300 Best Graduation Quotes and Sayings Guaranteed to Inspire
Inside: Find the perfect message for your graduate in this list of inspirational quotes for graduation cards, speeches, parties, scrapbooks, and more!
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Graduation. It’s kind of a big deal.
One of those few single momentous days in life that marks a milestone change.
It’s a push from the safety nest. It’s a rite of passage from the “carefree kid life” to “what do you want to do with the rest of your life.”
It’s scary. It’s exciting. And even a little bit sad.
Most of us are fortunate enough to experience this life-changing event, or are about to celebrate someone who is.
Maybe it’s the mom in me, but I fretted over the exact right words of wisdom to write to my own kids, hoping they might reread my advice several times throughout their lives.
So if you’re also struggling with something to say that’s as special as the day, I’ve collected over 300 of the best graduation quotes to get you going.
And these inspiring, positive, and even sometimes funny messages are worth the read even if you don’t have an upcoming graduation.
The snippets of insight from famous celebrities, politicians, business entrepreneurs, and others help give us that motivating kick in the pants we need to deal with life no matter where we are on its path.
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Inspirational Graduation Quotes.
- “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” —Steve Jobs
- “It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default.” —J.K. Rowling
- “We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have the power to imagine better.” —J.K. Rowling
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” —Steve Jobs
- “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” —Steve Jobs
- “The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart you’ll know when you find it.” —Steve Jobs
- “You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.” —Jim Carrey
- “Talent is a pursued interest. Anything that you’re willing to practice, you can do.” ―Bob Ross
- “We don’t stop going to school when we graduate.” —Carol Burnett
- “Don’t just get involved. Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.” —Barack Obama
“Cynicism has never won a war, or cured a disease, or started a business, or fed a young mind, or sent men into space. Cynicism is a choice. Hope is a better choice.” —Barack Obama
- “It is absolutely still possible to make a difference.” —Michelle Obama
- “Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own.” —Michelle Obama
- “You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once, but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own. ” —Michelle Obama
- “We may live in an age of instant messaging, instant gratification, and Instagram, but there is no way to short circuit the path to success.” —Tory Burch
- “Education is something we have to keep pursuing day after day.” —Premier Brian Gallant
- “Your life is your story, and the adventure ahead of you is the journey to fulfill your own purpose and potential.” —Kerry Washington
“Every person you meet knows something you don’t. Learn from them.” —H. Jackson Brown Jr.
- “Instruction ends in the schoolroom, but education ends only with life.” —Frederick W. Robertson
- “What we learn with pleasure we never forget.” —Alfred Mercier
- “Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement.” —Mat Bondi
- “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” —Martin Luther King
- “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” —Albert Einstein
- “Take pride in how far you’ve come. Have faith in how far you can go. But don’t forget to enjoy the journey.” —Michael Josephson
“The important thing is not to stop questioning.” —Albert Einstein
- “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” —Benjamin Franklin
- “The noblest question in the world is: What good may I do in it?” —Benjamin Franklin
- “You will find the key to success under the alarm clock.” —Benjamin Franklin
- “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
- “Nobody likes to fail, but failure is an essential part of life and of learning. If your uniform isn’t dirty, you haven’t been in the game.” —Ben Bernanke
“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” —C.S. Lewis
- “When you take risks, you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important.” —Ellen DeGeneres
- “The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” —Vidal Sassoon
- “Fight for what makes you optimistic about the world. Find it, insist on it, dig into it, go after it.” —Jennifer Garner
- “That clock you hear is the sound of your own heart. Sink your teeth into this life, and don’t get let go.” —Lin-Manuel Miranda
- “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” —Winston Churchill
- “Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” —Winston Churchill
- “The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.” —Will Rogers
- “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.” —Robert Louis Stevenson
“Give me a stock clerk with a goal, and I will give you a man who will make history. Give me a man without a goal, and I will give you a stock clerk.” —James Cash Penney
- “The person who gets the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.” —Dale Carnegie
- “Now the first suggestion is to aim high, but be aware that even before you have reached your ultimate professional destination, if you always strive for excellence, you can and should have a substantial impact on the world in which you live.” —Sandra Day O’Connor
- “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” —Gandhi
- “If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.” —Nora Roberts
