We’ve all faced moments when our heart’s desires don’t match up to what the mind thinks it should want.
To make things worse, society tells us to “be practical and do the smart thing.”
Unfortunately, these people have convinced me to ignore my heart many times. And each time, all I felt was regret. Soul-crushing, bone-deep regret.
Therefore, my purpose for now and the future is to follow my heart and ignore the rules, practicalities, conventional advice, and most of all, overthinking.
I’ve also realized that the people who tell you to ignore your heart are the ones who’ve stopped listening to theirs. And they want everyone else in the world to be sad like them.
From experience, ignoring your heart leads to the following:
- Disliking yourself. When you avoid your true spirit and deep yearnings, you start disliking (or even hating) who you are. You feel separated from yourself and weak that you didn’t have the courage to do what you really wanted. And how can you respect somebody who goes against their very essence?
- Complaining more than feeling gratitude. The numerous times that I chose to ignore my heart only led to me being the most annoying person in the world. I would complain about every single thing in my life — because that’s how unhappy I was. I refused to see the little blessings because, to me, there were no blessings.
- Feeling disconnected from yourself and the world. Ignoring your heart makes you feel like an outsider in a room full of happy, go-lucky people. I’ve always felt like I didn’t “fit in” whenever I ignored my heart. And it’s true, I couldn’t “fit in” because my heart was at war with my mind.
In this article, I’ll share 83 quotes about following your heart that are guaranteed to convince you to make that decision you already know is soul-right.
83 Quotes About Following Your Heart
1. “Follow your heart for it is the strongest and craziest way to live.” Katelyn Spotten
2. “There is an ocean of infinite wisdom in you. Put your hand on your heart and feel it beating.” Jennifer Williamson
3. “Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” Rumi
4. “I always believed that when you follow your heart or your gut, when you really follow the things that feel great to you, you can never lose, because settling is the worst feeling in the world.” Rihanna
5. “Your heart and your instincts are far more reliable than your brain. When you follow your heart, you can be sure you won’t regret it later. Even if you calculate your every move, it’s not like life ever goes according to plan.” Nithya Menen
6. “To know how to choose a path with heart is to learn how to follow intuitive feeling. Logic can tell you superficially where a path might lead to, but it cannot judge whether your heart will be in it.” Jean Shinoda Bolen
7. “At the center of your being, you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.” Lao Tzu
8. “The world will never be satisfied with you, so it is better that you satisfy your heart.” Nitin Namdeo
9. “If it lights you up, just do it & throw away the logics.” Hiral Nagda
10. “Your calling isn’t something that somebody can tell you about. It’s what you feel. It is the thing that gives you juice. The thing that you are supposed to do. And nobody can tell you what that is. You know it inside yourself.” Oprah Winfrey
11. “The things you are passionate about are the real reason for your existence on this planet.” Hiral Nagda
12. “From my own experience, I want to say that you should follow your heart, and the mind will follow you. Believe in yourself, and you will create miracles.” Kailash Satyarthi
13. “When people don’t understand what you love to do, you are not crazy, you are kick ass.” Hiral Nagda
14. “When you follow your heart, you’re never supposed to do things because of what you think people might say. You do it for the opposite reasons.” will.i.am
15. “Stop living someone else’s definition of happiness and start living your own.” David Paul Vosburg
16. “Follow your heart, trust your instincts and allow yourself to do what feels best. Above all, trust your wisdom within.” Laurie E. Smith
17. “You know the truth by the way it feels.” India Arie
18. “Nobody else knows your reason for being. You do. Your bliss guides you to it.” Abraham Hicks
19. “When you follow your heart instead of worrying about how to fatten your bank account, you can attract more ways to do both.” Daylle Deanna Schwartz
20. “When you don’t follow your passions, you grow angry and bitter.” Bert McCoy
21. “People who don’t follow their hearts are causing a great disservice to themselves, to the world, and to those who they stand by without love.” Kailin Gow
22. “Consistently making choices aligned with your true heart’s desire will lead you to your rightful destiny in the end. Life is a marathon, my love, not a sprint. Trust yourself.” Lauren Rowe
23. “Trust the timing of your life. Keep focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, be kind, and follow your heart. Doors will open effortlessly, but first you have to be ready to walk through.” Brittany Burgunder
24. “Always follow your heart! When your heart feels at peace, rest assured, you are on the right track.” Angie Karan
