Are you feeling the excitement and nerves that come with a new school year? Whether you’re a student gearing up for another year of learning, a teacher preparing to inspire, or a parent offering support, how can a few simple words of wisdom help you stay motivated and focused throughout the journey?
As the new school year approaches, it’s the perfect time to gather inspiration and ignite motivation with the power of words. Whether you’re a student gearing up for a fresh start, a teacher preparing to inspire, or a parent supporting your child’s journey, “Back to School Quotes” can provide the boost you need.
In this collection of handpicked quotes, you’ll find everything from short and funny quotes to heartfelt messages for kids, teachers, and parents alike. These quotes are designed to lift spirits, fuel determination, and create a positive mindset for a successful year ahead.
Let these words remind you that the back-to-school season is more than just a return to routine—it’s an opportunity for growth, learning, and new beginnings.
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and Words Of Wisdom From Famous Leaders For Students.
Back To School Quotes For Students
As the new school year begins, motivation and encouragement are key for students to feel inspired. These back to school quotes will help set the tone for a positive and productive year ahead.
1 . “A new school year means new beginnings, new adventures, new friendships, and new challenges. The slate is clean and anything can happen.” — Denise Witmer
2 . “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” — Aristotle
3 . “Education can get you the only thing that really matters in today’s world—an assigned parking space.” — Gene Perret
4 . “Education is the key to success in life, and teachers make a lasting impact in the lives of their students.” — Solomon Ortiz
5 . “I said school starts tomorrow. I didn’t say I was going to be there.” — Kim Harrison
6 . “Intelligence plus character—that is the true goal of education.” — Martin Luther King
7 . “School is a lot like toilet paper. You only miss it when it’s gone.” — Anonymous
8 . “There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.” — Mahatma Gandhi
9 . “There is nothing on earth intended for innocent people so horrible as a school.” — George Bernard Shaw
10 . “Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” — Edmund Burke
11 . “We all learn by experience but some of us have to go to summer school.” — Peter De Vries
12 . “You can drag my body to school but my spirit refuses to go.” — Bill Watterson
Back To School Quotes Short
Sometimes, a short and sweet quote is all you need to ignite excitement for the new school year. Here are some quick and impactful back to school quotes to boost motivation.
13 . “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” — Dr. Seuss
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 . “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
16 . “A no. 2 pencil and a dream can take you anywhere.” —Joyce Meyer
17 . “A sense of curiosity is nature’s original education.” —Smiley Blanton
18 . “A sense of curiosity is nature’s original school of education.” — Smiley Blanton
19 . “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” — Henry B. Adams
20 . “A teacher is a person who never says anything once.” – Howard Nemerov
21 . “A teacher must believe in the value and interest of his subject as a doctor believes in health.” – Gilbert Highet
22 . “A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron.” – Horace Mann
23 . “A year from now you may wish you had started today.” —Karen Lamb
24 . “All children start their school careers with sparkling imaginations, fertile minds, and a willingness to take risks with what they think.” — Ken Robinson
25 . “All the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind.” – Martin H. Fischer
Back To School Quotes Funny
Laughter is a great way to kick off the school year! These funny back to school quotes will bring a smile to students’ faces and make the transition back to class a little easier.
26 . “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” —Benjamin Franklin
27 . “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” — Albert Einstein
28 . “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” – Henry Ford
29 . “At school, nobody thought I was smart, and I became smart. Nobody wanted to be my friend, and then I had lots of friends.” — Rebel Wilson
30 . “Be curious, not cool.” — Ken Burns
31 . “Be kind and make friends.” — Unknown
32 . “Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” – Meister Eckhart
33 . “Belonging starts with self-acceptance… Believing that you’re enough is what gives you the courage to be authentic, vulnerable, imperfect.” —Brene Brown
34 . “Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.” — Japanese Proverb
35 . “Books are not men and yet they stay alive.” – Henry Ward Beecher
36 . “Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations.” – Henry David Thoreau
37 . “Books like friends, should be few and well-chosen.” – Samuel Johnson
38 . “Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren’t very new at all.” – Abraham Lincoln
Back To School Quotes For Kids
Starting school can be both exciting and nerve-wracking for kids. These back to school quotes for kids will help them feel confident and ready for the adventures ahead.
