130 First Day of School Quotes That Will Get You Ready for The Year

These first day of school quotes will remind you of the beauty of earning an education and prompt you to set your alarm early!

Share your favorite back-to-school memory with us in the comment section below.

What are the benefits of reading some first-day-of-school quotes?

The start of a new school year can yield many emotions.

These quotes will help remind you:

• That you are not alone
• It is ok to be excited
• It is also ok to be nervous
• Of common situations in life, even if you are out of school

Whatever you may feel about your first day of school (or your child’s first day of school), remember that everyone has been in this position in their lives.

Even if the first day of school is not something you have to experience anymore, you find that these conflicted emotions can happen throughout life.

These wise words will help you navigate whatever new thing you might face.

Enjoy the new beginning

No matter what, it’s important to start the year off on the right foot so that you can pave a pathway for the future.

Below is our collection of inspirational, wise, and memorable first-day-of-school quotes and sayings collected from a variety of sources over the years.

Also, check out these quotes about math for more motivation.

Also, check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily wisdom. 

See the rest of our quote database for even more inspirational ideas and thoughts.

First Day of School Quotes

1. “The most important day of a person’s education is the first day of school, not Graduation Day.” ― Harry Wong

2. “If you think your teacher is tough, wait ‘til you get a boss.” — Bill Gates

3. “Time to rise. Time for school! Open your eyes.” — Tammie Jones

You will also enjoy our article on quotes about new beginnings.

4. “Education is our passport to the future.” — Malcolm X

You will also enjoy our article on Motivational quotes for students.

5. “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” — Sydney J. Harris

You will also enjoy our article on college quotes.

6. “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” ― Charles Dederich

You will also enjoy our article on learning quotes.

7. “You’re off to great places. Today is your first day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!”― Dr. Seuss

You will also enjoy our article on Teacher’s Day quotes.

8. “This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change.” — Taylor Swift

You will also enjoy our article on math quotes.

9. “The difference between try and triumph is a little umph.” ― Marvin Phillips

10. “There’s more treasure in books than in all the pirates’ loot on Treasure Island.” –Walt Disney

First Day of School Quotes on Fitting In

11. “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier

12. “Dreams come a size too big so that we can grow into them.” ― Josie Bissett

13. “Education doesn’t just make us smarter. It makes us whole.” ― Jill Biden

14. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” ― Nelson Mandela

15. “School bells are ringing loud and clear; vacation’s over, school is here.” — Winifred C. Marshal

16. “Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen.” ― Conan O’Brien

17. “Don’t try so hard to fit in, and certainly don’t try so hard to be different … just try hard to be you.” — Zendaya

18. “Be curious, not cool.” — Ken Burns

You might also like these inspirational knowledge quotes and sayings for those who love learning.

First Day of School Quotes on Creativity

19. “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” — John Dewey

20. “One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world.” ― Malala Yousafzai

21. “The road to freedom – here and everywhere on earth – begins in the classroom.” — Hubert Humphrey

22. “Take your risks now. As you grow older, you become more fearful and less flexible.” — Amy Poehler

23. “I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.” — Lily Tomlin

First Day of School Quotes on the Importance of an Education

24. “A good education is a foundation for a better future.” ― Elizabeth Warren

25. “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” ― Aristotle

26. “Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom.” — Oprah Winfrey

27. “School is a building which has four walls with tomorrow inside.” ― Lon Watters

28. “You must do the things you think you cannot do.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt

29. The first day of school – The day when the countdown to the last day of school begins. ― Unknown

30. “Make today so awesome yesterday gets jealous.” ― Anonymous

First Day of School Quotes on Potential

31. “You can’t do it alone. Be open to collaboration. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you. Spend a lot of time with them and it will change your life.” — Amy Poehler

32. “Intelligence plus character—that is the true goal of education.” — Martin Luther King

33. “The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.” — Robert M. Hutchins

34. “I’ve always loved the first day of school better than the last day of school. Firsts are best because they are beginnings.” ― Jenny Han

35. “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” — Albert Einstein

36. “The worst thing is trying to find a good seat on the first day of school.” — Unknown

37. “In a global economy, where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity, it is a prerequisite.” — Barack Obama

38. “Sometimes you have to do what you don’t love, so that you can do what you love.” — Unknown

39. “All children start their school careers with sparkling imaginations, fertile minds, and a willingness to take risks with what they think.” ― Ken Robinson

40. “I’m not going to school just for the academics. I wanted to share ideas, to be around people who are passionate about learning.” — Emma Watson

41. “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” ― Dr. Seuss

42. “You have to stay in school. You have to. You have to go to college. You have to get your degree. Because that’s the one thing people can’t take away from you is your education. And it is worth the investment.” — Michelle Obama

