50+ Inspirational Teenage Quotes to Motivate and Empower Youth

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Do not judge me by my success. Judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again."

- Nelson Mandela

"Success is not final; failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts."

- Winston Churchill

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life."

- Steve Jobs

"Courage is not the absence of fear but the triumph over it."

- Nelson Mandela

"Believe you can, and you’re halfway there."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you."

- Walt Whitman

"If you are always trying to be normal, you’ll never know how amazing you can be."

- Maya Angelou

"You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind."

- Joyce Meyer

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are enough just as you are."

- Meghan Markle

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths."

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

"Believe you can and you're halfway there."

- Theodore Roosevelt

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it."

- Charles R. Swindoll

"Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit."

- Napoleon Hill

"Peace begins with a smile."

- Mother Teresa

"My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me."

- Henry Ford

"The only way to have a friend is to be one."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"We rise by lifting others."

- Robert Ingersoll

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."

- E.E. Cummings

"The purpose of life is a life of purpose."

- Robert Byrne

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"It is never too late to be what you might have been."

- George Eliot

"When I was in college, I wanted to be involved in things that would change the world."

- Elon Musk

"Be the change that you wish to see in the world."

- Mahatma Gandhi

"We must not allow other people’s limited perceptions to define us."

- Virginia Satir

"Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings."

- Samuel Johnson

"The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique."

- Walt Disney

"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

- Oliver Goldsmith

"The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

- Steve Jobs

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"Mental health is not a destination but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going."

- Noam Shpancer

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."

- Aesop

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."

- Mark Twain

"Everybody can be great because everybody can serve."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves."

- Henry David Thoreau

"My teenage years were exactly what they were supposed to be. Everybody has their own path. It's laid out for you. It's just up to you to walk it."

- Justin Timberlake

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."

- Martin Luther King Jr.

"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today."

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny."

- C.S. Lewis

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength."

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."

- Robert Collier

"Life is very interesting. In the end, some of your greatest pains become your greatest strengths."

- Drew Barrymore

"You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."

- Buddha

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other."

- Walter Elliot

"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."

- Confucius

"Fall seven times, stand up eight."

- Japanese Proverb

"A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow."

- William Shakespeare

"I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy — I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it."

- Art Williams

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you."

- B.B. King

"Never apologize for being sensitive or emotional. Let this be a sign that you’ve got a big heart and aren’t afraid to let others see it. Showing your emotions is a sign of strength."

- Brigitte Nicole

"Never dull your shine for somebody else."

- Tyra Banks

"Take pride in how far you’ve come. Have faith in how far you can go. But don’t forget to enjoy the journey."

- Michael Josephson

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of someone else."

- Judy Garland

"You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude."

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"You will always pass failure on your way to success."

- Mickey Rooney

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not."

- Dr. Seuss

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

- Winston Churchill

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."

- Arthur Ashe

"I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work."

- Thomas Edison

"If you’re making mistakes, it means you’re out there doing something."

- Neil Gaiman

"The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."

- Thomas A. Edison

"I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

- Michael Jordan

"Don’t be afraid of failure. This is the way to succeed."

- LeBron James

"Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen."

- Michael Jordan

"The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well."

- John D. Rockefeller

"My advice is, never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time."

- Charles Dickens

"We are not our trauma. We are not our brain chemistry. That’s part of who we are, but we’re so much more than that."

- Sam J. Miller

"It is what we make out of what we have given, not what we are given, that separates one person from another."

- Nelson Mandela

"Hard days are the best because that’s when champions are made. If you push through the hard days, then you can get through anything."

- Gabby Douglas

"The people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones who do."

- Steve Jobs

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

- Walt Disney

"Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."

- John R. Wooden

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

- Nelson Mandela

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

- Anne Frank

"Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious."

- Stephen Hawking

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."

- Albert Einstein

"There is no normal life that is free of pain. It’s the very wrestling with our problems that can be the impetus for our growth."

- Fred Rogers

"Don’t listen to the person who has the answers; listen to the person who has the questions."

- Albert Einstein

"The darkest night is often the bridge to the brightest tomorrow."

- Norman Vincent Peale

"Tough times never last, but tough people do."

- Robert Schuller

"Resilience means you experience, you feel, you fail, you hurt. You fall. But, you keep going."

- Yasmin Mogahed

"Courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."

- Nelson Mandela

"In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds."

- Martin Luther King Jr.

"There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn’t."

- John Green

"Friendships in childhood are usually a matter of chance, whereas in adolescence they are most often a matter of choice."

- David Elkind

"We grow through what we go through."

- Anonymous

"Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life."

- Samuel Ullman

"Adolescents are not monsters. They are just people trying to learn how to make it among the adults in the world, who are probably not so sure themselves."

- Virginia Satir

"So many people try to grow up too fast, and it's not fun! You should stay a kid as long as possible!"

- Vanessa Hudgens

"Adolescence is a new birth, for the higher and more completely human traits are now born."

- G. Stanley Hall

"The youth need to be enabled to become job generators from job seekers."

- A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

"Self-worth comes from one thing: thinking that you are worthy."

- Wayne Dyer

"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me."

- Ayn Rand

"Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."

- Babe Ruth

"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra."

- Jimmy Johnson

"Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself."

- Coco Chanel

"You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way."

- Song of Solomon 4:7

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do."

- Mark Twain

"I have always had a sense that we are all pretty much alone in life, particularly in adolescence."

- Robert Cormier

"It is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate."

- George Burns

"Beautiful people are not always good, but good people are always beautiful."

