80 Graduation Quotes | Examples & Inspiration

Quotes for graduation

These classic quotes for graduation make for perfect graduation messages. If you are the one graduating, read them to prompt reflection on all your achievements, or send them to loved ones who are marking this milestone.

1. “To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” —Anatole France, poet and journalist
2. “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” —Pericles, statesman
3. “We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” —Joseph Campbell, writer
4. “Learning how to think” really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience.” —David Foster Wallace, writer and professor
5. “Life loves to be taken by the lapel and be told, ‘I am with you kid. Let’s go!’” —Maya Angelou, memoirist and essayist
6. “The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books.” ―Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet
7. “I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart: I am, I am, I am.” —Sylvia Plath, poet and author
8. “Stay curious, keep learning and keep growing. And always strive to be more interested than interesting.” —Jane Fonda, actress and activist
9. “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” —Malcolm X, civil rights activist
10. “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, businessman

Funny graduation quotes

Funny graduation quotes are great for sharing with friends and fellow classmates. These funny quotes also make for excellent senior quotes to use in your high school yearbook.

1. “You are about to start the greatest improvisation of all. With no script.” —Stephen Colbert, comedian and writer
2. “In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra.” —Fran Lebowitz, author and orator
3. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no point in being a damn fool about it.” —W. C. Fields, actor and comedian
4. “I’m sick of following my dreams, man. I’m just going to ask where they’re going and hook up with ’em later.” —Mitch Hedberg, filmmaker and comedian
5. “The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.” —Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist
6. “The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.” – Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist
7. “If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark with a mosquito.” —Betty Reese, nurse and mother of Reese Witherspoon
8. “You will never have more energy or enthusiasm, hair, or brain cells than you have today.” —Tom Magliozzi, radio actor
9. “Every year, many, many stupid people graduate from college. And if they can do it, so can you.” —John Green, author and YouTuber
10. “You are graduating from college. That means that this is the first day of the last day of your life. No, that’s wrong. This is the last day of the first day of school. Nope, that’s worse. This is a day.” —Andy Samberg, actor and comedian

Proud graduation quotes

No matter your level of educational attainment, graduating is a huge milestone. This list of proud graduation quotes speaks to the hard work and perseverance that goes into any course of study, along with the benefits of education.

1. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” —Nelson Mandela, activist and former President of South Africa
2. “Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.” —Samuel Johnson, writer
3. “Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets.” —Leonardo da Vinci, polymath
4. “In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” —Albert Camus, philosopher and novelist
5. “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing.” —Pelé, football player
6. “Today’s accomplishments were yesterday’s impossibilities” —Robert H. Schuller, pastor and motivational speaker
7. “You don’t have to be famous. You just have to make your mother and father proud of you, and you already have.” —Meryl Streep, actress
8. “I couldn’t wait for success. I went ahead without it.” —Jonathan Winters, comedian and actor
9. “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” —E. E. Cummings, poet and painter
10. “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m possible!’” —Audrey Hepburn, actress

Inspirational graduation quotes

Inspirational graduation quotes speak to the motivation that goes into achieving your dreams and forging your own path in life. They’re also future oriented and focus on what’s to come in your journey now that you’ve graduated.

1. “Your life is your story, and the adventure ahead of you is the journey to fulfill your own purpose and potential.” —Kerry Washington, actress
2. “What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist
3. “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” —C.S. Lewis, author
4. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” —Henry David Thoreau, naturalist and essayist
5. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference” —Robert Frost, poet
6. “Never limit yourself because of others’ limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination.” —Mae Jemison, engineer
7. “We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.” ―May Sarton, novelist
8. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” ―George Bernard Shaw, playwright and critic
9. “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist
10. “You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.” —Jim Carrey, actor and comedian

High school graduation quotes

High school graduation quotes work well as yearbook entries, and they speak to the freedom and autonomy that awaits those who cross this major threshold from youth into adulthood.

