If life is feeling a little too fast and shaky for you these days, take some time to read these slow and steady quotes and get your head back into a more relaxed state of mind.
And if you crave even more quotes, you’ll love my full collection of motivational quotes to help you get through every day.
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Why are Slow and Steady Quotes Important?
A few days ago, I was thinking about Aesop’s fable ‘The Tortoise and The Hare’ and the moral of the story — ‘slow and steady wins the race.’
All of a sudden I started to wonder what life was like in Aesop’s time (620–564 BCE) that someone felt the need to write about this particular lesson. I mean, you wouldn’t think there many options for fast vs. slow ways to do anything, right?
It made me realize this whole ‘trying to do all.the.things too fast’ isn’t just a problem that we’ve created in modern times with all of our cars and internet and ‘fast’ way of life.
Obviously there must have been people back in Aesop’s time with the ‘have to go fast, fast, fast and always win’ attitude. If you’re feeling the push to be one of those people in our even faster society, step back, slow down, and take his words to heart.
Rushing from one ‘victory’ to the next leaves little time to breathe and relax. You don’t have to fight your ‘slower’ nature to get where you want to go… adjust your expectations, then just keep on keepin’ on and you’ll make it just fine!
Quotes for Slow and Steady Living
“Slow and steady wins the race.”
— Aesop
“You don’t have to go fast… you just have to go.”
“I don’t mind running with turtles.”
— Sondra Faye
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”
— Peter Drucker
“Be patient. Good things take time.”
“When you want to hurry something, that means you no longer care about it and want to get on to other things. I just want to get at it slowly, but carefully and thoroughly, with the same attitude I remember was present just before I found that sheared pin. It was that attitude that found it, nothing else.”
— Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
“Slow down. Calm down. Don’t worry. Don’t hurry. Trust the process.”
— Alexandra Stoddard
“Slow and steady wins the race, not the person who wants to climb the whole stairs in one stride.”
— Michael Bassey Johnson
“The wise do things slowly, because they love it.”
— Maxime Lagacé
“Your speed doesn’t matter. Forward is forward.”
“Long-term consistency trumps short-term intensity.”
— Bruce Lee
“So stay true to your own nature. If you like to do things in a slow and steady way, don’t let others make you feel as if you have to race. If you enjoy depth, don’t force yourself to seek breadth. If you prefer single-tasking to multi-tasking, stick to your guns. Being relatively unmoved by rewards gives you the incalculable power to go your own way.”
— Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
More Inspiration for Intentional Living
15 Slow Down Quotes to Help You Enjoy More Living
Living An Intentional Life: 7 Powerful Steps to Make It Happen
How Slow and Steady Wins the Race When You’re Struggling to Find a Smile — The Art of Living
Self-Confidence Quotes: 33 Inspirational Quotes You Need Today
24 Intentional Living Quotes to Inspire Your Best Life
How to Use Slow and Steady Inspirational Quotes Every Day
One of my favorite ways to use quotes is for journal prompts. Want to use these quotes as journal prompts? Here are some journaling resources:
This pretty journal with yellow flowers on the cover would definitely inspire a bright and happy mood for relaxing.
Not quite your style? One of my picks for best journals for writing might be just what you need.
Another journaling option is to pick up Susan Cain’s Quiet Journal (Discover Your Secret Strengths and Unleash Your Inner Power). This is great if you need a guided journal and want to do some deeper work on yourself in a slow and steady manner.
These erasable gel pens are my favorite brand of pens and I use them every day. Love having so many colors for making notes and doodles! (One caveat is that you can’t leave your journal in a hot vehicle or the ink will disappear.)
You can always write these quotes in your planner for daily inspiration. You can also make your own creative artwork with quotes and doodles. Not so creative? Pick up some inspirational slow quote prints and surround yourself with the perfect reminders.
Love mugs? This mug with Alexandra Stoddard’s quote is so cute!
However you prefer to incorporate quotes into your everyday life, I hope you will be inspired by these quotes to take things slow and steady as you Build Your Best Life.
You’ve got this, and you’ve STILL got it even if you don’t do everything in your life rabbit-quick.
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Particularly liked ‘To hurry something means you no longer care about it’ and ‘The wise do things slowly, because they love it’. David
These are great slow and steady quotes. Thank you for sharing.
Visiting today from GraceAtHome #32&33