What’s a good thought for today?
Inspire kids to reach for their dreams, be kind to others, and live with depth using a short thought of the day for kids. These sayings work beautifully for kids at home or students for school.
And you can post them on the wall, have a child read one out loud, or write a fresh one every day.
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After you read, scoop up the free printable pdf cards before you go!
In this post, you’ll find:
Thought of the Day for Kids on Life
Infuse your kid’s daily life with meaning, using any of these wise quotes.
1.“No one is perfect–that’s why pencils have erasers.” – Wolfgang Riebe
2. “Be silly, be honest, be kind.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
3. “Life is tough, but so are you.” – Stephanie Bennett Henry
4. “It’s okay not to know. It’s not okay to not try.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson
5. “You receive from the world what you give to the world.”
– Oprah Winfrey
6. “Preparation is the key to success.” – Alexander Graham Bell
7. “When you know better, you do better.” – Maya Angelou
8. “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” – Epictetus
9. “Do, or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back
10. “Know yourself, love yourself, trust yourself, be yourself.” – Ariel Paz
11. “Keep looking up. That’s the secret of life.” – Charlie Brown
12. “There is no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are.”
– Mister Rogers
13. “There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of every day.” – Walt
Disney
14. “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt
15. “Do a little more than you’re paid to. Give a little more than you have to. Try a little harder than you want to. Aim a little higher than you think possible, and give a lot of thanks to God for health, family, and friends.” – Art Linkletter
16. “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”– J.K. Rowling
17. “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”– Dr. Seuss
18. “Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts. ”– Albert Einstein
19. “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
20. “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it ‘The Present.’”– Eleanor Roosevelt
21. “Today I shall behave as if this is the day I will be remembered.”– Dr. Seuss
22. “Only surround yourself with people who will lift you higher.” – Oprah Winfrey
23. “Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.”
– Harvey Fierstein
24. “Never let the odds keep you from doing what you know in your heart you were meant to do.”– H. Jackson Brown
25. “There is nothing intelligent about not standing up for yourself. You may not win every battle. However, everyone will at least know what you stood for – you.” – Shannon L. Alder.
Motivational Thought of the Day for Kids
Motivate kids to do things they didn’t think possible with these fun kids thought of the day ideas.
26. “Do what is right, not what is easy.” – Roy T. Bennett
27. “Do not give up, the beginning is always the hardest.” – Natsu Dragneel
28. “Somewhere in all of us is the power to change the world.”
– Roald Dahl
29. “It’s okay to be brave and afraid at the same time.” – Brene Brown
30. “Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you land among the stars.” – Les Brown
31. “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt
Disney
32. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
33. Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” – Robert F. Kennedy
34. “It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” – Confucius
35. “Winning doesn’t always mean being first. Winning means you’re doing better
than you’ve done before.” – Bonnie Blair
36. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”– Nelson Mandela
37. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison
38.“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
39.“The kids who ask WHY are the ones who are going to change the world.”
– Neal Thompson
40. “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential … these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.”– Confucius
41. “It’s always too soon to quit.” – Norman Vincent Peale
42. “Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can do.” – John Wooden
43. “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly.” – Proverb
44. “Never let the fear of striking out stop you from playing the game.”– Babe Ruth
45. “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over.”
– Richard Branson
46. “I think it’s possible for ordinary people to choose to be extraordinary.”– Elon Musk
47. “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I cannot accept not trying.”– Michael Jordan
48. “You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.”– Stephen King
49. “Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”– Malcolm Gladwell
50. “I am building a fire, and every day I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match.”– Mia Hamm
51. “Just because something feels scary doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Fear does not equal danger.”– Amy Morin
52. “Winners must have two things – definite goals and a burning desire to achieve them.”– Brad Burden
53. “You always pass failure on the way to success.” – Mickey Rooney
54. “Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement.”– Matt Biondi
55. Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison
Good Kids Thought of the Day: Kindness Matters
These kids thought of the day quotes are both happy and important to a life well-lived. And we could all use these gentle reminders.
56. “Kindness is free, sprinkle that stuff everywhere.” – Unknown
57. “Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” – Maya Angelou
58. “You don’t need a cape to be a hero. You just need to care.” – Kid President
59. “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
– Aesop
60. “Just imagine how different the world could be if we all spoke to everyone with respect and kindness.”– Holly Branson
61. “The world is full of kind people. If you can’t find one, be one.” – Nishan Panwar
62. “Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world.” – Roy T. Bennett
63. “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”– Maya Angelou
64. “If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.”
– Dolly Parton
65. “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”– Mark Twain
66. “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”– Dalai Lama
67. “You will never have a completely bad day if you show kindness at least once.”– Greg Henry Quinn
68. “Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.”– Henry James
69. “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”– Mother Teresa
70. “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.”– Jennifer Dukes Lee
71. “Kindness and politeness are not overrated at all. They’re underused.”– Tommy Lee Jones
72. “If the whole world was blind, how many people would you impress?”– Boonaa Mohammed
73. “Good words are worth much, and cost little.” – George Herbert
74. “A person’s a person no matter how small.” – Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who
75. “Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight: always try to be a little kinder than is necessary?” – J.M. Barrie, The Little White Bird
76.“‘Why did you do all this for me?’ he asked. ‘I don’t deserve it. I’ve never done anything for you.’ ‘You have been my friend,’ replied Charlotte. ‘That in itself is a tremendous thing.’” —E.B. White from Charlotte’s Web
77. “The simple act of caring is heroic.”
