200+ Inspiring Quotes For Kids To Stay Motivated

Encourage your child to progress with confidence with these words of inspiration.

Reviewed by Alicia Spomer, MS, LPC Alicia Spomer Alicia SpomerMS, LPC facebook_iconinsta_icon Specialty: Professional counsellorExperience: 10 years
Written by Sravani Rebbapragada
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Inspirational quotes for kids are positive phrases that encourage and inspire them to do better. They boost children’s confidence and give strength to face adversities. Selecting the right inspirational quotes to share with your child is important to provide them with the guidance they require. So let these quotes be their guiding light to help steer their development in a positive direction. These quotes will also help keep the child optimistic in every situation and motivate them to put their best foot forward in every avenue they pursue.

In this post, we have compiled a list of inspirational quotes you can share with your child. You can stick these inspirational quotes in your child’s room to remind them of their strengths and teach them about different aspects of life.

Inspirational Quotes For Kids Who Are Sick

Any kind of illness makes it difficult for children to remain hopeful and positive. Here are a few inspirational quotes that will give them strength and courage in this tough situation.

  1.  “Tough times never last but tough people do.” ―Robert H. Schuller
  1.  “Resting is not laziness, it’s medicine!” ―Glenn Schweitzer
  1.  “Healing yourself is connected with healing others.” ―Yoko Ono
  1. We are stronger in the places we have been broken.” ―Ernest Hemingway
  1.  “When the unthinkable happens, the lighthouse is hope. Once we choose hope, everything is possible.” ―Christopher Reeve
  1.  “Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it.” ―Tori Amos
  1.  “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” ―Jalaluddin Rumi
  1.  “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.” ―Martin Luther King Jr.
  1.  “Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work; you don’t give up.” ―Anne Lamott
  1.  “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” ―Winston Churchill
  1.  “The strongest people I’ve met have not been given an easier life. They’ve learned to create strength and happiness from dark places.” ―Kristen Butler
  1.  “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” —Kahlil Gibran
  1.  “Some days there won’t be a song in your heart. Sing anyway.” —Emory Austin
  1.  “Sometimes you will be in control of your illness and other times you’ll sink into despair, and that’s OK! Freak out, forgive yourself, and try again tomorrow.” —Kelly Hemingway
  1.  “Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” ―Thích Nhất Hạnh
  1.  “It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit.” —J.R.R. Tolkien
  1.  “If opening your eyes, or getting out of bed, or holding a spoon, or combing your hair is the daunting Mount Everest you climb today, that is okay.” ―Carmen Ambrosio
  1.  “Maybe life isn’t about avoiding the bruises. Maybe it’s about collecting the scars to prove that we showed up for it.” ―Hannah Brencher
  1.  “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside of you that is greater than any obstacle.” ―Christian D. Larson
  1.  “What would the hero of your life’s movie do right now? Do that, do those things.” ―Joe Rogan
  1.  “We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.” —Carlos Castaneda
  1.  “I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.” ―Maya Angelou
  1.  “Never let the things you cannot do prevent you from doing the things you can.” ―Coach John Wooden
  1.  “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” —Mahatma Gandhi
  1.  “Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.” ―Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
  1.  “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” ―Martin Luther King Jr.
  1.  “You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.” ―Margaret Thatcher
  1.  “Do not spend your precious energy worrying about how others view your medical condition.” ―Toni Bernhard
  1.  “But we can’t live in the light all of the time. You have to take whatever light you can hold into the dark with you.” ―Libba Ray
  1.  “The truth is we’re all a little bit broken. We must learn to love the broken pieces of ourselves be gentle and empathetic with ourselves, and others.” ―Karen Salmansohn
  1.  “The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love.” ―Hubert H. Humphrey
  1.  “Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging.” ―Joseph Campbell
  1.  “You either get bitter or you get better. It’s that simple. You either take what has been dealt to you and allow it to make you a better person, or you allow it to tear you down. The choice does not belong to fate, it belongs to you.” ―Josh Shipp
  1.  “Some days are better, some days are worse. Look for the blessing instead of the curse. Be positive, stay strong, and get enough rest. You can’t do it all, but you can do your best.” ―Doe Zantamata
  1.  “I keep my heart and my soul and my spirit open to miracles.” ―Patrick Swayze
  1.  “Prayer is an act of love; words are not needed. Even if sickness distracts from thoughts, all that is needed is the will to love.” ―Saint Teresa of Avila
  1.  “Courage wasn’t only fighting your circumstances; sometimes making peace with your circumstances required more courage.” ―Sonali Dev
  1.  “Pain diminishes us, and it is so important to remember, in the midst of pain and everything that pain takes from you, that still … you are enough. You are enough just as you are. You are worthy of love and kindness. You are enough. And you have enough.” ―Steve Leder
  1.  “Somewhere inside that hurting body, there is something better, something stronger, something real.” ―R. M. Drake
  1.  “An affirmation to say everyday: The healing power of God is working in me right now. Every day I get better and better in every way.” ―Joyce Meyer
  1.  “Sometimes you have to get sicker before you can get better.” ―Jeannette Walls

