107 Les Brown Quotes: Lines on Dreams, Hunger & Greatness

Les Brown Quotes on Dreams & Goals

Les Brown built his life on a single conviction: dreams are not wishes, they are assignments. These les brown quotes on dreams and goals capture his famous hunger philosophy.

1. “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” — Les Brown
2. “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” — Les Brown
3. “We must look for ways to be an active force in our own lives. We must take charge of our own destinies, design a life of substance and truly begin to live our dreams.” — Les Brown
4. “No one will take better care of your dream than you.” — Les Brown
5. “If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams.” — Les Brown
6. “It is possible for me to live my dreams.” — Les Brown
7. “If you are not excited about your own dream, how can you expect anybody else to be?” — Les Brown
8. “You’re either living your dreams, or living your fears.” — Les Brown
9. “Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.” — Les Brown
10. “Be willing to go all out, in pursuit of your dream. Ultimately it will pay off. You are more powerful than you think you are.” — Les Brown
11. “A lot of people do not muster the courage to live their dreams because they are afraid to die.” — Les Brown
12. “You have the courage and power to live your dreams.” — Les Brown
13. “It takes someone with a vision of the possibilities to attain new levels of experience. Someone with the courage to live his dreams.” — Les Brown
14. “I advise you to say your dream is possible and then overcome all inconveniences, ignore all the hassles and take a running leap through the hoop, even if it is in flames.” — Les Brown
15. “You take on the responsibility for making your dream a reality.” — Les Brown
16. “The only thing that can possibly keep you from going after your dreams is the person standing in your shoes, wearing your clothes, and thinking your negative thoughts.” — Les Brown
17. “You cannot be wimpy out there on the dream-seeking trail. Dare to break through barriers, to find your own path.” — Les Brown
18. “Your dream was given to you. If someone else can’t see it for you, that’s fine, it was given to you and not them. It’s your dream. Hold it. Nourish it. Cultivate it!” — Les Brown
19. “There comes a time when you have to drop your burdens in order to fight for yourself and your dreams.” — Les Brown
20. “Say yes to whatever dreams you have of doing more and experiencing more, because when you do that, you are literally extending your life.” — Les Brown
21. “Live out of your imagination instead of out of your memory.” — Les Brown
22. “It’s possible, that’s all you need to remember.” — Les Brown
23. “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” — Attributed to Les Brown

Les Brown Quotes on Goals & Action

Dreams without deadlines stay dreams. This set of les brown quotes turns goal-setting into daily action, the way he taught it on stage for decades.

1. “If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you.” — Les Brown
2. “Make each day count by setting specific goals to succeed, then putting forth every effort to exceed your own expectations.” — Les Brown
3. “Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life.” — Les Brown
4. “Review your goals twice every day in order to be focused on achieving them.” — Les Brown
5. “One of the most essential things you need to do for yourself is to choose a goal that is important to you.” — Les Brown
6. “There is no sense in having a goal if you aren’t going to go after it.” — Les Brown
7. “When you are not pursuing your goal, you are literally committing spiritual suicide.” — Les Brown
8. “As you reach your goals, set new ones. That is how you grow and become a more powerful person.” — Les Brown
9. “Goals are not dreamy, pie-in-the-sky ideals. They have every day practical applications and they should be practical.” — Les Brown
10. “You must see your goals clearly and specifically before you can set out for them. Hold them in your mind until they become second nature.” — Les Brown
11. “Goals help you channel your energy into action.” — Les Brown
12. “Take action in order to move toward your goals.” — Les Brown
13. “You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change.” — Les Brown
14. “Your ability to communicate is an important tool in your pursuit of your goals, whether it is with your family, your co-workers or your clients and customers.” — Les Brown
15. “I must commit myself to beginning each day by concentrating on positive thoughts and focusing on my goals.” — Les Brown
16. “You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great.” — Les Brown
17. “We have to live life with a sense of urgency so not a minute is wasted.” — Les Brown
18. “In every day, there are 1,440 minutes. That means we have 1,440 daily opportunities to make a positive impact.” — Les Brown
19. “Go after what you want as if your life depended on it. Because it Does!” — Les Brown
20. “Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals and charge after them in an unstoppable manner.” — Les Brown
21. “You need to make a commitment, and once you make it, then life will give you some answers.” — Les Brown
22. “When you want something, you have to be willing to pay your dues.” — Les Brown
23. “If you’re not willing to risk you cannot grow, and if you cannot grow you cannot become your best, and if you cannot become your best, you cannot be happy.” — Les Brown
24. “Do what is easy and your life will be hard. Do what is hard and your life will become easy.” — Les Brown

