65 Positive Quotes For Kids To Lift Spirits and Motivate

Kids have their moments as much as adults do. Everyone needs a pick-me-up now and then, so keeping some positive quotes for kids handy is a great way to give their spirits a lift. Inspirational quotes and stories can help kids learn to manage their emotions and motivate them to find their own way of coping when life hands them some lemons. 

The following are some positive quotes for kids to help put a smile on their faces. Some of these motivational quotes are from popular characters, and some are from famous people from interviews and written in books that they can learn about.

Uplifting Quotes for Kids When They Need a Pick-Me-Up

1. “Bad days happen to everyone, but when one happens to you, just keep doing your best and never let a bad day make you feel bad about yourself.”

– Big Bird (Sesame Street)

 

 

 2. “The key to a lasting friendship is always respecting each other, listening to each other, and caring what the other person thinks and feels.”

– Ernie (Sesame Street)

 

 

3.  “Sometimes we have to go deep inside ourselves to solve our problems.” 

– Patrick Star (SpongeBob SquarePants)

 

 

4. “The things that make me different are the things that make me”

– Winnie the Pooh

 

 

5. “When life gets you down, do you want to know what you’ve got to do? Just keep swimming!”

– Dory (Finding Nemo)

 

 

6. “As you go through life, you will see that there is so much that we don’t understand. And the only thing we know is things don’t always go the way we plan.”

– Simba (The Lion King)

 

 

7. “Remember you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine.”

– Snow White (Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs)

 

 

8. “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

– Christopher Robin (Winnie The Pooh)

 

 

9. “When you know better you do better.” 

– Maya Angelou (poet, dancer, singer, activist and scholar)

 

 

10. “You can’t really love someone else unless you really love yourself first.” 

– Fred Rogers (host of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood)

 

 

11. No one is perfect – that’s why pencils have erasers. 

– Wolfgang Riebe (appeared as a magician on British television, comedian, best selling author and keynote speaker)

 

 

12. “Your behavior is a choice; it isn’t who you are.” 

– Vanessa Diffenbaugh (author, The Language of Flowers)

 

 

13. “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” 

– Dalai Lama (spiritual leader in Tibet)

 

 

14. “You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have.”  

– Jim Rohn (American businessman, author and motivational speaker)

 

 

15. “When one door of happiness closes, another opens.” 

– Helen Keller (American author who was deaf and blind)

 

 

16. “If you have good thoughts, they will shine out of your face like sunbeams, and you will always look lovely.” 

– Roald Dahl (author of children’s books)

 

 

17. “We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have the power to imagine better.” 

– J.K. Rowling (author of popular series Harry Potter)

 

 

18. “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

 – Dr. Seuss (author of children’s books like Cat in the Hat)

 

 

19. “A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.”

 – Eeyore (Winnie the Pooh)

 

 

20. “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

 – Aesop (Greek storyteller famous for writing over 600 fables or short stories)

 

 

21. “Happiness is not the absence of problems, it’s the ability to deal with them.”

Steve Maraboli (American author)

 

 

22.  “I just want you to know that if you are out there and you are being really hard on yourself right now for something that has happened … it’s normal. That is what is going to happen to you in life. No one gets through unscathed. We are all going to have a few scratches on us. Please be kind to yourselves and stand up for yourself, please.”

— Taylor Swift (American singer and songwriter)

 

 

23. “We all have problems. But it’s not what happens to us, [it ‘s] the choices we make after.”

— Elizabeth Smart (child safety advocate, author and new contributor)

 

 

Motivational Quotes For Kids

Be better, be kind, try harder, help others and push yourself. These are just a few positive affirmations for kids to help them reach their potential. Here are some motivational quotes from people who have achieved greatness and inspire others. 

24. “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” 

– Maya Angelou (poet, dancer, singer, activist and scholar)

 

 

25. “I believe that if you’ll just stand up and go, life will open up for you. Something just motivates you to keep moving.”  

– Tina Turner (American singer, songwriter and actress)

 

 

26. “If my mind can conceive it, if my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it.”  