- “If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” — Frank A. Clark
- “What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the human soul.” —Joseph Addison
- “Don’t be afraid of fear. Because it sharpens you, it challenges you, it makes you stronger; and when you run away from fear, you also run away from the opportunity to be your best possible self.” —Ed Helms
“So long as your desire to explore is greater than your desire to not screw up you’re on the right track.” —Ed Helms
- “If you’re willing to stand for what you believe in…you won’t need advice from me, because you will be able to handle whatever comes.” —Whoopi Goldberg
- “You’re going to fall down, but the world doesn’t care how many times you fall down, as long as it’s one fewer than the number of times you get back up.” — Aaron Sorkin
- “From my point of view, which is that of a storyteller, I see your life as already artful, waiting, just waiting and ready for you to make it art.” —Toni Morrison
- “If you can do what you do best and be happy, you are further along in life than most people.” —Leonardo DiCaprio
- “Your inexperience is an asset in that it will make you think in original, unconventional ways. Accept your lack of knowledge and use it as your asset.” —Natalie Portman
- “I’ve learned it’s important not to limit yourself. You can do whatever you really love to do, no matter what it is.” —Ryan Gosling
- “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” —Muhammad Ali
- “I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.” —Helen Keller
“Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world right in the eye.” —Helen Keller
- “When you respect the idea that you are sharing the Earth with other humans, and when you lead with your nice foot forward, you’ll win, every time. It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow, but it comes back to you when you need it.” —Kristen Bell
- “Try to keep your mind open to possibilities and your mouth closed on matters that you don’t know about. Limit your ‘always’ and your ‘nevers.’ Continue to share your heart with people even if it has been broken.” —Amy Poehler
- “When people tell you not to believe in your dreams, and they say ‘why?’ say ‘why not?'” —Billie Jean King
- “The best helping hand that you will ever receive is the one at the end of your own arm.” — Fred Dehner
- “It is often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious dreams. I know that sounds completely nuts. But, since no one else is crazy enough to do it, you have little competition.” —Larry Page
- “The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who’s going to stop me.” —Ayn Rand
- “Some life lessons don’t ever change. They need to be highlighted and they need to be remembered throughout our entire lives. But how you embrace them will distinguish you from the pack.” —Brooke Shields
“Go make your big beautiful dent, and as you do so come down on the side of boldness. If you err, may it be for too much audacity, and not too little. For you really are enough. You have untold strengths and resources inside. You have your glorious self.” —Sue Monk Kidd
- “Nobody else is paying as much attention to your failures as you are…to everyone else, it’s just a blip on the radar screen, so just move on.” —Jerry Zucker
- “You have to dance a little bit before you step out into the world each day, because it changes the way you walk.” —Sandra Bullock
- “Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive. Easy to govern, but impossible to enslave.” —Henry Peter Brougham
- “There is nothing more beautiful than finding your course as you believe you bob aimlessly in the current. Wouldn’t you know that your path was there all along, waiting for you to knock, waiting for you to become. This path does not belong to your parents, your teachers, your leaders, or your lovers. Your path is your character defining itself more and more everyday like a photograph coming into focus.” —Jodie Foster
- “Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and ask why not.” —George Bernard Shaw
- “Do all the other things, the ambitious things—travel, get rich, get famous, innovate, lead, fall in love, make and lose fortunes…but as you do, to the extent that you can, err in the direction of kindness.” —George Saunders
- “The only thing you can do in this life is pursue your passions, celebrate your bloopers, and never stop following your fear.” —Grace Helbig
- “Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in.” — Hillary Clinton
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” —Mark Twain
- “To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.” —Anatole France
- “Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” —Malcolm S. Forbes
- “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” —John Dewey
- “As you start your journey, the first thing you should do is throw away that store-bought map and begin to draw your own.” —Michael Dell
- “I will encourage you not to just make a living, but to live to make something.” —Wesley Chan
- “The old rules are crumbling and nobody knows what the new rules are. So make up your own rules.” —Neil Gaiman
- “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” —Henry David Thoreau
- “Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor.” —Jackson Browne
- “The most rewarding things in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.” —Arnold Palmer
- “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.” —Vincent Van Gogh
“Now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for you being here. Make good art.” —Neil Gaiman
- “So, I say to you, forget about the fast lane. If you really want to fly, just harness your power to your passion. Honor your calling. Everybody has one. Trust your heart and success will come to you.” —Oprah Winfrey
