David Goggins, a retired Navy SEAL, ultra-endurance athlete, and motivational speaker, has become an embodiment of resilience, mental toughness, and self-discipline. His life story, marked by overcoming extreme challenges and breaking numerous athletic records, is a source of inspiration for people worldwide.
Goggins is not just known for his physical feats; he is equally recognized for his powerful and motivational words that encourage others to push beyond their limits and confront their inner fears.
Goggins is the author of 2 books: Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds & Never Finished: Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within (check the links if you want to see my take on his books) that quickly became popular among self help readers.
His quotes are more than just words; they are reflections of Goggins’ extraordinary journey and his philosophy of life. Each quote encapsulates his beliefs in the power of suffering, the importance of mental toughness, and the necessity of stepping out of comfort zones to achieve greatness.
Whether you are seeking motivation to start a new venture, courage to face life’s hurdles, or simply a dose of inspiration to push through a tough day, Goggins’ words are a beacon of strength.
Table of Contents
Top 10 best quotes by David Goggins according to readers
Here are his most popular quotes according to Goodreads users (which we all know are avid readers):
- “You are in danger of living a life so comfortable and soft, that you will die without ever realizing your true potential.”
- “Our culture has become hooked on the quick-fix, the life hack, efficiency. Everyone is on the hunt for that simple action algorithm that nets maximum profit with the least amount of effort. There’s no denying this attitude may get you some of the trappings of success, if you’re lucky, but it will not lead to a calloused mind or self-mastery. If you want to master the mind and remove your governor, you’ll have to become addicted to hard work. Because passion and obsession, even talent, are only useful tools if you have the work ethic to back them up.”
- “It won’t always go your way, so you can’t get trapped in this idea that just because you’ve imagined a possibility for yourself that you somehow deserve it. Your entitled mind is dead weight. Cut it loose. Don’t focus on what you think you deserve. Take aim on what you are willing to earn!”
- “In the military we always say we don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.”
- “No one is going to come help you. No one’s coming to save you.”
- “It’s a lot more than mind over matter. It takes relentless self discipline to schedule suffering into your day, every day.”
- “We’re either getting better or we’re getting worse.”
- “We live in a world with a lot of insecure, jealous people. Some of them are our best friends. They are blood relatives. Failure terrifies them. So does our success. Because when we transcend what we once thought possible, push our limits, and become more, our light reflects off all the walls they’ve built up around them. Your light enables them to see the contours of their own prison, their own self-limitations. But if they are truly the great people you always believed them to be, their jealousy will evolve, and soon their imagination might hop its fence, and it will be their turn to change for the better.”
- “Tell yourself the truth! That you’ve wasted enough time, and that you have other dreams that will take courage to realize, so you don’t die a fucking pussy.”
- “I don’t stop when I’m tired. I stop when I’m done”
My 28 Favorite David Goggins Quotes
I can’t argue with Goodreads users, but I have another list of my favorite quotes that I re-read from time to time when I need some of David Goggins’ inspiration and motivation to get me back on track:
- “Don’t worry about the elements around you and what’s going on. You gotta get out there and get it”.
- “The ticket to victory often comes down to bringing your very best when you feel your worst”.
- “The things that we decide to run from are the truth. When you make excuses, you’re running from the truth”.
- “If you can see yourself doing something, you can do it. If you can’t see yourself doing something, usually you can’t achieve it”.
- “The most important conversation is the one you have with yourself”.
- “If you want to master the mind and remove your governor, you’ll have to become addicted to hard work. Because passion and obsession, even talent, are only useful tools if you have the work ethic to back them up”.
- “We are all great. No matter if you think you’re dumb, fat, been bullied, we all have greatness. You gotta find the courage. It’s going to be hard work, discipline, and the non-cognitive skills — hard work, dedication, sacrifice — that will set you apart”.
- “The only reason why I became successful was because I went towards the truth. As painful and as brutal as it is, it changed me. It allowed me, in my own right, to become the person who I am today”.
- “You have to build calluses on your brain just like how you build calluses on your hands. Callus your mind through pain and suffering”.
- “Always be willing to embrace ignorance, because that is the only way to expand your body of knowledge and body of work. It’s the only way to expand your mind”
- “Denial is the ultimate comfort zone”.
- “The only thing more contagious than a good attitude is a bad one”.
- “We all need to start looking at obstacles very differently in life. Obstacles are purely hidden opportunities”.
- “Greatness pulls mediocrity into the mud. Get out there and get after it”.
- “You can will yourself to do almost anything you want”.
- “To exist in this world, we must contend with humiliation, broken dreams, sadness, and loss. That’s just nature”.
- “Everybody wants a quick fix. You may get results, but they won’t be permanent. The permanent results come from you having to suffer”.
- “Tell yourself the truth! That you’ve wasted enough time, and that you have other dreams that will take courage to realize, so you don’t die a fcking pussy”.
- “You must recognize what you are about to do, highlight what you do not like about it, and spend time visualizing each and every obstacle you can”.
- “Comfort zones: If you live in one too long… that becomes your norm. Get comfortable being uncomfortable”.
- “Nobody cares what you did yesterday. What have you done today to better yourself?”.
- “Self-talk and visualization are the two keys to my success”.
- “I’m just a scared kid who found drive and passion to be someone much better than who he currently was”.
- “In times of hell, in times of suffering, even the hardest men tend to forget who they really are”.
- “Every time I get ‘poopy pants’ or the ‘woe is me’ mentality or I start to think ‘Man, life sucks’, I go into my cookie jar and pull out a memory to remind myself that I am a (expletive) badass”.
- “I want you to know that I’m comfortable being very uncomfortable”.
- “Thicken your skin. Become more of a human being. Don’t be afraid of the reflection in the mirror”.
- “If I don’t give you all of who I am, how are you going to learn? People take so much offense. I’m not going to try and find the right words so that I don’t hurt you because you have thin skin. Tighten up. It’s okay. Trust me”.
Check out one of his short speeches to see the power that lies in this man:
Best David Goggins Quotes for Sharing on Social Media
David Goggins’ quotes are so powerful that I couldn’t help but also help you by creating some image you can directly share on social media with his quotes.
Share on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest
Share on Instagram
