43 Inspirational Graduation Quotes That Say What the Ceremony Couldn’t
Graduation is a strange kind of moment.
It’s one of the few times in life where ending something actually feels like a beginning.
You worked hard to get here.
You gave up sleep, free time, and probably a lot of comfort. And now the next chapter is wide open.
These graduation quotes are for the days ahead when you need a reminder of what you’re capable of.
Inspirational Graduation Quotes
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” — George Bernard Shaw
“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” — Nora Ephron
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward.” — 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.” — J.K. Rowling
“We do not need magic to change the world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already.” — J.K. Rowling
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe
“Don’t ever underestimate the impact 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
“Keep your face toward the sunshine and shadows will always fall behind you.” — Walt Whitman
“The best way out is always through.” — Robert Frost
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” — T.S. Eliot
“You have within you, right now, everything you need to deal with whatever the world can throw at you.” — Brian Tracy
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” — Theodore Roosevelt
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela
“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
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” — Winston Churchill
“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” — B.B. King
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” — W.B. Yeats
“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” — Aristotle
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” — Albert Einstein
“Nothing will work unless you do.” — Maya Angelou
“You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.” — Serena Williams
“Everything negative, pressure, challenges, is all an opportunity for me to rise.” — Kobe Bryant
“When you leave here, don’t forget why you came.” — Adlai E. Stevenson
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” — Albert Einstein
“Real courage is holding on to a still voice in your head that says, I must keep going.” — Cory Booker
“You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. Think of it as your ticket to change the world.” — Tom Brokaw
Funny Graduation Quotes
“If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” — Yogi Berra
“I learned law so well, the day I graduated I sued the college, won the case, and got my tuition back.” — Fred Allen
“You will never have more energy or enthusiasm, hair, or brain cells than you have today.” — Tom Magliozzi
“A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that individuality is the key to success.” — Robert Orben
“Commencement speeches were invented largely in the belief that outgoing college students should never be released into the world until they have been properly sedated.” — Garry Trudeau
“Your families are extremely proud of you. You can’t imagine the sense of relief they are experiencing.” — Gary Bolding
“Now that you’ve graduated, just remember: bosses don’t usually accept notes from your mother.” — Melanie White
“The trouble with learning from experience is that you never graduate.” — Doug Larson
“Just remember, you can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger
“Remember, half the doctors in this country graduated in the bottom half of their class.” — Al McGuire
“This man used to go to school with his dog. Then they were separated. His dog graduated!” — Henny Youngman
“We’re only here for so long. Be happy. You could get hit by a truck tomorrow.” — Timothée Chalamet
“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
