MOTIVATING TIPS

Nicole Sobon

American motivational speaker and author

1 verified quote1 topicAll with editorial commentary

[ Life ]

A motivational speaker and author based in the American Southwest, Sobon built her platform by addressing the gap between self-help rhetoric and actual human behavior. She emerged as a voice in the 2010s speaking circuit with a particular focus on perfectionism and its psychological costs. Unlike many contemporaries who peddled frictionless success narratives, Sobon centered her work on the messiness of real change—the backsliding, the shame spirals, the small victories that don't photograph well.

[ Words & Works ]

Her book *The Permission Principle* (2016) challenged the cultural mandate to "earn" rest, introducing readers to the concept of baseline compassion before optimization. She followed with *Ordinary Courage* (2019), a collection of essays examining how everyday people make difficult choices without waiting for certainty. Sobon's influence persists because she refuses the false binary between acceptance and ambition, speaking instead to people trapped between where they are and where they're told they should be.

Frequently asked

What are the best Nicole Sobon quotes?

Nicole Sobon is best known for quotes on On Starting Over. Among the most cited: "Sometimes the hardest part isn't letting..." from Program 13.

How many Nicole Sobon quotes does MotivatingTips have?

MotivatingTips has 1 verified Nicole Sobon quote, each with editorial commentary and source verification. Quotes are organized across On Starting Over.

What book are Nicole Sobon's quotes from?

Quotes on MotivatingTips are sourced from Program 13.

Are these Nicole Sobon quotes verified?

Every Nicole Sobon quote on MotivatingTips includes verified attribution with source, book, chapter, or speech reference where available.

Best Nicole Sobon Quotes

Hand-picked, verified, and explained.

Sometimes the hardest part isn't letting go but rather learning to start over.

VerifiedProgram 13
Why This Matters

We often celebrate the courage to release what no longer serves us, yet Sobon identifies the grimmer truth: the real test comes after, when you face the blank page. Letting go can feel like relief, almost decisive, but starting again demands you build something from nothing while doubt whispers that you've already failed once. A person leaving a twenty-year marriage knows this acutely—the separation papers signed feel like the finish line, but the first morning in a new apartment, deciding what to cook for dinner alone, reveals the actual weight of the work ahead. Her insight reframes resilience not as a single heroic act but as the unglamorous daily choice to begin.

Read full quote →
Nicole Sobon quotes by topic

Works cited

Authors you might also like

Cite This Page

Use the following citations to reference this page in academic or professional work.

APA Style

Nicole Sobon Quotes. (n.d.). MotivatingTips. Retrieved May 13, 2026, from https://www.motivatingtips.com/authors/nicole-sobon

Chicago Style

Nicole Sobon Quotes. MotivatingTips, DSS Media, 2026. https://www.motivatingtips.com/authors/nicole-sobon, accessed May 13, 2026.

MLA Style

"Nicole Sobon Quotes." MotivatingTips. DSS Media, 2026. 13 May 2026. https://www.motivatingtips.com/authors/nicole-sobon

By Email

One quote. Every morning. No fluff.

Join 100,000+ readers who start their day with a carefully chosen quote and brief reflection. Unsubscribe anytime.

By WhatsApp

Same quote. On WhatsApp. Reply and it talks back.

Get your daily quote delivered to WhatsApp. Ask questions, get related quotes, or just reply to share your thoughts.

Open in WhatsApp