People have strong opinions about human nature, but some people disagree with it. Knowing how people really are helps us understand history, ourselves, and the people we interact with a lot more. Are people really good or not? Also, does this question make sense? These are the main questions that are ultimately looked into when the sticky and tough subject of human nature is brought up.
In fact, people are very complicated. We are the only species that can think about their nature, which gives us the power to go beyond it on an individual level and change it on a group level. Seeing human nature as something that is always evolving adds another layer to it; the ability to change our nature is part of what makes us human.
Perhaps the different views on human nature are all true in their way, painting a picture of what it’s like to be human that overlaps. That’s why we found so many quotes about people that seem to go against each other: Because we think each speaks to a different part of the truth about people in general.
Read these 57 Powerful Human Needs Quotes and try to see how the wisdom in them all fits together. It will give you a lot of different perspectives on what people are really like.
Impact of Quotes on Understanding Human Nature
I feel good when I read inspiring quotes. They’re written on my study table wall, on my calendar, and on the wall in my office. Even sometimes, when I feel depressed, I put them on my laptop to encourage myself. I keep a Pinterest board with quotes and write them down in notebooks. I can’t seem to stop myself from getting them, so it must be some kind of addiction, but they have always impacted my mood or working qualities.
There are four ways that motivational quotes change our minds and actions:
It provides you Coaching Effect:
Like getting a coach, reading a quote has this effect. If someone you look up to, a teacher, or a quote says you can do it, then you do it. Quotes that make you feel good are like someone screaming, “Go, Go, Go!” at you from the sidelines. “Let’s!” “This is possible for you.”
One Thought Leads to Another:
Quotes and other short pieces of wisdom can make you think. Every spark makes a new thought come to mind. Seeing your ideas from different angles can help you keep thinking and growing. It’s like talking to a personal friend who isn’t there but wants you to go deeper.
Self-Validation:
A quote can help you feel good about what you think you know about yourself. If you think of yourself as a fighter, you’ll connect with quotes about getting over problems or fears. “Diamonds get bigger under stress; oaks get stronger in a storm,” you’ll strengthen your image as someone who can deal with problems and get through them.
Having self-efficacy
It means that you believe you can succeed. Motivational quotes change our brains, our behavior, and our lives because they give us this sense of control. Quotes make us feel like we have the confidence to finish a task, which is not the same thing as having the drive to do well. It means to WANT to reach your goals. The CAPACITY to achieve is what self-efficacy is.
I know I’m not the only one who loves those inspiring quotes. A lot of people do. We like quotes because they give us advice and inspiration all at once. Reading inspiring words might not be enough to keep us going for a lifetime, but they can provide us with a short-term boost.
57 Powerful Human Needs Quotes
Survival & Security
‘’A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.’’ -John Stuart Mill
‘’Survival can be summed up in three words – never give up. That’s the heart of it, really. Just keep trying.” – Bear Grylls.
‘’The human capacity for survival and renewal is awesome.” – Robert Wilson
‘’Survival is not just about living through something, but rather about thriving through it.’’ – J.R. Rim
“The future of the safety movement is not so much dependent upon the invention of safety devices as on the improvement of methods of educating people to the ideal of caution and safety.” – Walter Dill Scott.
Belonging & Love
Building and growing a relationship takes time and work. It’s important to wait and be patient with your partner while you both get to know each other. Be open and honest with your partner. Talking to each other is important for a relationship to work. Small gifts and kind words are great ways to show your partner how much you care. Also, make time for fun activities together. Spending time and effort on your relationship will help it grow strong and give you a sense of trust and safety. You and your partner can build a beautiful, long-lasting relationship if you both work at it.
‘’A good life depends on the strength of our relationships with family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and strangers.’’ -David Lammy
“Love is when the other person’s happiness is more important than your own.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” – Carl Gustav Jung.
“A loving relationship is one in which the loved one is free to be himself—to laugh with me, but never at me; to cry with me, but never because of me; to love life, to love himself, to love being loved. Such a relationship is based upon freedom and can never grow in a jealous heart.” – Leo F. Buscaglia
Esteem & Recognition
“Confidence is a habit that can be developed by acting as if you already had the confidence you desire to have.” – Brian Tracy.
“If you don’t love yourself, nobody will. Not only that, you won’t be good at loving anyone else. Loving starts with the self.” – Wayne Dyer.
“To establish true self-confidence, we must concentrate on our successes and forget about the failures and the negatives in our lives.” – Denis Waitley.
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“Self-esteem comes from being able to define the world in your terms and refusing to abide by the judgments of others.” – Oprah Winfrey.
Knowledge & Understanding
To know is not enough; we must apply. To understand is not enough; we must do it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
“Knowledge is knowing what to say. Wisdom is knowing whether or not to say it.” – Unknown.
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Understanding is not enough; we must do it.” – Bruce Lee.
