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Inspirational quotes for kids can be a lovely way to offer children of all ages some positive messages to live by.
We live in a society where a bombardment of media images often does more to erode a positive self image than it does nurture it.
Social media, 27/7 frenetic kids’ channels, mobile phones, and of course, the ubiquitous fame culture, are everywhere. Unless you live in a cave, it’s hard to escape.
And with kids today getting so many of their core beliefs from advertising and the media, its easy for them to develop a mindset that focuses more on what they don’t have, rather than the power that’s already inside of them.
To have their best chance of growing into their best selves, children need positive influences and motivation to balance out the negative words, role models, attitudes and behaviours often so prevalent around them.
Here are 51 motivational and inspirational quotes for kids of all ages.
51 Inspirational Quotes For Kids To Build Self Esteem
1 – ‘”The time is always right to do what is right.” – Martin Luther King
2 – “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go.” – Dr Seuss
3 – “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” – Dr Seuss
4 – “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” – Henry David Thoreau
5 – “Make yourself proud.” – Peter W. Smith
6 – “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt
7 – “So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install a lovely bookshelf on the wall.” – Roald Dahl
8 – “Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” – Lewis Carroll
9 – “We can all can dance when we find music we love.” – Giles Andreae
10 – “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like, so long as somebody loves you.” – Roald Dahl
11 – “We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.” – William Shakespeare
12 – “If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” – Roald Dahl
13 – “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says ‘I’m possible’.” – Audrey Hepburn
14 – “You always pass failure on the way to success.” – Mickey Rooney
15 – “Reach high for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.” – Pamela Vaull Starr
16 – “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou
17 – “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” – Epictetus
18 – “We know what we are but know not what we may be.” – William Shakespeare
19 – “You are allowed to scream. You are allowed to cry. You are allowed to scream. But, you are not allowed to give up.” – Unknown
20 – “Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.” – Confucious
21 – “Wisdom begins in wonder.” – Socrates
22 – “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” – Dr Seuss
23 – “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it ‘The Present’.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
24 – “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proberb
25 – “A little magic can take you a long way.” – Roald Dahl
26 – “You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.” – Irish Proverb
27 – “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill
28 – “Be curious, not judgemental.” – Walt Whitman
29 – “Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.” – Hans Christian Anderson
30 – “To do the useful thing, to say the courageous thing, to contemplate the beautiful thing: that is enough for one man’s life.” – T.S. Eliot
31 – “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” – Confucius
32 – “So be sure when you step, step with care and great tact. And remember that life’s a great balancing act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed). Kid, you’ll move mountains.” – Dr Seuss
33 – “Just believe in yourself. Even if you don’t, pretend that you do and, at some point you will.” – Venus Williams
34 – “We all must make the choice between what is right, and what is easy.” – Albus Dumbeldore (Harry Potter)
35 – “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt
36 – “Climb ev’ry mountain, Ford ev’ry stream, Follow ev’ry rainbow, ‘Til you find your dream.” – Guy Sebastian
37 – Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” – Helen Keller
38 – “The best portion of a good man’s life: his little, nameless unremembered acts of kindness and love.” – William Wordsworth
39 – “I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy. I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” – Art Williams
40 – “When something goes wrong in your life, just yell, ‘PLOT TWIST,’ and move on.” – Unknown
41 – “Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting so get on your way.” – Dr Seuss
42 – “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.” – Christopher Robin
43 – “Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” – Marilyn Monroe
44 – “Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller
45 – “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandella
46 – “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin
47 – “Working hard is important. But there is something that matters even more: believing in yourself.”–Harry Potter
48 – “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde
49 – “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying I will try again tomorrow.” – Mary Ann Radmacher
50 – “There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” – Lewis Carroll
51 – “Be nice to yourself. It’s hard to be happy when someone’s mean to you all the time.” – Christine Arylo
Want More Motivational Quotes For Kids?
If you enjoyed these 51 inspirational quotes for children, you might also like the following books:
Changing Kids’ Lives One Quote At a Time contains 121 inspirational sayings designed to bring out the best in children & help them build a positive character.
New York Times #1 Bestseller 365 Days Of Wonder is a lovely, inspiring collection of encouraging quotes, words of wisdom, anecdotes & stories.
Sometimes it’s our children who come out with the quotes! Capture all their hilarious, sweet & outrageous sayings with My Quotable Kid journal.
Further Parenting Resources
Aha Parenting – Dr Laura Markham of Aha Parenting offers lots of actionable hints and tips on how to raise a confident, motivated child in today’s hectic lifestyle.
Books on Peaceful Parenting – If you’re ever feeling a bit ‘stuck’ as a parent, these 6 peaceful parenting books may help to switch on a few parenting light bulbs.
