50+ Inspirational Quotes for Teens

Every person will have to face the inevitable part of life: the awkward, confusing, anxiety-inducing, beautiful, wild, incredible thing known as “being a teenager.” The teenage years can be a good thing: the body is changing and stepping out of adolescence, and the mind is developing more and more. However, teens have to face a lot of negative things, too: bullies, the pressure of social media, angst, and the lack of motivation to keep a positive attitude

As a parent, raising teenagers can be quite challenging. Not only are teenage girls and boys are dealing with their changing bodies, but they’re also dealing with other teenage boys and girls, their fears of speaking up in the classroom, their anxiety about college and the future. Every teenager is anxious, whether they admit it or not. As a parent, you want to share your wisdom with your child because you’ve been there, and you know what it’s all about. However, no teen wants advice from their parents. 

As young adults, it can be tough to navigate life, from insecurities, body image, relationships, friendships, social media, high school and college, and so much more. Being a teen girl or a teen boy can be overwhelming and scary, and sometimes reassurance is needed that you’re not alone in whatever you’re feeling. If you’re a teenager, sometimes a positive affirmation or a motivational quote is much needed to get through the day(s). 

Here are some positive quotes for affirmation, inspiration, and motivation. Some of these quotes can be great for a laptop or phone wallpaper to remind you of your potential every day. 

Inspirational Quotes for Teens

Social media has completely changed the way every teenager sees themselves. Every young girl aims for true beauty, luxury, and affirmation from everyone, and by wanting to impress everyone, she loses herself along the way. 

The fact of the matter is, to be a beautiful person is to recognize the goodness and authenticity within yourself. To be a beautiful person is to be kind, loving, strong, empathetic, brave, empowered, and so much more. These are inspirational quotes for teens to feel motivated reminded that every person is so much more than their looks. 

Tough times never last, but tough people do.”

-Robert H. Schuller

“You have what it takes to be a victorious, independent, fearless woman.” 

-Tyra Banks

“No matter what you look like or think you look like, you’re special, and loved, and perfect just the way you are.” 

-Ariel Winter

“You must always have faith in people. And most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself.”

-Elle Woods, Legally Blonde

“Never apologize for being sensitive or emotional. Let this be a sign that you’ve got a big heart and aren’t afraid to let others see it. Showing your emotions is a sign of strength.”

-Brigitte Nicole

inspirational quotes for teens

“Remember that the stars and planets did not die for you to waste your time wondering if you are pretty enough or worthy enough to exist.”

Nikita Gill

“I think transwomen, and trans people in general, show everyone that you can define what it means to be a man or woman on your own terms. A lot of what feminism is about is moving outside of roles and moving outside of expectations of who and what you’re supposed to be to live a more authentic life.”

-Laverne Cox

“The world needs strong women. Women who will lift and build others, who will love and be loved. Women who live bravely, both tender and fierce. Women of indomitable will.”

-Amy Tenney

“Don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself. Keep fighting for your dreams!” 

-Gabby Douglas

 “Take your broken heart, make it into art.”

-Carrie Fisher

“Even on your worst days, you are always worth love and respect. Don’t ever settle for anything less.” 

-Hannah Irelan

“Note to self: self-love isn’t selfish.” 

-Dua Lipa

“Being confident means believing in yourself. Ego means needing to prove that you’re better than other people.”

-Barbara De Angelis

“Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.”

-Stephen Hawking

inspirational quotes for teens

“Count your rainbows, not your thunderstorms.” 

-Janice Thompson 

“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone.”

-Reba McEntire

“Everything will be ok in the end. If it’s not ok, it’s not the end.”

-John Lennon

“The darkest night is often the bridge to the brightest tomorrow…”  

-Jonathan Lockwood Huie

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember…the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”

-Henry Ford

Grow through what you go through.

-Tyrese Gibson

Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself. 

-Coco Chanel 

“You need to remember that love does not mean one person gives all and another person receives all.” 

-Abirami P. Kurukkal 

inspirational quotes for teens

“No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.” 

-Tony Robbins

A girl should be two things: who and what she wants. 

-Coco Chanel 

“Make happiness a priority and be gentle with yourself in the process.”

-Bronnie Ware

“There’s bravery in being soft.”

-Gurubogso 

“Of course, I feel too much; I’m a universe of exploding stars.”

