The 30 Most Inspiring Focus Quotes

We all know these situations in which we’re simply unable to pay attention. We give our very best, but it’s simply not possible to stop the mind from wandering off. Some of us start having vivid daydreams, while others diligently think about all the things they need to do. We engage in all kinds of exciting thoughts, but we don’t do what we’re actually supposed to do: Paying attention. We cannot help but lose focus, often without even realizing it. It prevents us from ever paying attention, which makes it incredibly difficult to focus on the task at hand. No one likes to admit it, but we all lose focus more often than we actually like to. Even the most ambitious among us know how incredibly difficult it is to maintain a high level of concentration, especially when tired or bored. A lack of focus can be quite a problem, which is why the following presents the most inspiring focus quotes to aid you in reestablishing a high level of focus.

The ability to focus can make or break your success in life. In fact, scientists consider the ability to establish mental focus as an important predictor of a person’s future success. It is perhaps one of the most important indicators, along with intelligence and GPA. We may be unable to increase intelligence, but we still can greatly increase our ability to focus.

Improving one’s mental focus, however, takes time and patience. There will be times when it’s quite a struggle to train one’s concentration. In these situations it can be tremendously helpful to have a couple of inspiring focus quotes at hand that help you to maintain your motivation. Similarly, whenever we lack the right mental focus it can be greatly beneficial to read the wise words of inspiring people who have managed to maintain a high level of concentration throughout the course of their lives.

Focus on the task at hand, not on daydreams about the far distant future.

Unfortunately, many people largely underestimate the great power of a selection of wisely chosen quotes from some of the wisest men and women. However, you will quickly notice that the following focus quotes can greatly help you in overcoming mental sluggishness. Reading these quotes and reflecting on their meaning can help you to quickly reestablish the necessary willpower and perseverance to remain focused.

The following presents a hand-picked selection of the most inspiring focus quotes. Use these sayings to pursue your dreams with a razor-sharp focus.

The 30 Most Inspiring Focus Quotes

1. Zig Ziglar on the importance of direction

“Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.”
Zig Ziglar

The key to living a focused life is direction. When you have a clear goal, you can steer all your actions in one direction. But if you are unsure where to go, you will mindlessly wander around. At the same time, it is often not so important how long we work, but how effectively we use our working hours. If we pay the closest attention to maintaining a high level of focus, we can use the available hours of the day more effectively. However, if we allow distractions to draw away our attention, we are less likely to accomplish much in the time available.

2. Paolo Coelho on knowing what you want

“Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”
Paulo Coelho

Whatever you do in life, make sure you have a clear goal. Otherwise, you might be wasting valuable time by spending your time in an undirected and unfocused manner. Knowing precisely what you want to achieve will help you to maintain a higher level of focus and motivation. It will also encourage you to do whatever it takes until your goal is accomplished. But if there’s no dream or vision that fuels all your actions, you are more likely to simply give up when the going gets tough.

3. Aristotle Onassis on focus in times of difficulty

“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”
Aristotle Onassis

We all suffer and we all experience misery from time to time. During these challenging situations, it’s incredibly difficult to maintain a positive attitude. When confronted with pain and suffering, we often see nothing but the negative aspects of what’s happened to us. We struggle greatly and wish that it had never happened. Especially during our darkest hours, it’s incredibly difficult to see the light. It is therefore all the more important to trust in our ability that we will one day be able to draw important lessons from what happened. At the same time, it is important not to lose faith and to give up during these challenging times. Instead, it’s important that we use all the power we have left to endure the suffering.

4. Alexander Bell on focusing on the task at hand

“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”
Alexander Graham Bell

True greatness can only be accomplished when we are able to focus all our attention on what we’re doing at the moment. If we allow distractions to interrupt the workflow, it is likely that the output of our work will suffer from it. However, if you’re able to focus intensively on the work at hand, you’ll be able to unlock greater parts of your potential. Just as the sun’s rays ignite paper when focused, so will the results of your work improve dramatically if performed with the greatest level of concentration.

5. Will Durant on excellence as the result of focus

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
Will Durant

If you focus long enough on mastering a certain skill, you will one day be able to excel in this particular area. However, if you’re not focused and switch from one random activity to another, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever master what you’re doing. Instead, Will Durant encourages us to persist with whatever we’re doing until we excel in it.

6. Bruce Lee on laser-like focus

“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.”
Bruce Lee

According to Bruce Lee, mental focus can make the difference between being average and extraordinary. He highlights the tremendous benefits of being able to reach the highest level of focus and concentration. But he also points out that if we are able to perfect our concentration skills, we can be so much more than just average.

7. Jack Canfield on maintaining a positive focus

“Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them. They stay focused on their past successes rather than their past failures, and on the next action steps they need to take to get them closer to the fulfillment of their goals rather than all the other distractions that life presents to them.”
Jack Canfield

With every single moment of our existence, we get to choose if we want to focus on the positive or negative aspects of our lives. The human mind is not able to entertain a positive and negative thought at the same time. This is why it is of the greatest importance to be able to maintain a positive outlook on life. Focus not on your mistakes or failures, but concentrate on your past successes and draw strength from these experiences.

