Inside: 50+ inspirational quotes for teenagers that may give parents a boost as well.
Sometimes as parents, we get so consumed with how hard it is raising a teen that we forget how hard it is to be a teenager.
And while the teenage years are hard on everyone involved, today’s teens face a multitude of challenges that we can’t even fathom: social media, political unrest, school shootings, pandemics, increasing academic pressure, and the list goes on and on. That’s in addition to the social awkwardness, general anxiety about fitting in, body changes, and peer pressure that comes along with adolescence.
Honestly, sometimes it’s hard to find the words to encourage your child through these turbulent times. A teenage life is not easy.
That’s why we love a great motivational quote. Having the right message can get us through tough times, stick with us when we’re facing adversity, and help us tackle challenging situations. That’s why you often see business leaders, sports figures, heads of state, and other important people often using quotes to inspire us in their speeches and other communications. They work!
When I was in middle school, my dad was laid off from his job and started packing my lunch. Each day on my brown paper bag he would write an inspiring or motivational quote. At first I was mortified, but then my friends and I would be eager to see the quote each day and started to talk about them. In fact, one of the quotes he put on my lunch bag became my life mantra: “I am a part of all that I have met” from Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Quotes, mantras, and positive affirmations can encourage and inspire us when we need it most. Also, since teens don’t always want to listen to mom and dad, a quote from a celebrity or even another person they can relate to and who has “been there” can change their entire mindset. Whether it’s an inspirational song lyric from Taylor Swift or a funny meme from their favorite YouTuber, the right quote can literally change your adolescent’s mood and mindset.
We love it when we see our kids hanging up positive quotes in their rooms, sharing them as memes, or when we see them as screen savers on their phones. Inspirational quotes for teenagers can sometimes change the trajectory of their entire day.
Are you looking for a little inspiration to share with your teens and tweens? Here are 50 of our favorites:
Inspirational Quotes for Teenagers
Sometimes during the teen years we just need a little reminder about going towards the good.
“Beautiful people are not always good, but good people are always beautiful.” —Imam Ali
“You have to be authentic, you have to be true, and you have to believe in your heart.” – Howard Schultz.
“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of someone else.” – Judy Garland
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” – E.E Cummings.
“The people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs.
“You must always have faith in people. And most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself.” -Elle Woods,Legally Blonde
“Never dull your shine for somebody else.” – Tyra Banks.
“You will always pass failure on your way to success.”– Mickey Rooney
“No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.” – Robin Williams
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”- William James.
“Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.”- Hellen Keller
“Always admit when you’re wrong. You’ll save thousands in therapy… and a few friendships too.”- Harvey Fierstein
“Take care not to listen to anyone who tells you what you can and can’t be in life.” – Meg Medina
“If you don’t believe in yourself, why is anyone else going to believe in you.” –Tom Brady
“The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.” – Matty Mullins
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” -Aristotle
“Love yourself. Forgive yourself. Be true to yourself. Because how you treat yourself sets the standard for how others treat you.” – Steve Maraboli
Quotes on Adolescence
Here are some great inspirational quotes for teenagers to let your teen know that you get it.
“When you become a teenager, you step onto a bridge. You may already be on it. The opposite shore is adulthood. Childhood lies behind. The bridge is made of wood. As you cross, it burns behind you.”- Gail Carson Levine
“I wish all teenagers could filter through songs instead of turning to drugs and alcohol.”- Taylor Swift
“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
“One of the cruelties of teenage hood is that you’ll never know what your parents were really like at your age, and they’ll never accurately remember.” – Una LaMarche.
“You need to remember that love does not mean one person gives all and another person receives all.” -Abirami P. Kurukkal
“If you are always trying to be normal, you’ll never know how amazing you can be.” –Maya Angelou
“Stop waiting for something or someone to come and make you happy. Meditate daily. Breathe. Come on. You’re okay. You have friends. Love them. Respect them. Go out and play. Learn to be alone.”– Jenifer Lewis
“Every teenager in the world feels like that, feels broken or out of place, different somehow, royalty mistakenly born into a family of peasants. The difference in your case is that it’s true.” – Cassandra Clare
“High school is like the training wheels for the bicycle of real life.”– ‘Ghost World’
Motivation for Teens
Looking for something to motivate your teenager or push them towards a goal. These have you covered!
