90 Best Yearbook Quotes + 3 Tips on How to Choose a Quote (2024)

Jacqueline Eisenbraun(Senior Editor)

The end of the school year brings with it many traditions, and one of those is yearbooks. Yearbooks are a permanent and treasured memento for students, parents, teachers, and school staff members. Here you’ll find the best yearbook quotes for inspiration.

In many high school yearbooks, students in their senior year must choose a quote that will appear beneath their photo. Many students also opt to write quotes when they sign their friends’ yearbooks.

Read on to discover our collection of the 90 best yearbooks quotes plus three usefull tips on how to choose the best quote.

Best Yearbook Quotes for Inspiration

A yearbook quote should inspire people and make them think. That’s why we have compiled quotes from some of the most brilliant minds throughout history for you to choose from.

Whether you want to make people laugh, cry tears of joy, or reflect on all the wonderful memories of the school year, we have a category of quotes for you.

Keep reading to choose the quote that best captures your state of mind at this time in your life.

Here you’ll find famous quotes from inspirational people.

Funny Yearbook Quotes

It has been said that laughter is the best medicine. No doubt, laughter makes everyone’s days brighter and more fun.

Check out the following ten funny quotes for your yearbook that are witty and will make people chuckle. If your goal with your quote is to make people smile, you can achieve that with one of the quotes on this list.

1. There is this friend of mine whose name I don’t know, and I ’ve known him for too long to ask him.
   (Georges Feydeau, French playwright, 1862-1921)
2. Laughter is not at all a bad beginning for a friendship, and it is by far the best ending for one.
   (Oscar Wilde, Irish poet, 1854-1900)
3. We are always getting ready to live, but never living.
   (Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher, 1803-1882)
4. ‘Classic’ — a book which people praise and don’t read.
   (Mark Twain, American writer, 1835-1910)
5. Men who know the same things are not long the best company for each other.
   (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
6. My friends are my estate. Forgive me then the avarice to hoard them.
   (Emily Dickinson, American poet, 1830-1886)
7. Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing.
   (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
8. Every moment of happiness requires a great amount of Ignorance
   (Honoré de Balzac, French novelist, 1799-1850)
9. If we would learn what the human race really is at the bottom, we need only observe it in election times.
   (Mark Twain)
10. Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.
    (Oscar Wilde)

Senior Yearbook Quotes

Many high schools ask their senior students to provide a senior quote that they would like to appear beneath their photo in the yearbook.

Since this quote will be right by your photo and name, you’ll want to make sure it represents what you stand for and believe.

In the list below, we have compiled quotes that are deep, intellectual, and thought-provoking. They are profound and worthy of being permanently associated with you in your yearbook.

Choose the one that you feel best encapsulates your beliefs.

1. Goodness is the only investment that never fails.
   (Henry David Thoreau, American philosopher, 1817-1862)
2. Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life.
   (Pythagoras, Greek philosopher, 570-510 B.C.)
3. A man’s friendships are one of the best measures of his worth.
   (Charles Darwin, British scientist, 1809-1882)
4. There is no friend like an old friend who has shared our morning days, no greeting like his welcome, no homage like his praise.
   (Oliver Wendell Holmes, American doctor, 1809-1894)
5. I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.
   (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
6. The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.
   (Plutarch, Greek philosopher, unknown -c. 119)
7. A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of Nature.
   (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
8. Our greatest fears lie in anticipation.
   (Honoré de Balzac, French novelist, 1799-1850)
9. Always forgive your enemies — nothing annoys them so much.
   (Oscar Wilde, Irish poet, 1854-1900)
10. Live the life you’ve dreamed.
    (Henry David Thoreau, American philosopher, 1817-1862)

Good Yearbook Quotes that Make You Laugh

Most everyone loves to laugh. It boosts people’s feel-good emotions and makes every day better. If you love to make people laugh, you’ll enjoy the quotes in the list below.

Are you known for your great sense of humor or for making your friends feel better on a tough day? If so, one of these quotes will be perfect for you.

1. Nothing spoils a good story like the arrival of an eyewitness.
   (Mark Twain, American writer, 1835-1910)
2. So of cheerfulness, or a good temper — the more it is spent, the more of it remains.
   (Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher, 1803-1882)
3. Solitude is fine but you need someone to tell that solitude is fine.
   (Honoré de Balzac, French novelist, 1799-1850)
4. Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed.
   (Mark Twain)
5. I am not deep, but I am very wide.
   (Honoré de Balzac)
6. That man is the noblest creature may also be inferred from the fact that no other creature has yet contested this claim.
   (Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, German naturalist, 1742-1799)
7. Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
   (Mark Twain)
8. Nothing so fortifies a friendship as a belief on the part of one friend that he is superior to the other.
   (Honoré de Balzac)
9. I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.
   (Oscar Wilde, Irish poet, 1854-1900)
10. Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.
    (Oscar Wilde)

Inspirational Quotes for the Yearbook

Inspiration is something that everyone needs in life. We all face tough times and challenges, and that’s when motivational quotes have a positive impact.

