68 Short Inspirational Quotes for Kids (by Authors, Superheroes etc.)

We’ll start our list with inspirational quotes from kids’ favorite superheroes. Every child has their favorite comic book of a film hero, whether it’s Wonder Woman, Superman, or Batman. Superheroes open up a world of imagination and possibility to kids. Here are some of the best inspirational quotes from superheroes:

a. “Life doesn’t give us purpose. We give life purpose.”
–The Flash

b. “Heroes are made by the path they choose, not the powers they are graced with.”
–Iron Man

c. “With great power, comes great responsibility.”
–Spiderman

d. “You are much stronger than you think you are. Trust me”
–Superman

e. “Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up.”
–Batman

f. “No Matter how bad things get, something good is out there, over the horizon.”
–Green Lantern

g. “Only love can truly save the world. So I stay, I fight, and I give, for the world I know can be.”
–Wonder Woman

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Kids love to read, and the characters in their favorite books teach them lessons about life and how to stay motivated and persevere when times get tough. Some children read their favorite stories over again, and some passages remain with them long into adulthood.

Check out these inspirational quotes from characters in books, movies, and TV shows:

a. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
–The Lorax, Dr. Seuss

b. “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.”
–Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie

c. “Just keep swimming.”
–Dory, Finding Nemo

d. “A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.”
–Eeyore, Winnie-the-Pooh

e. “Do, or do not. There is no try.”
–Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

f. “Even miracles take a little time.”
–The Fairy Godmother from Cinderella

g. “Always let your conscience be your guide.”
–The Blue Fairy, Pinocchio

Authors impart life lessons through their characters, but they also have motivational advice for kids in real life and non-fiction. Kids can learn from inspirational quotes from modern and classic authors. Here are several of our favorite quotes from authors.

a. “Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.
–Hans Christen Andersen

b. “We know what we are but know not what we may be.”
–Shakespeare

c. “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world.”
–EB. White

d. “To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.”
–Emily Dickensen

e. “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
–Maya Angelou

f. “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
–J.K. Rowling

g. “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 the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
–H. Jackson Brown, Jr., author of PS, I Love You

Movie, TV, YouTube, and music stars inspire kids. Many of these stars offer motivational advice for kids who feel confused about what road to take in life. Stars were once ambitious kids unsure of what life would offer them, and these quotes will help your child find his or her way in life:

a. “Only surround yourself with people who will lift you higher.”
–Oprah Winfrey, TV host

b. “You have to be unique and different and shine in your own way.”
–Lady Gaga

c. “If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.”
–Dolly Parton, singer

d. “Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life.”
–Sophia Loren, actress

e. “If they don’t like you for being yourself, be yourself even more.”
–Taylor Swift

f. Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”
–Judy Garland

g. “There are no regrets in life-just lessons.”
–Jennifer Aniston

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Athletes strive to be the best they can be. Top pro and Olympic athletes break records because of their natural talent, but more importantly, because of their dedication and perseverance. These quotes from top athletes of the 20th and 21st Century show kids that the sky is the limit once they put their hearts and minds towards a goal.

a. “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.”
–Babe Ruth

b. “Never say never, because limits, like fear, are just an illusion.”
–Michael Jordan

c. “Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.”
–Mike Singletary

d. “Champions keep playing ’til they get it right.”
–Billie Jean King

e. “I never worry about the problem. I worry about the solution.”
–Shaquille’ O Neal

f. “You’re never a loser til you quite trying.”
–Mike Ditka

g. “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will not accomplish anything in life.”
–Muhammad Ali

Public figures offer a unique perspective on ambition, hard work, and making dreams come true. Inspirational sayings from historical and public figures provide kids with universal themes of hope, kindness, and dedication.

a. “Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can do.”
–John Wooden, basketball coach

b. “Logic will take you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”
–Albert Einstein

c. “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
–Walt Disney

d. “Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.”
–Abraham Lincoln

e. “Survival can be summed up in three words: Never give up. That’s the heart of it really. Just keep trying.”
–Bear Grylls, outdoorsman

f. “Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.”
–Will Rogers, humorist

g. “Good words are worth much, and cost little.”
–George Herbert, poet, and orator

Success may seem elusive to kids, as it is to many adults. Kids may wonder how they can become a dancer, athlete, business leader, or scientist, like many of their idols. The following quotes offer guidance for kids on how to stay focused and achieve their goals:

a. “The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.”
–Theodore Roosevelt

b. “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
– Thomas Edison

c. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”
–Robert Frost

d. “Fall seven times, stand up eight.”
–Japanese Proverb

e. “You always pass failure on the way to success.”
–Mickey Rooney, actor

f. “Nothing is particularly hard if you break it into small jobs.”
–Henry Ford

g. “We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.”
–Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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Education and academics set the course for a child’s life. These quotes will help motivate kids to do their best in the classroom while studying, and in all areas related to their academic life.

a. “The expert in anything was once a beginner.”
–Helen Hayes, actress

b. “Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen.”
–Conan O’Brien

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

d. “Be so good they can’t ignore you.”
–Steve Martin, comedian

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

f. “Dreams come a size too big so we can grow into them.”
–Josie Bisset, actress

g. “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.”
– Plutarch

It’s important for kids to develop nurturing friendships. Finding and keeping froends is essential to a happy childhood and stability as your child gets older. The quality of friendships is more important than the quantity, and these quotes demonstrate the value of true friendship to kids.

a. “What is a friend? I will tell you…it is someone with whom you dare to be yourself.”
–Frank Crane

b. “No road is long with good company.”
–Turkish proverb

c. “When you decide not to be afraid, you can find friends in super unexpected places.”
–Ms. Marvel

d. “A true friend is the greatest of all blessings.”
–Francois de La Rochefoucauld

e. “Be true to your work, word, and your friend.”
–Henry David Thoreau

f. “Good friends help you to find important things when you have lost them . . .. your smile, your hope, and your courage.”
―Doe Zantamata

g. “No road is long with good company.”
– Turkish proverb

Growing up seems daunting, but these quotes offer kids guidance on how to handle the transition into being a teen and adult. Authors, poets and others provide sayings to help kids face getting older without worrying about whether they’re “doing it right.”

a. “Don’t try to make me grow up before my time…”
–Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

b. “Growing up is losing some illusions in order to acquire others.”
–Virginia Woolf

c. “Even though you’re growing up, you should never stop having fun.”
–Nina Dobrev

d. “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”
–E. E. Cummings

e. “Unless you try to do something beyond what you’ve already mastered, you will never grow.”
–Ralph Waldo Emerson

f. “It happens to everyone as they grow up. You find out who you are and what you want, and then you realize that people you’ve known forever don’t see things the way you do. So you keep the wonderful memories but find yourself moving on. “
–Nicholas Sparks