40 School Quotes to Inspire Students This Semester

It can be difficult for kids to transition from the carefree days of summer to early mornings, math homework, and standardized tests. But, you can help inspire them by sharing some thought-provoking school quotes that highlight the importance of education. And, while it likely will feel like a chore for most kids to return to school, these smart school quotes that explain its importance will hopefully allow them to see that it will all be worth it.

We’ve got school quotes from everyone from the likes of Oprah Winfrey to Nick Jonas to share with you. Each one offers a fresh perspective and positive outlook on school, learning, and character building. Share these quotes in a note on a bathroom window in the morning or slip a note into their lunch or notebook for them to discover while in school. Now, it’s time to discover the best school quotes to inspire learners returning to class this year!

Education Is Freedom

“Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom,” –Oprah Winfrey

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“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

Learning Is a Gift

“The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice.” –Brian Herbert

The Places They Will Go

“You’re off to great places. Today is your day!” –Dr. Suess

A Note to the Next Generation

“The future belongs to young people with an education and the imagination to create.” —Barack Obama

Always Be Curious

“A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers.” —Helen Keller

It’s More Than Just School

“Education is not just about going to school and getting a degree. It’s about widening your knowledge and absorbing the truth about life.” —Shakuntala Deva

Believev In Yourself

“I know I can be what I wanna be. If I work hard at it, I’ll be where I wanna be.” —NAS

Find This Feeling

“I had the feeling that to get into a schoolhouse and study… would be about the same as getting into paradise.” —Booker T. Washington

On Hard Work

“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

On Finding Yourself

“High school is about finding who you are because that’s more important than trying to be someone else.” —Nick Jonas

Preparing for the Future

“Education is the passport to the future for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” —Malcolm X

It’s More Than Just Homework

“I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.” —Lily Tomlin

An Educated Child Could One Day Change the World

“Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.” —Malala Yousafzai

Each Book Is an Opportunity

“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

It’s More Than Just Learning

“Education doesn’t make us smarter. It makes us whole.” —Jill Biden

Learning to Train the Mind

“Education is not the learning of many facts, but the training of the mind to think.” —Albert Einstein

Your Education Is a Weapon

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” —Nelson Mandela

A New Year Can Be a Fresh Start

“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

Keep Curious

“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” —Dorothy Parker

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You Can Do Anything

“You must do the things you think you cannot do.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

On Responsibility and Independence

“The greatest gift we can give our children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.” —Maria Montessori

Stay In School

“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

Do What You Can

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” —Arthur Ashe

Build a Team

“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

Knowledge Is Valuable

“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

The Future Is Female

“When we empower girls hungry for education, we cultivate women who are emboldened to effect change within their communities and globally.” —Meghan Markle

Always Try

“The difference between try and triumph is a little umph.” —Marvin Phillips

Educate Your Heart As Well

“When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts.” —Dalai Lama

So True

“You can never be overdressed or overeducated.” —Oscar Wilde

Always Ask Questions

“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

Set Your Own Standard

“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

Curiosity Is a Gift

“A sense of curiosity is nature’s original school of education.” —Smiley Blanton

Pay Attention, Folks

“You learn something new everyday if you pay attention.” —Ray LeBlond

Fitting In Is Overrated

“Don’t try hard to fit in, and certainly don’t try so hard to be different… Just try hard to be you.” —Zendaya

They Can’t Take It From You

“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” —B.B. King

The School of Life

“We don’t stop going to school when we graduate.” —Carol Burnett

Get Excited

“I believe that education is all about being excited about something. Seeing passion and enthusiasm helps push an educational message.” —Steve Irwin

Foundational Stuff

“A good education is a foundation for a better future.” —Elizabeth Warren

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The Goal of Education

“Intelligence plus character— that is the true goal of education.” —Martin Luther King Jr.

There you go! We hope you enjoyed these school quotes and that you will use them to inspire hungry minds! If you liked these quotes, keep reading for quotes about teachers and the incredible role they play in our society.

Discover the Warmest Quotes About Teachers Below:

Dealing with Live Wires in the Classroom

“A teacher’s job is to take a bunch of live wires and see that they are well-grounded.” –Darwin D. Martin

Inspiring Change and Fostering Understanding

“Teaching is more than imparting knowledge; it is inspiring change. Learning is more than absorbing facts; it is acquiring understanding.”—William Arthur Ward

Education Is Key

“Education is the key to success in life, and teachers make a lasting impact in the lives of their students.” –Solomon Ortiz

A Teacher Is at the Heart of Education

“Everyone who remembers his own education remembers teachers, not methods and techniques. The teacher is the heart of the educational system.” –Sidney Hook

The Loves of a Teacher

“Teachers have three loves: love of learning, love of learners, and the love of bringing the first two loves together.” –Scott Hayden

A Teacher Is Like a Candle

“A good teacher is like a candle—it consumes itself to light the way for others.” –Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

They Are Making the Difference

“It’s the teacher that makes the difference, not the classroom.” –Michael Morpurgo

On Enabling Discovery

“The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.” –Mark Van Doren

Teachers Give Students a Passport to the Future

“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” –Malcom X

On Making Kids Think

“I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.” –Lily Tomlin

Set Those Sights High

“Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them.” –Lady Bird Johnson

Teachers Are Change-Makers

“Teachers can change lives with just the right mix of chalk and challenges.” –Joyce Meyer

What It Means to Teach

“To teach is to learn twice over.” –Joseph Joubert

Personality Matters

“To this end, the greatest asset of a school is the personality of the teacher.” –John Strachan

A Lasting Impact

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” –Henry B. Adams

What Makes the Best Teacher?

“The best teacher of children, in brief, is one who is essentially childlike.” –H. L. Mencken

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Teachers Are Heroes

“If you have to put someone on a pedestal, put teachers. They are society’s heroes.” –Guy Kawasaki

A Universal Truth

“Good teachers are the ones who can challenge young minds without losing their own.” –Unknown

On the Duties of a Teacher

“The duties of a teacher are neither few nor small, but they elevate the mind and give energy to the character.” –Dorothea Dix

Teaching and Truth

“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

An Act of Optimism

“Teaching is the greatest act of optimism.” –Colleen Wilcox

Touching the Future from the Present

“I touch the future. I teach.” –Christa Mcauliffe

A Good Teacher Is All It Takes

“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.” –Brad Henry

What Counts

“Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best.” –Bob Talbert

Teachers Are Cheerleaders

“Nine-tenths of education is encouragement.” –Anatole France

Teachers Awaken Joy

“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” –Albert Einstein

Teachers Need More Resources

“Teaching: the only profession where you steal things from home and bring them to work.” –Unknown

They Really Care

“Educators are the only people who lose sleep over other people’s kids.” –Nicholas A. Ferroni

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A True Classic

“I can’t believe I just saw my teacher at the grocery store! I thought she lived in her classroom!” –Heidi McDonald

There you go! We hope you found these teacher quotes to be inspiring and moving. If you did enjoy them, we have also got some quotes about keeping a positive attitude to share with you. Take a look and improve your outlook!