It’s easy to fly past those motivational quotes on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and roll your eyes at their fun fonts and backgrounds featuring impressive natural settings. But there’s a time and a place for everything, and believe it or not, there’s a reason why we secretly love those quotes and why they’re actually pretty good for us.

Empathy is the awareness of the feelings and emotions of other people. As humans, our emotional intelligence is what makes us who we are. When someone speaks to us and it hits us in that empathy center, it can result in a wide range of emotions.

Listening to that sad song on the way home might be dragging up thoughts of your ex and making you want to cry, but that same empathy when used for inspiration can be a powerful tool. So, here are 10 inspirational career quotes. We’re sure you’ll be able to relate to at least one of them, and let it power you through your Monday!

  • “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” -Confucius
  • “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”-Henry Ford
  • “You are very powerful, provided you know how powerful you are.”-Yogi Bhajan
  • “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” -Mark Twain
  • “If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission.” -Eddie Colla
  • “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” -Michael Jordan
  • “Feeling confident—or pretending that you feel confident—is necessary to reach for opportunities. It’s a cliché, but opportunities are rarely offered, they’re seized.”-Sheryl Sandberg
  • “It’s not what you achieve, it’s what you overcome. That’s what defines your career.”-Carlton Fisk
  • “Desire! That’s the one secret of every man’s career. Not education. Not being born with hidden talents. Desire.” -Johnny Carson
  • “I cannot do everything, but I can do something. I must not fail to do the something that I can do.”-Helen Keller

    • Focus on positive empathy throughout your workday. Don’t feel bad looking at cheesy images of quotes and actually enjoying them. And, if you’re an employer, share them around the office. Motivation can never be underestimated!