Inspirational Quotes for Students | List & Tips
Everyone needs extra motivation and inspiration sometimes, especially students who are juggling school work with jobs, family, and other responsibilities.
One of the best ways to stay motivated is to embrace a growth mindset—the notion that we can always keep improving through dedication and effort. Carol Dweck, the psychologist who coined the term “growth mindset,” explained that “no matter what your ability is, effort is what ignites that ability and turns it into accomplishment.”
We often turn to quotes like these to motivate ourselves or others. Whether you’re seeking motivation for your own studies or supporting the students in your classroom, family, or social circle, these 20 quotes from leaders, experts, and scholarly sources will inspire growth and perseverance.
20 inspirational quotes for students
- “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” —Zig Ziglar, motivational speaker
- “You never know which people, places, and experiences are going to shift your perspective until after you’ve left them behind and had some time to look back.” —Quinta Brunson, Emmy Award winner and Abbott Elementary creator
- “Wisdom isn’t about accumulating more facts; it’s about understanding big truths in a deeper way.” —Melinda French Gates, U.S. philanthropist and former Microsoft product developer
- “The most creative act you will ever undertake is the act of creating yourself.” —Deepak Chopra, Indian-American author and self-help celebrity
- “We are born makers. We move what we’re learning from our heads to our hearts through our hands.” —Brené Brown, business professor, leadership researcher, author, and podcaster
- “Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.” —Brené Brown
- “Sometimes the most brilliant and intelligent minds do not shine in standardized tests because they do not have standardized minds.” —Diane Ravitch, education historian, former US Assistant Secretary of Education
- “The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times—although such moments can be enjoyable, if we have worked hard to attain them. The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult or worthwhile.” —Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Hungarian-American psychologist, founder of the psychological concept of “flow”
- “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.” —Fred Rogers, host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and children’s advocate
- “You rarely have time for everything you want in this life, so you need to make choices. And hopefully your choices can come from a deep sense of who you are.” —Fred Rogers
- “The most sophisticated people I’ve ever known had just one thing in common. They were all in touch with their inner children.” —Jim Henson, creator of Sesame Street and the Muppets characters
- “Speak out against injustice when you see it. Vote for leaders who believe in equality and commit to investing more in education.” —Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and female education activist
- “Knowing how to think empowers you far beyond those who only know what to think.” —Neil DeGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and writer
- “We do not have to accept things the way they are. We can nudge, adapt, revise, evolve, improve . . . and change the world.” —Bill Nye, science writer and creator/host of Bill Nye the Science Guy
- “A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers.” —Helen Keller, author and disability rights advocate
- “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” —Malcolm X, US civil rights and social justice leader
- “The joy of learning is as indispensable to study as breathing is to running.” —Simone Weil, 20th century French philosopher
- “Good writing does not succeed or fail on the strength of its ability to persuade. It succeeds or fails on the strength of its ability to engage you, to make you think, to give you a glimpse into someone else’s head.” —Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers and Revenge of the Tipping Point
- “Others may question your credentials, your papers, your degrees. Others may look for all kinds of ways to diminish your worth. But what is inside you no one can take from you or tarnish.” —Chris Gardner, homelessness survivor, business leader, and author of The Pursuit of Happyness
- “Remember that if you really want to motivate yourself, love is more powerful than fear.” —Kristin Neff, educational psychology professor and self-compassion speaker/podcaster
Writing tips for quotes about students
The following writing tips will enhance the impact of motivational quotes in personal messages, classroom decorations, or formal writing
- Introduce each quote with a signal phrase that includes the speaker’s full name and a verb like “wrote” or “said.”
- Use quotation marks at the beginning and end of a quotation to avoid plagiarism.
- Place end punctuation (e.g., a period) before the final quotation marks (unless you need a parenthetical citation after the quotation).
- In formal essays, cite a quote by following the APA citation guide, MLA citation guide, or whichever citation format your instructor requires.
No matter how or why you’re using motivational quotes for students, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker and Citation Generator are here to help!
Frequently asked questions about inspirational quotes for students
- Should I put a period before or after quotation marks?
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Typically, a period goes before the ending quotation marks in American English.
Periods with quotation marks examples (American English) The principal said the teacher was “an exemplar of the profession.”She told me, “If I leave, I’m never coming back.”
However, in British English, the period only goes inside the quotation marks if the quotation itself is a full sentence. Otherwise, it goes outside. Additionally, British English typically uses single quotation marks instead of double.
Periods with quotation marks examples (British English) The principal said the teacher was ‘an exemplar of the profession’.She told me, ‘If I leave, I’m never coming back.’
Try QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to make sure you’re using punctuation correctly.
- How do you use quotes in an essay?
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Correct use of quotes in an essay can lift it above the normal and attract higher grades. Quotes are vital in backing up your argument or illustrating your point. You should aim to integrate or embed your quotes in your writing.
Consider this comment on The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Eliot:
“Prufrock realizes when he sees ‘the eternal Footman hold his coat,’ that he is approaching death, and he is overwhelmed by a sense of failure and fear. Failure because his achievements are no more than a ‘moment of …greatness’ that has flickered out, and fear because he has ‘seen the eternal Footman …snicker,’ suggesting that what he faces in the afterlife is to be feared. This is confirmed in the last half line of the stanza, ‘in short I was afraid.”
Here, the quotations flow naturally as part of the point that is being made. There’s lots more to be said on the subject of paraphrasing and summarizing which is worth researching.
QuillBot’s Notepad is a great place to note your quotations as you research your essay, making them easy to locate and use. Additionally, QuillBot’s Word Counter tool can help you effectively track the word count of your quotes to ensure your writing doesn’t rely on too many quotations.
- What are some examples of quotes for students from teachers?
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Some examples of quotes for students from teachers include the following:
“Be the kind of people that have enough passion to change the world. If we let ourselves be fire, thunder, or lightning, we could alter everything.”
—Erin Gruwell, teacher and founder of the Freedom Writers Foundation
“Find a mentor, someone you trust. Listen to that person. Watch that person. Ask that person questions.”
—Missy Testerman, 2024 U.S. National Teacher of the Year
“Consider where you believe you can make the most meaningful contribution. Really get to know yourself. Explore new horizons, different horizons, and be true to yourself.”
—Anne Johnstone, Australian school principal and Global Chair of the International Positive Education Network
“Keep your passion and don’t lose your head. Go forward, do good work, and help make this a better world.”
—Bill Nye, science educator and host/creator of Bill Nye the Science Guy
When you’re writing with inspirational quotes for students, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid errors.
- What are some short motivational quotes for students?
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Some short motivational quotes for students include the following:
“What we know matters, but who we are matters more.”
—Brené Brown, business professor, leadership researcher, author, and podcaster
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
—Zig Ziglar, motivational speaker
“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.”
—B.B. King, world-famous blues guitarist and songwriter
“Remember that if you really want to motivate yourself, love is more powerful than fear.”
—Kristin Neff, educational psychology professor and self-compassion speaker/podcaster
“If you dream it, you can do it.”
—Walt Disney
When you’re using inspirational quotes for students in your writing, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid errors.