8. Zig Ziglar on focusing all you have on a specific target

“I don’t care how much power, brilliance or energy you have, if you don’t harness it and focus it on a specific target, and hold it there you’re never going to accomplish as much as your ability warrants.”
Zig Ziglar

If you want to burn something with the sun’s rays, you need a burning glass to focus the rays of light. But you also have to direct the rays on a specific target. If you don’t, nothing will ever start catching fire. The same holds true for accomplishing goals in life. If your approach is undirected and not focused, it’s unlikely that your actions will provide the results you desire.

9. Steve Jobs on the power of simplicity

“That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”
Steve Jobs

Attaining a high level of focus can be a challenging goal. It takes time and perseverance to strengthen your ability to focus, but once you’ve reached a certain level, you will see powerful results.

10. Joy Page on changing circumstances

“Instead of focusing on that circumstances that you cannot change – focus strongly and powerfully on the circumstances that you can.”
Joy Page

There’s no use bothering yourself with things you cannot change. It will only waste time and decrease your optimism. Instead, focus on the aspects of your life that you can influence. You will see that there is much more you can do than you think.

11. William Ward on excuses

“It is wise to direct your anger towards problems – not people; to focus your energies on answers – not excuses.”
William Arthur Ward

It’s always easier to blame someone else for your own mistakes and shortcomings. There will always be someone else to blame for whatever happens to you in life. But playing the blame game may not necessarily lead you very far. Instead, give your very best to find solutions to the problems you’re confronted with. Anything else will simply waste your time.

12. Dennis Waitley on focusing to move forward

“Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.”
Denis Waitley

When confronted with problems, we can either obsessively analyze the problem and complain about it or focus our attention on finding a solution to the problem. Many of life’s greatest challenges were solved by people who were unwilling to complain about the problem, which assisted them in finding a solution to it.

13. Tony Robbins on focusing on a single aspect of life

“Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives.”
Tony Robbins

Usually, distractions prevent us from focusing all our attention on one specific aspect of our lives. But once we are able to overcome these distractions, we can accomplish a great deal. All we need to do is to focus intensively on mastering a single aspect, without allowing distractions to draw away our attention.

14. Anil Ambani on the cultivation of concentration

“Concentration can be cultivated. One can learn to exercise willpower, discipline one’s body and train one’s mind.”
Anil Ambani

No matter how difficult it may seem in the beginning, we must never forget that it is possible to increase one’s willpower and concentration. It takes time and patience to cultivate these skills, but if you are not discouraged by difficulties and challenges, you will affect beneficial changes in your entire life.

15. Mike Hawkins on getting results

“You don’t get results by focusing on results. You get results by focusing on the actions that produce results.”
Mike Hawkins

It is never enough to simply focus on the things we wish to accomplish. When we only focus on our dreams and goals without thinking about the necessary actions, nothing will be accomplished. Therefore, if we want to accomplish a certain goal in life, we always need to focus our attention on the specific actions that will lead us to this goal.

16. Brian Tracy on the importance of having a vision

“A clear vision, backed by definite plans, gives you a tremendous feeling of confidence and personal power.”
Brian Tracy

Having a clear vision for your life will help you to maintain a higher level of focus. The vision will help you to steer all your actions in the right direction, without losing focus of the intended outcome.

17. Jacqueline Leo on maintaining your focus

“One look at an email can rob you of 15 minutes of focus. One call on your cell phone, one tweet, one instant message can destroy your schedule, forcing you to move meetings, or blow off really important things, like love, and friendship.”
Jacqueline Leo

Especially in times of information overload, it’s important to be able to maintain your focus. If you concentrate all your attention on your goals, unimportant distractions will no longer decrease your productivity significantly.

18. Bill Gates on focusing on priorities

“My success, part of it certainly, is that I have focused in on a few things.”
Bill Gates

Set yourself priorities in life and focus all your attention on the accomplishment of your high priority goals. Don’t try to pursue a wide variety of goals simultaneously. Instead, focus on the few things that are really important and give all you can to accomplish these.

19. Warren Buffett on avoiding mistakes

“You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong.”
Warren Buffett

Many people make incredibly stupid mistakes. Even more so, they keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again. They continue to let their passions or greed influence most of their decisions, when they should clearly know better. As a result, they have to spend large parts of their time to make these mistakes undone. The wasted time could be used in much better and more productive ways. By focusing on avoiding stupid mistakes, you can greatly stay out of life-changing trouble. It helps you to spend less time on making amendments and enables you to spend more time pursuing your goals instead.

