Dave Ramsey Quotes for Living Successfully

Dave Ramsey is one of the most notable experts on financial success in the modern world.

These Dave Ramsey quotes will inspire you to live a more fulfilling, and more successful life.

Ramsey has published 7 bestsellers, and today, teaches others how to grow their money responsibly. 

According to a survey by Bankrate, only 39% of Americans have enough savings to cover a $1,000 emergency expense.

This statistic highlights the importance of Dave Ramsey’s advice on building an emergency fund to avoid financial stress and hardship.

What can Dave Ramsey’s famous quotes teach us about success?

The truth is, true success doesn’t come from becoming a millionaire, it comes from understanding your intentions with your life and money as you move throughout your life.

Much of what he says involves living a life true to your dream, rather than falling into the “normal” pattern of things—debt.

When we follow the wise words in these Dave Ramsey quotes, we can be successful at whatever we set our goals to be.

Also check out these experience quotes for living a fulfilled life.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration. 

Check out our inspirational quotes category page for more inspirational life quotes.

Wise Dave Ramsey Quotes

A study by Northwestern Mutual found that 22% of Americans have less than $5,000 saved for retirement.

This statistic emphasizes the need for Dave Ramsey’s emphasis on saving and investing for the future in order to achieve financial security and independence.

1. “We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: Learn to separate the things you purchase into wants and needs. If it is a want, and you do not have the money then don’t spend it. If it isn’t even something you want and you are buying it to impress other people, don’t do it! Comparing yourself to others is happiness trap.

2. “Fear is the enemy of hope.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: Hope and are dreams are the fuel of our lives. They are the things that propel us toward reaching our full potential. Fear of failure, success, or change are the things that hold us back. Learn to face your fears and stop them from stealing your hope.

3. “Change is painful. Few people have the courage to seek out change. Most people won’t change until the pain of where they are exceeds the pain of change.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: Change is one of the most powerful things humans have within their ability to do. However, many of us choose to stay in misery and discomfort because change can be scary. Your choices and actions can directly change your life if you are brave enough to face the unknown.

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4. “Humpty Dumpty is hard to put back together, and so is trust.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: Trust, once it is lost is difficult to reclaim. We lose trust, not only in other people, but also in ourselves. If you have lost trust in yourself there are ways you can get it back. Speak positively to yourself, give yourself some compassion, and engage in healthy daily habits.

5. “It is human nature to want it and want it now; it is also a sign of immaturity. Being willing to delay pleasure for a greater result is a sign of maturity.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: Delayed gratification is not only a sign of maturity, it is essential to improving your life. It is a cognitive skill that improves your self-control and self-regulation. Delayed gratification can help you achieve goals, improve your overall wellbeing, and even your physical health.

6. “Children are sponges—they are going to absorb whatever is around them, so we need to be intentional about what surrounds them.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: Kids really do just absorb every little thing! That’s why sometimes they say things you might not expect! We should be intentional about what kind of information they are picking up. However, we should also pay attention to the information we surround ourselves with too!

7. “You have to reach the point that what people think is not your primary motivator. Reaching the goal is the motivator.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: Don Miguel Ruiz’s words come in handy here. First, don’t take anything personally. Second, always do your best. Focus on the goal and why you are trying to achieve it. Don’t worry about the thoughts and opinions of others!

8. “So content people may not have the best of everything, but they make the best of everything. That is who you want your children to be.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: Be grateful! Gratitude for what you have really does a lot to change your mindset and make you happier. You might not have everything that you want, but if you have everything you need, then there is reason to celebrate! Some people do not even have the things they need, and yet they find a way to carry on and be grateful. These people are true embodiments of the human spirit.

9. “Hope is steel covered in velvet. It can seem soft and cuddly, but hope is at the core of what makes people become what God designed them to be. Hope and its sister, faith, always create action.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: Hope is our desire and want for something to happen. It does seem like a softer emotion, however it is steely and powerful. Sometimes, people achieve their goals because they have hope and a good work ethic. They have an expectation that they will deliver on their promise to themselves. Throw in a little faith and you can’t go wrong!

10. “You must walk to the beat of a different drummer. The same beat that the wealthy hear. If the beat sounds normal, evacuate the dance floor immediately! The goal is to not be normal, because as my radio listeners know, normal is broke.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: Dare to be different! Hope, when others give up. Believe, when others doubt. Work, while others rest. Take risks and actions while other people stay in their comfort zones. Make it your mission to be extraordinary!

