norman Vincent Peale

22. “We’ve all heard that we have to learn from our mistakes, but I think it’s more important to learn from successes. If you learn only from your mistakes, you are inclined to learn only errors.” – Norman Vincent Peale

23. “In every difficult situation is potential value. Believe this, then begin looking for it.” – Norman Vincent Peale

24. “When you expect the best you release a magnetic force in your mind which by a law of attraction tends to bring the best to you.” – Norman Vincent Peale

25. “The person who sends out positive thoughts activates the world around him positively and draws back to himself positive results.” – Norman Vincent Peale

26. “People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.” – Norman Vincent Peale

27. “Our happiness depends on the habit of mind we cultivate. So practice happy thinking every day. Cultivate the merry heart, develop the happiness habit, and life will become a continual feast.” – Norman Vincent Peale

28. “The way to happiness; keep your heart free from hate, your mind free from worry, live simply, expect little, give much, scatter sunshine, forget self, and think of others.” – Norman Vincent Peale

29. “Have great hopes and dare to go all out for them. Have great dreams and dare to live them. Have tremendous expectations and believe in them.” – Norman Vincent Peale

30. “When you are afraid, do the thing you are afraid of and soon you will lose your fear of it.” – Norman Vincent Peale

31. “If you want things to be different, perhaps the answer is to become different yourself.” – Norman Vincent Peale

32. “Problems are to the mind what exercise is to the muscles, they toughen and make strong.” – Norman Vincent Peale

33. “Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities – always see them, for they’re always there.” – Norman Vincent Peale

34. “Don’t duck the most difficult problems. That just ensures that the hardest part will be left when you are most tired. Get the big one done—it’s downhill from then on.” – Norman Vincent Peale

35. “Practice hope. As hopefulness becomes a habit, you can achieve a permanently happy spirit.” – Norman Vincent Peale

36. “You have a choice everyday…You can choose every morning whether you will be depressed and miserable, or whether you will be happy.” – Norman Vincent Peale

37. “A positive thinker does not refuse to recognize the negative; he refuses to dwell on it. Positive thinking is a form of thought which habitually looks for the best results from the worst conditions.” – Norman Vincent Peale

38. “If you want to get somewhere you have to know where you want to go and how to get there. Then never, never, never give up.” – Norman Vincent Peale

39. “Believe you can, and you can. Belief is one of the most powerful of all problem dissolvers. When you believe that a difficulty can be overcome, you are more than halfway to victory over it already.” – Norman Vincent Peale

40. “Thoughts and words form your mental image. And since we become what we picture be sure your thoughts and words express prosperity and blessing rather than poverty and defeat.” – Norman Vincent Peale

41. “How you think about a problem is more important than the problem itself. So always think positively.” – Norman Vincent Peale

42. “One of the basic laws of human existence is: find yourself, know yourself, be yourself.” – Norman Vincent Peale

43. “Every person, if he is to have mental health and live successfully, must move away from past failures and mistakes and go forward without letting them be a weight upon him. The art of forgetting is absolutely necessary.” – Norman Vincent Peale

44. “To experience the satisfaction and enjoyment of success in life, a definitive goal is essential. Many people fail at this vital point. The goal must be definite and specific, not in any sense vague or fuzzy. And to prove attainable, its image needs to be sharpened and resharpened continually, so that it stands out vividly in your thoughts. You must know, at all times, precisely and for certain what it is you want to accomplish and achieve. Strong and organized purposefulness toward a definite objective will focus your powers into a strong motivation in attainment of your goal.” – Norman Vincent Peale

45. “People fail to understand that unless they are themselves willing to give, they will never receive.” – Norman Vincent Peale

46. “The greatest risk in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing and becomes nothing.” – Norman Vincent Peale

47. “The secret of the law of abundance is this: In order to receive and appreciate the good things of life, you must first give.” – Norman Vincent Peale

48. “Fear is never a reason for quitting; it is only an excuse.” – Norman Vincent Peale

49. “The controlled person is a powerful person. He who always keeps his head will get ahead.” – Norman Vincent Peale