20. Ralph Marston on focusing on what you want to attract

“Your destiny is to fulfill those things upon which you focus most intently. So choose to keep your focus on that which is truly magnificent, beautiful, uplifting and joyful. Your life is always moving toward something.”
Ralph Marston

If you’re not careful what you focus on, you might move towards something that you don’t even want. Similarly, if you focus heavily on the negative and challenging aspects of your life, you might attract even more of these into your life. As Ralph Marston says, we’re destined to fulfill that upon which we focus the most.

21. Suze Orman on consumption

“We each focus on what we’re going to buy, but that’s an incorrect focus. Focus instead on why you want to spend the money on this or that. What feeling in you does it satisfy?”
Suze Orman

In many cases, we spend our money without reflecting the underlying reasons for our purchases. We do not question what desires or feelings we want to satisfy when buying a specific product. Focusing on the reasons why you want to buy a product can greatly change that. It will help you to become more aware of your buying choices and the underlying motives. In many cases, doing so will help you to see that there is no real need for the product you intended to buy. Instead, you will realize that clever marketers created an artificial need inside you. At the same time, knowing what desire you wish to fulfill with the purchase of a specific product may help you to find better and non-material alternatives.

22. Zen quote on focusing on the present activity

“When walking, walk. When eating, eat.”
Zen proverb

This excellent proverb is not only about walking and eating. It describes a general approach to life. The proverb encourages us to focus all our attention on the present activity. It tells us not to do a great number of activities simultaneously, but to do one activity with the greatest attention instead.

23. Stuart Wilde on knowing what you want

“Discovering what you really want saves you endless confusion and wasted energy.”
Stuart Wilde

If you know precisely what you want in life, you can steer all your actions into this direction. However, if you don’t know where your journey leads you, you might end up hopelessly confused. Not knowing where you’re going will also waste your energy. It is therefore crucial to take the time it takes to discover what you really want in life. Doing so will help you to get a better understanding about your dreams and the actions you need to take to realize them.

24. Oprah Winfrey on the way you spend your energy

“Energy is the essence of life. Every day you decide how you’re going to use it by knowing what you want and what it takes to reach that goal, and by maintaining focus.”
Oprah Winfrey

Each day you get to decide whether you take the necessary action that helps you to get one step closer to your goal or if you just waste your time. If you know where you want to be, it will be much easier for you to maintain a high level of focus. You will precisely understand why you have to confront challenging difficulties that stand in-between you and success. However, if you have no clear understanding of your goals, you’ll eventually lose focus and give up.

25. Anthony D’Angelo on focusing on solutions

“Focus 90% of your time on solutions and only 10% of your time on problems.”
Anthony J. D’Angelo

While it’s important to analyze the reason why you’re confronted with a specific problem, it’s just as much important to find solutions to it. Most people neglect the second step. They see a problem and complain about it, but do nothing to solve it.

26. John Carmack on knowing what not to do

“Focus is a matter of deciding what things you’re not going to do.”
John Carmack

Most of us understand the importance of focusing on what we want to accomplish in life. At the same time, it is also important to know precisely what we’re not going to do. We need to develop a clear understanding of the activities that do not align with our goals. It is tremendously beneficial to know what distracts you from accomplishing your goals. At the same time, it is also helpful to identify the actions that do not bring you any further.

27. Nicole Kidman on self-centeredness

“I believe that as much as you take, you have to give back. It’s important not to focus on yourself too much.”
Nicole Kidman

Each of us experiences life through our own eyes. It is therefore only natural that we have a highly self-centered perspective on life. When something negative happens to us, it might feel incredibly painful. However, by taking a step back and focusing less on ourselves, we might realize that things are not as worse as we thought they were. Focusing less on ourselves will help us to realize that things could be much worse than they actually are. Doing so will give us the necessary confidence and strength to endure difficult times.

28. James Caviezel on doing things well

“I do what I do, and I do it well, and focus and take it one moment at a time.”
James Caviezel

Whatever you do, do it with the greatest focus and attention. Concentrate on one task at a time and do it as well as you can. If you follow these steps, the output of your work will be so much better than the results from doing multiple things simultaneously.

29. Ajay Devgan on striving for improvement

“I only want to do better work. That’s the focus of my life.”
Ajay Devgan

The key to attaining greatness lies in continuously striving for improvement. It lies in becoming a little bit better with each day, until finally greatness and excellence is accomplished.

30. Og Mandino concentrating on one thing at a time

“It is those who concentrate on but one thing at a time who advance in this world. The great man or woman is the one who never steps outside his or her specialty or foolishly dissipates his or her individuality.”
Og Mandino

This quote illustrates once more the great importance of concentrating on only one thing at a time. It’s not advisable to multitask. Doing so will only decrease your productivity and may result in less excellent outcomes. Instead, focus all your attention on one task at a time.

Be sure to also have a look at the 100 Most Motivational Quotes of All Times. You will love it!

I hope you enjoyed reading this article about the best focus quotes.

Stay victorious!