Friendship is one of the cornerstones of contentment and happiness.
Good friends are there for us in times of loss as much as in times of gain, sorrow, and joy, and times of light and darkness.
It is not always easy to be a great friend. Each of us must figure out how to navigate our own lives, and sometimes that means putting ourselves before others, which can blind us to the subtle signs that someone is struggling.
When those we love are going through a difficult time, we naturally want to help. However, there is often something we feel we can do or say to make things better.
If you want to help a good friend going through a hard time lately, you do not need to do that much.
Sometimes, all it takes to help someone is a compassionate ear, an affirmation that they are loved, and some inspirational words of encouragement.
Below you will find a list of quotes, thoughts, reminders, and more encouraging words for a friend in this natural ebb and flow of life.
Words of encouragement for a friend
Famous words of encouragement
These are some words of encouragement from famous names. These quotes come from philosophers, celebrities, psychologists, authors, and more, and while you may have heard some of them before, their message is still important.
If you have got a friend going through it lately, take the following famous quotes and share them with your friends.
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
Confucius
“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not making decisions.”
Katherine Hepburn
“Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.”
Oprah
“We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.”
Maya Angelou
“Winning is coming in fourth, exhausted and encouraged – because last time you came in fifth.”
Denis Waitley
“Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.”
George Patton
“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”
John Lennon
“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”
Mahatma Gandhi
“Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles, and the bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. Your decision to be, to have, and to do something out of the ordinary entails facing difficulties and challenges that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else.”
Brian Tracy
“Sometimes, people seem to be doing better than you. They may seem to be way ahead of you in hitting some goals that you may not be close to achieving, but never be bothered by it. Just keep on working hard and carrying on with the steady pace that works best for you.”
Chikamso Efobi
“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
“A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.”
John Shedd
“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right!”
Henry Ford
“For the world is in a bad state, but everything will become worse unless each of us does his best.”
Viktor Frankl
“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.”
Richard Bach
“Everyone has inside them a piece of good news. The good news is you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is.”
Anne Frank
“You will never plow a field if you only turn it over in your mind.”
Irish Proverb
“As long as they are well-intentioned, mistakes are not a matter for shame, but for learning.”
Margaret Heffernan
“The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow. Don’t give up.”
Robert Tew
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
Charles Darwin
“Someday, you will become filled with so much happiness that it heals every part of you.”
Anonymous
“In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”
Albert Einstein
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”
Robert Louis Stevenson
“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”
Beverly Sills
The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”
Steve Jobs
“Dance when you’re broken open. Dance if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.”
Rumi
“It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always.”
Oprah Winfrey
“Take a deep breath; it’s just a bad day, not a bad life.”
Unknown
“And you ask, ‘What if I fall?’ Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?”
Erin Hanson
“Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it.”
Jacques Prevert
“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.”
C.S. Lewis
Words of encouragement for new beginnings
Life is full of endings and beginnings.
Change is the only constant, but many of us have difficulty accepting and embracing it. Still, the more we learn to accept and embrace change, the more peace we invite into our lives.
Check out the following quotes about fresh starts and new beginnings and share them with your loved one.
“The greatest power you possess in life is your understanding that life gives you a fresh start any moment you choose.”
Guy Finley
“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling, but the staying down.”
Mary Pickford
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
George Eliot
“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.”
John Pierpont Morgan
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Lao Tzu
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
Seneca
“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.”
Joseph Campbell
“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.”
Meister Eckhart
“It’s a wise man who understands that every day is a new beginning because boy, how many mistakes do you make in a day? I don’t know about you, but I make plenty. You can’t turn the clock back, so you have to look ahead.”
Mel Gibson
Short and sweet words of encouragement
Sometimes it just takes a few short, sweet words of encouragement to turn someone’s entire day around.
Share the following sentiments and encouragements with your friends in person, over a phone call, or even by text.
- I love you just as you are.
- You’re already enough.
- Don’t believe your negative thoughts. They are just clouds in the sky of your mind.
- I appreciate you. I see all your hard work and dedication, and I have so much respect for you.
- You are going to be so successful. I can see it.
- I’m here for you if you ever need to talk.
- I understand what you’re going through. Keep going. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
- You are the universe expressing itself as a human. Don’t worry. Everything is unfolding as it should.
- You are such an amazing person. Don’t give up.
- I hear you, I see you, and I appreciate you.
Spiritual words of encouragement
There is much wisdom to be found in spiritual and religious texts, and you do not need to follow a particular religion or spiritual path to appreciate the message.
We have included quotes and uplifting messages from the Bible and renowned spiritual teachers and practitioners below.
Take a moment to read each of these quotes and contemplate their message. Find those that will resonate with your friend and share them with your friends.
“What is the price of five sparrows – two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”
Luke 12:6-7
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:2-4
“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”
Romans 12:12
“I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:10
“For God did not give us a spirit of the timidity of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear, but He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”
2 Timothy 1:7
“Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 6:34
“Because you are alive, everything is possible.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
“The seed of suffering in you may be strong, but don’t wait until you have no more suffering before allowing yourself to be happy.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
“Start from where you are – not where you wish you were. The work you’re doing becomes your path.”
Ram Dass
“God gave you this life because he knew you were strong enough to live it.”
Anonymous
“When the world says ‘Give up!‘, hope whispers, ‘Try one more time.”
Anonymous
You never know what someone is going through
You never know what someone is going through. Even those who put on a brave face and seem happy have inner trouble, worry, and difficult life events you may know nothing about.
Sometimes, difficult life experiences make it hard to talk openly about what is happening.So, as much as possible, we should be mindful of others’ struggles.
Let us not assume that just because someone is smiling, has a great job, a family, or any other social measure of success, they are not struggling.
Each of us walks a unique life path filled with joys and sorrows, and the more compassion we can show towards one another, the more we can live in a better world.
When we practice compassion for ourselves and others, we tune in to a loving and caring energy with many healing potentials. We cannot fix everything for others, and maybe we should not.
Getting through hardship is fertile ground for self-growth and personal development, but we can make the world a much nicer place to live in if we can be kind, caring, and compassionate to those around us.
Ultimately, real compassion stems from within, from having ultimate compassion for oneself first.
From this place of love and kindness for ourselves, we can offer others the same love and kindness, no matter what they are going through.
Can we give more than encouraging words for a friend?
Whether it is your best friend, partner, child, or family member going through a hard time, the words of encouragement included above should help you help them. Remember that words alone may not suffice when restoring someone’s sense of well being or contribute to their happiness.
Share the hopeful and inspiring messages above with those you love, but do it with compassion and an open heart.
As mentioned earlier, we never honestly know what someone is going through. However, we can only do so much as offer these words of encouragement. Sometimes, it may be best to consult a professional if whatever our loved ones are going through has severely affected their mental health.
The best we can offer to those we love is our love, attention, and care, and to remind them that no matter what they are going through, we accept them, believe in them, and will always be there for them.
