Helping students develop perseverance and confidence isn’t always easy, but the right words can make a difference. This collection of growth mindset quotes for students will help inspire resilience, perseverance, and self-belief. With quotes categorized by key themes and printable worksheets to reinforce the message, you’ll have everything you need to motivate your students and foster a positive learning environment. Keep reading to empower your students!
90+ Growth Mindset Quotes for Students
From overcoming setbacks to chasing big dreams, these quotes are categorized by key themes, offering valuable life lessons for your students:
Confidence & Self-Belief Quotes
Believing in yourself is the first step to success! These quotes will help students build self-confidence and trust in their abilities.
- “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
- “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
- “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” – Dr. Seuss
- “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James
- “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
- “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott
- “Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden
- “Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.” – Vince Lombardi
- “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
Persistence & Determination Quotes
Success comes to those who never give up! Encourage students to stay determined, even when things get tough.
- “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
- “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison
- “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” – C.S. Lewis
- “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
- “Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” – Walter Elliot
- “The secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well.” – John D. Rockefeller
- “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Confucius
- “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing.” – Pelé
- “A little progress each day adds up to big results.” – Unknown
Resilience & Overcoming Challenges Quotes
Resilience is a key aspect of a growth mindset. It teaches students that setbacks are not failures but opportunities to grow. Here are some powerful quotes to inspire resilience:
- “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Confucius
- “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
- “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” – Japanese Proverb
- “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
- “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” – C.S. Lewis
- “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” – Robert H. Schuller
- “The comeback is always stronger than the setback.” – Unknown
- “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.” – Maya Angelou
- “Difficulties in life are intended to make us better, not bitter.” – Dan Reeves
Recommendation: For younger learners, you can also introduce resilience through social-emotional activities for preschoolers that nurture confidence and adaptability early on.
Learning & Growth Quotes
A growth mindset thrives on lifelong learning. These quotes encourage students to embrace curiosity and improvement:
- “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi
- “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela
- “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein
- “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier
- “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar
- “Learning never exhausts the mind.” – Leonardo da Vinci
- “Mistakes are proof that you are trying.” – Unknown
- “Every expert was once a beginner.” – Helen Hayes
- “What we learn with pleasure, we never forget.” – Alfred Mercier
Teamwork & Collaboration Quotes
Success is rarely achieved alone. These teamwork and collaboration quotes highlight the importance of working together:
- “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
- “Teamwork makes the dream work.” – John C. Maxwell
- “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African Proverb
- “Great things in business are never done by one person; they’re done by a team of people.” – Steve Jobs
- “None of us is as smart as all of us.” – Ken Blanchard
- “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” – Phil Jackson
- “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” – Henry Ford
- “It takes two flints to make a fire.” – Louisa May Alcott
- “We rise by lifting others.” – Robert Ingersoll
Dedication & Hard Work Quotes
Hard work and dedication are crucial components of success. These quotes inspire perseverance:
- “Dreams don’t work unless you do.” – John C. Maxwell
- “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills
- “The harder you work for something, the greater you’ll feel when you achieve it.” – Unknown
- “I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” – Thomas Jefferson
- “Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them.” – Ann Landers
- “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing.” – Pelé
- “Work hard in silence, let your success be your noise.” – Frank Ocean
- “A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.” – Jim Watkins
- “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
Big Dreams & Goal-Setting Quotes
Big dreams fuel big achievements. These quotes inspire students to set ambitious goals:
- “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” – Norman Vincent Peale
- “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
- “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
- “If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney
- “Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” – Dale Carnegie
- “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- “Dream big and dare to fail.” – Norman Vaughan
- “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
- “Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson
Adaptability & Flexibility Quotes
A growth mindset thrives on adaptability. These quotes inspire students to embrace change:
- “Change is the end result of all true learning.” – Leo Buscaglia
- “It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin
- “Be stubborn about your goals and flexible about your methods.” – Unknown
- “Adaptability is about the powerful difference between adapting to cope and adapting to win.” – Max McKeown
- “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” – Albert Einstein
- “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” – Norman Vincent Peale
- “Flexibility requires an open mind and a welcoming of new alternatives.” – Deborah Day
- “The art of life is a constant readjustment to our surroundings.” – Kakuzo Okakaura
- “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” – Viktor Frankl
Self-Improvement & Growth Quotes
Self-improvement is a key element of a growth mindset. These quotes encourage continuous growth:
- “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou
- “Strive for progress, not perfection.” – Unknown
- “Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.” – Chinese Proverb
- “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” – Zig Ziglar
- “Personal growth is not a matter of learning new information but of unlearning old limits.” – Alan Cohen
- “The expert in anything was once a beginner.” – Helen Hayes
- “Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try.” – Michael Jordan
- “Do something today that your future self will thank you for.” – Unknown
- “There is no finish line. There are only mile markers.” – Michael Ventura
Positive Mindset & Self-Talk Quotes
Teaching self-talk strategies helps them silence self-doubt and build confidence. Here are some uplifting quotes to encourage a positive inner voice:
- “Happiness depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “You become what you believe.” — Oprah Winfrey
- “Feed your mind with positive thoughts, and your life will start to change.” — Unknown
- “Be mindful of your self-talk. It’s a conversation with the universe.” — David James
- “The energy you put out is the energy you get back.” — Unknown
- “Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day.” — Alice Morse Earle
- “You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” — Vincent Van Gogh
- “Your words matter. Speak kindly to yourself, always.” — Unknown
FAQs
1. Are growth mindset quotes important for students?
Absolutely! Growth mindset quotes:
- Reinforce positive thinking and motivation.
- Encourage students to embrace learning and effort.
- Help them develop resilience when facing challenges.
2. How to use growth mindset quotes to inspire your students?
- Daily Quote Boards: Display a new quote every morning.
- Discussion Starters: Use quotes as journal prompts.
- Posters & Printables: Hang them around the classroom.
- Personalized Affirmations: Encourage students to choose a quote that resonates with them.
Final thoughts
Growth mindset quotes for students are more than just words—they’re powerful reminders of perseverance, effort, and potential. By incorporating these inspirational messages into your classroom, you can help your students develop a mindset that will set them up for lifelong success.
Recommendation: Use our growth mindset worksheets to turn these inspiring quotes into reflective and interactive activities for your students.