Quotes on Responsibility & Hunger

No one is coming to save you — that is the heart of Brown’s message. These lines on responsibility and hunger push you to take charge of your own life.

1. “Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.” — Les Brown
2. “Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way.” — Les Brown
3. “You gotta be hungry!” — Les Brown
4. “Life is a fight for territory and once you stop fighting for what you want, what you don’t want will automatically take over.” — Les Brown
5. “Just because Fate doesn’t deal you the right cards, it doesn’t mean you should give up. It just means you have to play the cards you get to their maximum potential.” — Les Brown
6. “If you are carrying strong feelings about something that happened in your past, they may hinder your ability to live in the present.” — Les Brown
7. “It’s time for you to look within yourself and decide ‘I’m in charge of my destiny.’” — Les Brown
8. “You can do better. You should do better. You deserve to do better.” — Les Brown
9. “Decide to become consciously aware of everything that’s happening in your life right now.” — Les Brown
10. “Whatever you hold in consciousness, whatever you focus on, that is what you’re going to begin to multiply and produce in your life experience.” — Les Brown
11. “When you have negative conversations that are building a logical case as to why you cannot live your dream, you must learn to ignore those conversations.” — Les Brown
12. “Change your thinking. Change your life! Your thoughts create your reality. Practice positive thinking. Act the way you want to be, and soon you will be the way you act.” — Les Brown
13. “Don’t waste another minute dealing with a toxic, negative, energy-draining person. Some people are wired for negativity. They love being argumentative, combative and abusive. Run for your life as quickly as possible.” — Les Brown
14. “The things you want are always possible; it is just that the way to get them is not always apparent. The only real obstacle in your path to a fulfilling life is you, and that can be a considerable obstacle because you carry the baggage of insecurities and past experience.” — Les Brown
15. “Forgive yourself for your faults and your mistakes and move on.” — Les Brown
16. “No one rises to low expectations.” — Les Brown
17. “We were all born with a certain degree of power. The key to success is discovering this innate power and using it daily to deal with whatever challenges come our way.” — Les Brown
18. “If you put yourself in a position where you have to stretch outside your comfort zone, then you are forced to expand your consciousness.” — Les Brown
19. “I think of myself as a catalyst of action and a messenger of hope, turning people onto themselves and turning people onto their dreams.” — Les Brown
20. “There are winners, there are losers and there are people who have not yet learned how to win.” — Les Brown
21. “Its Not Over Until You Win.” — Les Brown
22. “You don’t get in life what you want; you get in life what you are.” — Les Brown

Quotes on Fear, Failure & Comebacks

Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will. These quotes on fear and comebacks show how Brown reframed every setback as a setup.

