For as long as we can remember, we’ve been told that reflecting on our problems helps sharpen our mental strength. That’s a good mindset to have. However, if you start overthinking every challenge in your path it can diminish your self esteem and hold you back. Overthinking is a harmful habit that can prevent you from accomplishing goals.

Overthinking is more common than you think too. This report says 73% of adults suffer from chronic overthinking. So, all the more reason to stop these negative thoughts. Unfortunately, most people aren’t able to turn their thoughts on and off.

If you find yourself second-guessing yourself too often understand that awareness of the problem is a step in the right direction. That said, I’ve compiled a list of more than 100 quotes that will help you build momentum towards being free from self-doubt. 

Overthinking Quotes

Don’t let it hinders you.

• “To think too much is a disease.” – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• “Overthinking can ruin your life.” – Anonymous
• “Thinking is good; it helps you to be prepared. However, too much of it can do the exact opposite.” – Anonymous
• “Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff.” – Robert Eliot
• “We are dying from overthinking. We are slowly killing ourselves by thinking about everything. Think. Think. Think. You can never trust the human mind anyway. It’s a death trap.” – Anthony Hopkins
• “Overthinking is bad for your health.” – Anonymous
• “Don’t let your thoughts hinder you from experiencing life.” – Anonymous

“Spend eighty percent of your time focusing on the opportunities of tomorrow rather than the problems of yesterday.” – Brian Tracy

• “Oftentimes, overthinking can worsen the problem rather than fix it.” – Anonymous
• “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
• “Thinking too much is a way to let life pass by.” Anonymous
• “Don’t get too deep, it leads to over thinking, and over thinking leads to problems that doesn’t even exist in the first place.” – Jayson Engay
• “Overthinking, also best known as creating problems that are never there.” – David Sikhosana
• “Don’t brood. Get on with living and loving. You don’t have forever.” – Leo Buscaglia
• “If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you’ll die a lot of times.” – Dean Smith
• “Only about two percent of one percent of our thoughts deserve to be taken seriously.” – Mokokoma Mokhonoana
• “Never let your thoughts fool you.” – Anonymous
• “Put your thoughts to sleep. Do not let them cast a shadow over the moon of your heart. Let go of thinking.” – Rumi
• “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” – Napoleon Hill
• “Thinking too much isn’t something to be proud of.” – Anonymous

Stop Overthinking Quotes

• “Stop thinking and start doing.” – Anonymous
• “Worrying about how things might go wrong, doesn’t help things to go right.” – Karen Salmansohn
• “Overthinking is a complete waste of time. Stop it.” – Anonymous
• “Stop letting your thoughts dictate your entire life.” – Anonymous
• “The more I think about it, the more I realize that overthinking isn’t the real problem. The real problem is that we don’t trust.” – L.J. Vanier
• “I think and think and think, I’ve thought myself out of happiness one million times, but never once into it.” – Jonathan Safran Foer
• “A year from now you may wish you had started today.” – Karen Lamb
• “We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” – Albert Einstein
• “Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere.” – Erma Bombeck
• “You will never accomplish anything with overthinking.” – Anonymous

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• “Nothing happens by overthinking; then why stress? Is it too hard to sit down and relax?” – Sukant Ratnakar
• “Overthinking will only lead you to disappointment.” – Anonymous
• “Remember, the talking about the thing isn’t the thing. Doing the thing is the thing.” – Amy Poehler
• “Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.” – Van Wilder
• “Overthinking is already a bad choice itself.” – Anonymous
• “Imagine what you can accomplish when you stop overthinking.” – Anonymous
• “The more you overthink the less you will understand.” – Habeeb Akande
• “People become attached to their burdens sometimes more than the burdens are attached to them.” – George Bernard Shaw
• “A great many worries can be diminished by realizing the unimportance of the matter which is causing anxiety.” – Bertrand Russell
• “You won’t be able to grow when you let your thoughts control you.”  – Anonymous

Funny Overthinking Quotes

It’s a horrible cycle.

