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21 Inspirational Quotes For The Class of 2017

by Kristina Johnson

This time of year, students from kindergarten to college years are donning their gowns and tossing their caps in the air. The school year is wrapping up and graduates are embarking on a new phase of their lives with ceremonies and celebrations. If you're looking for perfect graduation quotes to share with the graduate in your life, there are so many amazing options to choose from.

Some encouraging words can make a word of difference when a graduate is leaving one chapter of their life behind. New beginnings, as exciting and intriguing as they are, can also be quite terrifying. The unknown is intimidating, and whether that next step is starting a new school or launching a new career, it's bound to come with some uncertainty and bumps in the road. It's important to remind graduates, however, that success is always within their reach, and they should never underestimate their own powers and capabilities.

If you can't find the words to express all the hopes, dreams, and advice you have for your new graduate, don't fret: plenty of other speakers have already done so in a beautiful and eloquent way. Here are 21 quotes to make a graduate feel confident and excited about the future.

"The fireworks begin today. Each diploma is a lighted match. Each one of you is a fuse." — Edward Koch

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe." —Anatole France

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"Graduation is not the end; it’s the beginning." —Senator Orrin Hatch

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"Be bold, be courageous, be your best." — Gabrielle Giffords

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"The old rules are crumbling and nobody knows what the new rules are. So make up your own rules." — Neil Gaiman

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." — E.E. Cummings

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." — Henry David Thoreau

"All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." — Walt Disney

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"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." — Eleanor Roosevelt

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"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door. - Milton Berle

"We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better." — J.K. Rowling

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Stay hungry. Stay foolish." — Steve Jobs

"So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality. You can fail at what you don't want. So you might as well take a chance on doing what you love." — Jim Carrey

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"If you're willing to stand for what you believe in, you won't need advice from me — because you will be able to handle whatever comes." — Whoopi Goldberg

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"You don't have to be famous. You just have to make your mother and father proud of you." — Meryl Streep

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"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, dream, discover." — Mark Twain

"Go forth and set the world on fire." — St. Ignatius of Loyola

"Every life is capable of greatness. And it truly doesn't matter where you came from, it matters where you are going." —Condoleezza Rice

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"Let your dreams be your only limitation." — Colin Powell

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"Follow your passion. It will lead you to your purpose." – Oprah Winfrey