When asked about his weather prediction, Phil Connors of Groundhog Day perfectly sums up how many of us feel during this time of year. “I’ll give you a winter prediction: It’s gonna be cold, it’s gonna be grey, and it’s gonna last you for the rest of your life.”
Between the lack of sunlight, gusty winds, and freezing temperatures — there can be a certain melancholy throughout the winter. Some call it depression, but it makes getting out of our warm and cozy beds a daily struggle. Some of us have experienced seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Furthermore, depression is more prevalent during winter, suicide rates rise, and productivity at work drops — particularly during January and February.
But, is winter all doom and gloom?
Not always. This could be the time and season to remind us to slow down and focus on what’s most important. You can also spend the colder months appreciating what you have and what’s to come in the Spring. Then, do some planning for the future that will cheer you up. One of the most significant things to remember is that it’s easier to stay up than get up — SO, don’t allow yourself to get too far down.
Inspirational Winter Quotes
With that in mind, here are 101 winter quotes to not only warm your soul but also remind you how beautiful and inspiring this season can be.
1. “Winter is a season of recovery and preparation.” — Paul Theroux
2. “Spring passes, and one remembers one’s innocence. Summer passes, and one remembers one’s exuberance. Autumn passes, and one remembers one’s reverence. Winter passes, and one remembers one’s perseverance.” — Yoko Ono
3. “How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year!” —Thomas Wentworth Higginson
4. “To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake, it is necessary to stand out in the cold.” — Aristotle
5. “In the middle of winter, I, at last, discovered that there was in me an invincible summer.” –– Albert Camus
6. “In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.” — William Blake
7. “Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
8. “I pray this winter to be gentle and kind–a season of rest from the wheel of the mind.” — John Geddes
9. “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” — John Steinbeck
10. “I know the look of an apple that is roasting and sizzling on the hearth on a winter’s evening, and I know the comfort that comes of eating it hot, along with some sugar and a drench of cream. I know how nuts are taken in conjunction with winter apples, cider, and doughnuts, make old people’s tales and old jokes sound fresh and crisp and enchanting.” — Mark Twain
11. “If winter helps you curl up and more, that makes it one of the best of the seasons.” —Murray Pura
12. “I like the cold weather. It means you get work done.” — Noam Chomsky.
13. “I write probably 80 percent of my stuff over the winter.” — Bob Seger
14. “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and a talk beside the fire: it is time for home.” –– Edith Sitwell
15. “It seems like everything sleeps in winter, but it’s really a time of renewal and reflection.” — Elizabeth Camden
16. “Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour.” — John Boswell
17. “My old grandmother always used to say, summer friends will melt away like summer snows, but winter friends are friends forever.” — George R.R. Martin
18. “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” — Anne Bradstreet
19. “There is an instinctive withdrawal for the sake of preservation, a closure that assumes the order of completion. Winter is a season unto itself.” — Haruki Murakami
20. “It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it.” — John Burroughs
21. “Even the strongest blizzards start with a single snowflake.” — Sara Raasch
22. “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” — Percy Bysshe Shelley
23. “Ice is most welcome in a cold drink on a hot day. But in the heart of winter, you want a warm hot mug with your favorite soothing brew to keep the chill away. When you don’t have anything warm at hand, even memory can be a small substitute.” — Vera Nazarian
24. “Summer bodies are made in the winter.” — Krissy Turner
25. “To keep a warm heart in winter is the real victory.” — Marty Rubin
26. “Surely everyone is aware of the divine pleasures which attend a wintry fireside; candles at four o’clock, warm hearthrugs, tea, a fair tea-maker, shutters closed, curtains flowing in ample draperies to the floor, whilst the wind and rain are raging audibly without.” — Thomas De Quincey
27. “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?” — Percy Bysshe Shelley
28. “Snowing is an attempt of God to make the dirty world look clean.” — Mehmet Murat ildan
29. “From traveling the vast white landscapes of Skyrim, to the long mournful melodies of Tchaikovsky’s 1st symphony, it is obvious that winter has inspired creativity from within. Even without ever experiencing it for myself, everything from lines in Game of Thrones like ‘Winter is coming’ to quests to end the eternal winter in frozen have made it clear that winter is a time of difficulty, hibernation, and sorrow. It might be something we take for granted, but for eons, we have known that winter is a time of survival, a relentless force of nature that pushes us to keep ourselves alive and reminds our species of its fragility.” — Pavan Kalidindi
30. “Many of the phenomena of Winter are suggestive of an inexpressible tenderness and fragile delicacy. We are accustomed to hearing this king described as a rude and boisterous tyrant, but with the gentleness of a lover, he adorns the tresses of Summer.” — Henry David Thoreau
31. “Winter is not a season; it’s a celebration.” — Anamika Mishra
32. “Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius.” — Pietro Aretino
33. “There are adventures of the spirit, and one can travel in books and interest oneself in people and affairs. One need never be dull as long as one has friends to help, gardens to enjoy, and books in the long winter evenings.” — D.E. Stevenson
34. “The pale, cold light of the winter sunset did not beautify – it was like the light of truth itself. When the smoky clouds hung low in the west, and the red sun went down behind them, leaving a pink flush on the snowy roofs and the blue drifts, then the wind sprang up afresh, with a kind of bitter song, as if it said, ‘This is reality, whether you like it or not. All those frivolities of summer, the light and shadow, the living mask of green that trembled over everything, they were lies, and this is what was underneath. This is the truth.'” — Willa Cather
35. “No animal, according to the rules of animal etiquette, is ever expected to do anything strenuous, or heroic, or even moderately active during the off-season of winter.” — Kenneth Grahame
36. “Many human beings say that they enjoy the winter, but what they really enjoy is feeling proof against it.” — Richard Adams
37. “Winter came in days that were gray and still. They were the kind of days in which people locked in their animals and themselves, and nothing seemed to stir but the smoke curling upwards from clay chimneys and an occasional red-winged blackbird that refused to be grounded. And it was cold.” –– Mildred D. Taylor
38. “Winter is a time to slow. To grab hold of that wheel that spins your days too quickly and give it a firm tug. To let your thoughts catch up with your body. To pin down that idea that’s been circling your mind for months. To remember that life isn’t an emergency.” — Kelsi Turner
39. “Because the birdsong might be pretty, But it’s not for you they sing, And if you think my winter is too cold, You don’t deserve my spring.” — Erin Hanson.