— Edward Albert
78. “You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.” — John Steinbeck
79. “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.” — Margaret Mead
80. “Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution.” – Kahlil Gibran
*For more words that build positive self-talk, see these kids affirmations and free love notes!
Kids Fun Thought of the Day Ideas
These thought of the day kids sayings are both positive and funny!
81. “With great power, comes great responsibility.” – Spiderman
82. “Just keep swimming.” – Dory, Finding Nemo
83. Being different isn’t a bad thing. It means you’re brave enough to be yourself.” – Luna Lovegood, Harry Potter
84. “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”
– Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling
85. “All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.” – The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien
86. “Sometimes our strengths lie beneath the surface … Far beneath, in some cases.” – Moana
87. “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” – Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling
88. “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” – Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie
89. “You’re mad, bonkers, completely off your head. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are.”
– Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
90. “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you
think.” – Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh
91. “Venture outside your comfort zone. The rewards are worth it.” – Rapunzel, ‘Tangled.’
*See these reward ideas for students!
92. “I remember it like it was yesterday. Of course, I don’t really remember yesterday all that well.”
– Dory, ‘Finding Dory.’
93. “Our fate lies within us, you only have to be brave enough to see it.” – Merida, ‘Brave. (See the most inspirational kids movies too)
94. “You control your destiny — you don’t need magic to do it. And there are no magical shortcuts to solving your problems.” – Merida, ‘Brave.’
95. “The more you give away the more happy you become. Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” – Dr. Seuss
96. “To laugh at yourself is to love yourself.” – Mickey Mouse.
97. “Together, even the smallest can achieve the greatest goal.” – A Bug’s Life.
98. “Never follow anyone else’s path. Unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path. Then, by all means, follow that path.” – Ellen DeGeneres.
99. “Just because you haven’t found your talent yet, doesn’t mean you don’t have one.” – Kermit the Frog
100. “Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one.” – Grandmother Willow, ‘Pocahontas.’
Positive Thought for the Day for Students
Use these in the classroom or when motivating your kids at home. They are perfect for school and gearing students up for learning.
101. “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” – Margarett Fuller
102. “Mistakes are proof that you are trying.” – Jennifer Lin
103. “Today is a great day to learn something new.”
– Unknown
104. “You’re off to great places. Today is your day!” – Dr. Seuss
105. “A person who never made a mistake, never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein (Grab a free printable & more growth quotes)
106. “Everyone falls down. Getting back up is how you learn to walk.” – Walt Disney (see activities for a growth mindset)
107. “Nothing is particularly hard if you break it down into small jobs.” – Henry Ford
108. “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”
– Martin Luther King Junior
109. “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” – Anthony J. D’angelo
110. “Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child and one teacher can change the world.”– Malala Yousafzai
111. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go” – Dr. Seuss
112. “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body”– Joseph Addison
*See more amazing reading quotes for students)
113. “The people who are crazy enough to believe they can change the world are the ones who do.”– Steve Jobs
114. “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”– Abraham Lincoln
*Help kids create it with a vision board >>
115. “The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.”– Brian Herbert
116. “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”– Malcolm X
117. “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.”– B.B. King
118. “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis
119. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
120. “Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” – Francis Chan
121. “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
122. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”– Eleanor Roosevelt
123. “Energy and persistence conquer all things.” – Benjamin Franklin
124. “Broken crayons still color.”
– David Weaver
125. “Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude.” – Ralph Marston
*Related Posts:
Small But Good Thoughts of the Day
Finally, use a short thought of the day for kids when time is limited or you need an extra dose of daily inspiration.
126. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”– Mahatma Gandhi
127. “Open your mind before your mouth.” – Aristophanes
128. “Always know the world is a better place with you in it.” – Unknown
129. “Together we can do great things.”
– Mother Teresa
130. “Your attitude determines your direction.” – Edwin Louis Cole
131. “If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.”– Mark Twain
132. “The only person who can stop you from reaching your goals is you.” – Jackie
Kersee
133. “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” – Robert H. Shuller
134. .“Anything is possible. Anything can be.” – Shel Silverstein
135. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt
136. “Make each day your masterpiece.” – John Wooden
137. “Be so good they can’t ignore you.”– Steve Martin
138. “Change the world by being yourself.”
– Amy Poehler
139. “I am the greatest. I said that before I knew I was.”– Muhammad Ali
140. “Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” – Dalai Lama
141.“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
142. “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” – Maya Angelou
143. “It’s been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.” – Anne of Green Gables
144. “Learn from yesterday. Live for today. Hope for tomorrow.”– Albert Einstein
145. “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”– Judy Garland
146. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”– Henry David Thoreau
147. “Even miracles take a little time.”
– Fairy Godmother, ‘Cinderella.’
148. “Always keep a positive mindset. It will improve your outlook on the world.” – Roald Dahl
149. “There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid.” – The Wizard of Oz
150. “Lost time is never found again.” – Benjamin Franklin
*Related Post: Quotes About Love for Kids & Parents
Free Printable in the Resource Library Below!
Cut out the 10 thought of the day for kids cards and put them around your home or classroom for inspiration!
To Consider With Your Kids Thought of the Day
I hope you loved these bite-sized and positive thoughts of the day for kids! It’s always good to have tools that empower and motivate kids to rise to their best.