11. “Requiring nothing of a child gives them no opportunity for failure or success.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: Young or old, we all need to have some sense of responsibility. It isn’t so much whether your child fails or succeeds that matters. It is a matter of giving them an opportunity to experience both and helping them learn how to navigate the highs and lows of life.

12. “One reason people make bad decisions is they don’t have a good decision as one of their options.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: So many people are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Sometimes, the choices we are torn between are both awful. There are two things you can do in this situation. Pick the best of the bad choices, or develop your confidence and problem solving skills. Learning how to create better options than the obvious ones is an essential life skill.

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Dave Ramsey Quotes About Living a True Life

According to a study by the Pew Research Center, only 35% of Americans believe that they are financially better off than their parents were at the same age.

This statistic underscores the need for Dave Ramsey’s guidance on building wealth and achieving financial success through disciplined saving, investing, and spending.

13. “If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: Sure, all your friends might be hanging out and partying, while you study and work your tail off. You might even feel left out. However, putting in the work on the front end won’t last forever. Eventually, you will achieve whatever your goals are. Then while your friends are working away, and living pay check to pay check you can be enjoying your life. The sacrifices you make will be worth it in the end.

14. “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: The adage “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” aligns with these words from Dave Ramsey. Ease and quiet do not push you to your limits. You can only shatter those limits when you reach them. You are strong and capable. Allow yourself to be pushed past your comfort zone, and learn just how powerful you are!

15. “For your own good, for the good of your family and your future, grow a backbone. When something is wrong, stand up and say it is wrong and don’t back down.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: Be strong enough to speak up for what you think is right and wrong. Be assertive enough to say no when you do not want to say yes. Teach these skills to your family, and take care of yourself. Fight for what you want in this life as not too many people will fight for it on your behalf.

16. “That stupid saying ‘What you don’t know can’t hurt you’ is ridiculous. What you don’t know can kill you. If you don’t know that tractor trailer trucks hurt when hitting you, then you can play in the middle of the interstate with no fear—but that doesn’t mean you won’t get killed.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: Knowledge is power. Knowledge we learn from books and school is useful, but knowledge about life and the things that impact our lives is essential. We should not move through life thinking ignorance is bliss. The things you do not know can hurt you. For instance, not understanding how the world of finance works can cost you more money in the long run.

17. “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

Everyday Application: A personal mission statement is like a road map to where you want to go. Without one, you can be putting all your effort into something that does not align with you are. Getting to the top of the ladder is not easy. Finally getting to the top, and realizing it is not what you wanted wastes your valuable time and resources.

18. “Stupid is not illegal.” – Dave Ramsey

19. “The enemy of ‘the best’ is not ‘the worst.’ The enemy of ‘the best’ is ‘just fine.’” – Dave Ramsey

20. “Parents who let teens run around with unlearned adult freedoms are naïve and stupid.” – Dave Ramsey

21. “If you don’t own the goal and it doesn’t come from your dream, then you won’t have the toughness to persevere when the going gets tough. And I will promise you that the going will get tough. There is never an exception—everyone who wins must push through obstacles, lots of them. You simply will not get up at dawn for your three-mile run because your wife wants you thinner. Big goals require big backbone—wimps need not apply.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: A goal that is based on a dream that aligns with the type of life you want to live has a longer staying power. Obstacles are part of success, and you will only remain motivated to keep pushing if it something you really want. Humans have the ability to achieve anything they want to, but we must really want it if we plan on achieving it.

22. “Having children doesn’t make you a good parent, it means you had sex. That’s all.” – Dave Ramsey

23. “No one wins the superbowl accidentally. Be intentional, be passionate, don’t mail it in! You got this!” – Dave Ramsey

24. “Life is not a snapshot, it’s a filmstrip.” – Dave Ramsey

25. “Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds.” – Dave Ramsey

Dave Ramsey Quotes About Money

26. “Act your wage.” – Dave Ramsey

27. “Pray like it all depends on God, but work like it all depends on you.” – Dave Ramsey

28. “A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.” – Dave Ramsey

29. “You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you.” – Dave Ramsey

30. “Winning at money is 80 percent behavior and 20 percent head knowledge. What to do isn’t the problem; doing it is. Most of us know what to do, but we just don’t do it. If I can control the guy in the mirror, I can be skinny and rich.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: The act of doing something is usually where we get tripped up. When it comes to money you already know not to spend more than you have, save money, invest money, and make a budget. However, those things are easier to understand than they are to actually do. Part of the problem is the human tendency toward instant gratification. We want what we want when we want it. Delayed gratification and changing our behaviors are important steps in managing our money better.

