Students want their graduation to be a special, memorable occasion, and you, as an educator, want to inspire and motivate them to reach their goals. We’ve compiled a list of inspiring graduation quotes you can work into any commencement speech you may be giving this season, write in student yearbooks, or simply share with students as their final days in your class come to an end.

20 Inspirational Graduation Quotes

1. “In response to those who say to stop dreaming and face reality, I say keep dreaming and make reality.” – Kristian Kan
2. “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
3. “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
4. “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
5. “Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom.” – Oprah Winfrey
6. “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
7. “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
8. “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
9. “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
10. “Share your sparkle wherever you are.” – Dodinsky
11. “The fireworks begin today. Each diploma is a lighted match. Each one of you is a fuse.” – Edward Koch
12. “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
13. “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
14. “What lies behind us, and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
15. “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
16. “All our dreams can come true…if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney
17. “Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do.” – Ella Fitzgerald
18. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
19. “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
20. “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

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