If you want your legacy of your quote to be one that inspires people to achieve new heights, choose one of the sayings below. In selecting one of these, you’ll motivate other people and give them (and yourself) hope when you need it most.

1. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
   (Confucius, Chinese philosopher, 551 B.C.-479 B.C.)
2. It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.
   (Epictetus, Greek philosopher, c. 50-135 A.D.)
3. Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.
   (Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss writer, 1712-1778)
4. Without struggle, no progress and no result. Every breaking of habit produces a change in the machine.
   (George Gurdjieff, American writer, 1877-1949)
5. Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.
   (Thomas Carlyle, Scottish essayist, 1795-1881)
6. The wise man must remember that while he is a descendant of the past, he is a parent of the future.
   (Herbert Spencer, English philosopher, 1820-1903)
7. There is no such thing as a great talent without great willpower.
   (Honoré de Balzac, French novelist, 1799-1850)
8. Out of difficulties grow miracles.
   (Jean de La Bruyère, French philosopher, 1645-1696)
9. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
   (Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher, 1803-1882)
10. All happiness depends on courage and work.
    (Honoré de Balzac)

Yearbook Quotes for High School

Here we have compiled ten of the best quotes that apply to high school students. They address friendship, goals, success, and more — facets of life that are essential for every teenager.

Explore the list below to find quotes that will fit your lifestyle as a high school student. These quotes are worthy of selecting as your senior yearbook quote or writing to friends in their yearbooks.

They will help you celebrate the year you’ve just had as well as look to the future.

1. Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend.
   (Plautus, Roman poet, 254-184 B.C.)
2. My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.
   (Henry Ford, American businessman, 1863-1947)
3. Prosperity makes friends, adversity tries them.
   (Publilius Syrus, Roman moralist and aphorist, 90-40 B.C.)
4. Two persons cannot long be friends if they cannot forgive each other’s little failings.
   (Jean de La Bruyère, French philosopher, 1645-1696)
5. Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.
   (Henry David Thoreau, American philosopher, 1817-1862)
6. Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great.
   (Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher, 1803-1882)
7. Friends… they cherish one another’s hopes. They are kind to one another’s dreams.
   (Henry David Thoreau, American philosopher, 1817-1862)
8. Let come what comes, let go what goes. See what remains.
   (Ramana Maharshi, Indian Hindu, 1879-1950)
9. Keep your face always toward the sunshine — and shadows will fall behind you.
   (Walt Whitman, American poet, 1819-1892)
10. Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.
    (Henry David Thoreau, American philosopher, 1817-1862)

Savage Quotes for the Yearbook

Maybe you’re feeling a bit salty or cynical and are looking for a sharp, witty quote to express that. If so, you’ll enjoy the quotes below.

If you’ve ever been burned by friendships, loved ones, or life in general, these quotes are for you. Have you had friends that have shown themselves to be fake or observed that situation around you?

These quotes capture that feeling and let you express it with ease.

1. Friendship always benefits; love sometimes injures.
   (Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Roman philosopher, c. 4 B.C.-65 A.D.)
2. I don’t need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better.
   (Plutarchus, Greek philosopher, unknown -c. 119)
3. A false friend and a shadow attend only while the sun shines.
   (Benjamin Franklin, American politician, 1706-1790)
4. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
   (Niccolò Machiavelli, Italian author and philosopher, 1469-1527)
5. I lay it down as a fact that if all men knew what others say of them, there would not be four friends in the world.
   (Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, 1623-1662)
6. Misfortune shows those who are not really friends.
   (Aristotle, Greek philosopher, 384-322 B.C.)
7. There are no friends; only moments of friendship.
   (Jules Renard, French dramatist, 1864-1910)
8. Anyone who has experienced a great love, does not care about friendship.
   (Jean de La Bruyère, French philosopher, 1645-1696)
9. Most people enjoy the inferiority of their best friends.
   (Lord Chesterfield, British Earl, 1694-1773)
10. What greater wound is there than a false friend?
    (Sophocles, Greek poet, 496-406 B.C.)

Meaningful Quotes for the Yearbook

Meaningful quotes are the ones that make you stop and think, and they stick with you for a long time. Those quotes below encapsulate the beauty of true friendship and enjoying life.

