Quotes About Pressure That Prove It’s Not Just You

No matter what your profession is or how old you are, we’re all familiar with pressure. There’s the pressure to achieve more, the pressure to do better and the pressure to prove you’re better than your competition. While pressure can inspire us to be better, it can also be a heavy burden to bear.

Here are a few motivational quotes about pressure to remind you that while it might be a part of your life, you’re not the only one who’s feeling the pinch.

18 Quotes About Pressure

“Nobody works better under pressure. They just work faster.” — Brian Tracy

Pressure is a great way to light a fire under you to get you moving, but it doesn’t guarantee a better result.

“Pressure makes diamonds.” — George S. Patton Jr.

You might be a diamond in the rough, but you need the right kind of pressure to make a diamond. Anything else leaves you with a pile of squished carbon.

“Tension, in the long run, is a more dangerous force than any feud known to man.” — Criss Jami

Stress, tension, and pressure are all a big part of life, but if left unchecked they can be more dangerous than anything you might face in the world. Don’t let them get to you. Take the time to relax and unwind.

“The pressure of adversity does not affect the mind of the brave man … It is more powerful than external circumstances.” — Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Take a look at how you face pressure and adversity. Do you let it take over and stress you out, or do you just let it wash over you and go with the flow? The latter might seem impossible, but it’s the best way to deal with stress.

“The feeling one has no time to get anything done provides the pressure that guarantees one does get some things done.” — Alain de Botton

You’ve probably felt the anxiety that comes with an impending deadline. It will send you scrambling to get something finished, but chances are it won’t be your best work.

“One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there aren’t enough hours in the day, but if we do each thing calmly and carefully, we will get it done quicker and with much less stress.” — Viggo Mortensen

Take life one step at a time, and you’ll find the pressure just melts away.

“Somehow our devils are never quite what we expect when we meet them face to face.” — Nelson DeMille

Pressure or stress might be your devil, but it might not be what you were expecting.

“If you treat every situation as a life-or-death matter, you’ll die a lot of times.” — Dean Smith

Unless you’re actually fighting for your life, most of what you think of as life-or-death situations will just add to your stress. Don’t let them.

“Some people thrive under pressure, but pressure can also ruin your performance, it can push you down angles which you don’t want to go.” — Henry Cavill

Don’t let pressure ruin you. It can be a great motivation but it might also stress you out to the point that you can’t function.

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” — William James

Don’t choose the stressful thoughts. Instead, focus on the productive ones.

“A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety.” — Aesop

It might sound a little hokey, but enjoying something little by yourself is definitely better than trying to enjoy something big when you’re stressed out or under pressure.

“If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn’t ask me, I’d still have to say it.” — George Burns

While it might not always be possible to avoid it, try to keep worry and stress to a minimum. You’ll be happier for it.

“No matter how good you are at planning, the pressure never goes away. So I don’t fight it. I feed off it. I turn pressure into motivation to do my best.” — Benjamin Carson

Pressure can be a great motivator. Turn it into something productive.

“Rule No. 1 is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule No. 2 is, it’s all small stuff.” — Robert Eliot

This quote doesn’t need any explanation — if you need one good quote on pressure, this is the one that you should stick on your bathroom mirror to see every morning.

“If you know your game, you can handle pressure; you can handle any kind of situation, back yourself, and play your own game and get success.” — Viender Sehwag

If you’re good at what you do, pressure often becomes nonexistent. That goes double for loving what you do.

“What breaks you down is not the amount of pressure you feel at one time, but it’s the way you perceive and handle it.” — Ashish Patel

Pressure can’t break you down if you change how you handle it.

“I put more pressure on myself than anybody in this world.” — Bryce Harper

You’re always your own worst critic, as the old adage goes. You’ll always end up putting the most pressure on yourself.

“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.” — Winnie the Pooh

The pressure can’t get to you if you don’t let it. Just take a bit of advice from Winnie the Pooh, and don’t bother.

Stress and pressure will always be a part of our lives. Remember: It’s not just you. Stick a couple of these quotes about pressure on your mirror or computer screen and smile when you read them.