Norman Vincent Peale, known for “The Power of Positive Thinking,” served as a pastor for 52 years. He engaged in writing, radio, and TV, but faced criticism for his political views and influence on figures like Nixon. He opposed JFK’s election based on religion and criticized other candidates. His positive thinking ideas were challenged by professionals. Despite controversy, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and remained influential until his death in 1993.
Norman Vincent Peale Quotes
1. “Change your thoughts and you change your world.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
2. “The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
3. “It’s always too early to quit.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
4. “A peaceful mind generates power.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
5. “Live your life and forget your age.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
6. “The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
7. “If you want things to be different, perhaps the answer is to become different yourself.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
8. “Affirm it, visualize it, believe it and it will actualize itself.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
9. “Yesterday ended last night. Every day is a new beginning. Learn the skill of forgetting. And move on.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
10. “When a problem comes along, study it until you are completely knowledgeable. Then find that weak spot, break the problem apart, and the rest will be easy.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
11. “Learn to relax. Your body is precious, as it houses your mind and spirit. Inner peace begins with a relaxed body.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
12. “The really happy people are those who have broken the chains of procrastination, those who find satisfaction in doing the job at hand. They’re full of eagerness, zest, and productivity. You can be, too.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
13. “The greatest risk in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
14. “The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, and give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
15. “Watch your manner of speech if you wish to develop a peaceful state of mind. Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented, and happy attitudes, and your days will tend to be pleasant and successful.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
16. “The first step is to fill your life with a positive faith that will help you through anything. The second step is to start where you are.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
17. “Repetition of the same thought or physical action develops into a habit which, repeated frequently enough, becomes an automatic reflex.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
18. “Our happiness depends on the habit of mind we cultivate. So practice happy thinking every day. Cultivate the merry heart, develop the happiness habit, and life will become a continual feast.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
19. “Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities – always see them, for they’re always there.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
20. “People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
21. “Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
22. “When you expect the best you release a magnetic force in your mind which by a law of attraction tends to bring the best to you.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
23. “Christmas is the season of joy, of holiday greetings exchanged, of gift-giving, and of families united.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
24. “Nobody ever mastered any skill except through intensive persistent and intelligent practice.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
25. “Let go and let God. Let Him take over your life and run it. He knows how.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
26. “If you want to get somewhere you have to know where you want to go and how to get there. Then never, never, never give up.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
27. “Every problem contains the seed of its own solution.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
28. “Expect great things, and great things will come.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
29. “When obstacles or difficulties arise, the positive thinker takes them as creative opportunities.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
30. “There is nothing in life so difficult that it cannot be overcome. This faith can move mountains. It can change people. It can change the world. You can survive all the great storms in your life.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
31. “There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
32. “All successful people have a goal. No one can get anywhere unless he knows where he wants to go and what he wants to be or do.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
33. “Negative thinking definitely attracts negative results.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
34. “Think excitement, talk excitement, act out excitement, and you are bound to become an excited person.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
35. “The only people who don’t have problems are in a cemetery.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
36. “To be successful is to be helpful, caring, and constructive, to make everything and everyone you touch a little bit better.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
37. “Expect the best and get it.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
38. “Begin where you are. Don’t wait for someone else to change things for you. Do it yourself.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
39. “Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
40. “The mind, ever the willing servant, will respond to boldness, for boldness, in effect, is a command to deliver mental resources.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
41. “God answers prayer in three ways: yes, no, and wait awhile.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
42. “Go at life with abandon; give it all you’ve got. And life will give all it has to you.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
43. “You must feed your mind even as you feed your body, and to make your mind healthy, you must feed it nourishing, wholesome thoughts.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
44. “Whenever a negative thought concerning your personal power comes to mind, deliberately voice a positive thought to cancel it out.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
45. “Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others. Be too big for worry and too noble for anger.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
46. “If you put off everything till you’re sure of it, you’ll never get anything done.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
47. “Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ”
— Norman Vincent Peale
48. “Dwelling on negative thoughts is like fertilizing weeds.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
49. “Worry is an unhealthy and destructive mental habit.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
50. “You can have peace of mind, improved health, and an ever-increasing flow of energy. Life can be full of joy and satisfaction.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
51. “Every person, if he is to have mental health and live successfully, must move away from past failures and mistakes and go forward without letting them be a weight upon him. The art of forgetting is absolutely necessary.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
52. “Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
53. “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