50. “Nothing of great value in this life comes easily. The things of highest value sometimes come hard. The gold that has the greatest value lies deepest in the earth, as do the diamonds.” – Norman Vincent Peale

51. “When we start focusing on things we can do and don’t think so much about the things we can’t do, things really start to happen.” – Norman Vincent Peale

52. “There is a basic law that like attracts like. Negative thinking definitely attracts negative results. Conversely, if a person habitually thinks optimistically and hopefully, his positive thinking sets in motion creative forces – and success instead of eluding him flows toward him.” – Norman Vincent Peale

53. “You must feed your mind even as you feed your body, and to make your mind healthy, you must feed it nourishing, wholesome thoughts.” – Norman Vincent Peale

54. “The whole trend and quality of anyone’s life is determined in the long run by the choices that are made.” – Norman Vincent Peale

55. “The tests of life are not to break you but to make you.” – Norman Vincent Peale

56. “Often we have no choice about doing things, but we can always choose how to do them.” – Norman Vincent Peale

57. “Learn to relax. Your body is precious, as it houses your mind and spirit. Inner peace begins with a relaxed body.” – Norman Vincent Peale

58. “All successful people have a goal. No one can get anywhere unless he knows where he wants to go and what he wants to be or do.” – Norman Vincent Peale

59. “When you affirm big, believe big and pray big, big things happen.” – Norman Vincent Peale

60. “Expecting the best means that you put your whole heart (i.e. the central essence of your personality) into what you want to accomplish. People are defeated in life not because of lack of ability, but for lack of wholeheartedness. They do not wholeheartedly expect to succeed. Their heart isn’t in it, which is to say, they themselves are not fully given.” – Norman Vincent Peale

61. “There is only one group of people who do not have problems, and they are all dead. Problems are a sign of life, so the more problems you have, the more alive you are.” – Norman Vincent Peale

62. “Never react emotionally to criticism. Analyze yourself to determine whether it is justified. If it is, correct yourself. Otherwise, go on about your business.” – Norman Vincent Peale

63. “A basic law: the more you practice the art of thankfulness, the more you have to be thankful for.” – Norman Vincent Peale

64. “There are two primary forces in this world, fear and faith. Fear can move you to destructiveness or sickness or failure. Only in rare instances will it motivate you to accomplishment. But faith is a greater force. Faith can drive itself into your consciousness and set you free from fear forever.” – Norman Vincent Peale

65. “Realize that there are not hopeless situations; there are only people who take hopeless attitudes.” – Norman Vincent Peale

66. “The one person who most blocks you from a full, happy, and successful life is you. They are therefore wise who make themselves an asset. We can be our own worst enemies or best friends. We can be a source of trouble or a cure for trouble. So if you feel empty, as many do, start by getting free from yourself as a first stop to vibrant living.” – Norman Vincent Peale

67. “Make sure you pay attention to what’s right with your life, not just what’s wrong.” – Norman Vincent Peale

68. “Believe that all the resources you need are in your mind. That is a formula that really works.” – Norman Vincent Peale

69. “Go at life with abandon; give it all you’ve got. And life will give all it has to you.” – Norman Vincent Peale

70. “One of the greatest of all principles is that men can do what they think they can do.” – Norman Vincent Peale

71. “Every individual forms his own estimate of himself and that basic estimate goes far toward determining what he becomes.” – Norman Vincent Peale

72. “One person can make a difference. You don’t have to be a big shot. You don’t have to have a lot of influence. You just have to have faith in your power to change things.” – Norman Vincent Peale

73. “There is only one person with whom to compete and that is yourself. Keep aiming to surpass your own best performance and ever strive to reach higher levels.” – Norman Vincent Peale

74. “Begin where you are. Don’t wait for someone else to change things for you. Do it yourself.” – Norman Vincent Peale

75. “Be an all-out, not a hold-out.” – Norman Vincent Peale

76. “The man who lives for himself is a failure; the man who lives for others has achieved true success.” – Norman Vincent Peale

77. “Do not be awe struck by other people and try to copy them. Nobody can be you as efficiently as you can.” – Norman Vincent Peale

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