50 Adulting Quotes to Help You Adult Like a Pro

Here are some of the best adulting quotes to help you navigate the challenges of adulthood.

“Adulting” is a descriptive word often used by younger generations like millennials, Gen Z’ers, and Generation Alpha. 

Luckily, we can turn to some of our favorite pop culture icons, like Selena Gomez and Leslie Knope, for knowledge and insight.

It’s a verbal extension of the word “adult,” meaning “to behave like an adult.”

Typically, it is used as a humorous term to acknowledge doing boring, undesirable tasks associated with being an adult, like:

• doing laundry
• taking out the trash
• paying bills

Tell us your favorite adulting quote in the comments section below!

Why you should read adulting quotes  

Quotes about adulting are highly relatable for most people and foster connection through sharing a common experience. 

The popularity of “adulting” can be attributed to how it captures a universal experience many young people go through as they transition into adulthood.

We have embraced the word as a playful and relatable way to discuss the often mundane changes that happen as one grows up.

In 2015, the American Dialect Society nominated “adult” as the Most Creative Word, giving it a major boost in usage. 

In 2016, the use of “adulting” on the social media platform Twitter increased by 700%!

But by then, “adulting” had already been around for a while. 

Its usage has been traced back to as early as 2008.

The term originated as a playful way to describe the transition from adolescence to adulthood, but it quickly gained popularity and became a widely recognized word.

We commonly see the word adulting on social media as a hashtag, “#adulting.”

Many young people started using the hashtag #adulting to share posts about their newfound responsibilities, such as:

• paying bills
• cooking meals
• doing laundry
• completing yardwork 

As of February 2023, over 3.2 million posts on Instagram included #adulting. 

Enjoy these relatable quotes about adulting! 

Funny adulting quotes

These funny adulting quotes are not only hilarious but true! 

1. “Making eye contact with adults while dressed as a clown is risky.” — Douglas Coupland

2. “Don’t worry, kids. Being an adult is mostly just Googling how to do stuff.” — Unknown

3. “I think it just helps to be very aware that fundamentally, there are no adults.” — Naval Ravikant

4. “I have been putting a lot of thought into it and I just don’t think being an adult is gonna work for me.” — Unknown

5. “Adulthood is like looking both ways before you cross the street and then getting hit by an airplane.” — Unknown

6. “The average, healthy, well-adjusted adult gets up at seven-thirty in the morning feeling just plain terrible.” — Jean Kerr

7. “Being an adult is mostly just going to bed when you don’t want to and also waking up when you don’t want to.” — Unknown

8. “Adulthood is like the vet, and we’re all the dogs that were excited for the car ride until we realized where we’re going.” — Unknown

9. “I may be an adult but I’m really more of an adult cat. Someone probably should take care of me but I can sorta make it on my own.” — Unknown

10. “I officially resign from adulthood. Decisions will be made using the eenie-meenie-minie-moe method and arguments will be settled by sticking out my tongue.” — Unknown

Adulting quotes about childhood and growing up

Everyone can relate to these adulting quotes about childhood and growing up.

11. “A child becomes an adult when he realizes that he has a right not only to be right but also to be wrong.” — Thomas Szasz

12. “You try all your life to be an adult, but something deep down inside you will always be that child.” ― Viv Albertine

13. “The solution to adult problems tomorrow depends on large measure upon how our children grow up today.” — Margaret Mead

14. “Adults are always asking kids what they want to be when they grow up because they are looking for ideas.” — Paula Poundstone

15. “I believe that maturity is not an outgrowing, but a growing up: that an adult is not a dead child, but a child who survived.” — Ursula K. Le Guin

16. “Inside every adult there’s still a child that lingers. We’re happiness merchants – giving people the opportunity to dream like children.” — Guy Laliberte

17. “I’m sorry for any problems you have, but part of being an adult is to stop blaming your parents for whatever shortcomings you have. That’s pretty basic.” ― Noah Van Sciver

18. “First and foremost, we need to be the adults we want our children to be. We should watch our own gossiping and anger. We should model the kindness we want to see.” — Brene Brown

19. “We grew up as kids having dreams, but now we’re too sophisticated as adults, as a nation. We stopped dreaming.” — Herb Brooks

20. “All our lives, we want to grow up—to be treated like adults, to have freedom to choose. Then we get here, and it turns out being an adult sucks.” — Marcella Purnama

Adulting quotes we can all relate to

Enjoy these adulting quotes we can all relate to!

