Did you know poems are also a great way to motivate and inspire? They aren’t just made for romance, they can also help light the fire in your heart whenever you feel like giving up. That’s why we collected some of the best motivation poems there is just for you. Share them with your loved ones, or keep them for yourself – it’s all up to you. They will surely uplift you during life’s difficult moments. Enjoy!
Motivational Poems
1. Caged Bird
By: Maya Angelou
A free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wing
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
2. On the Pulse of Morning
By: Maya Angelou
A rock, a river, a tree
Hosts to species long since departed,
Marked the mastodon,
The dinosaur, who left dried tokens
Of their sojourn here
On our planet floor,
Any broad alarm of their hastening doom
Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.
But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully,
Come, you may stand upon my
Back and face your distant destiny,
But seek no haven in my shadow,
I will give you no hiding place down here.
You created only a little lower than
The angels have crouched too long in
The bruising darkness
Have lain too long
Facedown in ignorance,
Your mouths spilling words
Armed for slaughter.
The Rock cries out to us today,
You may stand upon me,
But do not hide your face.
3. Still I Rise
By: Maya Angelou
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
’Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
4. Phenomenal Woman
By: Maya Angelou
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It’s the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can’t see.
I say,
It’s in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
’Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
5. Alone
By: Maya Angelou
Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don’t believe I’m wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
There are some millionaires
With money they can’t use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They’ve got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Now if you listen closely
I’ll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
‘Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
6. Dreams
By: Chelci Biggs
Dreaming is our souls voice from within.
Connecting our brain and hearts true feelings.
Dreams are the voice, that needs to be heard.
Not like just any, but a black n white picture.
The details may seem blurry to ones eye.
But another sees color, in a different light.
The picture is printed out there before you.
It’s your decision, on what dreams you make come true.
7. What Might Have Been
By: Hazel Lee
I held a moment in my hand,
Brilliant as a star,
Fragile as a flower,
A shiny silver out of one hour.
I dropped it carelessly.
Oh God! I knew not
I held opportunity.
8. You Cannot Change
By: Brian Tracy
You cannot change the world,
But you can present the world with one improved person yourself.
You can go to work on yourself to make yourself
Into the kind of person you admire and respect.
You can become a role model and set a standard for others.
You can control and discipline yourself to resist acting
Or speaking in a negative way toward anyone for any reason.
You can insist upon always doing things the loving way,
Rather than the hurtful way.
By doing these things each day, you can continue on your journey
Toward becoming an exceptional human being.
9. Count Your Blessings
Count your blessings instead of your crosses,
Count your gains instead of your losses.
Count your joys instead of your woes,
Count your friends instead of your foes.
Count your smiles instead of your tears,
Count your courage instead of your fears.
Count your full years instead of your lean,
Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.
Count your health instead of your wealth,
Love your neighbor as much as yourself.
10. How When Where
By: John Oxenham
It is not so much where you live,
As how, and why, and when you live,
That answers in the affirmative,
Or maybe in the negative,
The question Are you fit to live?
It is not so much where you live,
As how you live, and whether good
Flows from you through your neighborhood.
And why you live, and whether you
Aim high and noblest ends pursue,
And keep life brimming full and true.
And when you live, and whether time
Is at its nadir or its prime,
And whether you descend or climb.
It is not so much where you live,
As whether while you live you live
And to the world your highest give,
And so make answer positive
That you are truly fit to live.
11. Allow Yourself
By: Catherine Pulsifer
Allow yourself to dream,
And when you do dream big
Allow yourself to learn
And when you do learn all you can
Allow yourself to laugh
And when you do share your laughter
Allow yourself to set goals
And when you do reward yourself as you move forward
Allow yourself to be determined
And when you do you will find you will succeed
Allow yourself to believe in yourself
And when you do you will find self-confidence
Allow yourself to lend a helping hand
And when you do a hand will help you.
Allow yourself relaxation
And when you do you will find new ideas.
Allow yourself love
And when you do you will find love in return
Allow yourself to be happy
And when you do you will influence others around you.
Allow yourself to be positive
And when you do life will get easier.
12. Your Bucket List
By: Julie Hebert
A bucket list,
We all should record.
To give us goals,
To work towards.
Make a list,
From one to twenty.
You can have more,
If you want to have plenty.
You’re a bucket list,
Will hold your dreams.
That one day,
Won’t be a dream.
Setting goals
Is good to do,
To make your dreams
Come true for you.
13. Parting
This life has many varied scenes
Of joy and peace, of grief and pain,
Today we meet, tomorrow part,
Perchance to never meet again.
How oft we part from those we love
In sullen, angry, thoughtless mood,
And think that soon we’ll meet again
Adown life’s shining, sunny road.
