I don’t normally schedule a good cry, but on May 18, it’s going down like Niagara Falls. That’s the day our oldest daughter graduates from high school. So I fully expect to be heaving sobs with the other moms and dads (and family members) as the most recent graduating class receives diplomas. It won’t be pretty.
On graduation day, I don’t expect to be capable of formulating complete sentences. As moms, watching our children graduate from any school—preschool, elementary, middle, high, college—stirs up all the emotions and leaves us at a loss for words. Let these 40 graduation quotes give you the perfect words of wisdom that can speak for you when you can’t.
For Preschool or Elementary School
1. “It’s time to see what I can do, to test limits and break through.” – Elsa in Frozen
2. “Don’t be intimidated by those who are older than you; simply be the example they need to see by being faithful and true in all that you do. Speak the truth and live a life of purity and authentic love as you remain strong in your faith.” – 1 Timothy 4:12
3. “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – Christopher Robin in Winnie the Pooh
4. “Just keep swimming.” – Dory in Finding Nemo (Mama, this one might be for you if you’re about to have a middle schooler! Bookmark these parenting strategies, too.)
5. “I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living, my baby you’ll be.” – Robert Munsch in Love You Forever
6. “To infinity and beyond!” – Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story
7. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.” – Dr. Seuss in Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
8. “I just finished the most wonderful story.” – Belle in Beauty and the Beast
9. “Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.” – Helen Keller
10. “Adventure is out there.” – Ellie in Up
Ways to use: Wondering what to do with graduation quotes for your little one? Print one and take a picture of your child holding it while dressed in her tiny cap and gown. Try 6, 8, or 10! Or use graduation quotes in your social media posts when you share photos from the end-of-year party.
For Middle School, High School, or College
11. “Fight for what makes you optimistic about the world. Find it, insist on it, dig into it, go after it.” – Jennifer Garner
12. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” – Henry David Thoreau
13. “Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.” – Will Rogers
14. “Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor.” – Jackson Browne
15. “No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.” – Taylor Swift
16. “There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter
17. “There is no passion to be found in playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” – Nelson Mandela
18. “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
19. “I encourage you to live with life. Be courageous, adventurous. Give us a tomorrow more than we deserve.” – Maya Angelou
20. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5–6
21. “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” – E. E. Cummings
22. “All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney
23. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
24. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe
25. “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller
26. “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” – Proverbs 16:3
27. “God opens doors knowing we can’t walk through them alone and gracefully gives us the strength to do it.” – Susan Merrill
28. “I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy. I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” – Arthur Williams
29. “Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.” – Minor Myers Jr.
30. “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” – Colossians 3:23
31. “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden
32. “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” – Helen Keller
33. “The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.” – Abraham Lincoln
34. “It is not what we think or feel that makes us who we are. It is what we do or don’t do.” – Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility
35. “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ways to use: Include a quote on your child’s graduation announcement or as part of the graduation party decor, or engrave a graduation quote on a keychain, compass, or pendant as a gift. As another alternative, you could find two or three graduation quotes that speak to your heart and use them to write your child a letter with your hopes and prayers for his future. In your letter, sprinkle in a few of these wise words your kid needs to hear from you, too.
And, a Few Graduation Quotes for the Momma Heart
36. “All beginnings, no matter what they are, hold elements of both joy and heartbreak. When we enter a new beginning, we have generally also experienced some kind of ending that comes with layered emotions and experiences of grief, transition, and letting go… Be relentlessly kind to yourself.” – Emily P. Freeman, The Next Right Thing
37. “Goodbye may seem forever. Farewell is like the end, but in my heart is the memory and there you will always be.” – Widow Tweed in The Fox and the Hound
38. “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” – Winnie the Pooh
39. “There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.” – Mahatma Gandhi
40. “If you become a bird and fly away from me, I will become a tree that you come home to.” – Margaret Wise Brown, The Runaway Bunny
Ways to use: Our babies grow up. While your child steps into a new beginning, it’s also an ending for a specific season of parenting. That’s why we put together a few graduation quotes just for you. Write your favorite down and tape it to your bathroom mirror as a reminder.
What is the best advice you received at your high school or college graduation?