39 . “Books were my pass to personal freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi.” – Oprah Winfrey
40 . “Children are apt to live up to what you believe of them.” — Lady Bird Johnson
41 . “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” – Margaret Mead
42 . “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo
43 . “Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they were born in another time.” — Chinese proverb
44 . “Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.” — Alan Cohen
45 . “Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden
46 . “Don’t try so hard to fit in, and certainly don’t try so hard to be different…just try hard to be you.” — Zendaya
47 . “Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.” — Confucius
48 . “Education doesn’t make us smarter. It makes us whole.” —Jill Biden
49 . “Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.” — Will Durant
50 . “Education is a right, not a privilege; it is an opportunity, not an entitlement.” —Arne Duncan
51 . “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” —John Dewey
52 . “Education is not the learning of many facts, but the training of the mind to think.” —Albert Einstein
Back To School Quotes From Parents
Parents play a big role in encouraging their children as they head back to school. These heartfelt back to school quotes from parents will inspire both kids and parents alike.
53 . “Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.” —G.K. Chesterton
54 . “Education is the difference between wishing you could help other people and being able to help them.” —Russell M. Nelson
55 . “Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom.” — Oprah Winfrey
56 . “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” – Socrates
57 . “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” —Nelson Mandela
58 . “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” —Malcolm X
59 . “Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don’t.” —Lydia Child
60 . “Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” —Malcolm Forbes
61 . “Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare.” —Angela Duckworth
62 . “Even the genius asks questions.” – Tupac Shakur
63 . “Every book you pick up has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones.” – Stephen King
64 . “Every day is the first day of school.” — Dr. Edoardo Zeloni Magelli
65 . “Every moment is a new beginning.” – Elie Wiesel
66 . “Every student can learn, just not on the same day or in the same way.” —George Evans
Back To School Quotes For Teachers
Teachers are the heart of education, and their words of wisdom can make a difference in students’ lives. These back to school quotes for teachers celebrate their impact and encourage them for the year ahead.
67 . “Everything is a learning process: any time you fall over, it’s just teaching you to stand up the next time.” — Joel Edgerton
68 . “Everything you do–good or ‘bad’–affects everyone else in the room. That means everything you do matters because you matter.” — Unknown
69 . “First day of school! Wake up! Come on. First day of school.” — Finding Nemo
70 . “First day of school, make sure that you know your locker combination.” — Jordan Francis
71 . “For there is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.” —Amanda Gorman
72 . “Good teaching is more a giving of right questions than a giving of right answers.” — Josef Albers
73 . “Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself. Never pity yourself. Be a hard master to yourself and be lenient to everybody else.” —Henry Ward Beecher
74 . “I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.” – Winston Churchill
75 . “I came to understand the value of education, not just to enable me to make a good living, but to enable me to make a worthwhile life.” – Ruth Simmons
76 . “I care not what subject is taught, if only it be taught well.” – T. H. Huxley
77 . “I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.” —Lily Tomlin
78 . “I think the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession.” – John Wooden
79 . “I’ve always loved the first day of school better than the last day of school. Firsts are best because they are beginnings.” —Jenny Han
80 . “I’ve got a theory that if you give 100 percent all the time, somehow things will work out in the end.” – Larry Bird
Back To School Quotes For My Son
Sending your son off to school is a proud moment. These back to school quotes for my son will remind him of the exciting journey ahead and the support he has at home.
81 . “If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” — Ben Franklin
82 . “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” —Fred DeVito
83 . “If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.” — Chinese proverb
84 . “If you don’t understand, ask questions. If you’re uncomfortable about asking questions, say you are uncomfortable about asking questions and then ask anyway.” —Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
85 . “If you fail to prepare, you’re prepared to fail.” —Mark Spitz
86 . “If you have to put someone on a pedestal, put teachers. They are society’s heroes.” —Guy Kawasaki
87 . “If you think your teachers are tough, wait ‘til you get a boss.” — Bill Gates
88 . “If your plan is for one year plant rice. If your plan is for 10 years, plant trees. If your plan is for 100 years, educate children.” —Confucius
89 . “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.” —Barak Obama
90 . “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
91 . “Intelligence plus character—that is the true goal of education.” —Martin Luther King Jr.
