167 Graduation Quotes That’ll Remind You to Follow Your Dreams
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Finding the right graduation quote can be a tedious process. After four years of hard work, you want to commemorate this special moment with the right words. Something that defines who you are and sets the tone for the future. The truth of the matter is, it takes lots of blood, sweat, tears, and ramen to make it to graduation.
But, the day has finally come for you to don your hard-earned graduation robes, decorate your cap, and rewatch your favorite graduation movies to get excited for the big day. Bear your tassel proudly, and find the right motto for graduation captions on Instagram, of course. Hey, you didn’t work this hard in school just to post a captionless photo, right?
From inspirational quotes from Taylor Swift to funny graduation quotes from Timotheé Chalamet, we rounded up the best graduation quotes, best senior quotes, and graduation messages from celebrities, athletes, politicians, writers, cartoon characters and more. These thoughtful bits of advice are perfect to include in graduation cards (that go far beyond your “congratulations graduate” message), a commencement speech, or even to use for senior quotes in your yearbook. The choice is yours! Read on to discover 167 best graduation quotes.
In this article:
Inspirational graduation quotes
Graduation quotes for Instagram
High school graduation quotes
"Your life is your adventure. And the adventure ahead of you is a journey to fulfill your own purpose and potential." —Kerry Washington
“If you can do what you do best and be happy, you are further along in life than most people.” —Leonardo DiCaprio
"Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world." —Nelson Mandela
"Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead." —Nora Ephron
"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
"You must have some vision for your life. Even if you don't know the plan, you have to have a direction in which you choose to go." —Oprah
"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
"Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today." —Malcolm X
"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
"Fight for what makes you optimistic about the world. Find it, insist on it, dig into it, go after it." —Jennifer Garner
"Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education." —Martin Luther King Jr.
"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
"If I must give any of you advice it would be say yes. Say yes, and create your own destiny." —Maya Rudolph
"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
"Take your risks now. As you grow older, you become more fearful and less flexible … 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’s been broken." —Amy Poehler
"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
"Now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here." —Neil Gaiman
"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
"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have you, you will never, ever have enough." —Oprah
"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." —Muhammad Ali
"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
"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
"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
"You and you alone are the only person who can live the life that writes the story that you were meant to tell." — Kerry Washington
"Be the hardest working person you know. Because if you’re not, someone else will be." —Ian Brennan
"In response to those who say to stop dreaming and face reality, I say keep dreaming and make reality." —Kristian Kan
"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
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
"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
"Learn from every mistake because every experience, encounter, and particularly your mistakes are there to teach you and force you into being more who you are. And then figure out what is the next right move. And the key to life is to develop an internal moral, emotional G.P.S. that can tell you which way to go." —Oprah
"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
"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
“Success is not about wealth or fame, but about inner happiness and fulfillment.” —Margot Robbie
“There are multiple sides to all of us. Who we are — and who we might be if we follow our dreams. —Miley Cyrus
“God will never give you anything you can’t handle, so don’t stress.” —Kelly Clarkson
Funny graduation quotes
"We're only here for so long. Be happy, man. You could get hit by a truck tomorrow." —Timothée Chalamet
“Don’t allow people to dim your shine because they are blinded. Tell them to put on sunglasses.” —Lady Gaga
"Get busy living or get busy dying." —Stephen King
"You can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets." —Arnold Schwarzenegger
"If you aren't going all the way, why go at all?" —Joe Namath
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." —Wayne Gretzky
"You will stumble and fall, you will experience both disaster and triumph, sometimes in the same day. But it's really important to remember that like a hangover, neither triumphs nor disasters last forever." —Helen Mirren
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." —Thomas Edison
"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
"Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there." —Will Rogers
"The road to success is always under construction." —Lily Tomlin
"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it." —Robin Williams
"Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor." —Jackson Browne
“Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.” —Elbert Hubbard
“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” —Dolly Parton
