Rough Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old rough quotes, rough sayings, and rough proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

If someone's being rough with you, you gotta be rough back. Peter Grant
I had a rough time in school because I was the most popular girl in the wrong way. Dolly Parton
My parents kept me from children who were rough / And who threw words like stones and who were torn clothes. W.H. Auden
A test of what is real is that it is hard and rough. Joys are found in it, not pleasure. What is pleasant belongs to dreams. Simone Weil
The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. Isa 40:4
On particularly rough days when I'm sure I can't possibly endure, I like to remind myself that my track record for getting through bad days so far is 100%. And that's pretty good. Hoda Kotb
A rough diamond who must be polished first ere he shines. John Dryden
Ever notice how some of the most eye-opening moments in life when the going gets tough? Rough patches are scary, for sure, but they can also be truly transformative. Oprah
When a child learns to trust that there is a loving caregiver right there to help in rough times, he or she can weather almost any storm—and ultimately be stronger for the experience. Fred Rogers
We scan a room for a known face / yet change it everywhere. / The ways of the people are smoother, / the talk is slicker, / and yet we stand here rough as ever. Julia Kendrick
They're living rough from day-to-day / Struggling just to barely survive, / Starving themselves if necessary / To keep their children alive. Phil Roberts
The road was rough, the going tough / I knew not what to do. / Then Jesus came and spoke my name / and helped me work it through. Royston
If winning or losing is going to define your life, you're on a rough road. Bud Grant
I think every relationship is going to go through a few rough patches. Those are what make it stronger, I think. Ryan Reynolds
Kids who enter 'adulthood' without any strong attachments to people who know and care about them have a rough road ahead, to say the least. Rhea Perlaman
In rough times, pathfinders rely on work, friends, humor, and prayer. They develop a support network. Gail Sheehy
I lived rough, by my wits, was homeless, lived on the streets, lived on friends' floors, was happy, was miserable. Ben Okri
I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it. Maya Angelou
Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it. Helen Keller
It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop. Dieter F. Uchtdorf
A rough beginning doesn't have to mean there is a rough end. Jon Jones
When you have a crisis, the crisis itself becomes one of your biggest assets if that crisis is bad enough. Everyone gets very modest and humble and listens. If you need to do rough things, you do rough things. Carl-Henric Svanberg
Men should have rough hands and be strong. Scott-Caan
My teachers treated me as a diamond in the rough, someone who needed smoothing. Mother Jones
If the track is tough and the hill is rough, thinking you can just ain't enough! Shell Silverstein