Funny

24 Inspirational Memes That Hit Harder Than Any Speech My Coach Ever Gave

Phil M. Oct 08, 2026 02:00 PM EDT

I’m not a quote guy. I’ve never hung a sunset on my wall that says Live, Laugh, Anything, and I used to make fun of my buddy for reading self-help books at the gym. Then I found inspirational memes made by people who are clearly going through it, and now a random horse on a beach has better life advice than my dad. Here’s what got me.

Man picnicking before mountains, one of the inspirational memes telling you that you kept goin. — Save

Businessman surfing a giant wave on a computer keyboard beside the words it's all temporary. — Ride the wave. Ignore the inbox.
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Two athletes asleep on a plane, captioned wake up with determination, sleep with satisfaction. — Save

Inspirational memes contrast: a lone surfer on a giant wave labeled doers, watchers labeled dreamers. — Save

Seaside graffiti warning that cold water does not get warmer if you jump late. — Counting to three is just stalling with numbers.
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Sunlit mountain over a reader on rocks, a classic of inspirational memes about trying again. — Save

Man in waders raising a fist on a frozen beach under Never Give Up text. — Save

Smiling Wojak face over an ocean sunset with text saying we're all gonna make it. — Said with the confidence of someone who hasn't checked their bank app.
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Man in a car turning take it easy into take it, peak inspirational memes energy. — Save

LeBron James grinning in sunglasses in a car selfie, saying he loves life this morning. — Save

Young cadet saluting, captioned me when a positive thought tells me to do something positive. — Yes sir, drinking water, sir.
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Man pointing forward in inspirational memes style, text corrected to say it does get better. — Save

Robed masked figure raising a hand, ordering silence, pessimist, because every day is a blessing. — Save

Chimp drinking from a sports bottle in inspirational memes fashion, vowing no more self-destructive thoughts. — Hydrated and healed. In that order.
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Blurry orangutan close-up saying you will never reach the banana without courage to climb. — Save

Hen standing on a beach announcing the curse is lifted, have a good day. — Finally, some good news from management.
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Cat strolling past a pond, the calmest of these inspirational memes, saying there's no problem. — Save

Blurry cat sprinting across a field with text saying I am the love I give. — Save

Lone horse on a beach, one of the inspirational memes about 100 rejections. — Ninety-eight to go. Wish me luck.
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Woman leaning back into green bushes, saying becoming yourself costs everything you once were. — Save

Woman face down on a mountaintop with a book, promising to become everything she said. — Step one: lie down. Step two: to be determined.
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Robin splashing in a birdbath with one of the inspirational memes about being a beginner. — Save

Orange kitten behind strawberries saying we are all born beautiful and convinced otherwise. — Strawberries for scale. Kitten for morale.
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Person facing a sunset street, congratulated on failing because most people don't even try. — Save

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The best funny inspirational quotes sound like advice from a guy at a bar who has clearly been through some stuff. No poetry, no sunset filter, just a chicken on a beach telling you the curse is lifted, and somehow you believe it. I needed the one about cold water not getting warmer. I once stood at the edge of a lake for 20 minutes, bargaining with myself like a guy defusing a bomb.

Positive memes used to make me roll my eyes, but these earn it by being a little unhinged. Wholesome memes hit harder when the advice comes from somewhere weird, like a man surfing a keyboard through a tidal wave. A poster in a dentist’s office could never. This is the friend who texts you at 2 a.m. just to say you’re gonna make it, and then goes back to sleep.

I think we share these because sincere advice is embarrassing and weird advice is safe. Nobody wants to admit a quote made them feel better, but a chimp telling you love abounds? That you can send to the group chat. Underneath the jokes, everybody’s just trying to get each other through Thursday.

Somewhere a chicken on a beach is rooting for you, and that’s enough.

Still need a push? Motivational Memes That Won’t Change Your Life, But You’ll Feel Like They Will is the pregame, and 21 Happy Memes With Wholesome Vibes And Just Enough Hope is the cooldown lap. Stretch first, champ.

Businessman in a suit surfing a giant ocean wave on a computer keyboard, one of the most unhinged inspirational memes around.

Who needs to see this?

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Posted by Phil M. About the author

Phil co-founded Thunder Dungeon with Roy in 2012 and has been a meme tastemaker ever since, helping turn a page of funny finds into viral photo and video creations, one of the largest meme community apps and a daily home for memes. He's more than memes, too: Phil is an award-winning comedic actor and director whose feature films are on streaming platforms.