- “There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction.” — Oprah Winfrey
- “A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.” —Bob Dylan
- “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing you will be successful.” —Albert Schweitzer
- “If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” —Thomas Jefferson
- “Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” —Thomas Jefferson
- “In response to those who say to stop dreaming and face reality, I say keep dreaming and make reality.” —Kristian Kan
- “When someone who loves you hugs you, hug them back with two arms—don’t do the one-arm hug, because when you hug someone with two arms, it allows you to lean on somebody, and we all need someone to lean on.” —Sandra Bullock
“Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.” —Charles Swindoll
- “I encourage you to live with life. Be courageous, adventurous. Give us a tomorrow, more than we deserve.” —Maya Angelou
- “The horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change.” —Maya Angelou
- Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. —Maya Angelou
- “Don’t ever confuse the two, your life and your work. The second is only part of the first.” —Anna Quindlen
- “In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.” —Mother Teresa
- “There is only one success: to be able to spend your life in your own way.” —Christopher Morley
- “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” —Thomas Edison
- “Things turn out best for people who make the best out of the way things turn out.” —Art Linkletter
- “Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door.” —Kyle Chandler
“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.” —William Arthur Ward
- “Before you act, listen. Before you react, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you criticize, wait. Before you quit, try.” —William Arthur Ward
- “Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” —John F. Kennedy
- “Don’t live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable.” — Wendy Wasserstein
- “Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.” —Will Rogers
- “If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark with a mosquito.” —Betty Reese
- “Keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things…your curiosity will lead you down the path of success. —Walt Disney
- “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well neither does bathing; that’s why we recommend it daily.” —Zig Ziglar
- “The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs…one step at a time.” —Joe Girard
- “You must continue to dream the wild dream that you dreamed when you were young.” —Mike Tomlin
- “There may be days when you’ll say to yourself, ‘I can’t. I literally can’t even.’ But you can! You can even!” —Katie Couric
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” —Theodore Roosevelt
- “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
- “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” —Confucius
- “You can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets.” —Arnold Schwarzenegger
- “There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized.” —Conan O’Brien
- “I am here to tell you that whatever you think your dream is now, it will probably change. And that’s okay.” —Conan O’Brien
- “Real leadership comes from the quiet nudging of an inner voice. It comes from realizing that the time has come to move beyond waiting to doing.” —Madeleine Albright
- “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” —Henry Ford
- “It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste.” —Henry Ford
- “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” —Henry Ford
- “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” —Alexander Graham Bell
“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” —T. H. Huxley
- “Graduation is only a concept. In real life every day you graduate. Graduation is a process that goes on until the last day of your life. If you can grasp that, you’ll make a difference.” —Arie Pencovici
- “Knowledge is not power. The implementation of knowledge is power.” —Larry Winget
- “Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets.” —Leonardo da Vinci
- “Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.” —Lao-Tze
- “It is good to have a journey toward the end, but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” —Ernest Hemingway
- In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take experience first; the cash will come later.” —Harold Geneen
- “Be the hardest working person you know. Because if you’re not, someone else will be.” —Ian Brennan
- “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing.” —Pele
- “Keep in mind that neither success nor failure is ever final.” —Roger Babson
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” —Judy Garland
- “The important thing is this: to be able to give up in any given moment all that we are for what we can become.” —DeSeaux
- “Never let it be said that to dream is a waste of one’s time, for dreams are our realities in waiting. In dreams, we plant the seeds of our future.” —Unknown
- “Nothing is going to be handed to you. You have to make things happen.” —Florence Griffith-Joyner
- “Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential.” —John Maxwell
- “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” —Anne Frank
- “It is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate.” —George Burns
- “You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn’t. You get to decide what to worship.” —David Foster Wallace
- “It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old; they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.” —Gabriel García Márquez
Funny Graduation Quotes.
