Socializing, support networks, companionship, and a sense of belonging are among the top reasons we want to associate with others.
But you don’t want to hang around just anyone. You must learn to surround yourself with the right people who push you to grow and improve.
This compilation of Surround Yourself with Good People inspirational quotes will help steer you in the right direction to have more forward-thinking people in your circle and more positive energy.
Iron Sharpens Iron
You know not to hang around chickens if you want to soar like an eagle. In other words, you must associate with successful people if success is extremely important to you.
I strongly recommend avoiding all naysayers ― those who are quick to pick holes in your ideas or discourage you from following your dreams.
Don’t hang around negative people. Instead, spend most of your time with upbeat individuals. Be picky when choosing friends because their influence can make or mar your life.
Keep these simple recommendations in mind as you read the following Surround Yourself with Good People quotes.
- “If you want to be a lion, you must train with lions.” – Carlson Gracie
- “Always work with and surround yourself with people who help make you a better version of yourself. Kindly avoid those who don’t.” – Don Roff
- “To remain far-sighted, you need to surround yourself with far-sighted visionaries. You need to surround yourself with people who think like you. You need to surround yourself with people who speak the same language as you. You need to surround yourself with people who fight and refuse to give up on their destiny. You need to surround yourself with people whose testimonies give you reasons to press on.” – D. S. Mashego
- “People inspire you, or they drain you ― pick them wisely.” – Hans F. Hansen
- “Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose.” – Tennessee Williams
- “Surround yourself with people who can speak light into your darkness. Who can help you see the beauty within yourself when you’ve lost sight of it? People who will remind you of your worth when it seems as though you have forgotten it. Forgotten to see the depths of your own value.” – Marquise C. Brown
- “Surround yourself with those conducive to you being your highest self.” – A. D. Posey
- “Make a conscious effort to surround yourself with positive, nourishing, and uplifting people ― people who believe in you, encourage you to go after your dreams, and applaud your victories.” – Jack Canfield
- “Stay focused, believe that you can achieve at the highest level, surround yourself with others who believe in you, and do not stray from your goal.” – Zach Ertz
- “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” – Mark Twain
- “Always surround yourself with people who are better than you. If you’re hanging around bad people, they’re going to start bringing you down. But if you surround yourself with good people, they’re going to be pulling you up.” – Donny Osmond
- “Energy is contagious, positive and negative alike. I will forever be mindful of what and who I am allowing into my space.” – Alex Elle
- “A daily dosage of positive energy so corrosive that it wears out every negative doubt as the gap between the dream and reality closes.” – Curtis Tyrone Jones
- “Having the strength to pull yourself away from the toxicity and surrounding yourself with all the nourishing things you need to grow is a huge accomplishment. Although not everybody has supporting family and friends in this new world of ours, that doesn’t mean you should give up; there is a whole world full of great people willing to help you succeed. You just have to learn how to surround yourself with them and appreciate them, not use them for your own selfishness. And then, my friend, you have learned a life lesson.” – Bonnie Zackson Koury
- “Good things happen in your life when you surround yourself with positive people.” – Roy Bennett
- “Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground.” – Wilfred Peterson
- “You will rarely make wise decisions if you surround yourself with fools.” – Rasheed Ogunlaru
- “Associate yourself with people who think positively. You cannot surround yourself with negative people and expect positive outcomes.” – Roy T. Bennett
You Are a Reflection of Those Closest to You
Want to live a more intentional life? Get in the habit of periodically taking stock of those you spend the most time with.
Why is that important?
Their thoughts, habits, and perspectives will gradually rub off on you. This means you don’t want to be around people too often if they are predominantly negative.
Let the following Surround Yourself with Good People quotes remind you of the importance of weeding out bad people from your inner circle and finding the positive things in others.