-S. Ajna

“No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.”

-Robin Williams 

“Learn that someone else’s confusion and mixed signals you try to decipher aren’t a reflection of you, but someone else’s ability to see your worth.” 

-Kirsten Corley

“Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it.” 

-Albus Dumbledore

“I figure if I’m gonna be a mess, I might as well be a hot mess.” 

-Mindy Kaling

“Cinderella never asked for a prince; she asked for a night off and a dress.” 

-Kiera Cass

“Life is too short. Too short to waste a single second with anyone who doesn’t appreciate and value you.”

-Sarah Dessen 

inspirational quotes for teens

“It’s better to give yourself the love you need than to give your whole heart to someone who will only meet you halfway.”

Holly Riordan

“We need to learn to be content and thankful for what we have rather than letting our hearts be filled with greed and jealousy.” 

-Jeremy Sprouse

Empowering Quotes for Teen Girls

International Women’s Day–March 8–is a day to celebrate women and the female youth. It’s a day for every kid, teen, and adult to embrace who they are and own their abilities and strengths. It’s a day for every person who identifies as a girl or woman to love themselves, their courage, and their beauty. 

Here are some of the best quotes by successful people and female leaders to inspire every little girl or little boy to become the strong woman they dream of growing into: 

“We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back. We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave – to embrace the strength within themselves and realize their full potential.”

-Malala Yousafzai

“If you are always trying to be normal, you’ll never know how amazing you can be.”

Maya Angelou

“I am too intelligent, too demanding, and too resourceful for anyone to be able to take charge of me entirely. No one knows me or loves me completely. I have only myself.”

-Simone de Beauvoir

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That’s what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice.”

-Bethany Hamilton

“Be that strong girl that everyone knew would make it through the worst, be that fearless girl, the one who would dare to do anything, be that independent girl who didn’t need a man; be that girl who never backed down.”

-Taylor Swift

“One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals.”

-Michelle Obama

“No woman should be told she can’t make decisions about her own body. When women’s rights are under attack, we fight back.” 

-Kamala Harris

“A man is absolutely not a necessity. I love men, I think men are the coolest, but you really don’t need them to live. My mom said to me, ‘You know, sweetheart, one day you should settle down and marry a rich man.’ I said, ‘Mom, I am a rich man.’” 

-Cher

inspirational quotes for teens

“I found that ultimately if you truly pour your heart into what you believe in — even if it makes you vulnerable — amazing things can and will happen.”

-Emma Watson

“We need to get women to the point where they aren’t apologizing. It is time to take ownership in our success.”

-Tory Burch

“Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.”

-Julia Child

“If you push through that feeling of being scared, that feeling of taking risk, really amazing things can happen.”

-Marissa Mayer

“If you don’t get out of the box you’ve been raised in, you won’t understand how much bigger the world is.”

-Angelina Jolie

“If you want to run for Prime Minister, you can. If you don’t, that’s wonderful, too. Shave your armpits, don’t shave them, wear flats one day, heels the next. These things are so irrelevant and surface to what it is all really about, and I wish people wouldn’t get caught up in that. We want to empower women to do exactly what they want, to be true to themselves, to have the opportunities to develop. Women should feel free.”

-Emma Watson

“Stop waiting for something or someone to come and make you happy. Meditate daily. Breathe. Come on. You’re okay. You have friends. Love them. Respect them. Go out and play. Learn to be alone.” 

-Jenifer Lewis 

“Most of the time, I have absolutely no idea what the hell I’m doing in life, and I’m learning that’s okay.”
Andrea Davis

inspirational quotes for teens

“It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.”

-Madeleine Albright

“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong; it’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.”

-G.D. Anderson

“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you’re very strong, be extremely kind, and above all, be humble.”

-Serena Williams

We hope these quotes inspire every young person to believe in their potential and hold positivity close to their hearts. These quotes are powerful and important enough to guide the youth towards their dreams. 

The fact of the matter is, today’s teens are the future. Teenagers need to be motivated by powerful and successful people so that they can go forward with goodness, kindness, authenticity, and positivity. These inspirational quotes and sayings should motivate every young child to aim for a better life for us all. 

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January Nelson is a writer, editor, and dreamer. She writes about astrology, games, love, relationships, and entertainment. January graduated with an English and Literature degree from Columbia University.