• “Like what Nike said, ‘Just Do It’.” Anonymous
• “Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
• “Overthinking will take up too much of your time; thus, making it a waste of time.” – Anonymous
• “Imagine this, others are out there doing and growing, while you’re just sitting there and thinking.” – Anonymous
• “Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded.” – Buddha
• “It’s a good idea always to do something relaxing prior to making an important decision in your life.” – Paulo Coelho
• “The more you rationalize, the more you move farther away from your authentic self.” – Shannon L. Alder

“When you’re overthinking, you’re not doing, and when you’re not doing, then you’re not growing.” – Anonymous

• “Overthinking is not the way to grow your brain muscles.” – Anonymous
• “When you overthink, don’t you wish you were just a cow in a farm eating grass? Because that would be better.” – Anonymous
• “If you’re stressing over happiness, you’re doing it wrong!” – Shannon L. Alder
• “Overthinking ruins you. It ruins the situation. And it twists things around. It makes you worry. Plus it just makes everything worse than it actually is.” – Karen Salmansohn
• “Overthinking is a horrible cycle.” – Anonymous
• “Don’t think. It complicates things. Just feel, and if it feels like home then follow its path.” – R.M. Drake
• “Overthinking is one way to have a regretful life.” – Anonymous
• “When you think too much, you’re not solving problems, you’re just adding more.” – Anonymous
• “Over thinking ruins moods and kills good vibes.” – Supa Nova Slom
• “Turns out, too much thinking does more harm than good.” – Anonymous
• “Sometimes you’re overthinking, you convince yourself to get out of it and you’re like, ‘Ah I shoulda did that!’ You can’t live life with regrets.” – Michael B. Jordan
• “Don’t overthink, just do it.” – Shia LaBeouf

Sad Overthinking Quotes

• “Overthinking just takes the life out of you.” – Anonymous
• “If you let your worries take over, don’t expect happiness to come anytime soon.” – Anonymous
• “Overthinking can lead to worrying which leads to anxiety. Anxiety can at times be crippling, leaving people frozen and unable to act.” – Brien Blatt
• “Overthinking can be the only thing keeping you from discovering your potential.” – Anonymous
• “My mother said the cure for thinking too much about yourself was helping somebody who was worse off than you.” – Sylvia Plath
• “Majority of people who are easily stressed are the ones who think too much about the problems instead of solutions. Always focus on solutions.” – Subodh Gupt
• “Worrying about how things might go wrong, doesn’t help things to go right.” – Karen Salmansohn
• “When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.” – Winston Churchill
• “Overthinking is parasitic. It’s viral. It’s deadly, even.” – Genereux Philip
• “Overthinking is often a product of underdoing.” – Yehuda Berg
• “Life stops when one stops dreaming for better because of overwhelming pressure of fear that arises from his overthinking..” – Srinivas Mishra
• “If you’re just overthinking all the time, you’re not really living.” – Anonymous
• “We can’t blame those that overthink a lot because they grew up in an environment that didn’t give them enough reassurance. And, that’s just sad.” – Anonymous
• “Soon you will be dead and none of it will matter.” – Marcus Aurelius
• “Thinking has, many a time, made me sad, darling; but doing never did in all my life… Do good if you can; but, at any rate, do something.” – Elizabeth Gaskell
• “Overthinking is a dream-killer. Sometimes you can drown yourself in your own thoughts.” – Steve Maraboli
• “Thinking too deeply will only drown me.” – Greta Farrel
• “No amount of anxiety makes any difference to anything that is going to happen.” – Alan Watts
• “Try not to give the driving seat of your mind to anyone. People are happy to drive you to regrets.” – Vineet Raj Kapoor
• “Overthinking can do a lot more damage to your self-esteem than you think.” – Anonymous

Overthinking Quotes about Love

Overthinking can kill romance.