- “Follow your passion. Stay true to yourself. Never follow someone else’s path, unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path. By all means, you should follow that.” —Ellen DeGeneres
- “Your families are extremely proud of you. You can’t imagine the sense of relief they are experiencing. This would be a most opportune time to ask for money.” —Gary Bolding
- “Life is like one big Mardi Gras. But instead of showing your boobs, show people your brain, and if they like what they see, you’ll have more beads than you know what to do with.” —Ellen DeGeneres
“As you set off into the world, don’t be afraid to question your leaders. But don’t ask too many questions at one time or that are too hard, because your leaders will get tired and/or cranky.” —Will Ferrell
- “You will never have more energy or enthusiasm, hair, or brain cells than you have today.” —Tom and Ray Magliozzi
- “It’s always a good move to listen to that inner voice…if it doesn’t lead to a crime.” —Lisa Kudrow
- “Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won’t expect it back.” —Oscar Wilde
- “Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia.” —Charles Schulz
“To those of you who received honors, awards, and distinctions, I say well done. And to the C students, I say you too may one day be president of the United States.” —George W. Bush
- “My dear terrified graduates, you are about to enter the most uncertain and thrilling period of your lives. The stories you are about to live are the ones you will be telling your children, and grandchildren, and therapists.” —Lin-Manuel Miranda
- “So what’s it like in the real world? Well the food is better but beyond that, I don’t recommend it.” —Bill Watterson
Graduation Quotes for Parents.
- “I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.” —Harry S. Truman
“Graduation day is tough for adults. They go to the ceremony as parents. They come home as contemporaries. After 22 years of child-raising, they are unemployed.” —Erma Bombeck
- “Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands.” —Anne Frank
- “Now that you’ve graduated, just remember: Bosses don’t usually accept notes from your mother.” —Melanie White
- “Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than the raising of the next generation.” —C. Everett Koop
- “We may not be able to prepare the future for our children, but we can at least prepare our children for the future.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt
“There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings.” —Hodding Carter, Jr.
Graduation Quotes for High School.
- “Your need for acceptance can make you invisible in this world. Don’t let anything stand in the way of the light that shines through this form. Risk being seen in all of your glory.” —Jim Carrey
- “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” —Dr. Seuss
- “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” — Dr. Seuss
- “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” —Dr. Seuss
- “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” —Dr. Seuss
- “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.” —Dr. Seuss
- “You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who will decide where to GO.” —Dr. Seuss
- “The most important thing in your life is to live your life with integrity and to not give into peer pressure to try to be something that you’re not.” —Ellen DeGeneres
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” —E. E. Cummings
- “You cannot dream of becoming something you do not know about. You have to learn to dream big. Education exposes you to what the world has to offer, to the possibilities open to you.” —Sonia Sotomayor
- “The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future.” —Plato
- “I hope your dreams take you to the corners of your smiles, to the highest of your hopes, to the windows of your opportunities, and to the most special places your heart has ever known.” —Unknown
Graduation Quotes for College.
- “You don’t go to university so you can punch a clock. You go to university so you can be in a position to make a difference.” —Janet Napolitano
- “Life is my college. May I graduate well, and earn some honors!” —Louisa May Alcott
- “Be willing to embrace wonder, to experience unexpected discovery, and to go in unknown directions. Never become so enamored of your own smarts that you stop signing up for life’s hard classes.” —Melissa Harris-Perry
- “A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car, but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad.” —Theodore Roosevelt
- “When you leave here, don’t forget why you came.” —Adlai E. Stevenson
- “Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom.” —Oprah Winfrey
- “Sometimes you find out what you are supposed to be doing by doing the things you are not supposed to do.” —Oprah Winfrey
- “It’s your turn to choose and define what success means to you. Now, others will try to define it for you, but yours is the only voice that matters.” —Octavia Spencer
- “Let us never be betrayed into saying we have finished our education; because that would mean we had stopped growing.” —Julia H. Gulliver
“You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticket to change the world.” —Tom Brokaw
- “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela
- “You are about to start the greatest improvisation of all. With no script. No idea what’s going to happen, often with people and places you have never seen before. And you are not in control. So say ‘yes.’ And if you’re lucky, you’ll find people who will say ‘yes’ back.” —Stephen Colbert
- “If we’d all stuck with our first dream, the world would be overrun with cowboys and princesses. So whatever your dream is right now, if you don’t achieve it you haven’t failed and you’re not some loser.” —Stephen Colbert
Graduation Quotes for Daughter.
- “The best protection any woman can have is courage.” —Elizabeth Cady Stanton
- “And though she be but little, she is fierce.” —Shakespeare
- “There’s something so special about a woman who dominates in a man’s world. It takes a certain grace, strength, intelligence, fearlessness, and the nerve to never take no for an answer.” —Rihanna
- “Never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be.” —Clementine Paddleford
- “All the dreams I prayed you’d be, are all the things you are. You were once my little girl, and now my shining star.” —Uknown
- “For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” —Audrey Hepburn
- “You have what it takes to be a victorious, independent, fearless woman.” —Tyra Banks
“She believed she could so she did.” —R.S. Grey
- “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” —Michelle Obama
- “I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself.” —Emma Stone
- “Whatever you choose, however many roads you travel, I hope that you choose not to be a lady. I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women.” —Nora Ephron
Graduation Quotes for Son.
