Words for graduates: a collection of inspiring quotes from great figures to give you a push forward
As you reach the milestone of graduation, you may feel a vague sense of anxiety alongside your expectations for the new world that’s about to begin.
At times like these, words that resonate can gently stay by your side.
The great figures who left their mark on history, as well as pioneers in various fields, also carved out their own paths while overcoming doubts and inner struggles.
In this article, we present a selection of gem-like quotes as words of encouragement for graduates.
Short yet profound, simple yet powerful, these words will support your heart as you take your first step forward.
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Words for Graduates: A Collection of Inspiring Quotes from Great Figures (11–20)
There’s no need to look back. There are countless paths ahead of you.Lu Xun
When we pause for a moment, anyone can feel anxious—was this really the right choice, did I make a mistake? At times like that, wouldn’t it be wonderful to hear, “There’s no need to look back.
There are countless roads before you”? These words are a famous quote by Lu Xun, the Chinese novelist.
As we walk along the road of life, looking back reveals the past, while ahead the road of the future stretches out.
Even if the future is still unseen, by setting goals and moving forward, the path will come into view.
It carries a powerful message: don’t be bound by the past—face forward and keep going.
The story begins here.Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka, the manga artist behind many masterpieces such as Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, and Princess Knight, is also known as a physician who graduated from what is now Osaka University’s School of Medicine.
The quote he left us is perfect for the graduation season, when we often feel lonely.
You may be leaving the place you’ve grown accustomed to, but your life is just beginning.
From that very moment, a new story starts.
Keep this quote close to your heart, and don’t hesitate to try again and again as you walk a path toward a story you can truly be satisfied with.
Youth is the freshness of the heart. As long as one is filled with conviction and hope, brimming with courage, and continues ever-renewed activity day by day, youth will be theirs forever.Konosuke Matsushita
This is a famous quote about youth by Konosuke Matsushita, the Japanese entrepreneur known as the “god of management.” When we hear the word “youth,” many of us probably think of our teenage years.
However, Matsushita teaches us that youth is the youthfulness of the heart, and as long as we continue to take on new challenges each day, it lasts forever.
It’s never too late to start something, so let’s live with dreams, unbound by age or conventional wisdom.
Whether small or big, the new joys and hopes you feel are surely youth itself.
Walls (challenges) come only to those who can overcome them.Ichiro (Suzuki Ichiro)
Are you familiar with Ichiro Suzuki’s famous quote, “Walls only come to those who can overcome them”? Everyone has probably run into walls at some point in life.
It’s easy to lose confidence and worry whether you can get past them.
This phrase means that walls only appear to those who have the potential to surmount them—so when you face a wall, it’s actually a chance.
Graduates about to leap into a new environment are surely feeling a mix of hope and anxiety.
These powerful words of encouragement are perfect for those starting anew.
At times, leave the beaten path and venture into the forest. There, you will surely discover something new that you have never seen before.Alexander Graham Bell
Many people may be struck by these words of his, known as an inventor.
A well-trodden path is, in many cases, safe and reassuring.
But does it really offer anything that surprises you or makes your heart race? If you want to test your potential or unlock new talents, take the plunge into the unknown.
Once you take that first step, you’ll surely find that what lies ahead is filled with moments far more wonderful than you imagined.
Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.George Bernard Shaw
An Irish writer who left behind many plays, including Pygmalion and Saint Joan.
His unique satire, idealism, and humanity earned high praise, and in 1925 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
This slightly challenging quote from Bernard Shaw seems to tell us: “Life isn’t about following tracks laid by someone else; it’s about moving forward guided by your own will.” As someone newly graduated and still young, you may find your heart shaken by heckling from the sidelines and unkind words.
But your life is yours.
Move forward just as you believe you should! These are words especially fitting for graduates who feel anxious about their new lives.
As long as you keep challenging yourself, failure does not exist.Mark Zuckerberg
These are the words of Mark Zuckerberg, who founded Facebook and greatly influenced the fabric of society.
Through a series of innovative challenges, he has experienced a great deal of trial and error.
When we try to avoid mistakes and failures in studying for exams or taking tests, we end up reducing the very act of challenging ourselves.
As long as we keep taking action, we learn from it, leading to the next improvement.
Failure is not the end, but a process along the path of growth.
This quote shows that a persistent spirit of challenge opens up the future and encourages proactive action.
If you have a clear dream and a clear goal, the path will surely open up.Mahatma Gandhi
These are the words of Mahatma Gandhi, who, no matter how many times he was imprisoned, upheld nonviolent civil disobedience and led the people toward India’s independence.
This quote gives courage to everyone living and helps them take the first step toward their dreams and goals.
Achieving your dreams and purpose is not an easy journey.
However, if you hold fast to how you want to live and what you want to do, and put in the effort, the path will surely open.
A strong heart that does not give up will become a great force that leads to your future.
Your destiny is determined at the moment you make a decision.Anthony Robbins
Anthony Robbins, who is also known as a philanthropist, engages in a wide range of activities and is famous both as a self-help author and as a coach in neuro-linguistic programming.
I’ve heard that his seminars—of which there are various types—can cost around one million yen for a week.
It’s amazing that people from all over the world gather to attend them.
His words teach us the importance of our own decisions.
I think that’s perfect for graduates who may be feeling uncertain.
After all, your life should be determined solely by your own decisions.
You should just go all out and try whatever you set your mind to. No matter which way things turn out, we humans, like stones by the roadside, end our lives as bones all the same.Ryoma Sakamoto
Everyone has probably experienced hesitating and thinking, “What if I fail?” and finding it hard to move forward as they’d hoped.
In moments like that, remembering this saying might give you the courage to take a step and strengthen your resolve.
The words are known as a quote from Sakamoto Ryoma, a samurai reformer of the late Edo period.
Since we all end up as bones in the end, we might as well act boldly and do what we want until then—words fitting for someone like him, who devoted himself tirelessly to achieving his aspirations.