40. “No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” — Hal Borland
41. “Nothing is as easy to make as a promise this winter to do something next summer; this is how commencement speakers are caught.” — Sydney J. Harris
42. “It’s that time of year when getting out of your warm bed is not for the weak, and trudging through everyday life seems monotonous, exhausting, boring, and, well, just hard. For many people, winter is a very difficult season to muster the strength to feel joy and excitement about much of anything. The SAD struggle is real, people. It’s real.” — Christine Carter
44. “In winter, we behold the charms of solemn majesty and naked grandeur.” — James Ellis
45. “The hard soil and four months of snow make the inhabitants of the northern temperate zone wiser and abler than his fellow who enjoys the fixed smile of the tropics.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
46. “One kind word can warm three winter months.”— Japanese Proverb
47. “The weeks will grow progressively warmer, the grass will green, and spring will come. These tales of winter will fade quickly. Memories of shoveling and skiing and snowmobiling and snowshoeing will meld into gardening and sailing, golfing, and other summer pursuits. It happens every year. And we are blessed to experience each one.” — Irwin Kraus
48. “Summer is for surrendering; winter is for wondering.” — Debasish Mridha
49. “Winter forms our character and brings out our best.” — Tom Allen
50 “To shorten winter, borrow some money due in spring.” — W.J. Vogel
51. “What miracle of weird transforming. Is this wild work of frost and light. This glimpse of glory infinite?” — John Greenleaf Whittier
52. “The winter is a slow time, but it’s not lifeless. As you huddle against the cold on a February day, you may be ready for spring to come. But all around you, there are other forms of life that are ready too.” — Beth Botts
53. “Surrendering to the fact of winter is a relief: I am grateful for these lingering days of cold. They offer me a few more weeks of quiet and slow before spring emerges, the wheel picks up speed again, and the sound of its exciting spinning fills my days.” — Kelsi Turner
54. “Winter collapsed on us that year. It knelt, exhausted, and stayed.” — Emily Fridlund
55. “These northern-tier countries are populated by a bunch of generally happy people who not only tolerate winter but have come up with strategies for embracing it.”— Stefanie Pettit
56. “If this were a rooftop covered with snow, these words would be bird tracks instead of a poem.” — William Michaelian
57. “Dandelion wine. The words were summer on the tongue. The wine was summer caught and stoppered — sealed away for opening on a January day with snow falling fast and the sun unseen for weeks.” — Ray Bradbury
58. “Kindness is like snow – it beautifies everything it covers.” — Kahlil Gibran
59. “That’s what winter is: an exercise in remembering how to still yourself then how to come pliantly back to life again.” — Ali Smith
60. “Snow isn’t just pretty. It also cleanses our world and our senses, not just of the soot and grime of a mining town, but also of a kind of weary familiarity, a taken-for-granted quality to which our eyes are all too susceptible.” — John Burnside
61. “What’s the point of complaining? We live in the north. Winter exists.” — Viki Mather
62. “Snow brings a special quality with it—the power to stop life as you know it dead in its tracks.” — Nancy Hatch Woodward
63. “A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky—unbidden—and seems like a thing of wonder.” — Susan Orlean
64. “Winter is the time of sacred balance and rejuvenation of life in preparation for the coming spring. It represents abundance, teaching, and gratitude.” — Noelle Vignola
65. “Despite all I have seen and experienced, I still get the same simple thrill out of glimpsing a tiny patch of snow.” — Edmund Hillary
66. “Snow endures but for a season, and joy comes with the morning.” — Marcus Aurelius
67. “It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot, and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” — Charles Dickens
68. “I realize there’s something incredibly honest about trees in winter, how they’re experts at letting things go.” — Jeffrey McDaniel
69. “It is in the coldest months that hugs linger snug, and they warm the soul the most.” — Richelle E. Goodrich
70. “Although each season brings its own rewards, winter is probably my favorite time of year. For someone who loves fresh fruit and vegetables as much as I do, this may be surprising, but I actually find it an inspiring time to be a cook. Although produce is scarce, especially toward the end of the season, I look forward to the challenge of cooking with winter foods. What I love most about winter is that everyone is actually hungry. I don’t need to tempt overheated diners with delicate salads and cooling soups. When the weather is treacherous, we seek out real comfort–and real food.” — Laura Frankel
71. “No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place.” — Zen and the Art of Happiness
