Quotes For Kids To Brighten Their Day: Mindset Quotes For Kids

Words can be a powerful tool, so much so that they can completely change someone’s mood or perspective. This is often even more true when it comes to children, as they can be deeply impacted by inspiring words. They’re in a period of intensive learning about themselves, others, and the world around them, which may make them more likely to internalize what they see and hear, potentially helping them gain self-confidence and overcome self-doubt.

If you’re looking to give some supportivewordstoinspirechildren or young adults, the positive quotes for kids compiled by BetterHelp below may be useful.Before we highlight popular inspiring quotes, we’ll offer a brief look into why having relationships with supportive adults can be important and impactful for children’s long-term success and well-being.

Table of Contents

1. Why Do Encouraging Words Matter For Kids?
2. What Are Some Inspirational Quotes For Kids To Brighten Their Day?
3. Which Famous Inspirational Quotes Do Kids Love?
4. What Are The Best Encouraging Quotes For Older Kids And Teens?
5. How Can Parents, Caregivers, And Teachers Best Support Children?

Why Do Encouraging Words Matter For Kids?

One of the simplest yet most impactful things a trusted adult can do is encourage children through words. Research indicates that the presence of supportive adults can have a significantly positive effect on a child’s 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 a 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, offering a supportive environment, listening to them, helping them cope with negative thoughts, and encouraging them could make all the difference in how they handle ACEs and other challenges in life. There can be many ways to be an always-available trusted presence in a child’s life; sharing encouraging words can be one way to offer encouragement and support.

What Are Some Inspirational Quotes For Kids To Brighten Their Day?

Looking for some supportive or motivational quotes to offer to the child or young adult in your life? Finding the right quote is half the job, but delivering it in a way that resonates is equally important. Those listed below may be worth discussing.

Quotes about courage and leaving the comfort zone

Encouraging young people to dream big and pursue those dreams with courage is a powerful gift. Working toward meaningful goals with a positive attitude is one way to build a satisfying, fulfilling life. Doing so can give an individual a sense of purpose and direction and help them embrace challenges. Teens may need a reminder they are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and more capable than they realize. If you’re looking to encourage a young person in your life to start moving forward from their comfort zone, even if they feel afraid, some of these quotes might help:

• "All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." –Walt Disney
• “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
• “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

Growth mindset quotes to inspire young minds

Most young people have limited experience with significant failures, setbacks, and obstacles, so encountering them on the road to achieving their goals can feel especially disheartening. Cultivating a positive mindset early may make a meaningful difference in how young people handle setbacks. Quotes that can be helpful in these situations might emphasize that even small efforts can contribute to continualgrowth, and may remind them that every experience can be an opportunity for personal growth or tap into hidden potential.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
• "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” –Robert Collier
• "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” –John F Kennedy

Encouraging quotes to build confidence and self-belief

It can be difficult for some kids to fit in, and they may be influenced by their peers because they want to be accepted. Sometimes, though, whether due to their own limited imagination or others' limited imagination, kids and teens may lack the self-belief to build confidence in what makes them unique. We hope to nurture a humble but reasonable confidence, a belief in one's own value and capabilities.

Research suggests that a healthy sense of self-acceptance can result in greater overall well-being, along with self love. 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, and recognizing their own powers is often the first step. 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
• “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 about kindness, positivity, and perspective

Learning how to stay positive and 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. Though it can be difficult when someone doesn’t show kindness in return, 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

• "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

Which Famous Inspirational Quotes Do Kids Love?

Kids often look up to famous figures because they may see them as proof that hard work, dedication, and big dreams can pay off. Here are some quotes from well-known figures that kids may admire.

Quotes from athletes and leaders

• “I can accept failure; everyone fails at something. But I cannot accept not trying.” –Michael Jordan
• "If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything." –John Wooden
• “I don’t focus on what I’m up against. I focus on my goals, and I try to ignore the rest.” –Venus Williams
• "You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take." –Wayne Gretzky
• "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." –Arthur Ashe
• "Don't dream of winning, train for it." –Mo Farah

Quotes from thinkers and humanitarians

• "Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.” –Mother Teresa
• "Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” –William James
• "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." –Margaret Thatcher
• "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
• “We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” –Dalai Lama XIV
• "Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened." –Buddha

Quotes from innovators and creatives

• "Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice." –Steve Jobs
• "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." –Franklin D. Roosevelt
• "Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” –Scott Adams
• “Everything you can imagine is real.” –Pablo Picasso
• “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” –Walt Disney

What Are The Best Encouraging Quotes For Older Kids And Teens?

Older children and teens may start thinking about their lives in new ways, including their futures, who they are, and who they want to be, and how to become the best version of themselves. Older kids may need inspiration to understand that the future belongs to them and that they already possess the inner power to shape it.

Quotes about growing up and independence

• “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” –Eleanor Roosevelt
• "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." –E.E. Cummings
• "You are the hero of your own story." –Joseph Campbell
• "You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop." –Rumi
• "Your growth is limited only by how much you're willing to put in the effort." –Unknown
• "You are capable of making a difference in the world." –Malala Yousafzai

Quotes about life, purpose, and possibility

• "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” –Mahatma Gandhi
• "When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful." –Malala Yousafzai 
• "The two most important days in life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why." –Mark Twain
• "If you can't figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose." –Bishop T.D. Jakes
• “The best way to lengthen out our days is to walk steadily and with a purpose.” –Charles Dickens
• "Positive anything is better than negative nothing." –Elbert Hubbard

How Can Parents, Caregivers, And Teachers Best Support Children?

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. In those moments, it might help to take a deep breath and remember why this work matters.

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. Prioritizing self-care is not a luxury but a necessity. Individuals in these or similar situations may all benefit from the nonjudgmental listening ear of a trained therapist. Taking that step can be the beginning of meaningful, positive change.

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.