There’s no denying that being an entrepreneur is a tough gig. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication and sacrifice to make your business successful. But with that said, it’s also important to keep things in perspective. Sometimes you need to take a step back and remind yourself why you’re doing all this in the first place. Check out these inspiring, but painful quotes from some of history’s most successful entrepreneurs – they’ll help get you back on track when things get rough.

The best painful quotes

1. I think when dance is mediocre, it’s painful. But when dance is really impressive, it destroys. — Neil Patrick Harris

2. All our knowledge merely helps us to die a more painful death than animals that know nothing. — Maurice Maeterlinck

3. We all have our painful pasts we have to get through. — Valerie Bertinelli

4. The moment passed–but the darkness is so dark, and the pain is so painful.–But I accept whatever He gives and I give whatever He takes. — Mother Teresa

5. But maybe that’s what the dead do. They stay. They linger. Benign and sweet and painful. They don’t need us. They echo all by themselves. — Sangu Mandanna, The Lost Girl

6. Don’t lie to me. Don’t deceive me. Give me the truth. Even if it breaks me. A painful truth is better than a pleasant lie. — Yasmin Mogahed

7. My ideal date would involve painful silence. My ideal date wouldn’t involve me. — Sam Pink

8. I love bad movies, whereas going to the theater for me is a painful experience. I think it’s really hard to sit and watch actors do something live and have it not go well. — Zoe Kazan

9. She knew all about love–that beautiful, exquisitely painful but precious journey. — Mary Hart Perry, The Wild Princess: A Novel of Queen Victoria’s Defiant Daughter

10. Forgiveness is a clean lotion that heals the wounds of misunderstandings! To iron out the differences — get the painful sores dressed up

11. Spending time with her father was like showering with a cheese grate–it got more painful each time. — Steven Manchester, Gooseberry Island

12. I learned a long time ago that some people would rather die than forgive. It’s a strange truth, but forgiveness is a painful and difficult process. — Sue Monk Kidd

13. Examination of the world without is never as personally painful as examination of the world within. — M. Scott Peck

14. It’s unexpectedly painful to have become a pronoun. — Robin Black, If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This

15. I have said to you to speak the truth is a painful thing. To be forced to tell lies is much worse. — Oscar Wilde

16. Our most challenging and painful experiences become our credentials for helping people. — Millen Livis

17. At the age of 55, you will get a saggy roll just above your waist, even if you are painfully thin. — Nora Ephron

18. I find playwriting really painful. I love it, or I wouldn’t do it, but I don’t love the theater as much as I love movies. — Zoe Kazan

19. This was a different kind of a kiss, not one that leads to something, but a hard, painful one.It was a goodbye kiss. — Penelope Ward, Stepbrother Dearest

20. It is painful for the plant which is myself to live in the atmosphere and light of this world. Somewhere an element is lacking which would permit me to continue. — Osamu Dazai, The Setting Sun

21. Relationships are painful when they are not working and so joyful when they are. — Pamela Cummins, Psychic Wisdom on Love and Relationships

22. Sometimes painfully lost people can teach us lessons that we didn’t think we needed to know, or be reminded of–––the more history changes, the more it stays the same. — Shannon L. Alder

23. Lies can make harsh truths less painful. But I believe pain is essential for growth. — Morgan Rhodes, Falling Kingdoms

24. It’s unexpectedly painful to have become a pronoun. — Robin Black, If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This

25. Nothing is more important than to learn how to maintain a life of purpose in the midst of painful adversity. — Timothy Keller

26. It was almost painful to be different. — Shannon A. Thompson, Seconds Before Sunrise

27. Verence would rather cut his own leg off than put a witch in prison, since it’d save trouble in the long run and probably be less painful. — Terry Pratchett

28. Whatever happens in your life, joyful or painful, do not be swept away by reactivity. Be patient with yourself and don’t lose your sense of perspective. — Pema Chodron

29. I never heard sound and thrill of my painful heart until that very day she touched it. — Santosh Kalwar

30. Falling into ruin was a bit like falling in love: Both descents stripped you bare and left you as you were at your core. And both endings are equally painful. — J.R. Ward, Lover Unbound

31. Remembering is painful, it’s difficult, but it can be inspiring and it can give wisdom. — Paul Greengrass

32. Not knowing is half the fun, ‘ Aphrodite said, ‘Exquisitely painful isn’t it? Not being sure who you love and who loves you? Oh, you kids! It’s so cute I’m going to cry! — Rick Riordan

33. To get here had been painful, but for once in my life I felt free. — Sarah Swainson, To My Last Friend

34. This focusing outward…painful as it was, saved her from a more intolerable examination. — M.L. Stedman, The Light Between Oceans

35. I never heard sound and thrill of my painful heart until that very day she touched it. — Santosh Kalwar

36. Hunger of choice is a painful luxury — hunger of necessity is terrifying torture.

37. Sometimes the most painful lessons are delivered by someone masquerading as a soul mate. — Steve Maraboli

38. Mortifications are often more painful than real calamities. — Oliver Goldsmith

39. Missing tiny things in our life is more painful than things that we deserve in our live — Mohan Malkani

40. Lies can make harsh truths less painful. But I believe pain is essential for growth. — Morgan Rhodes, Falling Kingdoms

41. The painful secret of gods and kings is that men are free, Aegistheus. You know it and they do not.–Jean — Paul Sartre

42. Sometimes painful endings bring the best new beginnings. — Shae Ross, Bottom of the Sky

43. Spare the stress on your neck muscles… Looking backward takes more energy — it’s more painful than looking forward! Go ahead!

44. But the upside of painful knowledge is so much greater than the downside of blissful ignorance. — Sheryl Sandberg

45. I was painfully initiated into boxing, because the guys I fought were a lot bigger than me. — Sugar Ray Leonard

46. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: That I am nobody but myself. — Ralph Ellison

47. My ideal date would involve painful silence. My ideal date wouldn’t involve me. — Sam Pink

48. I’m involved in the stock market, which is fun and, sometimes, very painful. — Regis Philbin

49. She knew all about love–that beautiful, exquisitely painful but precious journey. — Mary Hart Perry, The Wild Princess: A Novel of Queen Victoria’s Defiant Daughter

50. It’s regrets that make painful memories. When I was crazy I did everything just right. — Mark Vonnegut, The Eden Express: A Memoir of Insanity

Conclusion

No matter how painful life can be, it’s important to stay strong and remember that life is too short to be anything but happy. Life is full of ups and downs, but it’s how we choose to deal with them that really matters. Remember to look for the silver linings in every situation and to focus on the positive things in life. Life is too precious and too short to waste on being unhappy.