- “The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.” —Benjamin Disraeli
- “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” —David Brinkley
- “If I have a monument in this world, it is my son.” —Maya Angelou
- “Do not pray for easier lives, pray to be stronger men.” —John F. Kennedy
- “A father is a man who expects his son to be as good a man as he meant to be.” —Frank A. Clark
- “Men are what their mothers made them.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
Graduation Quotes From Movies and Characters.
- “The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.” —Princess Diaries
- “Carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.” —Dead Poets Society
- “You must always have faith in people. And, most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself.” —Legally Blonde
- “Spread joy. Chase your wildest dreams.” —Patch Adams
- “Do or do not. There is no try.” —Yoda
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” —Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
- “Don’t let anyone ever make you feel like you don’t deserve what you want. Go for it.” —10 Things I Hate About You
- “It’s fine to live in the now. But the best thing about now is that there’s another one tomorrow. I’m gonna start makin’ them count.” —The Spectacular Now
- “It is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices.” —Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- “There’s a million things I haven’t done. Just you wait, just you wait.” —Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
- “If you focus on what you left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead.” —Ratatouille
- “There’s just no telling how far I’ll go.” —Moana
- “Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one.” —Pocahontas
- “You control your destiny. You don’t need magic to do it.” —Brave
Short Graduation Quotes.
- “Do not let making a living prevent you from making a life.” —John Wooden
- “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” —Steven Jobs
- “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” —Wayne Gretzky
- “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” —Albert Einstein
- “If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it.” — Ronnie Lott
- “You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.” —Oprah Winfrey
- “Follow your passion. It will lead you to your purpose.” —Oprah Winfrey
- “Kid, you’ll move mountains.” —Dr. Seuss
- “Don’t underestimate the power of your dreams.” — Corinna Ko
“Graduation is not the end; it’s the beginning.” —Senator Orrin Hatch
- “Get busy living or get busy dying.” —Stephen King
- “Intelligence without ambition is like a bird without wings.” —Dali
- “The only thing that ever sat its way to success was a hen.” —Sarah Brown
- “You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” —Oscar Wilde
- “The road to success is always under construction.” —Lily Tomlin
- “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” —Abraham Lincoln
- “Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be.” —Grandma Moses
- “Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.” —Maya Angelou
- “The highest result of education is tolerance.” —Helen Keller
- “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” —Babe Ruth
- “Love the life you live. Live the life you love.” —Bob Marley
- “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” —Anthony Robbins
- “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” —B.B. King
- “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” —Babe Ruth
- “If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all?” —Joe Namath
- “Be bold, be courageous, be your best.” —Gabrielle Giffords
- “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” —Omar Khayyam
- “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” —Bobby Kennedy
“Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m possible!’” —Audrey Hepburn
- “Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try it.” —John F. Kennedy
- “There is no script. Live your life. Soak it all in.” —Dick Costolo
- “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” —Confucius
- “Follow your fear.” —Tina Fey
- “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” —Milton Berle
- “Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” —Truman Capote
- “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” — Napoleon Hill
- “Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.” —Charles Kettering
- “Dream big and dare to fail.” —Norman Vaughan
“Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” —Albert Einstein
- “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” —Mark Twain
- “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.” —Helen Keller
- “Education is the ability to meet life’s situations.” —John G. Hibben
- “We know what we are, but know not what we may be.” —Shakespeare
- “This above all: To thine own self be true.” —William Shakespeare
- “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” —William Shakespeare
- “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” —Nelson Mandela
- “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” —Nelson Mandela
- “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you are right.” —Henry Ford
- “You can never plan the future by the past.” —Edmund Burke
- “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” —Jim Rohn
Graduation Quotes For Friends From Song Lyrics.
