Back to School Quotes to Inspire You for the New Year

Whether you’re a teacher, parent, or student, these back to school quotes will get you motivated for the new school year.

From inspiring quotes to funny quotes, quotes for teachers and quotes for students, you’ll find something to inspire you.

Inspiring Back to School Quotes

Get inspired for the new school year with these back to school quotes from influential figures.

1. "Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today." - Malcolm X
2. "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt
3. "The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are." - J.P. Morgan
4. "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela
5. "The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet." - Aristotle
6. "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
7. "The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." - B.B. King
8. "It’s not about perfect. It’s about effort." - Jillian Michaels
9. "The expert in anything was once a beginner." - Helen Hayes
10. "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin
11. "Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." - John Dewey
12. "The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows." - Sydney J. Harris
13. "The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and change." - Carl Rogers
14. "A good education is a foundation for a better future." - Elizabeth Warren
15. "Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel." - Socrates
16. "The best way to predict your future is to create it." - Abraham Lincoln
17. "Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence." - Abigail Adams
18. "Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow." - Anthony J. D'Angelo
19. "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." - Aristotle

Back to School Quotes for Teachers

Now that the summer has come to end, it’s time to get back into the teacher spirit! Use these inspiring quotes to remember why you chose to become a teacher.

1. "Teaching is the greatest act of optimism." - Colleen Wilcox
2. "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." - Henry Adams
3. "The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery." - Mark Van Doren
4. "Teachers can change lives with just the right mix of chalk and challenges." - Joyce Meyer
5. "Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best." - Bob Talbert
6. "The influence of a good teacher can never be erased." - Unknown
7. "To teach is to touch a life forever." - Unknown
8. "A good teacher is like a candle—it consumes itself to light the way for others." - Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
9. "The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book." - Unknown
10. "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." - William Butler Yeats
11. "Good teaching is more a giving of right questions than a giving of right answers." - Josef Albers
12. "A teacher takes a hand, opens a mind, and touches a heart." - Unknown
13. "The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called 'truth.'" - Dan Rather
14. "Teachers plant seeds of knowledge that grow forever." - Unknown
15. "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." - Albert Einstein
16. "The best teachers are those who show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see." - Alexandra K. Trenfor
17. "A teacher’s job is to take a bunch of live wires and see that they are well-grounded." - D. Martin
18. "A truly special teacher is very wise and sees tomorrow in every child’s eyes." - Unknown
19. "The influence of teachers extends beyond the classroom, well into the future." - F. Sionil Jose
20. "Teaching is the profession that teaches all the other professions." - Unknown

Funny Back to School Quotes

Have a laugh with these silly back to school quotes for students and teachers.

1. "You can drag my body to school but my spirit refuses to go." - Bill Watterson
2. "The first day of school: The day when the countdown to the last day of school begins." - Unknown
3. "Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school." - Albert Einstein
4. "I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework." - Lily Tomlin
5. "In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson." - Tom Bodett
6. "School is a building which has four walls with tomorrow inside." - Lon Watters
7. "As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in schools." - Unknown
8. "The only time my education was interrupted was when I was in school." - George Bernard Shaw
9. "What’s the matter with you? You are looking kind of sad. I’m going back to school. That’s what’s the matter, Dad!" - Unknown
10. "We all learn by experience but some of us have to go to summer school." - Peter De Vries

Dr. Seuss Back to School Quotes

These back to school quotes by Dr. Suess are perfect for younger students. Read them to your class, or put them on your bulletin board or classroom door!

1. "You're off to great places, today is your day, your mountain is waiting, so get on your way."
2. "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go."
3. "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose."
4. "Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory."
5. "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."

Short Back to School Quotes

These short back to school quotes are perfect for using on your back to school bulletin board! If you’re a parent, these quotes can also be used in a note or card for your child on their first day of school.

1. "Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom." - Oprah Winfrey
2. "Dream big, work hard, stay focused, and surround yourself with good people." - Unknown
3. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." - Lao Tzu
4. "Believe you can and you’re halfway there." - Theodore Roosevelt
5. "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill
6. "The future starts today, not tomorrow." - Pope John Paul II
7. "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." - Arthur Ashe
8. "The best way to predict the future is to create it." - Abraham Lincoln

Looking for more back to school resources? 

Visit our Back to School Headquarters for icebreaker activities, class management tips, lesson planning support, and classroom passes and forms for the new year.