31. “Typical millionaire lives in a middle-class home, drives a two-year-old or older paid-for car, and buys blue jeans at Wal-Mart.” – Dave Ramsey

32. “Someone who never has fun with money misses the point. Someone who never invests money will never have any. Someone who never gives is a monkey with his hand in a bottle.” – Dave Ramsey

33. “Measure your wealth not by the things you have, but by the things for which you would not take money.” – Dave Ramsey

34. “We want it all, and we can borrow to get it all before we can afford it all.” – Dave Ramsey

Everyday Application: Be careful and deliberate with the money you borrow. You might think you need that new car or that new credit card, but do you really? Could you drive around in your old car for another six months and work on your credit score or saving more money to put down or buy a car outright? Can you take public transportation for a few months while you save money or improve your financial information. Borrowing may your life easier in certain ways, but if you are paying a crazy amount of money each month for things with a high interest rate, you are not doing your future any favors!

35. “Savings without a mission is garbage. Your money needs to work for you, not lie around you.” – Dave Ramsey

36. “The German root word for ‘debt’ is the same as for ‘guilt.’” – Dave Ramsey

37. “You must plan your work and then work your plan.” – Dave Ramsey

Dave Ramsey Quotes for Being Successful

38. “Financial peace isn’t the acquisition of stuff. It’s learning to live on less than you make, so you can give money back and have money to invest. You can’t win until you do this.” – Dave Ramsey

39. “Debt is normal! So why be normal?” – Dave Ramsey

40. “‘We are scaling down’ is a painful statement to make to friends or family.” – Dave Ramsey

41. “I believe that through knowledge and discipline, financial peace is possible for all of us.” – Dave Ramsey

42. “You must sell benefits, not products.” – Dave Ramsey

43. “If you keep doing the same things, you will keep getting the same results. You are where you are now financially as a sum total of the decisions you’ve made to this point.” – Dave Ramsey

44. “A natural saver is great until he never spends and is tight-fisted with giving. A natural spending is great until she finds herself deeply in debt and unable to give. A natural giver is great until there are no savings when a problem arises and there is no personal enjoyment of money.” – Dave Ramsey

45. “I tell everyone never to take more than a fifteen-year fixed rate loan and never have a payment of over 25 percent of your home pay. That is the most you should ever borrow.” – Dave Ramsey

46. “I learned early on that work creates discipline, and when you have discipline in your life, you are a healthier person.” – Dave Ramsey

47. “I finally realized that results are generated by activities. If I manage my activities then the results I want occur.” – Dave Ramsey

48. “To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, and be nothing.” – Dave Ramsey

49. “You should always be dreaming. Dreaming is a sign you have hope.” – Dave Ramsey

50. “People will not buy from you if they don’t trust you, your product, and your company.” – Dave Ramsey

51. “Fun can be bought with money, but happiness cannot.” – Dave Ramsey

52. “If you wouldn’t want your mother to buy the item or service then don’t sell it.” – Dave Ramsey

53. “Those who never make mistakes work for those of us who do.” – Dave Ramsey

54. “People who change their values, their ethics, are not trustworthy and should be avoided.” – Dave Ramsey

What did you learn from these Dave Ramsey quotes?

Dave Ramsey is truly one of the most trusted minds in the financial success field.

These Dave Ramsey Quotes show us how possible it is to be a success at anything you dream of, as long as you truly work toward it with good intention.

So, what can Dave Ramsey’s teachings about money teach us about life?

When Ramsey talks about money, he often brings up two things: goals and normalcy.

Normal to him, is going into debt, but really, it is accepting misfortune.

When we forgo that as a possibility, and focus on our goals instead, we can be successful in our finances, and in our lives.

What’s your biggest takeaway from these wise Dave Ramsey quotes?

Do you have any other enlightening quotes to add?

Let us know in the comment section below.