We all love to set and achieve goals as quickly as possible so that we can shift our focus to something greater. However, there is no beeline path to smashing your goals, no matter how great your plans look on paper.
And when things don’t go as we plan, we can easily get discouraged and give up on our goals. But anything worth doing takes time and patience, which is why we must take things one step at a time.
If you’re feeling down and out or need words of encouragement to keep you going, here are 50 one step at a time quotes and saying to put you in the right frame of mind.
Short One Step at a Time Quotes to Motive You
- “Life is like walking; you take one step at a time.” – Taylor Swift
- “Nobody has the power to take two steps together; you can take only one step at a time.” – Rajneesh
- “One may walk over the highest mountain one step at a time.” – John Wanamaker
- “One step at a time, I get to make positive choices to fulfill my dreams.” – Deena Kastor
- “I will persist. I will always take another step. If that is of no avail, I will take another, and yet another.” – Og Mandino
- “I still follow that model: just go hard every day, and take it one step at a time.” – Ace Hood
- “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “A 10,000-mile walk begins with a single step and continues one step at a time.” – Rickson Gracie
- “We don’t become heroes overnight. One step at a time, eventually discovering we have the strength to stare it down.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
- “It’s difficult to change overnight, but if you are persistent and take one step at a time, you will see results!” – Jack LaLanne
- “The person determined to achieve maximum success learns the principle that progress is made one step at a time.” – David J. Schwartz
- “You can get anywhere if you simply go one step at a time.” – Dave Ramsey
- “When you’re climbing Mount Everest, nothing is easy. You just take one step at a time, never look back and always keep your eyes glued to the top.” – Jacqueline Susann
- “I will persist until I succeed. I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking.” – Og Mandino
- “If you don’t like the way the world is, you change it. You have an obligation to change it. You just do it one step at a time.” – Marian Wright Edelman
- “Peace is a journey of a thousand miles, and it must be taken one step at a time.” – Lyndon B. Johnson
- “Set goals that are achievable. Bring about meaningful change one step at a time. Raising awareness is not enough.” – Henry Spira
- “Our loving Heavenly Father wants us to become more like him. God understands that we get there not in an instant, but by taking one step at a time.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
- “If you want to be free, just start doing what God wants you to do, one step at a time, and you’ll eventually walk out of your messes.” – Joyce Meyer
- “Our way is to practice one step at a time, one breath at a time, with no gaining idea.” – Shunryu Suzuki
One Step at a Time Quotes for When You Feel Hopeless
- “If you take each challenge one step at a time, with faith in every footstep, your strength and understanding will increase.” – James E. Faust
- “People say, what is the sense of our small effort? They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time. A pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all directions. Each one of our thoughts, words, and deeds is like that. No one has a right to sit down and feel hopeless. There is too much work to do.” – Dorothy Day
- “You plant a garden one flower at a time. You write a book one word at a time, clean a closet one shelf at a time, and run a marathon one step at a time. If you feel defeated by some large task, get your spade and dig the first hole.” – Jeanne Marie Laskas
- “I wish I could’ve lived my life without making any wrong turns. But that’s impossible. A path like that doesn’t exist. We fail. We trip. We get lost. We make mistakes. And little by little, one step at a time, we push forward. It’s all we can do. On our own two feet.” – Natsuki Takaya
- “Don’t worry about where you are or what you have or even what you think you want. Take one step at a time and worry only about only this – who you are – who you really are. Find what you love, love what makes you happy – try giving instead of getting, try caring instead of hating. Remove the mindless distractions from your life and focus on the things and people that matter the most to you. Follow your heart to discover what makes you happy, never let go of it, never devalue anything that is beautiful, and build a life that lets you be yourself.” – Benjamin F Sullivan
- “We cannot escape tragic roads. It is like grasping at the sun and trying to catch air. We must take one step at a time. Keep going.” – Ace Antonio Hall
- “Faith doesn’t come in a bushel basket, Missy. It comes one step at a time. Decide to trust Him for one little thing today, and before you know it, you find out He’s so trustworthy you be putting your whole life in His hands.” – Lynn Austin
