David Goggins Quotes to Help You Overcome Any Situation
March 18, 2023 6:34 AM EST
After reading these David Goggins quotes, you’ll get the motivation to help you overcome whatever you may be going through, so you can face those challenges head-on and come out a stronger person when it’s all said and done.
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According to a study by the University of Pennsylvania, positive thinking can help reduce feelings of stress and improve overall health outcomes.
David Goggins’ quotes often emphasize the power of a positive mindset and the importance of believing in oneself, which can encourage readers to adopt a more optimistic outlook and improve their own well-being.
What makes David Goggins one of-a-kind?
David Goggins is an extraordinary individual.
A quick Google search of this inspirational person and you’ll get a glimpse of what this man has accomplished in his lifetime and how he has been able to help others.
From his humble beginnings in the military to running ultramarathons and eventually becoming a leader and a motivational speaker, Goggins demonstrates to others that nearly anything is possible — despite how difficult it may seem.
Below is our collection of inspirational, wise, and thought-provoking David Goggins quotes and sayings, collected from a variety of sources over the years.
Also, check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily wisdom.
See the rest of our quote database for even more inspirational ideas and thoughts.
David Goggins Quotes on Reaching Goals
According to a study by the University of Pennsylvania, positive thinking can help reduce feelings of stress and improve overall health outcomes.
David Goggins’ quotes often emphasize the power of a positive mindset and the importance of believing in oneself, which can encourage readers to adopt a more optimistic outlook and improve their own well-being.
1. “I don’t stop when I’m tired. I stop when I’m done.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: Rest when you are tired. Take care of your body and your mental health. Sometimes, you just need a break. However, David reminds us to not quit or stop until we accomplish what we set out to do!
![David Goggins quotes on reaching goals](images/david-goggins-quotes-1.png)
2. “Then I thought of an English middle-distance runner from back in the day named Roger Bannister. When Bannister was trying to break the four-minute mile in the 1950s, experts told him it couldn’t be done, but that didn’t stop him. He failed again and again, but he persevered, and when he ran his historic mile in 3:59.4 on May 6, 1954, he didn’t just break a record, he broke open the floodgates simply by proving it possible. Six weeks later, his record was eclipsed, and by now over 1,000 runners have done what was once thought to be beyond human capability.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: The only limits imposed on us are done through our lack of imagination and effort. This is a perfect reminder that anything is possible, and perseverance, hard work, and belief are the key elements to success!
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3. “Before you start a goal – let’s take care of our insecurities because they are going to surface when you put yourself in the crucible and you’re suffering.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: Our insecurities are one of the things we use to limit us and hold us back. Don’t let them! Look your fears in the eye and give them a name. Then process through the feelings and emerge victorious. You are capable of whatever you set your mind to!
![David Goggins quotes about before you start a goal](images/david-goggins-quotes-3.png)
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4. “I didn’t hang my head, because injuries happen. I’d given it everything I had and when you handle business like that, your effort will not go unnoticed.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: Always do your best. Work hard and let your talents shine. Effort and determination will always be rewarded in life.
![David Goggins quotes for instagram](images/david-goggins-quotes-4.png)
David Goggins Quotes on Expectations and Discipline
The Harvard Business Review reports that setting and achieving goals can improve employee motivation and performance in the workplace.
David Goggins’ quotes often emphasize the importance of setting ambitious goals and working tirelessly to achieve them, which can motivate readers to apply these principles to their own careers and personal lives.
5. “No matter who you are, who your parents are or were, where you live, what you do for a living, or how much money you have, you’re probably living at about 40 percent of your true capability.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: Just imagine, for just a second, that you are living at less than half of how you are capable of living. That is wild! What are you meant to do that isn’t being done? Dig deep and find your purpose. Put in the work required to reach your goals and you will be amazed at the life you start living!
![David Goggins quotes on expectations and discipline](images/david-goggins-quotes-5.png)
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6. “The only way we can change is to be real with ourselves.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: It is not easy to look yourself in the eye and call it how it is. Things like mistakes, past traumas, or long held beliefs make changing a challenge. However, it can be done, but it is going to take self-awareness and a level of deep honesty about who you are and who you want to be.
![David Goggins quotes about the only way we can chage is to be ral with ourselves](images/david-goggins-quotes-6.png)
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7. “In the military we always say we don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: Almost all of the time, how ever hard you work or prepare for something is going to determine the outcome. You can have lofty expectations, but without the proper commitment, skills, or tools you will likely not get where you want to be. Train yourself to achieve the things you want!