25. “Changing the external conditions of your lives – earn more money, be in a better physical shape, have another partner or travel more – will not change how you feel. It never works because the emptiness is not around, is within. The only way to come back to life is to acknowledge that little voice rising from your heart and begging you to return to love, to return to truth.” Dragos Bratasanu
26. “Go on your path even if you live for a day.” BTS
27. “The most confused we ever get is when we try to convince our heads of something our hearts know is a lie.” Karen Moning
28. “There is no one more powerful than the one who trusts their own heart” Mimi Novic
29. “You do have to follow your heart, otherwise you’re living a false life.” Eric Mabius
30. “You’ll never find peace of mind until you listen to your heart.” George Michael
31. “Follow your heart and success will be your unimpressive shadow.” Sir Kristian Goldmund Aumann
32. “In a conflict between the heart and the brain, follow your heart.” Swami Vivekananda
33. “Sometimes we need to be knocked down in a place so dark that we have no choice but to trust our heart to illuminate the way.” Brittany Burgunder
34. “Pay attention to your calling and the world will pay attention to you” Nicky Verd
35. “Trust what you feel. There are so many ways the heart speaks to us.” Mimi Novic
36. “How wrong we are to ignore our hearts to follow the familiar path.” Nikki Rowe
37. “If you are going to work, you might as well follow your heart, because nothing in life is easy and if it’s going to be hard, it might as well be what you really want.” Dizzee Rascal
38. “You have the right to follow your heart. Do what feels right, for you.” Maria Erving
39. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” Steve Jobs
40. “You will never follow your own inner voice until you clear up the doubts in your mind.” Roy T. Bennett
41. “I’m here to spread a message of hope. Follow your heart. Don’t follow what you’ve been told you’re supposed to do.” J. Cole
42. “No one who loves the woods stays on the path,” Millie Florence
43. “You can’t live a lie. You have to follow your heart.” Paul Weller
44. “Your life is a beautiful blank canvas. You have the choice of splashing it with the most gorgeous and spectacular colors, by doing what you love.” Hiral Nagda
45. “Make sure that you always follow your heart and your gut, and let yourself be who you want to be, and who you know you are. And don’t let anyone steal your joy.” Jonathan Groff
46. “All I can tell you really is if you get to the point where someone is telling you that you are not great or not good enough, just follow your heart and don’t let anybody crush your dream.” Patti LaBelle
47. “I have not always chosen the safest path. I’ve made my mistakes, plenty of them. I sometimes jump too soon and fail to appreciate the consequences. But I’ve learned something important along the way: I’ve learned to heed the call of my heart. I’ve learned that the safest path is not always the best path and I’ve learned that the voice of fear is not always to be trusted.” Steve Goodier
48. “Follow your heart, and don’t be subservient to anyone. Shut out the world, and only listen to your heart to fulfill your dreams.” Dutee Chand
49. “Everyone wants to belong, or be a part of something bigger than themselves, but it’s important to follow your heart and be true to yourself in the process.” Emily Giffin
50. “You can’t do passion halfway. Living your passion means you’re all in. You trust your heart and trust your gut wherever that takes you.” Joe Plumeri
51. “FOLLOW YOUR HEART for your heart will always know the answer, but if it tells you to strangle kittens or something then DON’T follow it anymore. I mean it’s just a heart, right? It’s not the Dalai lama.” Edward Monkton
52. “I don’t feel like I’ve ever subscribed to the stereotypical notion of success. I’ve always equated success with having integrity, conducting yourself with compassion and honesty, and following your heart despite whether or not you ever make any money at it.” Lela Loren
53. “Follow your heart. Do not be swayed by the negative opinions of others. Know who you are, what you want, what you need to reach your objectives, and plan accordingly.” Carlos Wallace
54. “You can do anything as long as you don’t stop believing. When it is meant to be, it will be. You just have to follow your heart.” Keke Palmer
55. “As hackneyed and cliche as it sounds, follow your heart. We are all given intuition and instincts, and sometimes it is hard to follow those instincts with the fears and pressures that surround us – but you have to do it.” Michael Feinstein
56. “Follow your conscience. You have to live with yourself for the rest of your life.” Frank Sonnenberg
57. “Follow your heart and your mind will create.” Ray Wilkins
58. “If you follow your heart’s knowing persistently, you gradually become far less exposed to pressures. Since knowing is so much more concrete than thoughts, feelings, and experiences, it is your first step to indestructibility.” Shai Tubali
