Around this time of year, high school graduations and college graduations are in full swing. When graduating students don their caps and gowns, and prepare to march across the stage to receive their diplomas or degrees. Whether a student is finishing up elementary, middle, high school, or college, graduation is an important milestone in their learning journey. Here is a list of inspiring graduation quotes to prepare you for the big day.
- This above all: To thine own self be true. – William Shakespeare
- Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom. – Oprah Winfrey
- The meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away. -Joy J. Golliver
- 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
- Nothing builds self-esteem and self-accomplishment. – Thomas Carlyle
- You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go. – Dr. Seuss
- Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for other guides your manners.
- 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 then by all means you should follow that. – Ellen Degeneres
- This is the beginning of anything you want.
- 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. – JK Rowling
- Take it all one day at a time, and enjoy the journey. – Kristi Bartle
- What lies behind us, and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Be Bold. Be Brilliant. Be You
- 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. – Anonymous
- You are BRAVER than you believe, STRONGER than you seem, and SMARTER than you think.
- Share your sparkle wherever you are. – Dodinsky
- Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.
- The fireworks begin today. Each diploma is a lighted match. Each one of you is a fuse. – Edward Koch
- Will it be easy? Nope. Worth it? Absolutely!
- 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
- Go into the world and do well, but more importantly, go into the world and do good.
- 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
- Your time as a caterpillar has expired. Your wings are ready.
- 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
- All our dreams can come true…if we have the courage to pursue them. – Walt Disney
- 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
- Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. – Ella Fitzgerald
- Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. – Nelson Mandela
- Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
- The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. – Eleanor Roosevelt
- Life isn’t about finding yourself. It’s about creating yourself.
- In response to those who say to stop dreaming and face reality, I say keep dreaming and make reality. – Kristian Kan
- A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. – Sun Tzu
- 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. Make good art. – Neil Gaiman
- Your future doesn’t lie ahead of you…it lies deep inside of you, waiting to be discovered.
- I think 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. There are so few people this crazy that I feel like I know them all by first name. They all travel as if they are pack dogs and stick to each other like glue. The best people want to work the big challenges. – Larry Page
- Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. 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
- Take pride in how far you have come and have faith in how far you will go.
- A grand adventure is about to begin.
- Life is a journey. Enjoy the ride.