The 40 Best Prepper Quotes – Survival Motivation

Sometimes it is hard to stay motivated in the face of adversity. Adversity for preppers comes in the form of complacency, cynicism, and excuses. Beating this adversity and staying motivated is just as important now as when SHTF (See the last quote below). Motivation can be just as important as a tool or a skill. We have all seen motivational posters that are supposed to inspire us to achieve our ‘potential’.

Many cynics doubt their effectiveness, and from this cynicism, a whole slew of pretty funny “demotivational” posters have sprung up. Whether or not you are the type to typically find inspiration in a few words and a picture, we challenge you to take a look at the 20 best prepper quotes we could find and not take something away.

1. Theodore Roosevelt

Good old Teddy has a ton of quotes attributed to him. The 26th president of the United States was a man of many words and big actions.

This example is not one of his more known quotes but hits a chord with preppers since he is bluntly advocating the importance of being prepared.

2. Carl Sagan

Carl Sagan was an American astronomer with a ton of quotable sayings. His love of discovery and learning was infectious. He dazzled a whole generation with his book and series Cosmos about the vastness and wonder of space.

This quote is an example of how fragile and rare life is in our universe. As preppers, one of our goals is to sustain it as best we can on our tiny little blue ball of a planet.

3. Alexander Graham Bell

A Scottish-born scientist, engineer, and inventor is most known for his invention that nobody can peel their eyes from these days, it seems. This quote is not one of his more known since he has a large catalog of quotes attributed to him.

Bell had many other inventions besides the telephone, including a wireless version called the photophone, the metal detector, and hydrofoils.

4. Abraham Lincoln

Of course, another president made the list! Abraham Lincoln has a storied history with axes, starting to use them at a young age to build cabins. He used one not a week before he was assassinated as well – demonstrating to young soldiers how to split wood.

Truthfully, if I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I would get the chainsaw and have a little over seven hours to enjoy a cold beverage afterward. The quote does show the importance of preparing though, which we can all appreciate.

5. Stephen King

The great horror author writes for a living, so there are sure to be some good quotes. This is one of the more popular prepper quotes that help ‘clear the air’ for many preppers.

Some that do not understand the importance of being prepared for emergencies try to say that preppers look forward to SHTF and wish it would happen. This quote helps us beat that twisted logic and shows that being prepared for the worst is not the same as hoping for the worst.

6. Louis Pasteur

This renowned French chemist and microbiologist kept busy by discovering fermentation, the principles of vaccination, and inventing pasteurization.

A great runner-up quote for Pasteur would be “My strength lies solely in my tenacity.” As far as prepper quotes go, this one is hard to beat.

7. Gen. George S. Patton

The general was an Olympian in his early years, and busting up Nazis in his later years. This quote highlights the importance of looking at past events to see how others have coped.

Learning from our past is an important step to not repeating the same mistakes and not being caught off guard multiple times.

8. Benjamin Franklin

If Benjamin Franklin had his way, the turkey would be the United States bird instead of the bald eagle. We expect Thanksgiving would have looked much different.

This quote is a favorite among preppers and is fairly straightforward in how it presents the alternative to prepping in black and white.

9. Ezra Taft Benson

Benson was a farmer, government official, and president of the LDS church. He has written many books on the government and Mormonism, providing a large amount of quotable material.

This quote is concise and catchy, showing Benson’s wit and eye for writing.

10. John F. Kennedy

Another US president with a great analogy. Prep before the SHTF- do not wait until disasters and emergencies are on your doorstep.

11. Vince Lombardi

He never had a losing season and knew how to motivate any group to achieve more than the sum of their parts. With a Super Bowl trophy named after him, Mr. Lombardi is considered one of the best – if not the best – coaches in American sports.

12. Howard Ruff

Howard Ruff was a long-time advocate of preparedness. He was more than just a proponent of bullion and numismatic coins, as he gave us this solid quote that leans on his LDS beliefs.

13. Henry Ford

When you work towards a goal, the journey itself can be rewarding too. Henry Ford laid down this knowledge nugget in this great quote that applies to prepping figuratively and survival literally.

14. Bear Grylls

Survival quotes don’t get much better than the master survivalist himself, Bear Grylls. He’s still all over the TV with tons of survival shows. He’s also pretty entrepreneurial, with a Gerber partnership with plenty of Bear Grylls branded survival gear.

He is a pretty consistent target for survival memes though since he drank his own urine on one of his TV shows to demonstrate how it can partially rehydrate you in an emergency and embodies his quote below.

15. Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee may be known by most as a martial arts movie star, but he took studying and practicing to the next level. Repetition and training are especially important when you are creating a survival plan. Don’t worry about every possible situation; stick to the basics to be the best prepared.

16. Marcus Aurelius

The Roman emperor was well-versed in Stoicism and provided plenty of prepper quotes that focus on the importance of preparedness to lead a ‘good life’.

One of our favorites likens life to a wrestling match rather than a performance stage- typical Romans!

17. The Bible

Psalms give us plenty of inspirational hymns, and Proverbs give us some great… well.. proverbs! There are plenty to choose from on the topic of preparedness, but this one is straightforward and to the point.

18. Bob Knight

Psalms give us plenty of inspirational hymns, and Proverbs give us some great… well.. proverbs! There are plenty to choose from on the topic of preparedness, but this one is straightforward and to the point.

19. Sun Tzu

The writer of The Art of War has plenty to say on tactical advantages, but preparation and planning are themes he constantly stresses.

It usually does end up being much easier to plan than to react, and you get much better results.

20. Charles Darwin

Adaptation has always been key to Darwinism, and he buttons up this belief in this quote. Luckily, as humans, we have the resourcefulness to help us quickly adapt as long as we plan, prepare, and understand the threat.