54. “Every day practice emptying your mind of all unhealthy attitudes.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
55. “Plan your work – work your plan. Lack of system produces that ‘I’m swamped’ feeling.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
56. “If you think in positive terms, you will achieve positive results.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
57. “Make a mental list of happy thoughts and pass them through your mind several times every day.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
58. “I believe in the power of Jesus Christ to resolve any difficulty, to remove any weakness, to heal any disease.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
59. “People who are really efficient seem to do things easily, with a minimum of effort. In doing so they release maximum power.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
60. “To go fast, row slowly.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
61. “Plant seeds of expectation in your mind; cultivate thoughts that anticipate achievement. Believe in yourself as being capable of overcoming all obstacles and weaknesses.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
62. “Think health, eat sparingly, exercise regularly, walk a lot, and think positively about yourself.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
63. “We tend to get what we expect.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
64. “Never react emotionally to criticism. Analyze yourself to determine whether it is justified. If it is, correct yourself. Otherwise, go on about your business.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
65. “Nothing is more confusing than people who give good advice but set a bad example.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
66. “Never talk defeat. Use words like hope, belief, faith, victory.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
67. “Resentment or grudges do no harm to the person against whom you hold these feelings but every day and every night of your life, they are eating at you.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
68. “A basic law: the more you practice the art of thankfulness, the more you have to be thankful for.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
69. “There is only one person with whom to compete and that is yourself. Keep aiming to surpass your own best performance and ever strive to reach higher levels.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
70. “The cyclone derives its powers from a calm center. So does a person.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
71. “If you paint in your mind a picture of bright and happy expectations, you put yourself into a condition conducive to your goal.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
72. “Believe in yourself, believe in your future.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
73. “It is a fact that you project what you are.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
74. “Let a series of happy thoughts run through your mind. They will show on your face.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
75. “Hold an image of the life you want, and that image will become fact.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
76. “Any action is better than no action at all.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
77. “The as-if principle works. Act as if you were not afraid and you will become courageous, as if you could and you’ll find you can. Act as if you like a person and you’ll find a friendship.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
78. “Old unhealthy thoughts can block off inspiration and motivation. Dropping them releases a strong flow of power through the mind.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
79. “Life is not all fun and easygoing. Far from it; there are many rough times. But, sadly, we too often let the hard times dull our enthusiasm. And that is dangerous, if not fatal, to our lives.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
80. “Nothing of great value in this life comes easily. The things of the highest value sometimes come hard. The gold that has the greatest value lies deepest in the earth, as do the diamonds.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
81. “Nothing of great value in this life comes easily.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
82. “Believe that problems do have answers, that they can be overcome, and that you can solve them.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
83. “To change your circumstances, first start thinking differently. Do not passively accept unsatisfactory circumstances, but form a picture in your mind of circumstances as they should be. Believe and succeed.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
84. “You’ll always get an idea if you think and don’t panic.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
85. “I believe that I am always divinely guided. I believe that I will always take the right turn in the road. I believe that God will make a way where there is no way.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
86. “The negative principle negates. The positive principle creates. The negative principle doubts. The positive principle belief. The negative principle accepts defeat. The positive principle goes for victory.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
87. “How you think about a problem is more important than the problem itself. So always think positively.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
88. “Four things for success: work and pray, think and believe.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
89. “Fear is never a reason for quitting; it is only an excuse.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
90. “Do not build up obstacles in your imagination. Difficulties must be studied and dealt with, but they must not be magnified by fear.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
91. “Scatter goodwill and love and prayers all around, everywhere, and you will be astonished, not only by what it does for other people but how it comes back to you in generous abundance.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
92. “Remember: what you think you will become – good or bad, weak or strong, defeated or victorious.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
93. “Practice hope. As hopefulness becomes a habit, you can achieve a permanently happy spirit.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
94. “Have great hopes and dare to go all out for them. Have great dreams and dare to live them. Have tremendous expectations and believe in them.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
95. “If you have zest and enthusiasm you attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back in kind.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
96. “Put your trust in God and just go calmly on your way.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
97. “Think joy, talk joy, practice joy, share joy, saturate your mind with joy, and you will have the time of your life today and every day all your life.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
98. “Silence fertilizes the deep place where personality grows. A life with a peaceful center can weather all storms.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
99. “Fill the day with enthusiasm. Give the day all you’ve got and it will give you all it’s got, which will be plenty.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
100. “Check what you did right and don’t get lost in basking on your glory. It will make it easier to repeat whatever you did that created the success.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
101. “Never allow sick attitudes to poison your thinking, nor let ill will make you ill. Avoid making your mind sore by that painful hurting called resentment.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