- Imam Ali

"I like friends who have independent minds because they tend to make you see problems from all angles."

- Nelson Mandela

"It isn’t where you came from. It’s where you’re going that counts."

- Ella Fitzgerald

"A good friend is a connection to life: a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world."

- Lois Wyse

"Always admit when you’re wrong. You’ll save thousands in therapy… and a few friendships too."

- Harvey Fierstein

"Talk not of wasted affection; affection never was wasted."

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"The loss of young first love is so painful that it borders on the ludicrous."

- Maya Angelou

"Friendships between women, as any woman will tell you, are built of a thousand small kindnesses … swapped back and forth and over again."

- Michelle Obama

"I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen."

- Winnie the Pooh

"Love is indescribable and unconditional. I could tell you a thousand things that it is not, but not one that it is."

- Duke Ellington

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you."

- A. A. Milne, "Winnie the Pooh"

"You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."

- Dr. Seuss

"Turn your wounds into wisdom."

- Oprah Winfrey

"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

- John Lennon

"Don't let yesterday take up too much of today."

- Will Rogers

"My kids idea of a hard life is to live in a house with only one phone."

- George Foreman

"In a world where you can be anything, be kind."

"It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up."

"The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday."

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

"Your mind is a powerful thing. When you fill it with positive thoughts, your life will start to change."

"Your education is a dress rehearsal for a life that is yours to lead."

"Dream big, act boldly, and never let anyone tell you what's impossible."

- Unknown

"Don't be afraid to stumble. It's how you learn to walk."

- Unknown

"You are stronger than you think. Keep pushing forward, even when it's tough."

- Unknown

"Be bold, be brave, and never apologize for who you are."

- Unknown

"Your uniqueness is a gift; embrace it and let your colors shine."

- Unknown

"Confidence is not 'Will they like me?' but 'I'll be fine if they don't.'"

- Unknown

"Don't compare your chapter one to someone else's chapter twenty."

- Unknown

"You are capable of amazing things; don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

- Unknown

"Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations."

"The only limits you have are the ones you set for yourself."

- Unknown

"Your dreams are worth fighting for; never give up on what makes your heart sing."

- Unknown

"Don't wait for permission to shine. Your light is needed in the world."

- Unknown

"Be bold, be brave, be you."

- Unknown

"Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. Your voice is powerful."

- Unknown

"Let your light shine brightly. The world needs to hear your story."

- Unknown

"Be kind to yourself. You deserve all the good things in life."

- Unknown

"Your imperfections make you perfect. Embrace your uniqueness."

- Unknown

"Masculinity isn't about fitting into a box; it's about being true to yourself."

- Unknown

"Don't be afraid to show your emotions; vulnerability is a sign of courage."

- Unknown

"Failure is not the opposite of success; it's part of the journey."

- Unknown

"When life knocks you down, get back up stronger and wiser."

- Unknown

"Adversity builds character; embrace challenges as opportunities to grow."

- Unknown

"Dream big, work hard, and never let anyone tell you that your goals are too ambitious."

- Unknown

"Your potential is limitless; unlock it by believing in yourself and your abilities."

- Unknown

"Every challenge you face today makes you stronger tomorrow."

- Unknown

"Make mistakes, learn, grow."

- Unknown

"Believe in your potential."

- Unknown

"Be yourself, always."

- Unknown

"You are enough."

"Love your flaws."

- Unknown

"Tough times don't last, but tough people do."

- Unknown

"The comeback is always stronger than the setback."

- Unknown

"You are capable of more than you know."

- Unknown

"You are worthy of love and happiness."

- Unknown

"Be your own kind of beautiful."

- Unknown

"Your imperfections make you perfect."

- Unknown

"Every challenge you face is an opportunity to grow."

- Unknown

"Change the world."

- Unknown

"Be the change."

- Unknown

"Your voice counts."

- Unknown

"Wake up with determination, go to bed with satisfaction."

"Life is short, make it sweet."

- Unknown

"Your only limit is your mind."

- Unknown

"Smile. It's contagious."

- Unknown

"Progress, not perfection."

"Dream big, work hard."

"Leave your mark."

- Unknown

"Leave a legacy that you'll be proud of; make a positive impact on the world."

- Unknown

"Be the man you needed when you were younger."

- Unknown

"Write your own story, and make it a page-turner."

- Unknown

"Don't quit, adapt."

- Unknown

"True friendship is built on trust, respect, and mutual support."

- Unknown

"Every day is a new chance."

- Unknown

"Find joy in the little things. They add up to a beautiful life."

- Unknown

"Be grateful for what you have. It's more than you think."

- Unknown

"Happiness is a choice. Choose to be happy."

- Unknown

"Own your story."

- Unknown

"Shine your light."

"You are beautiful."

- Unknown

"Speak your truth."

- Unknown

"Kindness is cool."

- Unknown

"Create your future."

- Unknown

"Make it happen."

- Unknown

"Kindness is a language everyone understands; speak it often."

- Unknown

"Life's greatest adventures begin when you dare to step outside your comfort zone."

- Unknown

"Your voice matters; never let anyone silence your unique perspective."

- Unknown

"Confidence is the most beautiful accessory you can wear; own it and shine."

- Unknown

"The journey to self-discovery starts with believing in your own worthiness."

- Unknown

"Your life is your story; write it with intention and make it a bestseller."

- Unknown

"Don't settle for ordinary when you can create extraordinary."

- Unknown

"Confidence comes from knowing your worth. Never forget how valuable you are."

- Unknown

"Choose your friends wisely; they should inspire you, not hold you back."

- Unknown