72. “Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together.” — Vesta M. Kelly
73. “Winter is a season that often overstays its welcome. It’s like a chunk of cheese that got shoved way into the back of the fridge and wasn’t found until it had developed so many life forms that it was officially recognized by the United Nations as a new country.” — Jerry Nelson
74. “There’s no such thing as bad weather – only the wrong clothes.” — Billy Connolly
75. “And don’t think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It’s quiet, but the roots are down there riotous.” — Rumi
76. “When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels.” –– Unknown
77. “Winter is a glorious spectacle of glittering fractals complete with a soundscape and atmosphere entirely its own.” — Anders Swanson
78. “Snow falling soundlessly in the middle of the night will always fill my heart with sweet clarity.” — Novala Takemoto
79. “The snow is sparkling like a million little suns.” — Lama Willa
80. “A man says a lot of things in summer he doesn’t mean in winter.” — Patricia Briggs
81. “It is growing cold. Winter is putting footsteps in the meadow. What whiteness boasts that sun that comes into this wood! One would say milk-colored maidens are dancing on the petals of orchids. How coldly burns our sun! One would say its rays of light are shards of snow; one imagines the sun lives upon a snow-crested peak on this day. One would say she is a woman who wears a gown of winter frost that blinds the eyes. Helplessness has weakened me. Wandering has wearied my legs.” — Roman Payne
82. “Snow provokes responses that reach right back to childhood.”— Andy Goldsworth
83. “Winter is nature’s sleep.” — H.S. Jacobs
84. “The fire is winter’s fruit.” — Arabian Proverb
85. “We cannot stop the winter or the summer from coming. We cannot stop the spring or the fall or make them other than they are. They are gifts from the universe that we cannot refuse. But we can choose what we will contribute to life when each arrives.” —Gary Zukhav
86. “We feel cold, but we don’t mind it, because we will not come to harm. And if we wrapped up against the cold, we wouldn’t feel other things, like the bright tingle of the stars, or the music of the aurora, or best of all the silky feeling of moonlight on our skin. It’s worth being cold for that.” — Philip Pullman
87. “There is no winter without snow, no spring without sunshine, and no happiness without companions.” –– Korean Proverb
88. “Blow, blow, thou winter wind, thou art not so unkind as man’s ingratitude.” –– William Shakespeare
89. “Winter blues are cured every time with a potato gratin paired with a roast chicken.” — Alexandra Guarnaschelli
90. “But only a person in the depths of despair neglected to look beyond winter to the spring that inevitably followed, bringing back color and life and hope.” — Mary Balogh
91. “Advice is like the snow. The softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon and the deeper it sinks into the mind.” –– Samuel Taylor Coleridge
92. “There was a silver lining tucked into last weekend’s blizzard, and I’m not just talking about the joys of sledding. Now that the most beastly part of winter is undeniably here, we’re blanketed in fashion liberation along with the snow. Can you hear that freedom ringing? We’ve been delivered from trying to look chic, slim, angular, and cool.” — Liz Krieger
93. “When I was young, I loved summer and hated winter. When I got older I loved winter and hated summer. Now that I’m even older, and wiser, I hate both summer and winter.” — Jarod Kintz
94. “There’s just something beautiful about walking on snow that nobody else has walked on. It makes you believe you’re special.” — Carol Rifka Brunt
95. “He found a place where he was not only content but, despite suffering mightily in winter, was filled with a sense of joy and fulfillment.” — Simon Worrall
96. “It snowed all week. Wheels and footsteps moved soundlessly on the street as if the business of living continued secretly behind a pale but impenetrable curtain. In the falling quiet, there was no sky or earth, only snow lifting in the wind, frosting the window glass, chilling the rooms, deadening and hushing the city.” — Truman Capote
97. “Blow ye winds, like the trumpet blows, but without that noise. “— Jack Handey
98. “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” — Anne Bradstreet
99. “They who sing through the summer must dance in the winter.” — Italian Proverb
100. “By March, the worst of the winter would be over. The snow would thaw, the rivers begin to run, and the world would wake into itself again.”— Neil Gaiman
101.” Welcome, winter. Your late dawns and chilled breath make me lazy, but I love you nonetheless.” —Terri Guillemets
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Deanna Ritchie
Editor-in-Chief at Calendar. Former Editor-in-Chief and writer at Startup Grind. Freelance editor at Entrepreneur.com. Deanna loves to help build startups, and guide them to discover the business value of their online content and social media marketing.