90 Inspirational Back to School Quotes
As the school year approaches, it’s time to trade beach days for school days, shifting from leisure to learning. Embrace the return to classrooms with a blend of enthusiasm and anticipation for the adventures ahead.
To celebrate this transition, we’ve curated a collection of our favorite back-to-school quotes.
These quotes come from a range of voices—from literary giants like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Mark Twain to contemporary leaders like Michelle Obama and Dr. Seuss.
Whether you’re looking for a chuckle with witty words from Jim Gaffigan or seeking inspiration for the academic year, this collection has something for everyone.
Perfect for Instagram captions, texts, or notes in your child’s lunchbox, these quotes capture the spirit of the season and set the tone for a productive and joyful year.
Choose your favorite and let these profound words inspire your back-to-school journey.
Short Back-to-School Quotes
1# “You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So … get on your way!” — Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”
2# “The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” — W.B. Yeats
3# “Each new day is a blank page in the diary of your life. The secret of success is in turning that diary into the best story you possibly can.” — Douglas Pagels
4# “Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom.” — Oprah Winfrey
5# “Life loves to be taken by the lapel and be told, ‘I am with you kid. Let’s go!’” — Maya Angelou
6# “There is only one road to human greatness: through the school of hard knocks.” — Albert Einstein
7# “It is always better to ask a question than to answer one.” — Lemony Snicket, “Shouldn’t You Be in School?”
8# “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
9# “School bells are ringing, loud and clear; vacation’s over, school is here.” — Winifred C. Marshall, “School”
10# “Be true to your school now, just like you would to your girl or guy. Be true to your school now and let your colors fly.” — The Beach Boys, “Be True to Your School”
11# “Always believe that something wonderful is about to happen.” — Dr. Sukhraj Dhillon
12# “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe
13# “You’d think parents are just dying to get rid of their children. I mean, we are, we most definitely are.” — Jim Gaffigan
14# “Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best.” — Bob Talbert
15# “In learning, you will teach, and in teaching, you will learn.” — Phil Collins, “Son of Man”
16# “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” — Helen Keller
17# “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” — Zig Ziglar
18# “The beginning is always today.” — Mary Shelley
19# “What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
20# “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” — Malcolm X
21# “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” — B.B. King
22# “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” — W.B. Yeats
23# “In learning, you will teach, and in teaching, you will learn.” — Phil Collins
24# “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” — Dr. Seuss
25# “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela
26# “Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” — Nora Ephron
27# “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” — Aristotle
28# “Learning never exhausts the mind.” — Leonardo da Vinci
29# “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
30# “If you keep your eyes open enough, oh, the stuff you will learn! The most wonderful stuff!” — Dr. Seuss, “I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!”
31# “A #2 pencil and a dream can anywhere.” — Joyce Meyer
32# “What we learn with pleasure we never forget.” — Alfred Mercier
33# “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” — Mark Twain
34# “Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or the same way.” — George Evans
35# “The expert in anything was once a beginner.” — Helen Hayes
Inspirational Back-to-School Quotes For Teachers
1# “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
2# “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” — John Dewey
3# “The only person who is educated is the has learned how to learn and change.” — Carl Rogers
4# “Teachers can change lives with just the right mix of chalk and challenges.” — Joyce Meyer
5# “A good teacher is like a candle — it consumes itself to light the way for others.” — Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
6# “Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition.” — Jacques Barzun
7# “The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.” — Mark Van Doren
8# “Teachers affect eternity; no one can tell where their influence stops.” — Henry Brooks Adams
9# “The best teachers are those who show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see.” — Alexandra K. Trenfor
10# “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” — Albert Einstein
11# “One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.” — Malala Yousafzai
12# “I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” — Robert Frost
13# “Teaching is the greatest act of optimism.” — Colleen Wilcox
14# “You have to stay in school. You have to. You have to go to college. You have to get your degree. Because that’s the one thing people can’t take away from you is your education. And it is worth the investment.” — Michelle Obama
15# “You must do the things you think you cannot do.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
16# “Belonging starts with self-acceptance… Believing that you’re enough is what gives you the courage to be authentic, vulnerable, imperfect.” — Brene Brown
17# “Education doesn’t make us smarter. It makes us whole.” — Jill Biden
18# “In a global economy, where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity, it is a prerequisite.” — Barack Obama
19# “The duties of a teacher are neither few nor small, but they elevate the mind and give energy to the character.” — Dorothea Dix
20# “Education is not the learning of many facts, but the training of the mind to think.” — Albert Einstein
Inspirational Back-to-School Quotes For Students
1# “Strive for progress, not perfection.” — Unknown
2# “You are capable of more than you know.” — E.O. Wilson
3# “Education is the most powerful weapon 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# “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be ignited.” — Plutarch
6# “Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.” — William Butler Yeats
7# “Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.” — Chinese Proverb
8# “Be curious, not judgmental.” — Walt Whitman
9# “Success is not final, not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston Churchill
10# “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe
11# “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” — John Dewey
12# “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
13# “You have to be odd to be number one.” — Dr. Seuss
14# “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” — Nelson Mandela
15# “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
16# “What we learn becomes a part of who we are.” — Kathy R. Jeffords
17# “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
18# “Learn as if you were to live forever.” — Mahatma Gandhi
19# “It’s not about being the best. It’s about being better than you were yesterday.” — Unknown
20# “Dream big and dare to fail.” — Norman Vaughan