“Sometimes it takes a good fall to know where you stand.” —Hayley Williams
College graduation quotes
“Success is nothing if you don’t have the right people to share it with; you’re just going to end up lonely.” —Selena Gomez
"The meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away." —Joy J. Golliver
"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
"No job or task is too small or beneath you. If you want to get ahead, volunteer to do the things no one else wants to do, and do it better." —Bobbi Brown
"You can’t do it alone. Be open to collaboration. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you. Spend a lot of time with them and it will change your life." — Amy Poehler
"When we show up, act boldly, and practice the best ways to be wrong, we fail forward. No matter where we end up, we’ve grown from where we began." —Stacey Abrams
"I celebrate you as you remember the power of grace and pride, and I challenge you to choose freedom over fear." —Janelle Monáe
"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." —John Dewey
"You could travel with the sheep, follow everybody else’s stuff, but then you’re not you. I guess if I want to say anything it’s ‘Be you.’ Be true to you, and that should make the ride a little more interesting." — Whoopi Goldberg
"There will be times when your best isn’t good enough. There can be many reasons for this, but as long as you give your best you’ll be OK." —Robert De Niro
"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
"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
"As you graduate, as you deal with your excitement and your doubts today, I urge you to try and create the world you want to live in. Minister to the world in a way that can change it. Minister radically in a real, active, practical, get your hands dirty way." —Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." —Henry David Thoreau
"The horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change." —Maya Angelou
"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
"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
"Dreams are lovely. But they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It's hard work that makes things happen. It's hard work that creates change." —Shonda Rhimes
"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
“Life can be heavy if you carry it all at once. Know what to keep and what to release. Decide what is yours to hold, and let all the other things go." —Taylor Swift
“A lot of people give up just before they’re about to make it. You know you never know when that next obstacle is going to be the last one.” —Chuck Norris
“It’s the choice. You have to wake up every day and say, ‘There’s no reason today can’t be the best day of my life’.” —Blake Lively
Inspirational graduation quotes
“We are all deserving and we don’t need permission or an invitation to exist and to step into our power.” —Ilhan Omar
“Your self worth is determined by you. You don’t have to depend on someone telling you who you are.” —Beyoncé
"No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind." —Taylor Swift
"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
"Understand that one day you will have the power to make a difference, so use it well." —Mindy Kaling
"I'm continually trying to make choices that put me out of my own comfort zone. As long as you're uncomfortable it means you're growing." —Ashton Kutcher
"It's amazing what you can get if you quietly, clearly and authoritatively demand it." —Meryl Streep
"It's the choice. You have to wake up every day and say 'There's no reason today can't be the best day of my life.'" —Blake Lively
"I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." —Michael Jordan
"There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do." —Derek Jeter
"My favorite animal is the turtle. The reason is that in order for the turtle to move, it has to stick its neck out. There are going to be times in your life when you’re going to have to stick your neck out. There will be challenges, and instead of hiding in a shell, you have to go out and meet them." —Ruth Westheimer
"There is no passion to be found in playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." —Nelson Mandela
"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
"Frustration, although quite painful at times, is a very positive and essential part of success. —Bo Bennett
"You can never be the best. The only thing you can be the best at is developing yourself." — Natalie Portman
"Real courage is holding on to a still voice in your head that says, ‘I must keep going.’ It’s that voice that says nothing is a failure if it is not final. That voice that says to you, ‘Get out of bed. Keep going. I will not quit.'" —Cory Booker
"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
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." —Ralph Waldo Emerson
"When people tell you not to believe in your dreams, and they say 'Why?' say 'Why not?'" —Billie Jean King
"I encourage you to live with life. Be courageous, adventurous. Give us a tomorrow, more than we deserve." —Maya Angelou
"There is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction." — Oprah Winfrey
"I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it." —Thomas Jefferson
“Sometimes the problem feels so big that changing one life doesn’t feel like enough. But it is.” —America Ferrera
“Don’t take yourself too seriously. Know when to laugh at yourself, and find a way to laugh at obstacles that inevitably present themselves.” —Halle Bailey
“Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary.” —Gerard Way
Proud graduation quotes
“Every day is a new opportunity to change your life and be who you want to be.” —Demi Lovato
"Don't be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered." —Michelle Obama