59. “Trite as it sounds, follow your heart. Persevere. And if you follow your heart and persevere, it will pay off.” Mike Portnoy
60. “Everytime you listen to your heart, you take 10X steps ahead in the right direction.” Hiral Nagda
61. “Everyone has that inner voice, the one that’s a Negative Nancy. I’d say to ignore that voice and to be confident and follow your heart.” Katharine McPhee
62. “For a happier life: Do more of what you love. Put love in what you do. Find love for what you do. Love yourself.” Akiroq Brost
63. “To reach your destination, follow the directions of your heart. It knows the way.” Debasish Mridha
64. “You are born for a reason, the reason that no one but your heart knows.” Nitin Namdeo
65. “Listen to advice, but follow your heart.” Conway Twitty
66. “No use in trying to please everybody. No use in trying to please critics. Live under you own hat. Don’t be led away by those howls about realism. Remember- pinewoods are just as real as pigsties, and a darn sight pleasanter to be in.” Lucy Maud Montgomery
67. “Follow your heart. Love what you do.” Winnie the Pooh
68. “The word ‘courage,’ one of my favorite words, the root or the etymology of that word is ‘cour,’ which means heart. I think true courage is actually following your heart and not getting or succumbing to what other people’s definition of what your life should be. Live your life.” Hill Harper
69. “Dare to believe that good things are possible when you follow your heart.” Bryant McGill
70. “If you follow your dreams, it means you follow your heart. If you do follow your heart, I don’t think you can go wrong.” Celine Dion
71. “Listen to your heart. Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you’ll find your treasure.” Paulo Coelho
72. “No use in trying to please everybody. No use in trying to please critics. Live under you own hat. Don’t be led away by those howls about realism. Remember- pinewoods are just as real as pigsties, and a darn sight pleasanter to be in.” Lucy Maud Montgomery
73. “There were a lot of years that I was trying to do things that other people wanted me to do. But you have to follow your heart. Believe that you have a unique group of talents and abilities that are going to allow you to accomplish something in an area that interests you. Work at that and try to make some kind of contribution to your community.” Robert Kennedy, Jr.
74. “You were born with everything you need to answer the call of your soul.” Marie Forleo
75. “When chosing what you want to do with your life, don’t do what you think you will be highly rewarded for. Chose what you will be willing to do even when you are not rewarded for it. That is a secret for living a fulfilling life.” Omony Geoffrey Ocaya
76. “Follow your heart a little more and listen to your head a little less.” Fabiola Francisco
77. “Our heart calls us one way, the mind pulls us the other way, and we do the opposite. We cannot find peace when the mind rages war against the heart, when we fight with our thoughts the pull of our love.” Dragos Bratasanu
78. “It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” Herman Melville
79. “It is not enough just to follow your heart. Use it in every breath and in each step. Meet and greet everyone with it. Put it into all you do, every dish you eat and all you create. Then your life and those of those you come into contact with will be truly rich – beyond material and transient things.” Rasheed Ogunlaru
80. “When we trust and follow our instincts, we are living authentically. We are making choices that are aligned with who we are.” Fran Sorin
81. “It was only when I started to be myself that the music started to flow and people started to listen.” Sam Smith
82. “The Universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself; everything that you want, you already are.” Rumi
83. “The mind is a powerful force. It can spew lies and make you hate yourself. But the heart, the heart only knows to love. If you want to learn how to love yourself and love what you do, you’ve got to listen to your heart.” Pooja
Final Thoughts
It doesn’t matter what decision you’re trying to make — whether you’re choosing a career, a partner, a city to relocate to, or a course to study, listen to what your heart is saying to you.
Your heart already knows what it wants; your mind is what will hinder you from making the correct decision. Because the mind is easily influenced by others’ expectations, opinions, and your own fears.
Every time I decided to follow my heart, I never looked back or felt regret. Yes, sometimes the heart’s advice doesn’t work out, but so does the mind’s. Nothing is ever guaranteed.
However, when you follow your heart, at least you can say that you were brave enough to stay true to yourself — and that in itself is a win.
So, what do you think? Should we follow our hearts or do the practical thing (even if it kills us)? Leave a comment below.
If you enjoyed these quotes about following your heart, check out these other posts:
- 35 Quotes About Being Proud of Yourself – You Are Your Biggest Inspiration
- 66 Quotes About Following Your Passion
- 40 Quotes About Proving Yourself to Yourself to Boost Your Confidence