1. “When life knocks you down, try to land on your back. Because if you can look up, you can get up. Let your reason get you back up.” — Les Brown
2. “Fear does not have any special power unless you empower it by submitting to it.” — Les Brown
3. “Fear is the most subtle and destructive of all human diseases. Fear kills dreams!” — Les Brown
4. “The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.” — Les Brown
5. “Most people fail in life not because they aim too high and miss, but because they aim too low and hit.” — Attributed to Les Brown
6. “No one gets out of the game of life alive. You either die in the bleachers, or on the field. So, you might as well play out on the field, and go for it.” — Les Brown
7. “Where do we enroll in Life 101? Where are the classes dealing with the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, the failure of a relationship? Unfortunately, those lessons are mostly learned through trial by fire and the school of hard knocks.” — Les Brown
8. “We are living in very challenging times. Pressured in the workplace and stressed out at home, people are trying to make sense of their lives.” — Les Brown
9. “You can’t get out of life alive.” — Les Brown
10. “Live full, die empty.” — Les Brown
11. “At the end of the day, it’s important to know what really matters most in life: your sanity, your health, your family, and the ability to start anew.” — Les Brown
12. “In day-to-day commerce, television is not so much interested in the business of communications as in the business of delivering audiences to advertisers. People are the merchandise, not the shows. The shows are merely the bait.” — Les Brown
13. “Life has no limitations, except the ones you make.” — Les Brown
14. “All of us need to grow continuously in our lives.” — Les Brown
15. “What we do and accomplish is only the tip of the iceberg of what’s possible for us.” — Les Brown
16. “Whatever you accomplish in life is a manifestation not as much of what you do, as of what you believe you deserve.” — Les Brown
17. “Align yourself with people that you can learn from, people who want more out of life, people who are stretching and searching and seeking some higher ground in life.” — Les Brown
18. “Your smile will give you a positive countenance that will make people feel comfortable around you.” — Les Brown
19. “When somebody says, ‘I’m bored,’ I say that in order to be bored with life you’ve got to be boring.” — Les Brown
20. “Perfection does not exist; you can always do better and you can always grow.” — Les Brown

Quotes on Self-Belief, Greatness & Reality

You have greatness within you — Brown said it so often it became his signature. These closing lines are about belief, gifts, and owning your reality.

1. “Other people’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality.” — Les Brown
2. “Never let someone’s opinion become your reality. Never sacrifice who you are because someone else has a problem with it. Love who you are inside and out.” — Les Brown
3. “Never, under any conditions allow circumstances to determine your reality.” — Les Brown
4. “Don’t underestimate yourself. You are capable of more than you can ever imagine.” — Les Brown
5. “I am worthwhile and talented and I deserve my goals.” — Les Brown
6. “You have something special, you have GREATNESS within you!” — Les Brown
7. “You have GREATNESS within you, and responsibility to manifest that greatness!” — Les Brown
8. “You must remain focused on your journey to greatness.” — Les Brown
9. “You have something special. You have greatness in you. You have the ability to do more than you can ever begin to imagine.” — Les Brown
10. “I know that you’ve got greatness within you. I know that you have unlimited potential.” — Les Brown
11. “How to discover your greatness? By upgrading our relationships and by having goals beyond our comfort zone.” — Les Brown
12. “The best gifts are those we not only cherish but put to use.” — Les Brown
13. “Know your gifts and share them.” — Les Brown
14. “The gifts we are given in life require the best of us, not merely our best intentions.” — Les Brown
15. “We have the responsibility to put our gifts to work.” — Les Brown
16. “Love yourself unconditionally, just as you love those closest to you despite their faults.” — Les Brown
17. “Honor your commitments with integrity.” — Les Brown
18. “What could you do to make a difference in the world?” — Les Brown

FAQs About Les Brown Quotes

Who is Les Brown?

Les Brown (born 1945) is an American motivational speaker, author, and former member of the Ohio House of Representatives. He is best known for his high-energy speeches and books including Live Your Dreams (1992) and It’s Not Over Until You Win.

What is Les Brown’s most famous quote?

His most famous line is “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” Another signature line is “You gotta be hungry!” from his legendary speeches.

What books has Les Brown written?

His best-known books are Live Your Dreams, It’s Not Over Until You Win: How to Become the Person You Always Wanted to Be No Matter What the Obstacle, Up Thoughts for Down Times, and You’ve Got To Be HUNGRY: The Greatness Within to Win.

What does Les Brown mean by “hunger”?

For Brown, hunger means a deep, compelling desire for your dream — wanting something so badly that you are willing to overcome every obstacle in your way. As he put it: “Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it.”

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