- “Don’t you, forget about me.” —Simple Minds, “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”
- “If there’s a future, we want it, now.” —Paramore, “Now”
- “Tonight, we are young. So, let’s set the world on fire, we can burn brighter than the sun.” — Fun., “We Are Young”
- “Hey look Ma, I made it.” —Panic! at the Disco, “Hey look Ma, I Made It”
- “I, I did it all, I owned every second that this world could give, I saw so many places, the things that I did, yeah, with every broken bone I swear I lived.” — One Republic, “I Lived”
- “School’s out for summer. School’s out forever.” —Alice Cooper, “School’s Out”
- “Life is a highway, I’m gonna ride it all night long.” —Rascal Flatts, “Life is a Highway”
“It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right, I hope you had the time of your life.” —Green Day, “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)”
- “And as our lives change, come whatever, we will still be friends forever.” —Vitamin C, “Graduation (Friends Forever)”
- “These memories are playing like a film without sound.” —Vitamin C, “Graduation (Friends Forever)”
- “I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance. Never settle for the path of least resistance.” —Lee Ann Womack, “I Hope You Dance”
“Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten.” — Natasha Bedingfield, “Unwritten”
- “They love to tell you stay inside the lines but something’s better on the other side.” —John Mayer, “No Such Thing”
- “Half time goes by suddenly you’re wise.” —Five For Fighting, “100 Years”
- “It ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side. It’s the climb.” —Miley Cyrus, “The Climb”
- “You can take me anywhere the wind blows, right into the great unknown.” —American Authors, “What We Live For”
More Unattributed Graduation Messages and Sayings.
- “And so the adventure begins…” —Unknown
- “The world is calling…” —Unknown
- “Behind you all your memories, before you all your dreams, around you all who love you, within you all you need.” —Unknown
- “And this is the part where you find out who you are.” —Unknown
- “This is the beginning of anything you want.” —Unknown
- “The tassel’s worth the hassle.” —Unknown
Religious Graduation Quotes.
- “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” —Deuteronomy 31:8
- “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” —Jeremiah 29:11
- “God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.” —Max Lucado
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” —Philippians 4:13
- “You start to live when you commit to a cause higher than yourself. You must learn to depend on divine power for the fulfillment of a higher calling.” —Lailah Gifty Akita
- “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” —Timothy 4:12
- “She is clothed in strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” —Proverbs 31:25
- “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” —Proverbs 16:3
- “When you find yourself in need of spiritual nourishment, it is in the opportunities to serve others that you will find the abundance you seek.” —Steve Maraboli
- “An unschooled man who knows how to meditate upon the Lord has learned far more than the man with the highest education who does not know how to meditate.” —Rev. Charles Stanley
- “The purpose of human life is to improve one’s character traits, by working on oneself every day. That’s why God gives us today—and tomorrow.” —Sara Yoheved Rigler
When To Use These Quotes For Graduation.
You’re sure to find that perfect thoughtful thing to write for a:
- High School graduation
- College graduation
- Kindergarten graduation
- Graduation card wording
- Memory book or scrapbook caption
- Yearbook message
- Social media post
- Gift inscription
- Celebratory toast
- Commencement speech
- “Congratulations on your graduation” gift note
Want another way to make the big day more special? See graduation cap decorating inspiration in the post “60 Creative Graduation Cap Ideas That Stand Out From the Crowd“.
And if you want to elevate the presentation of a gift card for the graduate, see “Creative and Fun Ways to Give Gift Cards“.
With so many gold nuggets from commencement addresses of famous figures each graduation season, it was hard to come to a stopping point—but I finally cut myself off at around 300.
And now? I’m feeling ready to tackle anything the day brings my way!💪
I hope you found the perfect words in this list to inspire your special message. But the best words that will mean the most always come from the heart.
Before you go:
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Benjamin Franklin wasn’t alive when alarm clocks were invented.
Good point. That quote is widely attributed to Ben Franklin and I’m not sure of the history of how that came to be!
I love this article Kate. So inspiring! My niece graduates college this June. Any graduation gift ideas? I’m at a complete loss. Help!
u should give them food
I, too, am a quote lover! My granddaiughter. 17, graduates from a local college with associate’s degree in May==earned durig high school and than graduates in June with her high school class!. My step-grandson graduates from high school in June and is going direct;ly to work. I may make a quote jar or basket for them! Thank you so much!
I hope you find them useful Kathy! You have a busy graduation season coming up. It sounds like your grandkids are very lucky to have you!!
Is there a download for this? I’d like to keep a copy with the “Quote Book” I have
I don’t have a download right now, but that is an excellent idea! You could very possibly be seeing that sometime in the future in the subscriber only library!! 😄