"Remember this: You are awesome. I’m not suggesting you be boastful. No one likes that in men or women. But I am suggesting that believing in yourself is the first necessary step to coming even close to achieving your potential." —Sheryl Sandberg
“Don’t ever doubt yourselves or waste a second of your life. It’s too short and you’re too special.” —Ariana Grande
"Ignore the naysayers. Really the only option is: head down and focus on the job." —Chris Pine
"Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own." —Michelle Obama
"The best remedy for those who are frightened, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be alone with the sky, nature, and God. For only then can you feel that everything is as it should be and that God wants people to be happy amid nature’s beauty and simplicity." —Anne Frank
"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." —E. E. Cummings
"I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself." —Emma Stone
"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
"In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love." —Mother Teresa
“So often in life things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great good fortune.” —Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine.” —Eeyore
“What do you have to do? What do you want to do? Tomorrow is not promised. Make plans anyway.” —Lin Manuel Miranda
“There are no regrets in life. Just lessons.” —Jennifer Aniston
“For the great doesn’t happen through impulse alone, and is a succession of little things that are brought together.” —Vincent Van Gogh
Short graduation quotes
"Change takes courage." —Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
"You're never a loser until you quit trying." —Mike Ditka
"Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions." —Albert Einstein
“Work so hard that you never have to introduce yourself.” —Gigi Hadid
"It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up." —Babe Ruth
"There are no regrets in life — just lessons." —Jennifer Aniston
"Stay hungry. Stay foolish." —Steven Jobs
"A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman." —Melinda Gates
"You get in life what you have the courage to ask for." —Oprah Winfrey
"To give any less than your best is to sacrifice a gift." —Steve Prefontaine
"Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity." —Will Smith
"Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement." —Matt Bondi
"If you can’t outplay them, outwork them." —Ben Hogan
"This above all: To thine own self be true." —William Shakespeare
"Do. Or do not. There is no try." —Yoda
"Be bold, be courageous, be your best." –Gabrielle Giffords
"It is absolutely still possible to make a difference." —Michelle Obama
“You’re not a slacker if you cut yourself some slack.” —Bill Gates
“Be persistent and never give up hope.” —George Lucas
“Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” —Gloria Steinem
Graduation quotes for Instagram
"It is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate." —George Burns
“There’s always going to be someone who doesn’t like you.” —Ariana Grande
"All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." —Walt Disney
“Started from the bottom, now we’re here.” —Drake
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." —Eleanor Roosevelt
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." —Sun Tzu
"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." —Arthur Ashe
"She turned her can’ts into cans and her dreams into plans." —Kobi Yamada
"There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind." —C.S. Lewis
"You can never be overdressed or overeducated." —Oscar Wilde
"Nothing is impossible. The word itself says 'I'm possible.'" —Audrey Hepburn
"A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." —Jack Dempsey
“Don’t you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can’t be exactly who you are.” —Lady Gaga
“Be kind to yourself a little more every day.” —Dua Lipa
“You will screw it up sometimes.” —Taylor Swift
“And here you are living despite it all.” —Rupi Kaur
“If you don’t have any shadows you’re not in the light.” —Lady Gaga
“Keep your eyes on the finish line and not on the turmoil around you.” —Rihanna
Senior quotes
“For every winner, there doesn't have to be a loser. In fact, most success stories are less about competition and more about collaboration.” —Michelle Yeoh
“Time is the most valuable resource on the planet.” —Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
“Please don’t be afraid, don’t worry yourself. The end and beginning, beginning and end are connected.” —BTS’s Suga
“Trust your gut, keep throwing darts at the dartboard. Don’t listen to the critics – and you will figure it out.” —Will Ferrell
“Building your community is how you change the world.” —LeBron James
“Never let anyone put you in a box or tell you what you can do. Make sure you paint your own picture and go your own path, and continue to think outside the box.” —Magic Johnson
“If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow.” —Beyoncé
“Embrace your uniqueness for it is what makes you truly beautiful.” —Dove Cameron
“I’ve always done whatever I want and been exactly who I am.” —Billie Eilish
“Don’t try so hard to fit in, and certainly don’t try so hard to be different, just try hard to be you.” —Zendaya
“If you were born with the weakness to fall you were born with the strength to rise.” —Rupi Kaur
“You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.” —Serena Williams
“You can be everything. You can be the infinite amount of things that people are.” —Kesha
“Do one thing every day that scares you.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
“Keep smiling, because life is a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.” —Marilyn Monroe
Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Taylor Swift’s Grad Speech: “You Will Screw It Up”
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