![David Goggins quotes to the level of our expectations](images/david-goggins-quotes-7.png)
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8. “It’s a lot more than mind over matter. It takes relentless self discipline to schedule suffering into your day, every day.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: Self-discipline is the key to success and living a good life. Suffering can be seen as doing a lot of hard work, being honest about your short comings, or facing past traumas and moving toward healing. Schedule that suffering into your day. Your future self will thank you.
![David Goggins quotes to schedule suffering into your day](images/david-goggins-quotes-8.png)
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9. “If you have any mental toughness, if you have any fraction of self-discipline; The ability to not want to do it, but still do it; If you can get through to doing things that you hate to do: on the other side is greatness.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: Mental toughness, or resiliency, is a common trait of those who achieve great things. Delayed gratification, hard work, and sacrifice are all other things that successful people excel at. Greatness isn’t easy to achieve, which is why it requires a degree of mental toughness, but it is possible!
![David Goggins quotes on mental toughness](images/david-goggins-quotes-9.png)
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10. “A warrior is not a person that carries a gun. The biggest war you ever go through is right between your own ears. It’s in your mind. We’re all going through a war in our mind, and we have to callus our mind to fight that war and to win that war.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: The mind is the place that holds all our thoughts, beliefs, traumas, and mistakes. We all battle our doubts, worries, fears, feelings, and emotions on a daily basis. Set backs and challenges are going to happen, how you react to those things will determine the path of your life.
![David Goggins quotes that carries a gun](images/david-goggins-quotes-10.png)
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11. “Refused to compromise who I was to conform to their unwritten rules.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: Be whoever your authentic self is! Each of us is unique, and we are living our life, not someone else’s. How can you be your authentic self? First, work on improving your self-awareness and being present in the moment. Next, be assertive and speak your truth.
![David Goggins quotes about refused to compromise.](images/david-goggins-quotes-11.png)
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12. “Analyze your schedule, kill your empty habits, burn out the bullshit, and see what’s left.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: This is great advice that can help you grow and be more productive. It is also a great way to make some progress toward your goals. What exactly are some habits that you should adopt if you want to be more successful? First, be proactive. Our life is designed by every choice we make. Second, begin with the end in mind. Check out this article about the seven habits of highly effective people.
![David Goggins quotes on analyze your schedule](images/david-goggins-quotes-12.png)
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13. “Your entitled mind is dead weight. Cut it loose. Don’t focus on what you think you deserve. Take aim on what you are willing to earn!” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: It is important to have self-esteem and believe that you deserve good things. However, being entitled and thinking you deserve something without doing the work or putting in the effort is different. If you want to let your entitled mind go, try recognizing your entitled behavior. Next, treat people equally and with respect.
![Wise David Goggins quotes](images/david-goggins-quotes-13.png)
David Goggins Quotes on Strength
According to a study by the American Psychological Association, self-compassion has been linked to lower levels of stress and anxiety, as well as improved emotional well-being.
David Goggins’ quotes often encourage readers to be kind to themselves and focus on their own growth and progress, which can help them cultivate a more positive self-image and reduce negative self-talk.
14. “It’s possible to transcend anything that doesn’t kill you.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: The saying “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” comes to mind. It might sound a little trite, but the thought behind it is true. If you survived something that could have killed you, either physically or emotionally, you will come out of that situation changed. Hopefully, you do come out stronger because you realize that you were more capable than you thought.
![David Goggins quotes on strength](images/david-goggins-quotes-14.png)
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15. “The reason it’s important to push hardest when you want to quit the most is because it helps you callous your mind. It’s the same reason why you have to do your best work when you are the least motivated. That’s why I loved PT in BUD/S and why I still love it today. Physical challenges strengthen my mind so I’m ready for whatever life throws at me, and it will do the same for you.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: When you go to the gym for the first few times and your muscles hurt, you might wonder if all this is worth it. However, after a while you will become stronger. Why? Well, your muscles are literally tearing and repairing, getting stronger each time they heal. You can choose to adopt a similar mindset with whatever life throws at you.
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16. “The human body can withstand and accomplish a hell of a lot more than most of us think possible, and that it all begins and ends in the mind.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: We are much stronger and more resilient than we thing we are. The saying what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger might be a pithy phrase, but it is simply true. If something that should kill you does not, than you do emerge stronger. Your fighting spirit, desire to make it, and perspective on life are all part of the reasons you survived, and they will be the reasons you come out knowing your limits are not what you thought they were.
![David Goggins quotes about the human body](images/david-goggins-quotes-16.png)
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17. “Breaking the shackles and stretching beyond our own perceived limits takes hard fucking work—oftentimes physical work—and when you put yourself on the line, self doubt and pain will greet you with a stinging combination that will buckle your knees.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: The only limits that exist are the ones we place on ourselves. It is not an easy task to push ourselves past these limits because it does involve hard work. However, that is how we grow and recognize our true capabilities.