43. “You must get an education. You must go to school, and you must learn to protect yourself. And you must learn to protect yourself with the pen, and not the gun.” ― Josephine Baker

44. “The first day of school is our second New Year’s. It is our day to make resolutions, to look backward to former lapses and triumphs, and to look ahead, usually with a mix of anxiety and hope, to the year to come.” ― Mark Edmundson

45. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt

46. “Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life.” ― Naeem Callaway

47. “You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.” ― Unknown

First Day of School Quotes on Learning

48. “What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.” ― George Bernard Shaw

49. “The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live.” ― Mortimer Adler

50. “You learn something every day if you pay attention.” ― Ray LeBlond

First day of school quotes to prepare you for the year ahead

51. “Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” – Margaret Mead

52. “It’s one of my favorite seasons of the year: Back to School.” -Dana Perino

53. “A new school year means new beginnings, new adventures, new friendships, and new challenges. The slate is clean and anything can happen.” -Denise Witmer

54. “Fall is here, hear the bell. Back to school, ring the bell. Brand new shoes, walking blues. Climb the fence, books and pens.” -The White Stripes

55. On the first day of school, remember that education is the key that unlocks the door to a world of possibilities.” ― Marie Curie

56. “No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.” -Regina Brett

57. “On the first day of a college you will worry about how will you do inside the college and at the last day of a college you will wonder what will you do outside the college” ― Amit Kalantri

58. “Learn as much as you can while you are young since life becomes busy later.” -Dana Stewart Scott

59. “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” -Anthony J. D’Angelo

60. “Sometimes we’re all too quick to count down the days that we forget to make the days count.” — unknown

First Day Of School Quotes To Focus On Learning

61. “High school is about finding who you are because that’s more important than trying to be someone else.” ― Nick Jonas

62. “The first day of school is always a fashion show, The rest of the school year? A pajama party.” — Unknown

63. “I went through phases of finding myself. I dabbled in musical theater, chess club, dance troupe, drill team girl, emo kid — and not one of them defined me, but every single one will always play a part in who I am.” — Debby Ryan

64. “What makes a child gifted and talented may not always be good grades in school, but a different way of looking at the world and learning.” — Chuck Grassley

65. “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who matter don’t mind and those who mind don’t matter.” ― Dr. Seuss

66. “You can accomplish anything with students if you set high expectations for behavior and performance by which you yourself abide.” ― Harry K. Wong

67. “It is very reassuring to your students that you know what you are doing.” ― Harry K. Wong

68. “When the students have no idea what is to be learned, and the teacher has no idea what is to be taught, no student learning can take place.” ― Harry K. Wong

69. “The effective teachers spent time organizing and structuring their classrooms so the students knew what to do to succeed.” ― Harry K. Wong

70. “Education is what survives when what has been learnt has been forgotten.” ― B.F. Skinner

First Day of School Quotes To Encourage Learners

71. “Learning is not compulsory; it’s voluntary… But to survive, we must learn.” ― W. Edwards Deming

72. “Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.” ― Oscar Wilde

73. “When I was in high school, I earned the pimple award and every other gross-out award.” ― Jack Nicholson

74. “It’s the connection between schools and communities that creates greatness in schools.” ― Bill Ayers

75. “I did go to a performing arts school, so that facilitated my creativity, though I ended up going in a more musical direction.” ― Alycia Debnam Carey

76. “Our job is to teach the students we have. Not the ones we would like to have. Not the ones we used to have. Those we have right now. All of them.” ― Dr. Kevin Maxwell

77. “Any school would gain if the students began the day with meditation, cleared their heads, and got themselves centered.” ― Pico Iyer

78. “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” ― William Butler Yeats

79. Waking your kids up for school the first day after a break is almost as much fun as birthing them was.” ― Jenny McCarthy

80. “I suppose it is because nearly all children go to school nowadays and have things arranged for them that they seem so forlornly unable to produce their own ideas.” ― Agatha Christie

81. “A child who has become master of his acts through long and repeated exercises, and who has been encouraged by the pleasant and interesting activities in which he has been engaged, is a child filled with health and joy and remarkable for his calmness and discipline.” – Maria Montessori

First Day Of School Quotes To Inspire Students Through the New Term

82. “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” — Mark Twain

83. “What we learn with pleasure we never forget.” — Alfred Mercier

84. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Lao Tzu

85. “It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” — Maya Angelou

86. “Education is a right, not a privilege; it is an opportunity, not an entitlement.” — Arne Duncan

87. “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” — Abraham Lincoln

88. “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” —  Andy McIntyre

89. “The highest result of education is tolerance.” — Helen Keller

90. “Hold fast to your dreams, for without them life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.” — Langston Hughes

