Encouraging Quotes For Kids To Brighten Their Day

Words are powerful, so much so that they can completely change someone’s mood or perspective. This is often even more true when it comes to children. They’re in a period of intensive learning about themselves, others, and the world around them, which makes them more likely to internalize what they see and hear. If you’re looking to give some supportive words of inspiration to a child or young adult in your life, some of the quotes below may be useful. Before we discuss them, we’ll offer a brief look into why having relationships with supportive adults like yourself can be so important and impactful for children when it comes to their long-term success and well-being.

The importance of supportive adults in a child’s life

If there’s a child in your life who you’re considering discussing the below inspirational quotes with, you’re likely a supportive and perhaps even a trusted adult in their life. Research indicates that the presence of such adults can have a significantly positive effect on their development and on their future. 

For example, one 2021 study looked at adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the factors that may make children more resilient in the face of such experiences. The findings suggest that having connection to an “always-available trusted adult” correlates with a lower chance of experiencing ACEs as well as resilience after experiencing one. While you, as a trusted adult, can’t necessarily protect the child in your life from every negative experience, being there to support them, listen to them, and encourage them could make all the difference in how they handle ACEs and other challenges in life.

Inspirational quotes for the child in your life

Looking for some motivational or supportive quotes to offer to the child or young adult in your life? Those listed below may be worth discussing.

Quotes on following your dreams

Working toward meaningful goals is one way to build a satisfying, fulfilling life. Doing so can give an individual a sense of purpose and direction. It may also help them avoid future regret, as research suggests that people tend to regret the things they didn’t do even more than those they tried but that didn’t turn out well. If you’re looking to encourage a young person in your life to follow their dreams, telling some of these quotes might help:

• “I don’t focus on what I’m up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest.” –Venus Williams
• “Dare to dream; then, decide to do.” –Annette White
• “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach the stars to change the world.” –Harriet Tubman
• "The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams." –Oprah Winfrey
• “Everything you can imagine is real.” –Pablo Picasso
• "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
• “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” –Earl Nightingale
• “Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.” –Jamie Paolinetti
• "Believe you can and you're halfway there." –Theodore Roosevelt
• "Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning." –Gloria Steinem

Quotes on facing challenges

Most young people have limited experience with significant failures, setbacks, and obstacles thus far, so encountering them on the road to achieving their goals can feel especially disheartening. The following quotes might give them a motivational boost to keep going:

• “Challenges are what make life interesting, and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." –Joshua J. Marine
• "Nothing is impossible. The word itself says 'I'm possible.'" –Audrey Hepburn
• “The future rewards those who press on.” –Barack Obama
• “There should be no boundaries to human endeavor. We are all different. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there’s life, there is hope.” –Stephen Hawking
• “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” –Eleanor Roosevelt
• "Winning doesn't always mean being first. Winning means you're doing better than you've ever done before." –Bonnie Blair
• “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” –Japanese proverb
• “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” –Nelson Mandela

Quotes on self-acceptance

Research suggests that a healthy sense of self-acceptance can result in greater overall well-being. In a world that’s often unwelcoming to those who are different from what’s considered to be “the norm,” learning to find and project self-acceptance can truly be a superpower. Here are some quotes that could support the child in your life in cultivating this sense: 

• “I don’t know a perfect person. I only know flawed people who are still worth loving.” –John Green
• "Life will never be the same because there has never been anyone like you…ever in the world." –Nancy Tillman
• “We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” –Dalai Lama XIV
• “If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.” –Buddha
• "You are enough just as you are." –Meghan Markle
• "Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." –Lucille Ball
• "It doesn't matter if thousands of people believe in you, unless you believe in you." –Maddy Malhotra
• “You’re always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company.” –Diane Von Furstenberg
• "Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are." –Marilyn Monroe

Quotes on treating others with kindness

Learning how to interact peacefully with peers, family members, and others is generally a key part of growing up. Though it can be difficult when another person doesn’t show kindness back, acting from a place of compassion and warmth is usually worthwhile. The following quotes can help inspire kids to treat others well:

• "Be silly, be honest, be kind." –Ralph Waldo Emerson
• "Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud." –Maya Angelou
• "No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted." –Aesop
• "Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened." –Buddha
• “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” –Desmond Tutu
• "Kindness is the language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see." –Mark Twain
• "Wherever there is a human being, there is the opportunity for a kindness."–Lucius Annaeus Seneca
• “How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time.” –Morgan Freeman
• "A warm smile is the universal language of kindness." –William Arthur Ward

Support for parents, caregivers, teachers, or role models

If you interact with children daily—whether at home or at work—you’re likely to face both joys and challenges regularly. While raising or teaching children can be a very rewarding experience, it can also be frustrating or even draining at times. Those who work in child-related fields—such as teachers, pediatricians, guidance counselors, social workers who specialize in children, etc.—may experience burnout or compassion fatigue over time. Parents or caregivers may have trouble managing stress related to raising a child, or may simply need some time and an outlet for themselves. Individuals in these or similar situations may all benefit from the nonjudgmental listening ear of a trained therapist.

If your schedule makes it difficult to regularly travel to and from in-person therapy appointments, you might consider online therapy instead. With a platform like BetterHelp, you can get matched with a licensed therapist who you can meet with via phone, video call, and/or in-app messaging—and all from the comfort of home. Research suggests that both in-person and online sessions can offer similar benefits in many cases, so you can generally feel confident choosing the one that feels best for you.