102. “Before you go to sleep, run over your personal world mentally and thank God for everyone and everything.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
103. “Take a new look at your present “impossible.” Consider positive ways to handle it.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
104. “Imagination is the true magic carpet.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
105. “When learning stops, decay sets in.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
106. “Constantly reemphasize to yourself the great fact that God built potential strength into your nature. By affirming it and practicing it, this basic strength will toughen up as muscles do.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
107. “I expect the best and with God’s help will attain the best.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
108. “I place this day, my life, my loved ones, my work in the Lord’s hands. There is no harm in the Lord’s hands, only good. Whatever happens, whatever results, if I am in the Lord’s hands it is the Lord’s will and it is good.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
109. “Stop resisting your problems so furiously in your mind. Stop struggling to solve them. If you do that, a great sense of peace followed by a great sense of power will come to you.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
110. “In adversity keep motivated, for often the best comes from difficulty.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
111. “There is only one group of people who do not have problems, and they are all dead. Problems are a sign of life, so the more problems you have, the more alive you are.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
112. “In every difficult situation is potential value. Believe this, then begin looking for it.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
113. “You have to picturize, prayerize and actualize.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
114. “The man who lives for himself is a failure; the man who lives for others has achieved true success.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
115. “Promise yourself a success at the beginning of each day, and you’ll be surprised how often things will turn out that way.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
116. “Become a possibilitarian.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
117. “Talk peaceful to be peaceful.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
118. “When every physical and mental resource is focused, one’s power to solve a problem multiplies tremendously.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
119. “The controlled person is a powerful person. He who always keeps his head will get ahead.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
120. “If you want a quality, act as if you already have it. If you want to be courageous, act as if you were – and as you act and persevere in acting, so you tend to become.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
121. “I believe there are two sides to the phenomenon known as death, this side where we live, and the other side where we shall continue to live. Eternity does not start ith death. We are in eternity now.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
122. “A positive thinker does not refuse to recognize the negative; he refuses to dwell on it.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
123. “The person who sends out positive thoughts activates the world around him positively and draws back to himself positive results.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
124. “Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
125. “The tests of life are not to break you but to make you.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
126. “Faith is the most powerful of all forces operating in humanity and when you have it in depth nothing can get you down.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
127. “Positive thinking is how you think about a problem. Enthusiasm is how you feel about a problem. The two together determine what you do about a problem.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
128. “Motivation is like nutrition. It must be taken daily and in healthy doses to keep it going.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
129. “God is with me, helping me.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
130. “Make a true estimate of your own ability, then raise it ten percent.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
131. “Basil King once said, “Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
132. “The life of inner peace, being harmonious and without stress, is the easiest type of existence.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
133. “Enthusiasm releases the drive to carry you over obstacles and adds significance to all you do.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
134. “Develop a tremendous faith in God and that will give you a humble yet soundly realistic faith in yourself.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
135. “Expect the best, not the worst, and you will attain your heart’s desire.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
136. “Never think negatively, for the negative thinker does a very dangerous thing. He pumps out negative thoughts into the world around him and thus activates the world negatively.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
137. “Know that you yourself are a miracle.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
138. “Optimism is a philosophy based on the belief that basically life is good, that, in the long run, the good in life overbalances the evil.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
139. “Believe you are defeated, believe it long enough, and it is likely to become a fact.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
140. “You become a worrier by practicing worry. You can become free of worry by practicing the opposite and stronger habit of faith. With all the strength and perseverance you can command, start practicing faith.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
141. “Once we roared like lions for liberty; now we bleat like sheep for security! The solution for America’s problem is not in terms of big government, but it is in big men over whom nobody stands in control but God.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
142. “The great secret of getting what you want from life is to know what you want and believe you can have it. Always do something for others, then ask God to help you get at it.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
143. “The secret of the law of abundance is this: In order to receive and appreciate the good things of life, you must first give.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
144. “Part of the happiness of life consists not in fighting battles, but in avoiding them. A masterly retreat is in itself a victory.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
145. “Knock the T off the word can’t. You can do anything – ANYTHING – if you think you can!”
— Norman Vincent Peale
146. “Life’s blows cannot break a person whose spirit is warmed at the fire of enthusiasm.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
147. “Remind yourself that God is with you and nothing can defeat him.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
148. “Think enthusiastically about everything; but especially about your job. If you do so, you’ll put a touch of glory in your life. If you love your job with enthusiasm, you’ll shake it to pieces.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
149. “Never let any mistake cause you to stop believing in yourself. Learn from it and go on.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
150. “Frequently remind yourself that God is with you, that He will never fail you, that you can count upon him. Say these words, God is with me, helping me.”
— Norman Vincent Peale