91. The purpose of education, finally, is to create in a person the ability to look at the world for himself, to make his own decisions. — James Baldwin

First Day of School Quotes To Keep Students Committed to Their Education

92. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”— Maimonides

93. “Change is the end result of all true learning.” — Leo Buscaglia

94. “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” — Mark Twain

95. “Either you run the day or the day runs you.” — Jim Rohn

96. “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” — Benjamin Franklin

97. “Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves.” — Ernest Dimnet

98. “Only the educated are free.” — Epictetus

99. “Every artist was at first an amateur.” — Ralph W. Emerson

100. “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” — Aristotle

101. “The only dreams impossible to reach are the ones you never pursue.” — Michael Deckman

First Day of School Quotes to Motivate and Encourage Students on Day One

102. “The first day of school is not just the start of a new year; it’s the beginning of a journey filled with endless possibilities.” ― Michelle Obama

103. “In the classroom, we discover not only the world but also ourselves, one lesson at a time.” ― Nelson Mandela

104. “The first day of school is like opening a book; you never know what adventures await on the pages of learning.” ― Oprah Winfrey

105. “As you step through the school doors, remember that knowledge is the key that unlocks the doors to your dreams.” ― Maya Angelou

106. “Every first day of school is a blank canvas, waiting for the brushstrokes of curiosity and the colors of discovery.” ― Albert Einstein

107. “In the classroom, we find not just books, but the stories of our own growth and the chapters of our future.” ― Steve Jobs

108. The first day of school is a chapter in the book of your life; make it a story worth telling.” ― Amelia Earhart

109. “Education is the compass that guides us through the uncharted waters of life, and the first day of school is where the journey begins.” ― Dalai Lama

110. “On the first day of school, embrace the adventure of learning, for it is a treasure that enriches the soul.” ― Helen Keller

111. “The classroom is a stage where every student is the star of their own show, performing the play of knowledge and growth.” ― Bill Gates

First Day of School Quotes to Kickstart the First Day

112. “The first day of school is the prologue to the story of your education, a tale that will unfold with each passing day.” ― Marie Curie

113. “In the hallowed halls of learning, the first day of school is the initiation into the fellowship of knowledge.” ― Albert Einstein

114. “As you step into the classroom, remember that every question is a step closer to wisdom, and every answer is a treasure.” ― Oprah Winfrey

115. “The first day of school is the beginning of a lifelong love affair with learning, a romance that never grows old.” ― Nelson Mandela

116. “In the world of education, the first day of school is the foundation upon which we build the structures of understanding.” ― Maya Angelou

117. “The first day of school is like the first note in a symphony of learning, setting the tone for the beautiful composition of knowledge.” ― Amelia Earhart

118. “In the classroom, we find not just desks and chairs, but the seeds of dreams waiting to be nurtured.” ― Dalai Lama

119. “The first day of school is the sunrise of a new academic year, a dawn filled with the promise of growth and discovery.” ― Helen Keller

120. “Education is the passport to the future, and the first day of school is the first stamp on your journey.” ― Bill Gates

121. “My memories on my first day of school included the classic never-ending search for that one classroom that did not seem to exist.” ― Sean C. Cusak 

122. “It was the first day of school. Just like that you meet new people, isn`t that cool” ― Peter Michaels Jr.

123. Can`t forget my first day at school. Got stabbed in the head with a pencil, but it`s cool” ― Joseph Bruce 

124. “The first day of school is tough on all my kids. Especially the one I married.” ― Claire Dunphy 

125. My number one goal at the end of the first day is that they’re excited to be part of the class. ― Michael Linsin 

126. “Every day is the first day of school.” ― Dr. Edoardo Zeloni Magelli 

127. “From your first day at school you are cut off from life to make theories.” ― Taisen Deshimaru 

128. “On the first day of school, my father told me I`d be the most popular girl and everyone would love me.” ― Maeve Binchy 

129. “First day of school, make sure that you know your locker combination.” ―  Jordan Francis 

130. “On the first day of school, you got to be real careful where you sit..” ― Jeff Kinney 

Feeling ready?

The start of a new school year can be a clean slate — an opportunity to show your teacher, your peers, and most of all, yourself, that you’re ready to work hard, learn and prepare for the future.

It’s hard to predict what might happen on the first day of school, but these first day of school quotes can give you the push you need to walk in with your right foot first.

You may feel nervous and a little unsure of what to expect, but all you need is the right attitude — and maybe a sharpened pencil and a smile!

What’s your biggest takeaway from these inspirational first day of school quotes?

Let us know in the comment section below! Your instincts will take you to levels others may never attain.