Daily Inspirational Quotes For Kids

An inspirational quote in the morning can fill your children with confidence and brighten up their day. Here are a few daily inspirational quotes that your children can read before going about their day.

  1.  “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” ―Judy Garland
  1.  “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” ―Martin Luther King Jr.
  1.  “Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.” ―Pamela Vaull Starr
  1.  “Choose your friends with caution, plan your future with purpose, and frame your life with faith.” ―Thomas S. Monson
  1.  “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.” ―Henry David Thoreau
  1.  “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” ―Winston S. Churchill
  1.  “The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent.” ―Arnold Schwarzenegger
  1.  “Never let the odds keep you from doing what you know in your heart you were meant to do.” ―H. Jackson Brown
  1.  “Make each day your masterpiece.” ―John Wooden
  1.  “A positive attitude can really make dreams come true – it did for me.” ―David Bailey
  1.  “You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” ―A.A. Milne
  1.  “Learn from yesterday. Live for today. Hope for tomorrow.” ―Albert Einstein
  1.  “Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires and a touch that never hurts.” ―Charles Dickens
  1.  “All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them” ―Walt Disney
  1.  “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” ―Barack Obama
  1.  “When you know better you do better.” ―Maya Angelou
  1.  “Winning doesn’t always mean being first. Winning means you’re doing better than you’ve done before.” ―Bonnie Blair
  1.  “Before you act, listen. Before you react, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try. ” ―Ernest Hemingway
  1.  “There are no regrets in life-just lessons.” ―Jennifer Aniston
  1.  “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” ―Dr. Seuss
  1.  “Never doubt yourself, it will only hold you back.” ―J.M. Barrie
  1.  “Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.” ―Hans Christen Andersen
  1.  “The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on.” ―Barack Obama
  1.  “Being different isn’t a bad thing. It means you’re brave enough to be yourself.” ―Luna Lovegood, Harry Potter
  1.  “Forget the failures. Keep the lessons.” ―Dalai Lama
  1.  “Only surround yourself with people who will lift you higher.” ―Oprah Winfrey
  1.  “Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.” ―Confucious
  1.  “Every action in our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.” ―Edwin Hubbel Chapin
  1.  “Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.” ―William Jennings Bryan
  1.  “There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.”―Buckminster Fuller
  1.  “When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.” ―George Washington Carver
  1.  “You have to be unique and different and shine in your own way.” ―Lady Gaga
  1.  “Nothing is particularly hard if you break it down into small jobs.” ―Henry Ford
  1.  “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
  1.  “Great things happen a little at a time.” ―Mark Black
  1.  “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” ―George Addair
  1.  “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” ―Oscar Wilde
  1.  “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” ―J.K. Rowling
  1.  “Heroes are made by the path they choose, not the powers they are graced with.” ―Iron Man
  1.  “Anybody who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” ―Albert Einstein
  1.  “Focus on the journey, not the destination.” ―Greg Anderson
  1.  “When you choose your friends, don’t be short-changed by choosing personality over character.” ―W. Somerset Maugham
  1.  “Don’t look back you’re not going that way.” ―Mary Engelbreit
  1.  “If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” ―Roald Dahl
  1.  “Life’s like a movie; write your own ending, keep believing, keep pretending.” ―Jim Henson
  1.  “No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.” ―Robin Williams
  1.  “Think before you act, and learn before you judge.” ―Amanda Green
  1.  “Good manners encompass all the things that make the people around us feel good.” ―Jacquie McTaggart

