There’s nothing an English teacher loves more than a good quote to mount on their wall and print across their hearts. Whether you tattoo it on your skin or dry erase marker it on the whiteboard, the quotes we keep close have a way of touching others.
Whether your students are avid readers or simply avid Twitter users, there are quotes for every single one of them.
Inspire students to love learning, literature, and life with these ten quotes for your classroom:
For the kids in your class always talking about their “aesthetic”:
“Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.”
– Oscar Wilde
Let them know that Mr. Wilde was a prominent leader of the aesthetic movement of the 19th century, which championed “art for art’s sake.” Wilde believed that anything you enjoy is meaningful to you, and that’s enough. Thanks, Oscar!
For the ones who might not enjoy “mainstream” material:
“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”
– Haruki Murakami
It’s true! Encourage your students to pursue their unique interests – in life and literature alike.
For Earth Day:
“Dear old world, you are very lovely and I am glad to be alive in you.”
– L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
Every day is Earth Day! Sometimes we can all get so sucked into the humdrum drama of the mundane that we forget the ancient beauty that lives all around us. Take some time to appreciate the old world, like Anne.
For those who enjoy spooky stuff:
“Be wise. Be brave. Be tricky.”
– Neil Gaiman, Coraline
When advice comes from a talking black cat, you should probably take it.
For your introverts:
“Literature is by far the most agreeable way of ignoring life.”
– Fernando Pessoa
Nothing says “don’t talk to me, I’m busy” like your nose buried in a book. Who needs human interaction when you can disappear between the pages of your own private world?
For those who need to hear it:
“We need never be ashamed of our tears.”
– Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
Sometimes our high expectations of ourselves leave us buried under pressure. Remember to slow down every so often, and to be gentle with yourself. Your emotions are important, and you should take the time to feel them, good or bad.
For your aspiring writers:
“If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must write it.”
– Toni Morrison
This quote is a call to action! People, especially young ones, often doubt that they have something important enough to say to warrant putting it down in writing. Heed Morrison’s advice: If you need to hear it, someone else does too.
For your procrastinators:
“He who awaits much, can expect little.”
– Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Sometimes you have to grab life by the neck and go do!
For your romantics:
“We were together. I forget the rest.”
– Walt Whitman
Wait, isn’t this the plot of The Notebook?
For anyone and everyone:
“What is beautiful is good, and who is good will soon be beautiful.”
– Sappho
Your students are at a time in their lives where they will doubt their worth. Remind them that, however cliche it may sound, true beauty lies within a sound mind, a sound body, and a sound heart.
