For High Schoolers: Short Messages for the Graduation Anthology — A Collection of Memorable Phrases
A graduation anthology created as the culmination of high school life.
Many of you may find yourselves unsure what to write, even if you’d like to add a short message.
You may have plenty you want to express—resolutions and hopes for the future, words to rally us as graduates—but when you pick up the pen, it’s hard to choose.
In this article, we introduce short, fitting messages for a high school graduation anthology.
Find the one that feels right, and be sure to include it in your graduation collection!
- How to Write a Graduation Essay That Conveys Your Feelings: A Collection of Moving, Ready-to-Use Example Ideas
- [For High School Students] Ideas and Topics for Graduation Anthologies: Themes You Can Use on the Class Page
- [Graduation] Thank-you messages to teachers; messages from teachers to graduates, too
- [For Graduates] Graduation Songs and Cheer Anthems to Convey Gratitude and Support
- Funny ideas to spice up elementary school graduation yearbooks! A collection of concepts for the class page
- [Great Lyrics!!] Recommended Tear-Jerking Graduation Songs with Heartfelt, Moving Words [2026]
- [2026] A Collection of Graduation Songs Recommended for Gen Z [A Page of Youth]
- Choral Songs Sung at Elementary School Graduation Ceremonies: A Collection of Moving Song Ideas
- [2026] Entrance songs with great lyrics: wonderful, heartfelt messages
- Heartwarming songs recommended for high school students
- Recommended entrance songs for high school students: moving masterpieces and popular hits.
- [Heartfelt] A Collection of Japanese Graduation Songs to Sing and Play on Guitar [2026]
- [Recommended for High School Students] New Graduation Songs & Classic Tearjerkers Collection
[For High School Students] Short Messages for Graduation Yearbooks: A Collection of Memorable Phrases (41–50)
Your fate is decided at the moment you make a decision.Anthony Robbins
Anthony Robbins is known in the United States as a self-help author, and many of his books have been hits in Japan as well.
One of his famous quotes is, “It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” This line conveys the message that “you can decide your own destiny.” It feels especially fitting for the graduation season, when you have to make various decisions such as where to study or work.
It’s also recommended for those who want to strengthen their resolve to take on a challenge.
[For High School Students] One-liners for Graduation Yearbooks: A Collection of Memorable Phrases (51–60)
steady progress day by day; making rapid strides
“Nisshin-geppo” means making progress day by day.
I believe you have all continued to work hard up to now, but to move forward as yourselves in a new world, you must keep making progress.
Your entrance exams are over, and I’m sure your hearts are fluttering with excitement about your new lives.
But life doesn’t end there—it goes on.
To keep from stopping your steps, try using this phrase in your graduation anthology.
It’s fine to go at your own pace; let’s keep growing little by little from here on out!
I wish you a wonderful future.
In Japanese, this sentiment would be akin to “I wish you continued success.” It’s a useful phrase to remember in English—positive without being too casual.
It’s probably more fitting coming from parents, teachers, or other adults rather than between friends who are graduating.
In any case, even if the future is still uncertain, the anticipation of a path opening up through one’s own efforts is exciting—both for the person themselves and for those around them.
Any person is capable of more than they think.Henry Ford
Many people feel anxious about the future—whether they can achieve their goals or make their dreams come true.
The phrase I’d like to introduce here is: “Every person is capable of more than they think.” It’s encouraging that it says every person.
This quote is attributed to Henry Ford, known as the founder of Ford Motor.
Learning about his life will help you appreciate the depth of these words even more.
He left many other memorable quotes as well, so it’s worth looking them up and putting them to use.
If you learn one character a day, you’ll know three hundred sixty.
These are words that convey the importance of continuing little by little and steadily building up experience.
They say that if you learn just one character a day, you can learn 360 characters in a year, and that without such small, consistent efforts, you won’t achieve any results.
Since these words are attributed to Yoshida Shōin, they evoke the spirit of scholarship and are perfect for a graduation anthology.
Let’s use this saying to clearly express an attitude that values small daily efforts—like learning one character a day—and the desire to turn them into great achievements.
to wear down an iron inkstone (through relentless study); a metaphor for tireless, painstaking effort in learning
Mashing through an iron inkstone (mashō tetsuken) is an expression that signifies maintaining a strong will and never changing your resolve until you achieve your goal.
Because it’s often used in the context of scholarship, it’s a perfect phrase for a graduation anthology.
Use this expression to powerfully convey a look back on how hard you’ve worked so far, and your determination to keep holding fast to your own will from here on out.
It’s a phrase that lets you clearly showcase your character—your steady accumulation of effort, your commitment to your convictions, and your perseverance.
He who does not move forward, goes backward.Goethe
“He who moves not forward, goes backward” is a saying by the great German writer Goethe.
If we don’t move forward, we won’t just fail to grow—we won’t even be able to maintain the status quo and will end up falling behind.
We may imagine that staying still keeps us where we are, but the world is steadily evolving.
If we can’t keep up, we’ll simply be left behind.
To move forward is to keep making efforts, to keep challenging ourselves, and to meet a new version of who we are.
Why not inscribe this wonderful quote in your graduation yearbook?