But days and weeks and months go by,
Yes, even long and weary years,
Before we see the brightening eye
Last seen in sullen, angry tears.
And oftentimes it is the last
Of mortal parting on the earth,
And we will only meet again
At our sublime celestial birth.
Then let us live and part in peace
With those, we love and all around,
So fellowship and love increase,
And not a vain regret be found.
Oh never let the parting sun
Go down upon our childish wrath,
Forgive, forget the wrong that’s done,
And walk the loving, peaceful path.
14. What I Want
I am powerful.
Whatever I set my mind on having, I will have.
Whatever I decide to be, I will be.
The evidence is all around me.
The power of my Will has brought me precisely to where
I am right now.
I have made the choices. I have held the thoughts.
I have taken the actions to create my current reality.
And I have the power to change it into whatever I want it to be.
With the choices I make, I am constantly fulfilling the vision I have for my
life.
If that does not seem to be the case,
Then I am deceiving myself about what I really want.
Because what I really, truly want, I will get.
What I truly wanted in the past, I already have.
If I want to build a billion-dollar business, I will take the actions necessary to
do it.
If I want to sit comfortably watching TV night after night,
I will take the actions necessary for that.
Don’t be disappointed in my results,
they’re just the outward manifestation of my priorities.
I will be sure of what I truly want because I am sure to get it.
15. Do It Now
By: Nixon Waterman
If you have a task worth doing,
Do it now.
In delay there’s danger brewing,
Do it now.
Don’t you be a by and byer,
And a sluggish patience-trier,
If there’s aught you would acquire,
Do it now.
If you’d earn a prize worth owning,
Do it now.
Drop all waiting and postponing,
Do it now.
Say, I will and then stick to it,
Choose your purpose and pursue it,
There’s but one right way to do it,
Do it now.
All we have is just this minute,
Do it now.
Find your duty and begin it,
Do it now.
Surely you’re not always going,
To be a going to be and knowing,
You must sometimes make a showing,
Do it now.
16. The Power of Words
By: Julie Hebert
Words can hold such power,
Especially if we allow them to.
The decision is ours and ours alone,
It can mean one thing or two.
If the words are negative in general,
This can create much harm.
Whether they come from you or someone else,
Believing in them is cause for alarm.
If the words are positive,
Allow yourself to hear.
Believe every positive remark,
And never let them disappear.
Words can hold much power,
But only if you allow.
The power really lies in your hands,
Choose only to hear the positive, make this your vow.
17. Changes
By: Greta Zwaan
I sought for joy in peace, and rest to ease my weary mind,
Stressed out by such a heavy load, rest I just had to find.
My endurance could hold no more, my limits had been met,
I needed time to stand aside, sweet time to just forget.
But where to find the road to peace, an obscure trait to me,
My hectic lifestyle can’t comprehend a way to set time free.
I’ve always rushed from A to B with no side glace allowed,
I had my life so well controlled; in truth, I felt quite proud.
No one could tell me what to do, I was a self-made man;
My schedules were controlled by me, I had a thorough plan.
‘Twas good when all things went my way and no one interfered,
I had no one to answer to, my way was always cleared.
But years of this brought me no joy, though fortunes I’d amassed,
It seemed that all the things I owned would oh, so soon be past.
I had no friends that knew my plight, I kept myself at bay,
They all had troubles of their own, besides, what could they say?
They envied me with all my wealth, they never saw my pain,
I had life all together, what more was there to gain?
But loneliness is terrible and emptiness is sad,
There seems no purpose for each day, no reason to be glad.
So now I wait, why? I don’t know, but life for me must change.
There must be more than fortunes, a way to rearrange.
There has to be a purpose, and someone surely knows,
Why life is complicated, and days so full of woes.
Perhaps you have the answer, perhaps you know the route,
Perhaps you’ve traveled here before; if so, please help me out.
If need be, I’ll be patient, I’ll even take advice;
I’ll gladly make the changes, no matter what the price.
I don’t need independence, I’ve had my round of that,
I long for understanding, to know just where I’m at.
Someday I hope to thank you because you saw my need,
Perhaps with greater meaning, with purpose, not with greed.
I don’t know how I got here, what lies ahead of me,
I’m grateful there’ll be changes, I’m grateful to be free.
18. Don’t Disrespect Yourself
By: Shakira Wilkerson
Why are you disrespecting yourself girl?
Don’t you know you’re a pearl?
You’re a precious jewel,
Please honey, sweetie don’t be any fool.
Your body is a temple before the Lord.
Don’t mistreat it with harm.
Don’t disrespect yourself.
Don’t let no one slap you around and put you down.
Stand your ground and know who, and who’s you are.
You were created by the creator.
Fearfully and Wonderfully made.
So don’t disrespect your self.
Put a stop and an end to this way of living.
Cease from the pain, get away from it all girl.
