Every ending carries the seed of a new beginning. Whether you’re starting a new job, moving to a new city, recovering from a loss, or simply turning over a new leaf in your personal life, that first step into the unknown can feel both exhilarating and terrifying.
New beginnings represent hope, possibility, and the chance to rewrite your story. They remind us that we are not defined by our past chapters, but by our courage to start new ones.
This collection of 101 quotes for a new beginning is your companion for this transitional time. May these words give you the courage to begin, the patience to trust the process, and the wisdom to appreciate the journey.
Part 1: The Courage to Begin
These quotes celebrate the bravery it takes to start something new, especially when the path ahead is uncertain.
- “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” — Mark Twain
- “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” — Seneca
- “You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.” — Michael McMillan
- “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.” — J.P. Morgan
- “Begin anywhere.” — John Cage
- “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” — E.E. Cummings
- “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Lao Tzu
- “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
- “What feels like the end is often the beginning.” — Unknown
- “Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life.” — Unknown
- “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
- “Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” — Meister Eckhart
- “The beginning is always today.” — Mary Shelley
- “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe
- “Don’t be afraid to start over. It’s a chance to build something better this time.”
Part 2: Letting Go of the Past
New beginnings often require releasing what no longer serves us. These quotes offer wisdom on moving forward by lightening your emotional load.
- “Let go of the past so the future can take its place.” — Unknown
- “Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go.” — Hermann Hesse
- “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” — Alexander Graham Bell
- “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” — Alan Watts
- “Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.” — Oprah Winfrey
- “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” — George Eliot
- “You can’t start the next chapter if you keep re-reading the last one.” — Unknown
- “What’s behind you is not as important as what’s in front of you.” — Unknown
- “The moment you accept responsibility for everything in your life is the moment you gain the power to change anything in your life.” — Hal Elrod
- “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” — Will Rogers
- “Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.” — Lily Tomlin
- “Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness.” — Steve Maraboli
- “The hardest part isn’t letting go but rather learning to start over.” — Nicole Sobon
- “Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.” — Nido Qubein
- “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” — Joseph Campbell
Part 3: Hope and Optimism for New Starts
These quotes shine a light on the hope and positive potential that every new beginning carries.
- “And suddenly you know… It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” — Meister Eckhart
- “Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one.” — Brad Paisley
- “Every day is a new beginning. Treat it that way. Stay away from what might have been, and look at what can be.” — Marsha Petrie Sue
- “The sun himself is weak when he first rises, and gathers strength and courage as the day gets on.” — Charles Dickens
- “Begin again to the summoning birds to the sight of light at the window, begin to the roar of morning traffic all along Pembroke Road. Every beginning is a promise.” — John O’Donohue
- “With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
- “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” — Desmond Tutu
- “The very first moment you wake up, you have a clean slate. You have a new day ahead of you.” — Unknown
- “A new beginning is a new opportunity to create the life you want.” — Unknown
- “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” — Helen Keller
- “The beginning is always the hardest, but it’s also the most exciting.” — Unknown
- “Your future is as bright as your faith.” — Thomas S. Monson
- “Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” — Carl Bard
- “New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” — Lao Tzu
- “This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change.” — Taylor Swift
Part 4: Transformation and Personal Growth
New beginnings are opportunities for profound personal transformation. These quotes inspire growth and evolution.
- “We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are.” — Max De Pree
- “Transformation isn’t a future event. It’s a present-day activity.” — Jillian Michaels
- “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” — Carl Jung
- “The only way that we can live is to grow. The only way we can grow is to change.” — C.S. Lewis
- “You are always one decision away from a totally different life.” — Unknown
- “Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.” — Mandy Hale
- “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” — Henry David Thoreau
- “The Phoenix must burn to emerge.” — Janet Fitch
- “Sometimes when you’re in a dark place, you think you’ve been buried, but you’ve actually been planted.” — Christine Caine
- “Life is about evolution. What looks like a mistake to others has been a milestone in my evolution.” — Sunny Deol
- “You have within you right now, everything you need to deal with whatever the world can throw at you.” — Brian Tracy
- “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” — Carl Jung
- “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” — John F. Kennedy
- “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” — George Eliot
- “Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” — Jim Rohn
Part 5: Short and Powerful New Beginning Quotes
For when you need a quick, memorable burst of inspiration.
