10 Literary Quotes To Inspire You As A Startup Founder

When you read about startups you are naturally assailed by all kinds of rational explanations and advice. This is great – clear, logical thinking is crucial if you are to succeed as an entrepreneur.

Yet, in order to keep going when the going gets tough you might need some fuel for your heart, rather than just your mind.

Here are some great poetic words to give you strength and inspiration when you most need it on your startup journey.

“To go wrong in one’s own way is better than to go right in someone else’s.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

This is a great quote by one of the greatest novelists of all time to remind you that your startup journey has value even when you are failing and even when people criticize and disapprove.

“Not all those who wander are lost.” – The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien

Being a founder of an innovative project by definition means that you would have to face many challenges, fail over and over, iterate, and pivot multiple times until you find product-market fit. While you are going through this discouraging process, it is good to remember these words by the father of modern fantasy literature.

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

An entrepreneur is a doer first, and a dreamer second.

“Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” – Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

It takes courage to commit yourself 100% to a startup project knowing that it has a 90% chance of failure. Yet, to realize that it is worth trying anyway.

“After all, tomorrow is another day!” – Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind

Resilience and persistence are two of the most important qualities to be a successful startup founder. When you fall short, always remember that tomorrow is another day.

“There’s nothing comes without calling in this world, and after you’ve called you’ve generally got to go and fetch it yourself.” – George Horace Lorimer, Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to his Son

It’s worth remembering every once in a while that there’s no substitute for hard work.

“Those with bad luck should at least attempt to balance it with good sense.” – Joe Abercrombie, Half the World

While luck is an indivisible part of success, it is also something that can be influenced. Don’t be discouraged when you are dealt a bad hand of cards. Play it as best as you can in order to stay in the game, and on the next draw, you might get lucky. It’s important to keep in mind that in startups you usually only need to get lucky once.

“Life before Death. Strength before Weakness. Journey before Destination.” ― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

All we do is derived from our values. If you hold tight to constructive values as a founder and use them to create a productive culture in your project, then success would inevitably follow sooner or later.

“Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”- Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

This quote is an important reminder that as a startup founder, you are in the business of creating real value for the lives of other people. Success is impossible if you fail to do that.

“Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone … just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

It’s worth finishing with a reminder to be kind. The fact that you are a startup founder, even an unsuccessful one, means that you are among the more privileged people on the planet. Use this privilege to make life better for yourself and for others and try to bring people around you up, rather than push them down.