• “You know what can stop you from meeting the love of your life? Overthinking.” – Anonymous
• “You only have control over three things in your life, the thoughts you think, the images you visualize, and the actions you take.” – Jack Canfield
• “Stop thinking about your first move. Just go for it.” – Anonymous
• “Overthinking can kill romance.” – Anonymous
• “Trust the still, small voice that says, “this might work and I’ll try it.” – Diane Mariechild
• “Love and overthinking just can’t coexist.” – Anonymous
• “If you truly love someone, you must learn to trust them and stop worrying too much.” – Anonymous
• “When you love someone, trust is the most important thing.” – Anonymous
• “Those who overthink overlove.” – Anonymous

“Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.” – Benjamin Franklin

• “Hoping that one day our generation will love themselves enough to stop overthinking.” – Anonymous
• “Don’t let your mind bully your body.” – June Tomaso Wood
• “As I look back on my life, I realize that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being redirected to something better.?” – Steve Maraboli
• “If it’s out of your hands, it deserves freedom from your mind too.” – Ivan Nuru
• “In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don’t try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.” – Lao Tzu

“My father taught me not to overthink things, that nothing will ever be perfect, so just keep moving and do your best.” – Scott Eastwood

• “Learning to let things go and let your mind be at peace is one of the sincerest forms of love.” – Anonymous
• “You know, it is a little known fact that thinking is entirely overrated. The world would be a much better place if we all did a lot less of it.” – Laurie Viera Rigler
• “Love isn’t complicated at all. You just need to get out of your head all the time.” – Anonymous
• “In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing to do, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Overthinking Slogans

• Worry less. Do more.
• No time for overthinking.
• Live life when you start doing.
• You deserve a break from your own thoughts.
• How you think of yourself matters.
• If it’s meant to be, it will be.
• Turn your “what ifs” into “why not”.
• Embrace uncertainty and trust the process.

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• Imaginary scenarios are blocking you from real happiness.
• Worrying means you suffer twice.
• Not everything you tell yourself is true.
• Overthinking kills magic.
• The best place to be is in the present.
• Shut up your mind and be free.
• Live outside your head.
• Overthinking is only a curse, never a gift.
• Don’t let fear control you.
• You break your own heart by overthinking it.
• Thinking too much is not worth your energy and peace.
• Overthinking kills.

Why do we overthink and doubt ourselves?

When faced with difficult problems, we can’t help but to reflect on the situation. It’s natural for our minds to try to find solutions. However, there are times when we can get too ahead of ourselves to the point where thinking is no longer helpful. In other words, we overthink.

Unfortunately, when we do overthink, it can lead to excessive worrying and cause anxiety. There’s no benefit I can think of to ongoing low-level anxiety. 

For example, you’re a star track athlete who’s been training hard for a race. However, when that day comes and you see your competition, you think, “What if they trained harder than me?” or “What if I lose?”. Those “what ifs” are enough to make you doubt your potential. These negative thoughts don’t provide any personal benefit either. So, it’s absolutely essential that we stop overthinking in its tracks. But how? Read on for advice on that. 

It blocks you from real happiness.

What are some steps you can take to end overthinking problems?

As we’ve established, overthinking can be detrimental. So, here are a few steps you can take to stop it.

Step 1: Change your perspective on your goals

Whenever we set a goal that’s big or small, it’s necessary to understand the steps required to achieve said goal. If you don’t write down the step-by-step process, it can make the task seem confusing. So, it’s better to get clear on what you need to do. 

Step 2: Think long-term

If you’re stuck thinking about something, ask yourself this, “Will this matter in the next 5 years?”. Thinking about the long-term will help filter out small and medium sized problems. This allows you to let go of certain challenges that aren’t worth our energy. This is a big one. Smaller problems have a way of working themselves out naturally overtime without thought or effort. 

Step 3: Take short steps

Oftentimes, when we overthink, it hinders us from stepping out of our comfort zones. When that happens, the best way to get out of it is by taking a step. It doesn’t need to be a big step, just a small one will do. Doing so will help you build momentum, and it will help you find the courage to take bigger steps later on.

Step 4: Filter the things you can’t control

One of the number one reasons why people overthink is because we focus on things that are out of our control. Though it’s a difficult process, we must practice to let go of those things and focus that we can control. We can control the things we eat, media we consume, and how we think. We can’t control other people’s behavior or the overall economy. 

Step 5: Accept your self-doubt

Lastly, even when you think, or overthink, every possible scenario, there is still a chance for failure. When that happens, accept it. Don’t beat yourself up because you made the wrong decision. Learn to develop the connection between success and failure, because failure is always a possibility and we should be comfortable with that. Move on and recognize that past failure doesn’t mean future decisions will be wrong.