- “New day, new beginnings.”
- “Turn the page.”
- “Start fresh.”
- “Hello, new chapter.”
- “Onward and upward.”
- “Blank slate.”
- “Another chance.”
- “New season, new reason.”
- “Forward.”
- “Rise and shine.”
- “Clean slate.”
- “Begin again.”
- “New horizons.”
- “The start of something new.”
- “Today is your day.”
Part 6: Wisdom from Literature and Poetry
Beautiful insights on new beginnings from some of the world’s greatest writers and poets.
- “Begin again to the summoning birds to the sight of light at the window, begin to the roar of morning traffic all along Pembroke Road. Every beginning is a promise.” — John O’Donohue
- “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice.” — T.S. Eliot
- “Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.” — Jack Kerouac
- “The sun himself is weak when he first rises, and gathers strength and courage as the day gets on.” — Charles Dickens
- “And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.” — Rainer Maria Rilke
- “Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it yet.” — L.M. Montgomery
- “I took a deep breath and listened to the old bray of my heart. I am, I am, I am.” — Sylvia Plath
- “We begin again.” — Toni Morrison
- “All endings are also beginnings. We just don’t know it at the time.” — Mitch Albom
- “The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.” — John Muir
Part 7: Seasonal and Nature-Inspired Beginnings
Drawing inspiration from the natural world’s endless cycles of renewal.
- “The flowers of tomorrow are in the seeds of today.” — Chinese Proverb
- “No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” — Hal Borland
- “Spring is the time of plans and projects.” — Leo Tolstoy
- “Every moment is a fresh beginning.” — T.S. Eliot
- “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” — Lao Tzu
- “The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists.” — Japanese Proverb
- “In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.” — Albert Camus
- “The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.” — Steve Maraboli
- “Like a tree, I have to be pruned of a lot of dead branches before I can produce good fruit.” — Unknown
Part 8: Moving Forward with Confidence
These quotes will help you walk into your new beginning with confidence and self-assurance.
- “You are always one choice away from a completely different life.” — Unknown
- “Don’t look back. You’re not going that way.” — Unknown
- “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” — Peter Drucker
- “You didn’t come this far to only come this far.” — Unknown
- “Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow.” — Robert Kiyosaki
- “What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.” — Ralph Marston
How to Embrace Your New Beginning: A Practical Guide
- Acknowledge the Transition: Honor the ending that preceded this beginning. Give yourself permission to grieve, celebrate, or simply acknowledge what came before.
- Set Gentle Intentions: Instead of rigid goals, set intentions for how you want to feel and who you want to become in this new chapter.
- Take Small, Consistent Steps: Big transformations happen through small, daily actions. Focus on progress, not perfection.
- Create Rituals: Mark your new beginning with a simple ritual—cleaning your space, planting something new, or writing a letter to your future self.
- Practice Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself during this vulnerable time. New beginnings can be messy, and that’s perfectly okay.
Conclusion: Your Story is Yours to Write
Every new beginning—whether chosen or unexpected—is a gift. It’s an invitation to grow, to learn, and to become more fully yourself. It’s a chance to apply the wisdom from your past to create a more intentional future.
As you stand at this threshold, remember that courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the decision that something else is more important. Your growth, your happiness, your purpose—these are worth the temporary discomfort of beginning.
Your next chapter is waiting to be written. Pick up the pen with courage, hope, and the quiet confidence that every great story has moments of transition that make the plot truly compelling.
What new beginning are you facing? Which of these quotes gave you the courage to take that first step? Share your story in the comments below—your journey might inspire someone else to begin theirs.