120 Graduation Quotes for the Class of 2024

120 Graduation Quotes for the Class of 2024

Graduation is a monumental experience in every student’s life— for many, it’s the first of life’s major accomplishments! Whether it’s from high school or college, graduation is a time to celebrate accomplishments, reflect on growth, and look to the future. Celebrate this special occasion with our list of inspirational graduation quotes. From quotes by Theodore Roosevelt to Steve Jobs, Dr. Suess, and Taylor Swift, you'll find a quote for every graduate.

Related: Inspiring Kindergarten Graduation Quotes

Inspirational Graduation Quotes

1. "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
2. "Believe you can and you're halfway there." – Theodore Roosevelt
3. "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." – Nelson Mandela
4. "The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." – B.B. King
5. "Don't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going." – Sam Levenson
6. "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." – C.S. Lewis
7. "It always seems impossible until it's done." – Nelson Mandela
8. "The best way to predict your future is to create it." – Abraham Lincoln
9. "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." – Henry David Thoreau
10. “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

High School Graduation Quotes

1. "The future belongs to those who prepare for it today." – Malcolm X
2. “The unfortunate, yet truly exciting thing about your life, is that there is no core curriculum. The entire place is an elective.” —Jon Stewart
3. "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose." – Dr. Seuss
4. "Don't count the days, make the days count." – Muhammad Ali
5. "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. By all means, you should follow that." – Ellen DeGeneres
6. "Life is an improvisation. You have no idea what's going to happen next, and you are mostly just making things up as you go along." – Stephen Colbert
7. “Graduation is not the end. It’s the beginning.” —Orrin Hatch
8. "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
9. "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
10. "In response to those who say to stop dreaming and face reality, I say keep dreaming and make reality." — Kristian Kan

College Graduation Quotes

1. "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." – Franklin D. Roosevelt
2. "To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." – Anatole France
3. "Don't let the fear of striking out hold you back." – Babe Ruth
4. "Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead." – Nora Ephron
5. “Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
6. "Education is the passport to the future." – Malcolm X
7. "What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the human soul." – Joseph Addison
8. "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
9. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, dream, discover.” — Mark Twain
10. "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
11. "You can never be overdressed or overeducated." — Oscar Wilde

Funny Graduation Quotes

1. "The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces." – Will Rogers
2. "Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there." – Will Rogers
3. "My dear terrified graduates, you are about to enter the most uncertain and thrilling period of your lives." – Lin-Manuel Miranda
4. "Just remember, you can't climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets." – Arnold Schwarzenegger
5. "The only thing that ever sat its way to success was a hen." – Sarah Brown
6. "So, what's it like in the real world? Well, the food is better, but beyond that, I don't recommend it." – Bill Watterson
7. "The best way to predict the future is to create it." – Peter Drucker
8. "The fireworks begin today. Each diploma is a lighted match. Each one of you is a fuse." – Ed Koch
9. "The tassel was worth the hassle." – Anonymous
10. "We're only here for so long. Be happy, man. You could get hit by a truck tomorrow." — Timothée Chalamet

Short Graduation Quotes

1. "Be bold, be courageous, be your best." – Gabrielle Giffords
2. "Dream big and dare to fail." – Norman Vaughan
3. "This is your time; you are ready." – Oprah Winfrey
4. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." – Lao Tzu
5. "The important thing is to never stop questioning.” — Albert Einstein
6. “Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try it.” — John F. Kennedy
7. “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” — Milton Berle
8. "Change takes courage." — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
9. "You're never a loser until you quit trying." —Mike Ditka
10. "Stay hungry. Stay foolish." — Steve Jobs
11. “Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” — Gloria Steinem

Graduation Quotes for Daughters

1. "She turned her can'ts into cans and her dreams into plans." – Kobi Yamada
2. "Your life is your story, and the adventure ahead of you is the journey to fulfill your own purpose and potential." – Kerry Washington
3. "Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle." – Christian D. Larson
4. "She believed she could, so she did." – R.S. Grey
5. "The only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them." – Michelle Obama
6. "You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." – A.A. Milne
7. "She dreams more often than she sleeps." – Jonny Ox
8. “Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in.” — Hilary Clinton
9. "Fight for what makes you optimistic about the world. Find it, insist on it, dig into it, go after it." — Jennifer Garner
10. "I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself." — Emma Stone
11. "A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman." — Melinda Gates
12. "Nothing is impossible. The word itself says 'I'm possible.'" —Audrey Hepburn

Graduation Quotes for Sons

1. "Great men are not born great, they grow great.” — The Godfather
2. "The only impossible journey is the one you never begin." – Tony Robbins
3. "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success." – Albert Schweitzer
4. "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." – Walt Disney
5. "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." —E. E. Cummings
6. "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
7. "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
8. "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
9. "I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." — Michael Jordan
10. "A champion is someone who gets up when he can't." — Jack Dempsey

Graduation Quotes From Movies

1. "You have to do everything you can. You have to work your hardest, and if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining." – Silver Linings Playbook
2. "The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all." –  The Princess Diaries
3. "It's not about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." – Rocky Balboa
4. "To infinity and beyond!" – Toy Story
5. "Don't let anyone ever make you feel like you don't deserve what you want." – Heath Ledger, 10 Things I Hate About You
6. "Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." – Dead Poets Society
7. "The best is yet to come." – The Joker Is Wild
8. "You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling." –  Inception
9. “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” — Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
10. “It’s not our abilities that show what we truly are. It’s our choices.” — Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrerts

Graduation Quotes From Literature

1. "It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." – William Shakespeare
2. "To thine own self be true." – William Shakespeare
3. "The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible." – Charles Kingsleigh, Alice in Wonderland
4. "So many things are possible just as long as you don't know they're impossible." – Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth
5. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the road less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” — Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken”
6. “Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose a challenge instead of competence.” — Eleanor Roosevelt, The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt
7. “I go to seek a great perhaps.” — John Green, Looking for Alaska
8. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” — Antoine de Saint-Eupéry, The Little Prince
9. “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” — Lousia May Alcott, Little Women
10. “Beware; for I am fearless and therefore powerful.” — Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
11. “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

Dr. Suess Graduation Quotes

1. “You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So... get on your way!”
2. “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
3. “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. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go.”
4. “Oh, the places you’ll go!”

Celebrity Graduation Quotes

1. "Don't be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered." – Michelle Obama
2. "Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire." – Arnold H. Glasow
3. "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." – Alan Kay
4. "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
5. "Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do." – Ella Fitzgerald
6. “It ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side. It’s the climb.” — Miley Cyrus, “The Climb”
7. “Today is where your book begins. The rest is still unwritten.” — Natasha Bedingfield, “Unwritten”
8. “If you can do what you do best and be happy, you are further along in life than most people.” — Leonardo DiCaprio
9. "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
10. "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
11. "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

Taylor Swift Graduation Quotes

1. "Just be yourself, there is no one better."
2. "No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind."
3. "This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change."
4. "People are going to judge you anyway, so you might as well do what you want."
5. "The lesson I’ve learned the most often in life is that you’re always going to know more in the future than you know now."
6. "We don't need to share the same opinions as others, but we need to be respectful."
7. "I think fearless is having fears but jumping anyway."
8. "You are not the opinion of someone who doesn’t know you."
9. "Life isn't how to survive the storm, it's about how to dance in the rain."
10. "Never believe anyone who tells you that you don't deserve what you want."

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