![David Goggins quotes on breaking the shacckles](images/david-goggins-quotes-17.png)
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18. “It takes great strength to be vulnerable enough to put your ass on the line, in public, and work toward a dream that feels like it’s slipping away. We all have eyeballs on us. Our family and friends are watching, and even if you’re surrounded by positive people, they will have ideas about who you are, what you’re good at, and how you should focus your energy. That shit is just human nature, and if you try to break out of their box you’ll get some unsolicited advice that has a way of smothering your aspirations if you let.” – David Goggins
19. “Everything in life is a mind game! Whenever we get swept under by life’s dramas, large and small, we are forgetting that no matter how bad the pain gets, no matter how harrowing the torture, all bad things end. That forgetting happens the second we give control over our emotions and actions to other people, which can easily happen when pain is peaking. During Hell Week, the men who quit felt like they were running on a treadmill turned way the fuck up with no dashboard within reach. But, whether they ever figured it out or not, that was an illusion they fell for.” – David Goggins
20. “Having lived the life I’ve lived, and seeing the other side, not being afraid to attack what was in front of me has made me happy.” – David Goggins
![David Goggins quotes to attach what was in front off me has made me happy](images/david-goggins-quotes-20.png)
21. “If you’re not physically and mentally prepared for what life is going to throw at you, then you’re just going to crumble, And then, you’re no good to nobody.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: You never know what life is going to throw at you, so it is a challenge to be physically and mentally prepared for it. So, don’t try to prepare for something specific. Preparing mentally involves things like creating a positive mindset, having an attitude of gratitude, and constantly pushing past what you think your limits are. Physically, you can prepare for the unknowns of life by taking care of your health and being active.
![David Goggins quotes for Instagram](images/david-goggins-quotes-21.png)
David Goggins Quotes on Suffering
22. “The Buddha famously said that life is suffering. I’m not a Buddhist, but I know what he meant and so do you. To exist in this world, we must contend with humiliation, broken dreams, sadness, and loss.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: It is true that we will all encounter these things at some point in our lives. It is inevitable. However, these moments do not have to break you or define you. They can be the things that push you to keep going. Be true to yourself and no that nothing is permanent, not even our suffering.
![David Goggins quotes on suffering](images/david-goggins-quotes-22.png)
23. “Pain unlocks a secret doorway in the mind, one that leads to both peak performance, and beautiful silence.” – David Goggins
![David Goggins quotes about pain unlock a secret](images/david-goggins-quotes-23.png)
24. “Suffering is the true test of life.” – David Goggins
![David Goggins quotes about suffering is the ttrue test of life](images/david-goggins-quotes-24.png)
25. “When you’re in hell, you forget how great you really are because you’re suffering and you forget the great things you’ve done.” – David Goggins
![David Goggins quotes about the great things you've done](images/david-goggins-quotes-25.png)
26. “I had a rough childhood coming up, and I just took all that negative energy and made it very positive for myself to drive me. I’m a very driven person. I have passion that almost scares people, just to be successful and make it no matter what.” – David Goggins
![David Goggins quotes from David Goggins](images/david-goggins-quotes-26.png)
27. “In every failure a lot of good things will have happened, and we must acknowledge them.” – David Goggins
Everyday Application: Failure does have some good things. It teaches us how bad we truly want something. Failure also gives us an opportunity to learn about what went wrong. Succeeding after persevering from failure shows us that are limits are not what we thought they were. Embrace this information because it is a powerful tool that you can use to live your best life.