Inspirational Quotes About Good Behavior

It is important to inculcate good behavior in children early on to ensure their future success. Our collection of inspirational quotes about good behavior will help you teach them human values.

  1.  “Kindness and politeness are not overrated at all. They’re underused.” ―Tommy Lee Jones
  1.  “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” ―Desmond Tutu
  1.  “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” ―Epictetus
  1.  “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the season or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.” ―Jim Rohn
  1.  “Better spend time working hard to maintain your good habits because you may look for time to recover it but to no avail!” ―Israelmore Ayivor
  1.  “A man’s own manner and character is what most becomes him.” ―Cicero
  1.  “You are always responsible for how you act, no matter how you feel.” ―Robert Tew
  1.  “If you attach to the negative behavior of others it brings you down to their level.” ―Guru Singh
  1.  “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential … these are the  keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.” ―Confucius
  1.  “In life; good behavior is more worthy much money.” ―Auliq Ice
  1. The only true source of politeness is consideration.” ―William Gilmore Simms
  1. Be Silly. Be Honest. Be Kind.” ―Ralph Waldo Emerson
  1. Behavior is the mirror in which everyone shows their true image.” ―Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
  1. The weak can never forgive; forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” ―Mahatma Gandhi
  1. If you want to change attitudes, start with a change in behavior.” ―William Glasser
  1. If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.” ―Mark Twain
  1. Good behavior wins even an enemy.” ―Chanakya
  1. Manners easily and rapidly mature into morals.” ―Horace Mann
  1. The more you are willing to accept responsibility for your actions, the more credibility youwill have.” ―Brian Koslow
  1. It is not fair to ask of someone else what you are not willing to do yourself.” ―Eleanor Roosevelt
  1. Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.” ―Emily Post
  1. Your attitude determines your direction.” ―Zig Ziglar
  1. Just imagine how different the world could be if we all spoke to everyone with respect and kindness.” ―Holly Branson
  1. Wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it. Right is right even if no one is doing it.” ―Ralph Waldo Emerson
  1. Making the extra effort to say thanks in a genuine, personal manner goes a long way. It is pleasurable to do, and it encourages more of the same good behavior.” ―Richard Branson
  1. Knowledge is no guarantee of good behavior, but ignorance is a virtual guarantee of bad behavior.” ―Martha C. Nussbaum
  1. The time is always right to do what is right.” ―Martin Luther King Jr
  1. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ―Aristotle
  1. Friends and good manners will carry you where money won’t go.” ―Margaret Walker

Inspirational Quotes For Kids In Sports

Playing any sport is physically and mentally challenging. Here are some inspirational quotes that will help your child cope and emerge stronger.

