Winners begin early: motivational quotes to get you started

For aeons, scientists and spiritualists alike have put their weight behind the benefits of waking up early, as early as the sun even. Those who have borrowed from this wise legacy have gone on to write some of the most well-known success stories of the modern world. On that list are leaders like Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Ma, and Jeff Bezos, and closer home, Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani, among others. 

A study conducted by biologist Christoph Randler also authenticated the age-old fact that early risers tend to be more proactive and productive than their evening counterparts. “When it comes to business success, morning people hold the important cards...Morning people also anticipate problems and try to minimize them, my survey showed. They’re proactive. A number of studies have linked this trait, proactivity, with better job performance, greater career success, and higher wages,” said Randler.

The inspiration that early morning brings forth is unique, and in modern parlance, exceptionally personalised. Be it a writer, a musician, a teacher, or an entrepreneur, everyone stands to gain from the tenet of starting the day early with a fresh mind. So whether it is a morning run or meditation or just getting some fresh air, waking up early allows you the mental space to declutter your mind and provide a healthy dose of inspiration to see the day through. Even tycoons such as Tim Cook, Richard Branson, and Indira Nooyi, to name a few, have a dedicated morning routine which they follow religiously.

So maybe a slight tweak in your waking habits can enforce that much-needed push to go that extra distance. Here are a few quotes to help you nip your slumber in the bud.

“The time just before dawn contains the most energy of all hours of the day. This has helped me become an early riser and an early doer. When I wake to see that it’s light out already, I feel the world has started without me.”

– Terri Guillemets, American author

“I would have it inscribed on the curtains of your bed and the walls of your chamber: If you do not rise early you can make progress in nothing.”

– Willian Pitt Chatham, British statesman

“Morning is an important time of day, because how you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you are going to have.”

– Lemony Snicket, American author

“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

– Benjamin Franklin, American investor

“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.”

– Meister Eckhart, German philosopher

“Lose an hour in the morning, and you will be all day hunting for it.”

– Richard Whately, English academic

“It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom.”

– Aristotle, Greek philosopher

“The opportunity that God sends does not wake up him who is asleep.”

– Senegalese Proverb

Just like the early bird gets the worm, carving out some time at the break of dawn might just give you the edge to calibrate your system and keep the positive vibe going for a productive day.