16 Quotes That Will Get You Off the Couch Today

Feeling stuck? These wise words will give you the boost you need.

There are so many good reasons to exercise (we covered 17 of them here). But there’s an important prerequisite to reaping all those health benefits: motivation. Some days it’s there, and others it’s much easier to sit back and think about all the things we’re going to do … eventually. On those days, a few words of encouragement can go a long way.

We searched far and wide to find the 16 powerful quotations below. Print them and pin them someplace at home so you’ll know exactly where to look the next time you need a boost.

1. “It’s never too late—never too late to start over, never too late to be happy.”—Jane Fonda

2. “Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.”—Hank Aaron

3. “So whether you do your first downward dog at 14 or 44, it’s not your history but your presence on your mat that counts.”—Sri K. Pattabhi Jois

4. “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”—Muhammad Ali

5. “The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but on significance—and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.”—Oprah Winfrey

6. “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”—Chinese proverb

7. “When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. When you have fun, you can do amazing things.”—Joe Namath

8. “It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret.”—Jackie Joyner-Kersey

9. “Your health account, your bank account, they’re the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take out. Exercise is king and nutrition is queen. Together you have a kingdom.”—Jack LaLanne

10. “Don’t be too proud to take lessons. I’m not.”—Jack Nicklaus

11. “That wall is your mind playing tricks on you. You just need to say, ‘One more step, I can do this. I have more in me.’ You’ll be so proud of yourself once you push past your threshold.”—Kerri Walsh-Jennings

12. “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”—Lou Holtz

13. “Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.”—Robin Sharma

14. “The more I practice the luckier I get.”—Arnold Palmer

15. “Until you start believing in yourself, you ain’t gonna have a life.”—Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa

16. “Winners, I am convinced, imagine their dreams first. They want it with all their heart and expect it to come true. There is, I believe, no other way to live.”—Joe Montana