  1. It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” ―Vince Lombardi
  1. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” ―Wayne Gretzky
  1. You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.” ―Michael Phelps
  1. Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.” ―Vince Lombardi
  1. The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.” ―Pele
  1. “Sport doesn’t build character, it reveals character.” ―Mav Levy
  1. Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you.” ―Bethany Hamilton
  1. Having the ambition of becoming champion is a whole different ambition from wanting to be the greatest.” ―Daley Thompson
  1. I can accept Everyone fails at something. But I cannot accept not trying.” ―Michael Jordan
  1. “Remember all things are possible for those who believe.” ―Gail Devers
  1. Adversity causes some to break; others to break records.” ―William Ward
  1. I think sportsmanship is knowing that it is a game, that we are only as good as our opponents, and whether you win or lose, to always give 100 percent.” ―Sue Wicks
  1. Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.” ―John Wooden
  1. If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win.” ―Carl Lewis
  1. Winners must have two things: definite goals and a burning desire to achieve them.” ―Brad Burden
  1. If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it.” ―Ronnie Lott
  1. It’s always too soon to quit.” ―Norman Vincent Peale
  1. Champions keep playing until they get it right.” ―Billie Jean King
  1. It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” ―Babe Ruth
  1. I never thought about losing, but now that it’s happened, the only thing is to do it right.”―Muhammad Ali
  1. Never give up, never give in, and when the upper hand is ours, may we have the ability to handle the win with the dignity that we absorbed the loss.” ―Doug Williams
  1. The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.” ―Sir Roger Bannister
  1. Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirits.” ―Wilma Rudolph
  1. The skill to win is important, but the will to win is vital.” ―Joe Paterno
  1. When anyone tells me I can’t do anything, I’m just not listening any more.” ―Griffith Joyner
  1. One man practicing sportsmanship is far better than 50 preaching it.” ―Knute Rockne
  1. I am building a fire, and every day I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match.” ―Mia Hamm
  1. This ability to conquer oneself is no doubt the most precious of all things sports bestows.” ―Olga Korbut
  1. Just believe in yourself. Even if you don’t, pretend that you do and, at some point, you will.” ―Venus William
  1. It is your response to winning and losing that makes you a winner or a loser.” ―Harry Sheeny
  1. You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when you reach your limits, that is real joy.” ―Arthur Ashe
  1. I am the greatest. I said that before I knew I was.” ―Muhammad Ali
  1. Victory is in the quality of the competition, not just the final score.” ―Mike Marshall
  1. If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you’ll never change the outcome.” ―Michael Jordan
  1. You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.” ―Wayne Gretzky
  1. The time when there is no one to feel sorry for you or cheer you is when a player is truly made.” ―Tim Duncan
  1. The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” ―Vince Lombardi
  1. Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy.” ―Wayne Gretzky
  1. To be prepared is half the victory.” ―Miguel de Cervantes
  1. Never let the fear of striking out stop you from playing the game.” ―Babe Ruth
  1. Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement.” ―Matt Biondi
  1. It’s the lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believe in myself.” ―Muhammad Ali
  1. It doesn’t matter what your background is or where you came from. If you have dreams and goals, that’s all that matters.” ―Serena Williams
  1. It ain’t over till it’s over.” ―Yogi Berra
  1. We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort.” ―Jesse Owens
  1. The impossible is often untried.” ―Jim Goodwin
  1. Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back … play for her.” ―Mia Hamm
  1. It’s not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.” ―John Wooden
  1. “Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.” ―Dan Gable
  1. You have to remember that the hard days are what make you stronger. The bad days make you realize what a good day is. If you never had any bad days, you would never have that sense of accomplishment.” ―Aly Raisman
  1. Don’t practice till you get it right, practice till you can’t get it wrong.” ―McKayla Maroney
  1. Set your goals high, and don’t stop until you get there.” ―Bo Jackson
  1. The will must be stronger than the skill.” ―Muhammad Ali
  1. I don’t run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run toward it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your feet.” ―Nadia Comaneci
  1. Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it or work around it.” ―Michael Jordan
  1. To play is in the mind. To win is in the heart.” ―Jennifer McCombs
  1. A winner never whines.” ―Paul Brown
  1. Do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done the best way it can be done, and do it that way every time.”―Bob Knight
  1. It’s not the will to win that matters—everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” ―Paul “Bear” Bryan
  1. The hard days are the best because that’s where champions are made  so if you can push through, you can push through anything!” ―Gabby Douglas
  1. Only the strongest shoulders can carry the hopes of a nation”. ―Katie Taylor

Motivational Quotes To Make Your Kids Feel Powerful And Inspired

To succeed in life, self-confidence and optimism are essential. Here are a few motivational quotes that will boost your children’s confidence and inspire them to achieve their goals.