92 . “It is from books that wise people derive consolation in the troubles of life.” – Victor Hugo
93 . “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” —George Eliot
94 . “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” — Aristotle
Inspirational School Quotes For Students
A little inspiration can go a long way for students who may be feeling overwhelmed. These back to school quotes will uplift and motivate students to face the challenges of the new year with confidence.
95 . “It’s good to learn. Nobody can ever take that away from you.” — Estelle Okeon
96 . “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” – Kofi Annan
97 . “Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.” —Malala Yousafzai
98 . “Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
99 . “My Alma mater was books, a good library… I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity.” – Malcolm X
100 . “No matter how hard the past is, you can always begin again.” – Buddha
101 . “No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.” – Regina Brett
102 . “None of us is as smart as all of us.” – Ken Blanchard
103 . “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says, ‘I’m possible.'” —Audrey Hepburn
104 . “Nothing is predestined. The obstacles of your past can become the gateways that lead to new beginnings.” – Ralph Blum
105 . “Nothing prevents boredom like a good book.” —Dave Pilkey
106 . “Now when you get there, act like somebody.” — Unknown
107 . “On the first day of college you will worry about how will you do inside the college and at the last day of a college you will wonder what will you do outside the college.” — Amit Kalantri
108 . “On the first day of school, you got to be real careful where you sit. You walk into the classroom and just plunk your stuff down on any old desk, and the next thing you know the teacher is saying, ‘I hope you all like where you’re sitting, because these are your permanent seats.” — Jeff Kinney
Good Quotes For Back To School
A good quote can set the tone for success and growth. Here are some thoughtful back to school quotes that will inspire both students and teachers for a fantastic year.
109 . “One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world.” — Malala Yousafzai
110 . “One day middle school will end and become high school and after that it just becomes life. All those things you think are important now won’t be anymore.” – Diary of a Wimpy Kid
111 . “Only one person in a million becomes enlightened without a teacher’s help.” – Bodhidharma
112 . “Respect your parents. They passed school without Google.” – Anonymous
113 . “School bells are ringing loud and clear; vacation’s over, school is here.” — Winifred C. Marshal
114 . “School is a building which has four walls with tomorrow inside.” – Lon Watters
115 . “School is the easiest job you’ll ever have.” — Marty Klazmer
116 . “Sign on a high school bulletin board in Dallas: Free every Monday through Friday—knowledge. Bring your own containers.” – E.C. McKenzie
117 . “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” – Francis Bacon
118 . “Some books leave us free and some books make us free.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
119 . “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”— Arthur Ashe
120 . “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” —Pelé
121 . “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” —Robert Collier
122 . “Teachers have three loves: love of learning, love of learners, and the love of bringing the first two loves together.” —Scott Hayden
Best Caption For A Student
Looking for the perfect caption to kickstart the school year? These back to school quotes will provide the perfect words to accompany any school-related post or picture.
123 . “Teaching is the greatest act of optimism.” —Colleen Wilcox
124 . “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin
125 . “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” —Benjamin Franklin
126 . “That is the difference between good teachers and great teachers: good teachers make the best of a pupil’s means; great teachers foresee a pupil’s ends.” – Maria Callas
127 . “That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way.” – Doris Lessing
128 . “The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think—rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with thoughts of other men.” — Bill Beattie
129 . “The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.” – B.B. King
130 . “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” — Plato
131 . “The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” — Brian Herbert
132 . “The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” —Dorothy Parker
133 . “The dream begins, most of the time, with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you on to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called ‘truth.’” —Dan Rather
134 . “The duties of a teacher are neither few nor small, but they elevate the mind and give energy to the character.” —Dorthea Dix
135 . “The future of the world is in my classroom today.” — Ivan Welton Fitzwater
Short Back To School Quotes For Students
Sometimes less is more. These short back to school quotes will deliver powerful messages in just a few words, perfect for inspiring students at the start of the year.
136 . “The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.” —Herbert Spencer
137 . “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it. It’s that we aim too low and reach it.” —Michelangelo
138 . “The greatest gifts we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.” —Maria Montessori
139 . “The highest result of education is tolerance.” — Hellen Keller
140 . “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” – Alvin Toffler
141 . “The job of an educator is to teach students to see the vitality in themselves.” — Joseph Campbell
142 . “The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder.” – Ralph W. Sockman
143 . “The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be ignited.” – Plutarch
144 . “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss
145 . “The most important part of teaching is to teach what it is to know.” – Simone Weil
146 . “The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn… and change.” –Carl Roger
147 . “The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.” – Rene Descartes
148 . “The road to freedom—here and everywhere on earth—begins in the classroom.” —Hubert Humphrey
149 . “The road to —here and everywhere on earth—begins in the classroom.” – Hubert Humphrey
Top Inspirational School Quotes For Students
The new school year is a time for students to dream big and aim high. These back to school quotes will help inspire students to stay focused, work hard, and achieve their goals.