1. “Your education is a dress rehearsal for the life that is yours to lead.” —Nora Ephron, writer and playwright
2. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose” —Dr. Seuss, author and illustrator
3. “It’s really easy to fall into the trap of believing that what we do is more important than what we are. Of course, it’s the opposite that’s true: What we are ultimately determines what we do.” —Fred Rogers, TV personality
4. “This is your world. You’re the creator. Find freedom on this canvas.” —Bob Ross, painter
5. “Instruction ends in the schoolroom, but education ends only with life.” —Frederick W. Robertson, theologian
6. “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, economist
7. “Fight for what makes you optimistic about the world. Find it, insist on it, dig into it, go after it.” —Jennifer Garner, actress
8. “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, author
9. “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, businessman
10. “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” —Marcel Proust, novelist and literary critic

College graduation quotes

These college graduation quotes work for all university grads, from bachelors to doctorates. They are future oriented and speak to the path that lies ahead upon leaving the structured confines of study.

1. “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” —John Dewey, philosopher and psychologist
2. “Even before you’ve earned it, treat yourself and your career with the level of respect that you hope to one day deserve.” —Catherine O’Hara, actress
3. “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, professor and attorney
4. “Every day of your lives is practice in becoming the person you want to be. No instantaneous miracle is suddenly going to occur and make you brave and courageous and true.” —Audre Lorde, writer and professor
5. “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.” —Jodie Foster, actress and filmmaker
6. “The old rules are crumbling and nobody knows what the new rules are. So make up your own rules.” —Neil Gaiman, writer
7. “Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor.” —Jackson Browne, musician and singer-songwriter
8. “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, singer-songwriter
9. “Don’t ever confuse the two, your life and your work. The second is only part of the first.” —Anna Quindlen, author and journalist
10. “… have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything.” —Rainer Maria Rilke, poet

Kindergarten graduation quotes

Kindergarten graduation quotes are short and sweet affirmations for the little graduate in your life. They have been curated for kindergarteners, but contain messages that parents can appreciate, too.

1. “There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.” —Fred Rogers, TV personality
2. “Ever make mistakes in life? Let’s make them birds. Yeah, they’re birds now.” —Bob Ross, painter
3. “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” —Dr.Suess, author and illustrator
4. “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” —A.A. Milne, author
5. “I always get to where I’m going by walking away from where I have been.” —A.A. Milne, author
6. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” —Helen Keller, author
7. “It isn’t where you come from. It’s where you’re going that counts.” —Ella Fitzgerald, singer-songwriter and composer
8. “When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.” —Carol Burnett, comedian and actress
9. “You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.” —Robin Williams, actor and comedian
10. I may be small,
    But I am Somebody.
    I may have made mistakes,
    But I am Somebody.
    My clothes are different,
    My face is different,
    My hair is different,
    But I am Somebody.
    —Jesse Jackson

Short graduation quotes

Short graduation quotes are perfect for situations where you want to express a lot in a few words. This goes for text messages, social media captions, and graduation cards. Save and share these short graduation quotes with friends, classmates, and family.

Frequently asked questions about graduation quotes

What are some fun quotes for graduation?

Fun quotes for graduation include:

• “In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra.” —Fran Lebowitz, author and orator
• “You will never have more energy or enthusiasm, hair, or brain cells than you have today.” —Tom Magliozzi
• “I’m sick of following my dreams, man. I’m just going to ask where they’re going and hook up with ’em later.” —Mitch Hedberg, filmmaker and comedian

Incorporate inside jokes and memories into your graduation quotes with QuillBot’s free Text Generator.

What are examples of graduation witty quotes?

Graduation witty quotes include:

• “If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in the dark with a mosquito.” —Betty Reese
• “I did everything he did but backwards and in high heels!” —Ginger Rogers, American actress and dancer
• “The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.” —Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist

Cite your favorite graduation quotes with the help of QuillBot’s free Citation Generator.

What are inspirational quotes for a graduation ceremony?

Inspirational quotes for a graduation ceremony are lines from literature, poetry, speeches, or songs that commemorate your achievement.

Some examples include:

• “To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” —Anatole France, poet and journalist
• “Stay curious, keep learning and keep growing. And always strive to be more interested than interesting.” —Jane Fonda, actress and activist
• “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” —Nelson Mandela, activist and former President of South Africa

Add graduation quotes to custom graphics to share with classmates using QuillBot’s Image Generator.

What should I write in a graduation card?

What to write in a graduation card will depend on your relationship to the recipient and what kind of program they are graduating from.

Some examples of graduation card messages include:

• Can’t wait to see all the places you’ll go, congrats!
• We love you, and you make us so proud—today and every day!
• I think we can safely say that tassel was worth all the hassle!

Create personalized messages for your graduation card using QuillBot’s free Text Generator. You can also add graduation quotes to personalized graphics using QuillBot’s Image Generator.