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)
Do not avoid the difficult path. You must move forward if you want to reach your destination.Katherine Anne Porter
Everyone wants to avoid hardships, don’t they? Yet the American novelist Katherine Anne Porter taught that to reach the place you aim for, you must go through it.
She left many concise and piercing messages, such as, “God doesn’t know whether your skin is black or white.
He sees only the soul.” It’s the kind of encouragement that feels stern yet carries a single beam of light—reminding us that only after walking a difficult path can we see certain vistas.
It truly makes one straighten up and take heart.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Words for Graduates: A Collection of Inspiring Quotes from Great Figures (21–30)
Where there is a will, there is a way.Abraham Lincoln
These words teach the importance of continuing forward with the belief that if you press on with firm resolve, the path will surely open.
They were spoken by Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States.
He devoted himself to the abolition of slavery and became a president remembered in history, but his journey was far from smooth.
Even so, he never gave up and kept moving forward to realize the ideal society he envisioned.
Considering the path he walked, we can feel the weight of these words even more.