- “Each one of us has some goal we want to reach, and we must work toward that goal one step at a time. You can’t reach toward that goal and expect it on the first try. All your small steps will bring you just a little closer. You must continue to work toward this goal. You may take a few steps back or be at a standstill, but you will be learning from each step. Through hard work, self-confidence and motivation, you will find ways to move ahead. You alone can help yourself to move ahead in life and gain personal satisfaction. You only get out of life what you put into it.” – Sid Luckman
- “You have to chase your dreams, no matter what. The impossible just takes a little longer. One stroke at a time, one step at a time, the impossible is easy to achieve.” – Tori Murden
- “When a path opens up before us that leads we know not where, don’t be afraid to follow it. Our lives are meant to be mysterious journeys, unfolding one step at a time. Often we follow a path worn smooth by the many, and in doing so, we lose our authenticity, our individuality, and our own unique expression. Do not be afraid to lose your way. Out of chaos, clarity will eventually rise. Out of not knowing, something new and unknown will ultimately come. Do not order things too swiftly. Wait, and the miracle will appear.” – Ann Mortifee
- “I plan on encouraging so many women who are out there, who are still in the thick of it, who have yet to fight this fight, that you can do it, you can get through this one step at a time.” – Amy Robach
- “If you’re running a 26-mile marathon, remember that every mile is run one step at a time. If you are writing a book, do it one page at a time. If you’re trying to master a new language, try it one word at a time. There are 365 days in the average year. Divide any project by 365, and you’ll find that no job is all that intimidating.” – Charles R. Swindoll
- It would be so great if it were possible to go through life without making a single mistake, but there is no such path. Falling, tripping, losing the way, making mistakes, little by little, walking one step at a time, this is the only way.” – Natsuki Takaya
- “One of the greatest evils of the day among those outside of prison is their sense of futility. Young people say, ‘what is the sense of our small effort?’ They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time; we can be responsible only for the one action of the present moment.” – Dorothy Day
One Step at a Time Quotes When You Are Impatient
- “Leaps look good in the movies, but in fact, success is mostly about finding a path and walking it one step at a time.” – Seth
- “Dreams can come true, but there is a secret. They’re realized through the magic of persistence, determination, commitment, passion, practice, focus, and hard work. They happen a step at a time, manifested over years, not weeks.” – Elbert Hubbard
- “One step at a time is enough for me. Impatience is simply a way of beating yourself up.” – Susan Jeffers
- “Take one step at a time; there’s no need to rush.” – Jordin Sparks
- “Big achievements come one small advantage at a time, one step at a time, one day at a time.” – Jim Rohn
- “By definition, revolutions are not linear, one step at a time, event A leading to event B, and so on. Many causes operate on each other at once. Revolutions shift into place suddenly, like the pattern in a kaleidoscope. They do not so much proceed as crystallize.” – Marilyn Ferguson
- “Nothing happens without focus. Don’t try to do everything at once. Take it one step at a time.” – Dave Ramsey
- “The elevator to success is out of order, but the stairs are always open.” – Zig Ziglar
- “When we are sure that we are on the right road, there is no need to plan our journey too far ahead. No need to burden ourselves with doubts and fears as to the obstacles that may bar our progress. We cannot take more than one step at a time.” – Orison Swett Marden
- “I’m just taking one step at a time. I could zigzag one way, but it’s not usually on purpose.” – Beck
- “If you’re climbing the ladder of life, you go rung by rung, one step at a time. Don’t look too far up; set your goals high but take one step at a time. Sometimes you don’t think you’re progressing until you step back and see how high you’ve really gone.” – Donny Osmond
- “If I feel like I am about to explode, I take a minute to evaluate what it is that I have on my plate, make a to-do list, and start tackling what I need to do, one step at a time.” – Chelsea Krost
- “I have learned to live my life one step, one breath, and one moment at a time, but it was a long road. I set out on a journey of love, seeking truth, peace, and understanding. I am still learning.” – Muhammad Ali
- “The process of education in the oldest profession in the world is like any other educational process in that it requires time and effort and patience; it can only be acquired by taking one step at a time, though the steps become accelerated after the first few.” – Madeleine Albright
- “Have fun doing whatever it is that you desire to accomplish. Learn it one step at a time, emphasizing the fundamentals, and do it because you love it, not because it’s work.” – Paul Westphal
One More Quote…
Lastly, I urge you to heed Kathy Freston’s powerful quote whenever your situation looks bleak.
- “In the middle of it all, pause and look around you. Appreciate what’s beautiful. Take in the love. Nod to what’s good and true. And then move forward one step at a time.” – Kathy Freston
Remember, you can achieve anything you want if you put your mind to it. It may take time, but that won’t stop it from happening if you persist.
