When we’re struggling to find our own courage, quotes about decision-making from people who have reached great peaks can inspire us. After all, everyone who has achieved great things has had to muster the courage to choose path A or B. We often don’t realize just how monumental a simple fork in the road is until we look back. Like the meeting invitation we accepted, which led to a great career opportunity, or the party we almost turned down because we were tired, which led to meeting our spouse.
While decisions about what we’ll eat for lunch today or which route we’ll take home from work seem small and mundane, the truth about life is that we never know the fullness of where a decision will lead us. Big life-changing decisions can happen every day. The question comes down to whether or not you’re prepared to leap at them.
While we can’t always be sure which decision is right, we can approach our options with courage and confidence. We can be open-minded and open-hearted and willing to create a path of our own design, even if it feels a bit scary. These quotes about making decisions from influential and inspiring celebrities, CEOs, thinkers and game-changers will help you feel empowered to claim your life choices!
Inspirational Decision-Making Quotes
- “Sometimes it’s the smallest decisions that can change your life forever.” —Keri Russell
- “We are the creative force of our life, and through our own decisions rather than our conditions, if we carefully learn to do certain things, we can accomplish those goals.” —Stephen Covey
- “Choices are the hinges of destiny.” —Edwin Markham
- “I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word and thought throughout our lifetime.” —Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
- “I think that there is something beautiful about mortality. It makes our decisions mean more.” —Brandon Boyd
- “Your life changes the moment you make a new, congruent and committed decision.” —Tony Robbins
- “It doesn’t matter which side of the fence you get off on sometimes. What matters most is getting off. You cannot make progress without making decisions.” —Jim Rohn
- “Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.” —John C. Maxwell
- “The more decisions that you are forced to make alone, the more you are aware of your freedom to choose.” —Thornton Wilder
- “The key to accepting responsibility for your life is to accept the fact that your choices, every one of them, are leading you inexorably to either success or failure, however you define those terms.” —Neal Boortz
Related: We All Have 2 Choices in Life
Deep Quotes About Decision-Making
- “Everything you are comes from your choices.” —Jeff Bezos
- “Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.” —Wayne Dyer
- “When something bad happens you have three choices. You can either let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you.” —Dr. Seuss
- “You and only you are responsible for your life choices and decisions.” —Robert T. Kiyosaki
- “You cannot control the behavior of others, but you can always choose how you respond to it.” —Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
- “Our lives are fashioned by our choices. First we make our choices. Then our choices make us.” —Anne Frank
- “We are our choices.” ―Jean-Paul Sartre
- “There comes a time in your life when you have to choose to turn the page, write another book or simply close it.” ―Shannon L. Alder
- “There is a choice you have to make in everything you do. So keep in mind that in the end, the choice you make makes you.” —John Wooden
- “One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself.” ―Shannon L. Alder
Related: 11 Genius Tips to Be More Decisive
Short Decision-Making Quotes
- “Choose your love, love your choice.” ―Thomas S. Monson
- “Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with.” ―Brodi Ashton, Everneath
- “Leadership is a choice, not a rank.” —Simon Sinek
- “Decision making is easy when your values are clear.” —Roy Disney
- “In the age of information, ignorance is a choice.” —Donald Miller
- “You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.” —Colin Powell
- “Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.” —Paul Tillich
- “Don’t waiver. Make a decision. Do it now.” —Billy Graham
- “Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.” —Napoleon Bonaparte
Related: If You Change Yourself, You Can Change Your Life
Quotes About Decision-Making When You’re Fearful
- “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing that you will make one.” —Elbert Hubbard
- “You can’t make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen.” —Michelle Obama
- “Some of our important choices have a timeline. If we delay a decision, the opportunity is gone forever. Sometimes our doubts keep us from making a choice that involves change. Thus an opportunity may be missed.” —James E. Faust
- “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” —Maya Angelou
- “We may think that our decisions are guided purely by logic and rationality, but our emotions always play a role in our good decision making process.” —Salma Stockdale
- “Always go with the choice that scares you the most, because that’s the one that is going to require the most from you. Do you really want to look back on your life and see how wonderful it could have been had you not been afraid to live it?” —Caroline Myss
Related: 11 Genius Tips to Be More Decisive
Decision-Making Quotes For Leaders
- “Decision making is power. Most people don’t have the guts to make ‘tough decisions’ because they want to make the ‘right decision’ and so they make ‘no decision.’ Remember, life is short, so do things that matter the most and have the courage to make ‘tough decisions’ and to chase your dreams.” —Yama Mubtaker
- “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others.” —Douglas MacArthur
- “Decisions are the frequent fabric of our daily design.” —Don Yaeger
- “In the end that was the choice you made, and it doesn’t matter how hard it was to make it. It matters that you did.” ―Cassandra Clare, City of Glass
- “Life presents you with so many decisions. A lot of times, they’re right in front of your face and they’re really difficult, but we must make them.” —Brittany Murphy
- “Truly successful decision-making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking.” —Malcolm Gladwell
Quotes About Decision-Making For Self-Doubt
- “Just really, really believe in what you’re trying to do. Don’t let people alter that. Let people advise you and lead you down paths to make smart business decisions. But trust your instinct and trust that overwhelming drive that made you put all your dreams and everything on the line.” —Luke Bryan
- “Whenever you’re making an important decision, first ask if it gets you closer to your goals or farther away. If the answer is closer, pull the trigger. If it’s farther away, make a different choice. Conscious choice making is a critical step in making your dreams a reality.” —Jillian Michaels
- “Life is about choices. Some we regret, some we’re proud of. Some will haunt us forever. The message: We are what we chose to be.” —Graham Brown
- “I haven’t lived a perfect life. I have regrets. But that’s from a lifetime of taking chances, making decisions, and trying not to be frozen. The only thing that I can do with my regrets is understand them.” —Kevin Costner
- “We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes—understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.” —Arianna Huffington
- “Every decision brings with it some good, some bad, some lessons, and some luck. The only thing that’s for sure is that indecision steals many years from many people who wind up wishing they’d just had the courage to leap.” —Doe Zantamata
Quotes to Help You Make Successful Decisions
- “Your legacy is being written by yourself. Make the right decisions.” —Gary Vaynerchuk
- “The best decisions aren’t made with your mind, but with your instinct.” —Lionel Messi
- “Your life is a result of the choices you have made. If you don’t like your life, start making better choices.” —Zig Ziglar
- “I’ve realized that being happy is a choice.” —Angelina Jolie
- “Give yourself a gift of five minutes of contemplation in awe of everything you see around you. Go outside and turn your attention to the many miracles around you. This five-minute-a-day regimen of appreciation and gratitude will help you to focus your life in awe.” —Wayne Dyer
- “You are the master of your attitude. You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control the way you think about all the events. You always have a choice. You can choose to face them with a positive mental attitude.” ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
Get Inspired to Make Tough Decisions
We hope you use these decision-making quotes as a springboard to make life-changing choices that propel you to the next level. That doesn’t mean leaping into a decision you’ve been going back and forth on for a while just because you feel like it needs to be done.
Instead, use this inspiration to begin learning to cultivate a sense of being comfortable with making decisions. Most people who make smart decisions at the executive or entrepreneurial level have spent years sharpening their decision-making skills, and now, you can too.
Feeling inspired for change? Consider enrolling in the Win the Day Accelerator with James Whittaker today. It might just be the easiest “big” decision you make all day. This comprehensive eight-part personal development program is designed to transform your mindset, unlock your full potential and help you achieve extraordinary results in your personal and professional lives.
This article was updated October 2024. Photo by Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock.com