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill.
“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.
“When you replace ‘why is this happening to me’ with ‘what is this trying to teach me?’ Everything shifts.” – Unknown
“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try” .-unknown
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Eleanor Roosevelt
“Nothing is particularly hard if you break it down into small jobs.” – Henry Ford.
“Resilience is knowing that you are the only one that has the power and the responsibility to pick yourself up.”- Mary Holloway
“My advice is, never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time.” – Charles Dickens
“We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – Dr. Seuss
“Everyone you admire was once a beginner.” – Jack Butcher
Young people willing to push super hard to make something happen are among the most powerful forces in the world. Sam Altman
“If you’re making mistakes, it means you’re out there doing something.” – Neil Gaiman
Youth Empowerment Quotes
“Being confident means believing in yourself. Ego means needing to prove that you’re better than other people.” -Barbara De Angelis
“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
“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone.” – Reba McEntire
“We should all celebrate our individuality and not be embarrassed or ashamed of it.” – Johnny Depp
“Live your life like you are 80 years old looking back on your teenage years.” – Taylor Swift
“Note to self: self-love isn’t selfish.”–Dua Lipa
It is what we make out of what we have given, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.” – Nelson Mandela.
“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” – Nelson Mandela
Use your youth so that you may have comfort to remember it when it has forsaken you, and not sigh and grieve at the account thereof.” – Walter Raleigh.
“Never tell a young person that anything cannot be done.” – G. M. Trevelyan
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank, ‘Anne Frank’s Tales From The Secret Annex’
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” – Henry Ford
Teen Quotes for Tough Times
Phones and social media have completely changed the landscape for teenagers. Many adolescents face low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. Parents and caregivers need to work hard to promote confidence and self-acceptance amongst today’s young people. Here are some encouraging quotes for teens going through tough times.
“The darkest night is often the bridge to the brightest tomorrow.” – Jonathan Lockwood Huie
“Tough times never last, but tough people do.” – Robert H. Schuller
“When everything seems to be going against you, remember…the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.” – Henry Ford.
“Even on your worst days, you are always worth love and respect. Don’t ever settle for anything less.”-Hannah Irelan
“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
“You are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequence of your choice.”
Grow through what you go through. -Tyrese Gibson
“Stop waiting for something or someone to come and make you happy. Meditate daily. Breathe. Come on. You’re okay. You have friends. Love them. Respect them. Go out and play. Learn to be alone.”-Jenifer Lewis
“No matter what you’re going through, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”-Demi Lovato
“Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.”- Steve Maraboli
“We must not allow other people’s limited perceptions to define us.”- Virginia Satir
“You can often change your circ*mstances by changing your attitude.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“After a while, you learn to ignore the names people call you and just trust who you are.” – Shrek
“Oh yes, the past can hurt. But you can either run from it, or learn from it.” –Rafiki, The Lion King
“I think it’s so important to be comfortable in your own skin.” – James Charles
Funny Teen Quotes
“Remember that as a teenager you are in the last stage of your life when you will be happy to hear the phone is for you. “- Fran Lebowitz, ‘Social Studies’
“Youthfulness is about how you live, not when you were born.”– Karl Lagerfeld
“Real teenage boys aren’t like characters in the books you read. They smell funny and are obsessed with video games and say dumb things. They’re still learning, just like you. “- Stacey Jay, ‘Juliet Immortal’
“Adolescence is just one big walking pimple.” – Carol Burnett.
“Teenagers complain there’s nothing to do, then stay out all night doing it.”- Bob Philips
“As I’ve said many times, the single most oppressed class in America right now is the teenager.”- Joe Bob Briggs
Parenting teens and tweens is hard, but maybe these other inspiring posts will help.
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The Best Quotes for Mothers of Teenage Sons