  1. True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” ―C.S. Lewis
  1. Dream big and dare to fail.” —Norman Vaughan
  1. It always seems impossible until it is done.” —Nelson Mandela
  1. You’re off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so … get on your way!” —Dr. Seuss
  1. If they don’t like you for being yourself, be yourself even more.” ―Taylor Swift
  1. There is no substitute for hard work.” ―Thomas Edison
  1. Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.” ―Harvey Fierstein
  1. There’s no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are.” —Fred Rogers
  1. Do your best when no one is looking. If you do that, then you can be successful at anything you put your mind to.” ―Bob Cousy
  1. Do more than is required. What is the distance between someone who achieves their goals consistently and those who spend their lives and careers merely following? The extra mile.” ―Gary Ryan Blair
  1. Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” ―Abraham Lincoln
  1. Experience is not what happens to you — it’s how you interpret what happens to you.” ―Aldous Huxley
  1. Be so good they can’t ignore you.” —Steve Martin
  1. We grow great by dreams.” —Woodrow Wilson
  1. Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom.” —Sandra Day O’Connor
  1. Create boundaries. Honor your limits. Say no. Take a break. Let go. Stay grounded. Nurture your body. Love your vulnerability.” ―Aletheia Luna
  1. I think it’s possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary.” ―Elon Musk
  1. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” ―Confucius
  1. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have the power to imagine better.” ―J.K. Rowling
  1. The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ―Dr. Seuss
  1. There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.” ―George Sand
  1. “Rest in reason; move in passion.” ―Kahlil Gibran
  1. If my mind can conceive it, if my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it.” ―Muhammed Ali
  1. Be the change you want to see in the world.” ―Mahatma Gandhi
  1. Survival can be summed up in three words: Never give up. That’s the heart of it really. Just keep trying.” ―Bear Grylls
  1. We are of course a nation of differences. Those differences don’t make us weak. They’re the source of our strength.” —Jimmy Carter
  1. The expert in anything was once a beginner.” —Helen Hayes
  1. The people who are crazy enough to believe they can change the world are the ones who do.” —Steve Jobs
  1. Do right. Do your best. Treat others the way you want to be treated.” —Lou Holtz
  1. “All students can learn and succeed, but not on the same day in the same way.” —William G. Spady
  1. I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” —Edward Everett Hale

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are some of the best mottos in life?

Some of the best mottos to live by could be:

  • Tomorrow is another day.
  • It is fine to have a life that others don’t understand.
  • Remove your negative thoughts to create a positive life.
  • Be kind to people, for everyone is fighting a battle.
  • Choose the best version of yourself today.

2. What are some quotes about courage?

Some quotes that give you courage include:

  • “Every man has his own courage, and is betrayed because he seeks in himself the courage of other persons.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • “Courage is very important. Like a muscle, it is strengthened by use.” – Ruth Gordon
  • “He is a man of courage who does not run away, but remains at his post and fights against the enemy.” – Socrates
  • “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” – Winston Churchill

Inspirational quotes for children are a great way to give your child the confidence boost they need at certain times and have a lasting impact on them. You could frame a few of these quotes and hang them in your child’s room or write them on a stick-on page and attach it to their belongings to go through these when they might need some uplifting. These quotes will help empower your child and also teach the importance of having a positive outlook on life.

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Alicia Spomer is the founder of Life Anchors Counseling, a private practice that specializes in the treatment of mental health in children, adolescents, and young adults. She is a Nationally Certified Counselor with a masters in professional counseling as well as a post master’s degree in child & adolescent disorders from Grand Canyon University.

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