Autonomy & Freedom
“He alone is great and happy, who requires neither to command nor to obey, in order to secure his being of some importance in the world”…” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
“Every human being has a fundamental obligation to determine what is just and then to act according to their conscience, even if it contradicts the majority or the law. One’s moral conscience is what makes someone fully human.” – Wendy McElroy, paraphrasing Henry David Thoreau.
‘’Live a personal life of independence with these freedom quotes that are inspirational and full of truth. These messages prove the importance of freedom on patriotic holidays’’. –George Washington
Personal Growth & Potential
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
Purpose & Meaning
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, “Wow! What a Ride!”
― Hunter S. Thompson
“How many slams in an old screen door? Depends how loud you shut it. How many slices in a loaf of bread? Depends how thin you cut it. How much good is inside a day? Depends on how good you live them. How much love is inside a friend? Depends on how much love you give to them.”
― Shel Silverstein
Transcendence & Legacy
There is something other, higher, and more powerful than what our senses and minds can understand. This is what transcendence is. This vertical dimension is something that almost all religions deal with. “We have eternity in our hearts,” as Ecclesiastes would say. It makes sense to think that this is not everything. That is what transcendence or the transcendent is all about. It’s what God wants.
Self-transcendence isn’t always about big things; it can be rude. Plain and simple, it’s the wish or belief that my body is not what limits me. Also, I am a spiritual being. When used in the right way, this sense leads to God. This can also be used for things like fame, though. When my fame is bigger than me, I have gone beyond myself. As an old person, “We’re bigger than Jesus” by the Beatles comes to mind. In poetry, this kind of transcendence is what makes people like Ozymandias dream of a 1000-year Reich. This kind of rising above yourself is always a big lie.
“The unexamined life is a life not worth living.” – Plato, Socrates
“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” – John Lennon, from his song “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy).” This quote suggests the importance of being present and mindful in one’s life.
“A life of reaction is a life of slavery, intellectually and spiritually. One must fight for a life of action, not reaction.” – Rita Mae Brown,
“Life which is unexamined is not worth living.” – Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor.
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Community & Cooperation
“We do not have a society unless we have mutual responsibilities.” – Emma Thompson.
“The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill
“We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for, I don’t know.” – W. H. Auden
“It’s not enough to be compassionate; we must act.” – Dalai Lama
“Gently, you can shake the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Tradition & Belonging
“Traditions are the guideposts driven deep in our subconscious minds.
The most powerful ones are those we can’t even describe, aren’t even aware of” -Ellen Goodman.
“Without culture and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle.
This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future” -Albert Camus.
Innovation & Creativity
Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it; they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.” – Steve Jobs.
”Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” – Pablo Picasso
”If you hear a voice within you say, ‘You cannot paint’, then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” – Vincent Van Gogh
Beauty & Harmony
The true measure of beauty is the feeling of joy and peace it brings to the heart.” – Rumi.
“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.” – Kahlil Gibran.
“Beauty is the gift of nature, elegance is the gift of art.” – Charles Baudelaire.
“Beauty is not about having a perfect face. It’s about having a kind heart and a beautiful soul.” – Unknown.
“Beauty is not something you have to acquire. It’s something you already are.” -Eckhart Tolle.
“Beauty is not what you see, but what you feel.” – Coco Chanel
“Beauty is a gift, but it’s also a responsibility.” – Audrey Hepburn
“Beauty is not a thing of rules. It’s free to express itself in any way it wants.” – Oscar Wilde
Expression & Artistry
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” – Thomas Merton.
“Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.” – John W.
“Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth.” – Pablo Picasso.
“Life beats down and crushes the soul, and art reminds you that you have one.” – Stella Adler.
Ethics & Values
Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny.” – Mahatma Gandhi.
“The ability to subordinate an impulse to a value is the essence of the proactive person. Reactive people are driven by feelings, by circumstances, by conditions, and by their environment. Values drive proactive people – carefully thought about, selected and internalized values.” – Stephen Covey.
“By proactively doing things that build trust in a relationship, one makes deposits of unconditional love. Conversely, by reactively doing things that decrease trust, one makes withdrawals. The current balance in the emotional bank account will determine how well two people can communicate and problem-solve together.” – Stephen Covey.
Faith & Hope
“When God doesn’t grant your miracles, remember that you are the miracle he sent for somebody else.” ~ Nick Vujicic
“Miracles come in moments. Be ready and willing.” ~ Wayne Dyer
“Love is the great miracle cure. Loving ourselves works miracles in our lives.” ~ Louise Hay
“Gratitude opens our eyes to the miracles that surround us.” ~ D. Denise Dianaty
“Miracles have a higher percentage of being permanent than magical solutions.” ~ Nike Thaddeus
Reflection & Solitude
“Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it’s not because they enjoy solitude. It’s because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them, Picoult.
“Solitude is fine, but you need someone to tell you that solitude is fine.– Honoré de Balzac
“I had already found that it was not good to be alone and so made companionship with what there was around me, sometimes with the universe and sometimes with my insignificant self, but my books were always my friends, let fail all else.– Joshua Slocum
“I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. -Charlotte Brontë