– Muhammad Ali (former heavyweight champion boxer and Olympic gold medalist)

 

 

27. Do a little more than you’re paid to. Give a little more than you have to. Try a little harder than you want to. Aim a little higher than you think possible, and give a lot of thanks to God for health, family, and friends.   

– Art Linkletter (American broadcasting host)

 

 

28. “Dreams don’t have to just be dreams. You can make it a reality; if you just keep pushing and keep trying, then eventually you’ll reach your goal. And if that takes a few years, then that’s great, but if it takes 10 or 20, then that’s part of the process.”  

– Naomi Osaka (Japanese professional tennis player)

 

 

29. “So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life’s A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! Kid, you’ll move mountains.” 

– Dr. Seuss (author of children’s books)

 

 

30. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

 – Theodore Roosevelt (26th president of the United States)

 

 

31. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”  

– Theodore Roosevelt (26th president of the United States)

 

 

32. “Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts.”  

– Albert Einstein (physicist and Nobel Prize winner)

 

 

33. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”  

– Aristotle (Greek philosopher)

 

 

34. “We must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.”  

– Albus Dumbledore (character from the book series Harry Potter)

 

 

35. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go!”  

– Dr. Seuss (American author of children’s books)

 

 

36. If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way. 

– Martin Luther King Jr.(American Baptist minister and activist)

 

 

37. “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”

 – Edward Everett Hale (American author)

 

 

38.  “The difference between winning and losing is most often not quitting.”  

– Walt Disney (American animator, film producer and entrepreneur)

 

 

39. “Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.” 

– Oprah Winfrey (American talk show host, television producer, actress, and author)

 

 

40. “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” 

– Wayne Gretzky (Canadian ice hockey player, Olympic gold medalist and known as ‘The Great One’)

 

 

41. “You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.”

– Michael Jordan (former professional basketball player)

 

 

42. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” 

– Arthur Ashe (former professional tennis player)

 

 

43. “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” 

– Thomas Jefferson (3rd president of the United States)

 

 

44. “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”

– Audrey Hepburn (British actress)

 

 

45. “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.”

– Colin Powell (former Secretary of State)

 

 

46. “The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” 

– Bruce Lee (martial artist, actor, director, and producer)

 

 

47. “Nothing is particularly hard if you break it down into small jobs.” 

– Henry Ford (founder of the Ford Motor company)

 

 

48. “Winning doesn’t always mean being first. Winning means you’re doing better than you’ve done before. ” 

– Bonnie Blair (retired American speed skater)

 

 

49. “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”

– Maya Angelou (poet, dancer, singer, activist and scholar)

 

 

50. “Never let the fear of striking out stop you from playing the game.”

– Babe Ruth (American professional baseball player)

 

 

51. “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential … these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.”

– Confucius (Chinese philosopher and teacher)

 

 

52. “The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on.”

– Barack Obama (44th president of the United States)

 

 

53. “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

– Michael Jordan (retired American professional basketball player)

 

 

54. “If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.”

– Dolly Parton (American country singer, songwriter and actress)

 

 

55. “Work hard, be kind and amazing things will happen.”

– Conan O’Brien (American comedian)

 

 

56. “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

– Mother Teresa (founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity)

 

 

57. “If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. It’s the hard that makes it great.” 

— Tom Hanks (American actor)

 

 

58. “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” 

— Henry Ford (founder of the Ford Motor company)

 

 

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

— Thomas Edison (American inventor and businessman)

 

 

60. “If you care about what you do and work hard at it, there isn’t anything you can’t do if you want to.”

 — Jim Henson (American puppeteer, actor, inventor and filmmaker)

 

 

61. “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fall.”  

– Ralph Waldo Emerson (American essayist, philosopher and poet)

 

 

62. “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” 

Japanese proverb

 

 

63. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.”

– Henry David Thoreau (American philosopher and poet)

 

 

64. “Life itself is the most wonderful fairytale.” 

– Hans Christian Andersen (Danish author, writer of fairy tales)

 

 

65. “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

– Mahatma Gandhi (Indian lawyer and activist)

 

 

These are the best inspirational quotes to uplift and motivate kids to choose kindness and to follow their dreams!