150 . “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” – Aristotle
151 . “The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.” – C.S. Lewis
152 . “The teacher is the one who gets the most out of the lessons, and the true teacher is the learner.” – Elbert Hubbard
153 . “The visionary starts with a clean sheet of paper, and re-imagines the world.” – Malcolm Gladwell
154 . “The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards.” – Anatole France
155 . “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates’ loot on Treasure Island and best of all, you can enjoy these riches every day of your life.” —Walt Disney
156 . “There may be people that have more talent than you, but there is no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” —Derek Jeter
157 . “There’s more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” — Walt Disney
158 . “Think about every problem, every challenge we face. The solution starts with education.” —George H.W. Bush
159 . “This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change.” —Taylor Swift
160 . “To raise a child who is comfortable enough to leave you means you’ve done your job. They are not ours to keep, but to teach how to soar on their own.” — Unknown
161 . “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” —Margaret Fuller
162 . “Too often we give children answers to remember rather than problems to solve.” —Roger Lewin
163 . “Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of becoming.” — Goethe
164 . “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” —Thomas Huxley
Back To School Quotes For Students From Teachers
Teachers have the power to shape students’ futures. These back to school quotes from teachers will motivate students to approach the year with enthusiasm and determination.
165 . “We don’t stop going to school when we graduate.” – Carol Burnett
166 . “We expert teachers know that motivation and emotional impact are what matter.” – Donald Norman
167 . “We learn 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear, 70% of what we discuss, 80% of what we experience, 95% of what we teach others.” — William Glasser
168 . “What I remember most about high school are the memories I created with my friends.” — J. J. Watt
169 . “What is the most important thing one learns in school? Self-esteem, support, and friendship.” — Terry Williams
170 . “What makes a child gifted and talented may not always be good grades in school, but a different way of looking at the world and learning.” — Chuck Grassley
171 . “What we learn with pleasure, we never forget.” —Alfred Mercier
172 . “When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts.” —Dalai Lama
173 . “When we empower girls hungry for education, we cultivate women who are emboldened to effect change within their communities and globally.” —Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex
174 . “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” —Henry Ford
175 . “With every book, you go back to school. You become a student. You become an investigative reporter. You spend a little time learning what it’s like to live in someone else’s shoes.” —John Irving
176 . “Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen.” – Conan O’ Brien
177 . “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” —C.S. Lewis
Welcome Back To School Quotes
Starting a new school year is a time for fresh beginnings and exciting opportunities. These welcome back to school quotes are perfect for helping students feel motivated and ready to embrace the year ahead with enthusiasm.
178 . “You aren’t learning anything when you’re talking.” – Lyndon B. Johnson
179 . “You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.” — Clay P. Bedford
180 . “You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the water slide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.” – Tina Fey
181 . “You can’t do it alone. Be open to collaboration. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you. Spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”— Amy Poehler
182 . “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
183 . “You don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great.” —Zig Ziglar
184 . “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
185 . “You learn something every day if you pay attention.” — Ray LeBlond
186 . “You learn something new every day if you pay attention.” —Ray LeBlond
187 . “You must do the things you think you cannot do.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
188 . “You’re off to great places. Today is your day!” — Dr. Seuss
189 . “Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” —Nora Ephron
190 . “The most important day of a person’s education is the first day of school, not the last.” — Anonymous
Conclusion
As you embark on this new school year, let these “Back to School Quotes” inspire and motivate you to embrace the challenges and opportunities ahead. Whether you’re stepping into the classroom as a student, teacher, or parent, these quotes serve as reminders of the importance of growth, learning, and perseverance.
Share your favorite quotes with friends and family, and don’t forget to use them as daily affirmations to stay focused and motivated.
Ready to kick-start the school year with a positive mindset? Explore our full collection of quotes and make this year your best one yet!