129 Inspirational Graduation Quotes To Find Courage

As you are all well aware, graduation is one of the most important days in a person’s life. It marks the end of high school or college and is a time to celebrate for many.

The tradition has been to have a big party with friends and family, wearing caps and gowns. Once, It was believed that no one should graduate alone, so the entire ceremony was often watched with family members nearby. Graduation is an exciting time, but it can also be stressful, especially if you have not adequately planned it!

In today’s modern world, some believe that graduation should be less about partying and more about looking forward to what happens next in life because, after all, it is not just a day but an experience.

Here are 129 inspirational graduation quotes that will help you find courage in your journey ahead

“The most important thing in your life is to live your life with integrity and to not give into peer pressure to try to be something that you’re not.” ― Ellen DeGeneres

“Now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for you being here. Make good art.” ― Neil Gaiman

“You don’t have a job? Get one. Any job! Don’t sit at home waiting for the magical opportunity. Do something until you can do something else.” ― Shonda Rhimes

“Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world right in the eye.” ― Helen Keller

“Things turn out best for people who make the best out of the way things turn out.” ― Art Linkletter

“Get busy living or get busy dying.” ― Stephen King

“Don’t be afraid of fear. Because it sharpens you, it challenges you, it makes you stronger; and when you run away from fear, you also run away from the opportunity to be your best possible self.” ― Ed Helms

“If you’re willing to stand for what you believe in … you won’t need advice from me, because you will be able to handle whatever comes.” ― Whoopi Goldberg

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things 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.” ― Mark Twain

“Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead.” ― Nora Ephron

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” ― Thomas Edison

“In response to those who say to stop dreaming and face reality, I say keep dreaming and make reality.” ― Kristian Kan

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” ― Dr. Seuss

“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” ― Babe Ruth

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.” ― Anatole France

“Do all the other things, the ambitious things—travel, get rich, get famous, innovate, lead, fall in love, make and lose fortunes…but as you do, to the extent that you can, err in the direction of kindness.” ― George Saunders

Life is an improvisation. You have no idea what’s going to happen next and you are mostly just making things up as you go along.” ― Stephen Colbert

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.” ― Dr. Seuss

“The important thing is not to stop questioning.” ― Albert Einstein

“Not only can you not plan the impact you’re going to have, you often won’t recognize it when you’re having it.” ― Dick Costolo

The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” ― Anthony Robbins

“You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticket to change the world.” ― Tom Brokaw

“You cannot authentically live anyone’s life but your own. That is the deal life offers us.” ― Gabrielle Giffords

“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” ― Anthony Robbins

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” ― Steve Jobs

“Sometimes, the only way to discover who you are or what life you should lead is to do less planning and more living— to burst the double bubble of comfort and convention and just do stuff, even if you don’t know precisely where it’s going to lead, because you don’t know precisely where it’s going to lead.” ― Daniel Pink

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt

“This is your time and it feels normal to you, but really, there is no normal. There’s only change and resistance to it and then more change.” ― Meryl Streep

“Your life is your story, and the adventure ahead of you is the journey to fulfill your own purpose and potential.” ― Kerry Washington

“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” ― Confucius

“Don’t just get involved. Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.” ― Barack Obama

“Nobody else is paying as much attention to your failures as you are… To everyone else, it’s just a blip on the radar screen, so just move on.” ― Jerry Zucker

There may be days when you’ll say to yourself, ‘I can’t. I literally can’t even.’ But you can! You can even!/Katie Couric

“Never go to your high school reunion pregnant or they will think that is all you have done since you graduated.” ― Erma Bombeck

“You have to dance a little bit before you step out into the world each day, because it changes the way you walk.” ― Sandra Bullock

“When you take risks, you learn that there will be times when you succeed and there will be times when you fail, and both are equally important.” ― Ellen DeGeneres

“The aim of education is the knowledge, not of facts, but of values.” ― William S. Burroughs

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” ― Maya Angelou

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.” ― J.K. Rowling

“It doesn’t matter that your dream came true if you spent your whole life sleeping.” ― Jerry Zucker

“Don’t ever confuse the two, your life and your work. The second is only part of the first.” ― Anna Quindlen

“My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to. Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small and that you never need to carry more than you can hold.” ― Rascal Flatts

“Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in.” ― Hillary Clinton

“Just remember, you can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets.” ― Arnold Schwarzenegger

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

“Sometimes you find out what you are supposed to be doing by doing the things you are not supposed to do.” ― Oprah Winfrey

“If you are successful, it is because somewhere, sometime, someone gave you a life or an idea that started you in the right direction. Remember also that you are indebted to life until you help some less fortunate person, just as you were helped.” ― Melinda Gates

“Be aware that even before you have reached your ultimate professional destination, if you always strive for excellence, you can and should have a substantial impact on the world in which you live.” ― Sandra Day O’Connor

“Don’t treat your heart like an action figure wrapped in plastic and never used.” ― Amy Poehler

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” ― Thomas Jefferson

“Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” ― Winston Churchill

“The person who gets the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.” ― Dale Carnegie

“The opposite of love isn’t hate. It isn’t even indifference. It’s fear.” ― Mary Karr

“What lies behind us, and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” ― Milton Berle

“Real courage is holding on to a still voice in your head that says, ‘I must keep going.’ It’s that voice that says nothing is a failure if it is not final. That voice that says to you, ‘Get out of bed. Keep going. I will not quit.’”—Cory Booker

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” ― Christopher Reeve

If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” ― Thomas Jefferson

“Creativity is a consequence of action, not its motivation. Do what needs to be done and then ask whether it was possible.” ― Wade Davis

“Now the first suggestion is to aim high, but be aware that even before you have reached your ultimate professional destination, if you always strive for excellence, you can and should have a substantial impact on the world in which you live.” ― Sandra Day O’Connor

“Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be.” ― Grandma Moses

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

“This is your time and it feels normal to you but really there is no normal. There’s only change, and resistance to it and then more change.” ― Meryl Streep

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

“There is a good reason they call these ceremonies “commencement exercises”. Graduation is not the end; it’s the beginning.” ― Orrin Hatch

“Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” ― Nathaniel Hawthorne

“So, I say to you, forget about the fast lane. If you really want to fly, just harness your power to your passion. Honor your calling. Everybody has one. Trust your heart and success will come to you.” ― Oprah Winfrey

“Success leads to the greatest failure, which is arrogance and pride. Failure can lead to the greatest success, which is humility and learning.” ― David Brooks

“You can become someone who is worthy of respect, and someone who can pursue what he wants irrespective of what others say or do.” ― Faith Starr

“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.” ― Steve Jobs

“Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door.” ― Kyle Chandler

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt

“There are few things more liberating in this life than having your worst fear realized.” ― Conan O’Brien

“In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.” ― Mother Teresa

Real leadership comes from the quiet nudging of an inner voice. It comes from realizing that the time has come to move beyond waiting to doing.” ― Madeleine Albright

If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.” ― William Arthur Ward

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future.” ― Plato

“The old rules are crumbling and nobody knows what the new rules are. So make up your own rules.” ― Neil Gaiman

“Life is the most exciting opportunity we have. But we have one shot. You graduate from college once, and that’s it. You’re going out of that nest. And you have to find that courage that’s deep, deep, deep in there. Every step of the way.” ― Andrew Shue

“Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets.” ― Leonardo da Vinci

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default.” ― J.K. Rowling

“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” ― Winston Churchill

Every person you meet knows something you don’t; learn from them.” ― H. Jackson Brown Jr.

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.” ― William Arthur Ward

Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticket to change the world.” ― Tom Brokaw

“Here’s the thing: the world is not going to issue you an engraved invitation to this life.” ― Sarah Heidt

“Be bold, be courageous, be your best.” ― Former Rep

“Life is an improvisation. You have no ideas what’s going to happen next and you are mostly making things up as you go along.” ― Stephen Colbert

“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” ― Vincent Van Gogh

“When you leave here, don’t forget why you came.” ― Adlai E. Stevenson

“If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.” ― Vincent Van Gogh

“You’ll find out that nothing that comes easy is worth a dime. As a matter of fact, I never saw a football player make a tackle with a smile on his face. Never.” ― Woody Hayes

“Do not let making a living prevent you from making a life.” ― John Wooden

“I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which was that you can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.” ― Jim Carrey

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” ― Henry David Thoreau

Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” ― Steve Jobs

“As you start your journey, the first thing you should do is throw away that store-bought map and begin to draw your own.” ― Michael Dell

“There will be times when your best isn’t your good enough. There can be many reasons for this, but as long as you give your best you’ll be OK.” ― Robert De Niro

“Last but not least, I would say you should have big dreams, full dreams, not half dreams. You know, it’s very simple. You can’t put a large box in a small box. Well, you cannot put a full life in a small dream box.” ― Elias Zerhouni

“Creativity is a renewable resource. Be as creative as you like, as often as you like, because you can never run out!” – Biz Stone

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” ― Henry David Thoreau

“We have the choice, the ability to acknowledge that being ‘scared’ is not who we are.” ― Paul Glaser

“Be bold, be courageous, be your best.” ― Gabrielle Giffords

“Graduation is a time of completion, of finishing, of an ending, however, it is also a time of celebration of achievement and a beginning for the new graduate.” ― Catherine Pulsifer

“Sometimes you find out what you are supposed to be doing by doing the things you are not supposed to do.” ― Oprah

Fortune does favor the bold, and I promise that you will never know what you’re capable of unless you try.” ― Sheryl Sandberg

“Don’t be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” ― Steve Jobs

“Success is relative. It is what we make of the mess we have made of things.” ― T.S. Eliot

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” ― Robert Louis Stevenson

“It makes little difference how many university courses or degrees a person may own. If he cannot use words to move an idea from one point to another, his education is incomplete.” ― Norman Cousins

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Fall forward. Every failed experiment is one step closer to success. You’ve got to take risks.” ― Denzel Washington

“The most rewarding things in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.” ― Arnold Palmer

“It’s wisdom that will put all the inevitable failures and rejections and disappointments and heartbreaks into perspective.” ― Arianna Huffington

“Love the life you live. Live the life you love.” ― Bob Marley

“There is no script. Live your life. Soak it all in.” ― Dick Costolo

“To accomplish great things we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.” ― Anatole France

“Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.” ― Charles Swindoll

“And now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here.” ― Neil Gaiman

“To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization.” ― Harriet Beecher Stowe

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” ― Henry Ford

“It’s harder to build than destroy. To build is to engage and change. In jazz, we call progressing harmonies changes. Changes are like obstacles on a speed course. They demand your attention and require you to be present. They are coming… they are here… and then they are gone. It’s how life comes. Each moment is a procession from the future into the past and the sweet spot is always the present. Live in that sweet spot. Be present.” ― Wynton Marsalis

“The unfortunate, yet truly exciting thing about your life, is that there is no core curriculum. The entire place is an elective.” ― Jon Stewart

“I encourage you to live with life. Be courageous, adventurous. Give us a tomorrow, more than we deserve.” ― Maya Angelou

“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you are right.” ― Henry Ford

“I was blessed with a mother who was in a constant state of wonder…And whenever I’d complain or be upset about something, my mother had the same advice: “Darling, change the channel. You are in control of the clicker. Don’t replay the bad, scary movie.” ― Arriana Huffington

“To be your own person, you need good friends. Friends are the treasure of your life.” ― Garrison Keillor

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