- “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.” – Mark Ambrose
- “It’s okay to be average, as long as you surround yourself with extraordinary people that you become the average of.” – Hal Elrod
- “There’s an economic theory out there that if you take the incomes of your five closest friends and average them, the resulting number will be pretty close to your own income. I think the same thing is true of idea incomes. You’re only going to be as good as the stuff you surround yourself with.” – Austin Kleon
- “Surround yourself with a bunch of like-minded people, and you’ll soak up their habits like a starved sponge. Fat people with fat friends care less about their weight.” – Vir Das
- “Surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard.” – Colin Powell
- “Surround yourself with really good people… Because the people you surround yourself with are a reflection of you.” – Aaron Rodgers
- “If we surround ourselves with people who are successful, who are forward-moving, who are positive, who are focused on producing results, who support us, it will challenge us to be more and do more and share more. If you can surround yourself with people who will never let you settle for less than you can be, you have the greatest gift that anyone can hope for.” – Tony Robbins
- “The better you are at surrounding yourself with people of high potential, the greater your chances for success.” – John C. Maxwell
- “I often think of a quote from entrepreneur Jim Rohn: ‘You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.’ Surround yourself with people who are doing interesting things, who are thinking interesting thoughts, who challenge you to be better, and who come from a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences. That, combined with appropriate moments of ‘me’ time, provides the perfect breeding ground for great ideas.” – Alexis Ohanian
- “Surround yourself with good people who encourage and love you. There are always ups and downs, no matter how successful you are.” – Liana Liberato
- “Surround yourself with people who make you happy. People who make you laugh, who help you when you’re in need. People who genuinely care. They are the ones worth keeping in your life. Everyone else is just passing through.” – Karl Marx
- “If you have great people around you, they will take you higher than your dream will. Leaders are never self-made. Those closest to you determine your level of success, so choosing the right companions as partners in pursuit of your vision is an important decision. My advice is to surround yourself with talented people who will challenge you, help you grow and inspire you to maximize your potential.” – John C. Maxwell
- “If you want to become healthy, you have to surround yourself with a group of people that are getting healthy, and you have to be connected to a community that is doing what you want to do.” – Henry Cloud
- “Life is too short to spend your precious time trying to convince a person who wants to live in gloom and doom otherwise. Give lifting that person your best shot, but don’t hang around long enough for his or her bad attitude to pull you down. Instead, surround yourself with optimistic people.” – Zig Ziglar
Avoid Envious People
Not everyone you know truly wants you to succeed. You must be cautious of bitter, toxic people who envy your ambitions.
Let the following Surround Yourself with Good People quotes remind you of this fact.
- “There are some people who may be good yet toxic for you, so be careful of who you surround yourself with.” – Gift Gugu Mona
- “Surround yourself with those who won’t compete but will revel in your success and see your ascent as a reflection of their own possibilities.” – T. D. Jakes
- “Never surround yourself with people who are envious of your ambitions. Decide to be at the right place at the right time and save yourself for greater opportunities.” – Israelmore Ayivor
- “What you surround yourself with should bring you peace of mind and peace of spirit.” – Stacy London
- “Everyone is your best friend when you are successful. Make sure that the people that you surround yourself with are also the people that you are not afraid of failing with.” – Paula Abdul
- “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” – Oprah Winfrey
- “Negative people deplete your energy. Surround yourself with love and nourishment and do not allow the creation of negativity in your environment.” – Deepak Chopra
- “Focus on an ocean of positives, not a puddle of negatives.” – Kevin Ansbro
Avoid Unhealthy Comparisons
Hanging around high performers can inspire and motivate you to be and do more. However, there’s a small chance you could slip into unhealthy comparisons.
To avoid falling into the trap of jealousy and envy, always remember these Surround Yourself with Good People quotes.
- “And whatever you do, don’t get hung up on what competitors are doing. Be aware of what’s going on in the industry, but don’t let it dictate your own creative process.” – Alexis Ohanian
- “First, make yourself a reputation for being a creative genius. Second, surround yourself with partners who are better than you are. Third, leave them to go get on with it.” – David Ogilvy
- “If you know you’re the best, it only makes sense for you to surround yourself with the best.” – Kanye West
- “I’ve learned that success comes in a very prickly package. Whether you choose to accept it or not is up to you. It’s what you choose to do with it and the people you choose to surround yourself with. Always choose people that are better than you. Always choose people that challenge you and are smarter than you. Always be the student. Once you find yourself to be the teacher, you’ve lost it.” – Sandra Bullock
- “Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who’ll argue with you.” – John Wooden
- “There’s a powerful transformative effect when you surround yourself with like-minded people. Peer pressure is a great thing when it helps you accomplish your goals instead of distracting you from them.” – Po Bronson
- “Surround yourself with people of like minds and different talents and temperaments with the purpose of serving the goals of every member of the group. Associate with these people on a regular basis.” – Jeff Olson
- “Always surround yourself with people who are even more talented and competent than you.” – Stephen Covey
- “If you’re starting out or trying to get to the next level, surround yourself with people who keep you motivated and energized ― people who inspire you to achieve your best every day. When you do this, you can’t lose.” – Anthony Famiglietti
- “Find better company, find the company of people better than yourself, so you be surrounded with those best in character, and so you may learn something.” – Nouman Ali Khan