![David Goggins quotes on failure](images/david-goggins-quotes-27.png)
28. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” – David Goggins
![Other David Goggins quotes](images/david-goggins-quotes-28.png)
David Goggins Quotes on Being Comfortable
29. “Our culture has become hooked on the quick-fix, the life hack, efficiency. Everyone is on the hunt for that simple action algorithm that nets maximum profit with the least amount of effort.” – David Goggins
![David Goggins quotes on being comfortable](images/david-goggins-quotes-29.png)
30. “Denial is the ultimate comfort zone.” – David Goggins
![David Goggins quotes about ultimate comfort zone](images/david-goggins-quotes-30.png)
31. “Everyone fails sometimes and life isn’t supposed to be fair, much less bend to your every whim.” – David Goggins
![David Goggins quotes about fails sometimes](images/david-goggins-quotes-31.png)
32. “It’s so easy to be great nowadays, because everyone else is weak.” – David Goggins
![David Goggins quotes to be great nowadays](images/david-goggins-quotes-32.png)
33. “It’s okay, you might be called a nigger one day. It’s okay…Let them call you that. What are you going to do now? They don’t own your life. How you’re going to control that now?…Thicken your skin.” – David Goggins
![David Goggins quotes about life](images/david-goggins-quotes-33.png)
34. “Evaluate your life in its totality! We all waste so much time doing meaningless bullshit. We burn hours on social media and watching television, which by the end of the year would add up to entire days and weeks if you tabulated time like you do your taxes. You should, because if you knew the truth you’d deactivate your Facebook account STAT, and cut your cable.” – David Goggins
35. “Life will always be the most grueling endurance sport, and when you train hard, get uncomfortable, and callous your mind, you will become a more versatile competitor, trained to find a way forward no matter what.” – David Goggins
![David Goggins quotes to find a way forward no matter what](images/david-goggins-quotes-35.png)
David Goggins Quotes on DIY
36. “No one is going to come help you. No one’s coming to save you.” – David Goggins
37. “We’re either getting better or we’re getting worse.” – David Goggins
38. “If you want to be one of the few to defy those trends in our ever-softening society, you will have to be willing to go to war with yourself and create a whole new identity, which requires an open mind.” – David Goggins
39. “We live in a world with a lot of insecure, jealous people. Some of them are our best friends. They are blood relatives. Failure terrifies them. So does our success. Because when we transcend what we once thought possible, push our limits, and become more, our light reflects off all the walls they’ve built up around them. Your light enables them to see the contours of their own prison, their own self-limitations. But if they are truly the great people you always believed them to be, their jealousy will evolve, and soon their imagination might hop its fence, and it will be their turn to change for the better.” – David Goggins
40. “Only you can master your mind, which is what it takes to live a bold life filled with accomplishments most people consider beyond their capability.” – David Goggins
41. “Back in the day, what motivated me was overcoming myself. Now I believe in being a leader. I’ve done it all – I’m good. Now, it’s about setting an example for others to follow. I can’t just talk it – I have to live it.” – David Goggins
42. “You have to be willing to go to war with yourself and create a whole new identity.” – David Goggins
43. “There is no more time to waste. Hours and days evaporate like creeks in the desert. That’s why it’s okay to be cruel to yourself as long as you realize you’re doing it to become better.” – David Goggins
David Goggins Quotes on Self-Talk
44. “Tell yourself the truth! That you’ve wasted enough time, and that you have other dreams that will take courage to realize…” – David Goggins
45. “Self-talk, for me, has been the biggest thing in my life. A lot of us have a dialogue that is crap. It’s a crappy dialogue. We live in a world right now that is very external. Everything is very on the surface. Superficial. Everything. And what we’re telling ourselves is what we see on TV.” – David Goggins
46. “The most important conversations you’ll ever have are the ones you’ll have with yourself. You wake up with them, you walk around with them, you go to bed with them, and eventually you act on them. Whether they be good or bad. We are all our own worst haters and doubters because self doubt is a natural reaction to any bold attempt to change your life for the better. You can’t stop it from blooming in your brain, but you can neutralize it, and all the other external chatter by asking, What if?” – David Goggins
47. “As humans, we’re reading books everyday to try to figure out how to be someone else. What we don’t do is go inside, turn ourselves inside out, and read our own story. You have to look inside to find out what you really want.” – David Goggins
48. “You must recognize what you are about to do, highlight what you do not like about it, and spend time visualizing each and every obstacle you can.” – David Goggins
49. “We live in an external world. Everything, you have to see it, touch it. If you can for the rest of your life, live inside yourself – to find greatness, you have to go inside.”- David Goggins
50. “I tried to do so many things to fit in. But when you look in the mirror, that’s the one person you can’t lie to.” – David Goggins
What did you learn from these David Goggins quotes?
David Goggins is truly one-of-a-kind.
He is a great example of what a human can do for themselves and for others.
David Goggins reminds us that when we want to achieve something, it’s sometimes easier to give up than continue on.
But with the right mindset combined with a clear strategy, we can and will get through it.
Hopefully, these David Goggins quotes have inspired you to get out of bed and face the day, even if it seems that life has it out for you.
After all, he’s been through some difficult experiences himself, which many others may find solace in.
What’s your biggest takeaway from these inspirational David Goggins quotes?
Do you have any other inspirational quotes to add?
Let us know in the comment section below.
Steve McQueen
September 15, 2020 at 9:30 AM
David Goggins is a BEAST! In a world of liars, posers, and pussies he tells it like it is and if you don’t like it F you. He has no time for political correctness and reading his book and listening to his talks while he is running or working out is inspiration to get off my fat butt and get to work.