Don’t let anyone disrespect you.
Don’t you know you’re a queen, a precious gem.
If not, take a look in the mirror
and see all the beauty which God have mad you to be.
So girl, sister, friend and all women around the world,
Don’t disrespect yourself.
19. A New Beginning
By: Helen Steiner Rice
How often we wish for another chance
to have a fresh beginning.
A chance to blot out our mistakes
and change failure into winning.
It does not take a new year
to make a brand new start.
It only takes the deep desire
to try with all your heart.
To live a little better
and always be forgiving, to add a little sunshine
to the world in which we are living.
So, never give up in despair
and think that you are through,
For there’s always a tomorrow
and a chance to start anew.
20. The Man Who Thinks He Can
By: Walter D. Wintle
If you think you are beaten, you are
If you think you dare not, you don’t,
If you like to win, but you think you can’t
It is almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.
21. Life Is A Gift
Life is a gift we’re given each and every day.
Dream about tomorrow, but live for today.
To live a little, you’ve got to love a whole lot.
Love turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Life’s a journey always worth taking.
Take time to smell the roses, daffodils and lilacs.
Count blessings like children count stars.
The secret of a happy life isn’t buried in a treasure chest it lies within your heart.
It’s the little moments that make life big.
So don’t wait. Make memories today and celebrate your life!
22. Before You Act
By: Ernst Hemmingway
Before you act, listen.
Before you read, think.
Before you spend, earn.
Before you criticize, wait.
Before you pray, forgive.
Before you quit, try.
23. Character of the Happy Warrior
By: William Wordsworth
Who is the happy warrior? Who is he
That every man in arms should wish to be?
It is the generous Spirit, who, when brought
Among the tasks of real life, hath wrought
Upon the plan that pleased his boyish thought,
Whose high endeavors are an inward light
That makes the path before him always bright,
Who, with a natural instinct to discern
What knowledge can perform, is diligent to learn
Abides by this resolve, and stops not there,
But makes his moral being his prime care,
Who, doomed to go in company with pain,
And Fear, and Bloodshed, miserable train.
Turns his necessity to glorious gain,
In face of these doth exercise a power
Which is our human nature’s highest dower
Controls them and subdues, transmutes, bereaves
Of their bad influence, and their good receives
By objects, which might force the soul to abate
Her feeling, rendered more compassionate,
Is placable because occasions rise
So often that demand such sacrifice,
More skilful in self-knowledge, even more pure,
As tempted more more able to endure,
As more exposed to suffering and distress,
Thence, also, more alive to tenderness.
—’Tis he whose law is reason; who depends
Upon that law as on the best of friends;
Whence, in a state where men are tempted still
To evil for a guard against worse ill,
And what in quality or act is best
Doth seldom on a right foundation rest,
He labours good on good to fix, and owes
To virtue every triumph that he knows
Who, if he rise to station of command,
Rises by open means, and there will stand
On honourable terms, or else retire,
And in himself possess his own desire,
Who comprehends his trust, and to the same
Keeps faithful with a singleness of aim,
And therefore does not stoop, nor lie in wait
For wealth, or honours, or for worldly state,
Whom they must follow, on whose head must fall,
Like showers of manna, if they come at all.
Whose powers shed round him in the common strife,
Or mild concerns of ordinary life,
A constant influence, a peculiar grace,
But who, if he be called upon to face
Some awful moment to which heaven has joined
Great issues, good or bad for human kind,
Is happy as a lover, and attired
With sudden brightness, like a man inspired,
And, through the heat of conflict, keeps the law
In calmness made, and sees what he foresaw,
Or if an unexpected call succeed,
Come when it will, is equal to the need.
He who, though thus endued as with a sense
And faculty for storm and turbulence,
Is yet a soul whose master bias leans
To homefelt pleasures and to gentle scenes.
Sweet images which, wheresoe’er he be,
Are at his heart, and such fidelity
It is his darling passion to approve,
More brave for this, that he hath much to love
Tis, finally, the man, who, lifted high,
Conspicuous object in a nation’s eye,
Or left unthought-of in obscurity,
Who, with a toward or untoward lot,
Prosperous or adverse, to his wish or not
Plays, in the many games of life, that one
Where what he most doth value must be won.
Whom neither shape or danger can dismay,
Nor thought of tender happiness betray,
Who, not content that former worth stand fast,
Looks forward, persevering to the last,
From well to better, daily self surpast.
Who, whether praise of him must walk the earth
, and to noble deeds give birth,
Or he must fall, to sleep without his fame,
And leave a dead unprofitable name,
Finds comfort in himself and in his cause,
And, while the mortal mist is gathering, draws
His breath in confidence of heaven’s applause,
This is the happy warrior this is he
That every man in arms should wish to be.