21. “It’s all about baby steps and trying to figure out how to slowly, elegantly become an adult.” — Selena Gomez

22. “The worst thing about being an adult is the fact that we can do basically whatever we want.” ― Chelsea Fagan

23. “Time goes by so slowly when you’re a child, and then, as an adult, it goes by in the blink of an eye.” — David Lowery

24. “Adulting is serious stuff. Yes, it is cool to be independent and getting to do your own thing. But with freedom comes responsibility.” ― AVIS Viswanathan

25. “Sometimes I think that the one thing I love most about being an adult is the right to buy candy whenever and wherever I want.” — Ryan Gosling

More adulting quotes to consider

26. “Every adult in the world has some sense that he or she might be obliterated at any time by these weapons that we have created.” — Robert Jay Lifton

27. “Adulthood is like looking both ways to cross a street only to get hit by a falling object. Unpredictable and headache inducing.” ― Lani Lynn Vale

28. “We need to remember what’s important in life: friends, waffles, work. Or waffles, friends, work. Doesn’t matter, but work is third.” — Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation

29. “It’s been very funny to try to act like an adult. Even getting dressed. Every day, I’m like, ‘Should I wear a blazer and walk around with an umbrella? Do I carry a briefcase?’ Because I’m trying to be some image of the adults I saw on TV growing up.” — John Mulaney

30. “One of our issues as adults is that we become too focused on the results of an activity. We work to earn money. We go to the gym to lose weight. We spend time with people to network and further our careers.” ― Meik Wiking

Adulting quotes for Instagram

Share these comical adulting quotes for Instagram to your feed!

31. “Who let me adult? I can’t adult.” — Unknown

32. “Coffee, because adulting is hard.” — Unknown

33. “Fettucini alfredo is macaroni and cheese for adults.” — Mitch Hedberg

34. “I just wanna crochet and ignore all my adult problems.” — Unknown

35. “I think part of being an adult is leaving the fairytale behind.” — Rashida Jones

36. “Success is to bring into existence, in adult terms, your childhood dreams.” — Harlan Ellison

37. “The average adult laughs 15 times a day; the average child, more than 400 times.” — Martha Beck

38. “The lesson adults can learn here is that the world is filled with things for our enjoyment.” — Allen Klein

39. “I don’t run from my problems. I sit on my couch, play on my phone and ignore them like all other adults.” — Unknown

40. “If I try to age more naturally without caging myself in, I believe I’ll be able to become a more mature adult.” — Lee Min-ho

Short adulting quotes 

Here are some short adulting quotes that are funny and relatable. 

41. “To be adult is to be alone.” — Jean Rostand

42. “Adults are obsolete children.” — Dr. Seuss

43. “What is an adult? A child blown up by age.” — Simone de Beauvoir

44. “Becoming an adult is overrated and mythical.” ― Alex Clare-Young

45. “Adulting is too hard. Let’s play something else.” ― Tanya Masse

46. “Being an adult is the dumbest thing I have ever done.” — Unknown

47. “Children often have a much stronger concept of morality than adults.” — Nina Bawden

48. “Some adults would rather pretend that bad things don’t exist than to talk about them.” — Laurie Halse Anderson

49. “Adult life is dealing with an enormous amount of questions that don’t have answers.” — Bruce Springsteen

50. “Apparently, this was adulting: doing the right thing and still not getting what you wanted.” ― Karelia Stetz-Waters

Why some people hate the word “adulting”

Despite its enormous growth in popularity in the last 10-15 years, there are some people who criticize the use of the word adulting. 

They feel the term implies that adulthood is a negative burden that must be endured rather than embraced. 

This negative connotation can frustrate individuals who view adulthood as a time of growth and opportunity rather than a chore.

There are also those who feel the word adulting is a symptom of a larger societal problem. 

Namely, the pressure to conform to certain expectations or norms that are commonly associated with adulthood. 

For some, the term adulting reinforces these expectations rather than challenges them and allows individuals to define their own path in life.

Ultimately, whether someone likes or dislikes the term adulting may depend on their individual experiences and perspectives on adulthood. 

While some may find the term useful and relatable, others may view it as limiting or unhelpful.

Tell us your favorite adulting quote in the comments section!

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