Choose one of the quotes below if you’d like to borrow the words of one of the greatest writers and philosophers throughout history. Their meaningful musings can help you to express your deepest thoughts.

1. A friend is, as it were, a second self.
   (Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman orator and statesman, 106-43 B.C.)
2. The language of friendship is not words, but meanings.
   (Henry David Thoreau, American philosopher, 1817-1862)
3. Love is blind. Friendship closes its eyes.
   (Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher, 1844-1900)
4. I am satisfied … I see, dance, laugh, sing.
   (Walt Whitman, American poet, 1819-1892)
5. True friendship is like sound health: the value of it is seldom known until it is lost.
   (Charles Caleb Colton, English writer, 1780-1832)
6. The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
   (Socrates, Greek philosopher, 469-399 B.C.)
7. Experience without theory is blind, but theory without experience is mere intellectual play.
   (Immanuel Kant, German philosopher, 1724-1804)
8. Don’t say things. What you are stands over you the while, and thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary.
   (Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher, 1803-1882)
9. A man who does not think for himself does not think at all.
   (Oscar Wilde, Irish poet, 1854-1900)
10. The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.
    (Henry David Thoreau, American philosopher, 1817-1862)

Short Quotes for Your Yearbook

Sometimes, short and sweet can be more powerful than long and complex. If you’re of that mindset, you’ll want to choose one of the short yearbook quotes below.

In just several words, these quotes have a strong impact. Select from these quotes if you don’t have much space or if you want to maximize the meaning of what you’re saying in the minimum number of words.

1. A friend is another self.
   (Zeno, Hellenistic philosopher, 334-262 B.C.)
2. Without friends the world is but a wilderness.
   (Sir Francis Bacon, English philosopher, 1561-1626)
3. No man is useless while he has a friend.
   (Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish writer, 1850-1894)
4. The only way to have a friend is to be one.
   (Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher, 1803-1882)
5. Friendship is a plant that must resist droughts.
   (Joseph Joubert, French moralist, 1754-1824)
6. A friend is a gift you give yourself.
   (Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish writer, 1850-1894)
7. To be great is to be misunderstood.
   (Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher, 1803-1882)
8. Time tests friends, like fire tests gold.
   (Menander, Greek comedy poet, 342/341 B.C.-291/290 B.C.)
9. Quality is not an act, it is a habit.
   (Aristotle, Greek philosopher, 384-322 B.C.)
10. Hitch your wagon to a star.
    (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Are you looking for more short quotes? Here you’ll find them.

Beautiful Yearbook Quotes

The yearbook quotes on this list are worthy of being included as your senior quote or even as wall art in your room. These are touching quotes that may even bring tears to your eyes.

The quotes below have a strong impact and are among the most powerful words that have been written and spoken over the years. Show everyone the depth of your thoughts and emotions by using one of the quotes below.

1. Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are travelling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind.
   (Henri Frederic Amiel, Swiss philosopher, 1821-1881)
2. The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.
   (Walt Whitman, American poet, 1819-1892)
3. Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them.
   (David Hume, Scottish philosopher, 1711-1776)
4. Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness.
   (Euripides, Greek poet, 480-406 B.C.)
5. Do anything, but let it produce joy.
   (Walt Whitman)
6. We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.
   (Titus Lucretius Carus, Roman poet, 99-55 BC)
7. Peace is always beautiful.
   (Walt Whitman)
8. Love is flower like; Friendship is like a sheltering tree.
   (Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English writer, 1772-1834)
9. Wherever you are, it is your friends who make your world.
   (William James, American psychologist, 1842-1910)
10. I have learned that to be with those I like is enough.
    (Walt Whitman)

Here you’ll find more beautiful quotes.

Tips on How to Choose a Yearbook Quote

Choosing a yearbook quote is a big and important decision because it’s going in a permanent book that will represent you for the rest of your life.

People will be seeing your quote and associating it with you for many years, so you’ll want to ensure that you choose well.

Here are three tips to keep in mind when choosing the quote that’s right for you. These tips will help you to make sure you select a quote that you won’t regret.

Keep It Respectful

Even if you’ve had a negative experience with someone in high school, it’s smart to keep your yearbook quote positive.

The bad experience will pass but the yearbook lasts forever. In fact, college admissions officers and future employers may even see your quote.

Additionally, you’ll want to keep profanity, controversial opinions, and insults about people, places, or things out of your quote.

For better or worse, people will judge you based on your quote, so consider how you would like to be judged for years to come.

Consider Your Core Values

What are the things you value most in life? Maybe humor is very important to you, or maybe you reached for inspirational quotes during your school journey to keep yourself motivated.

Write a list of the things that are most essential to you in life. That may include family, friends, success, health, positivity, kindness, art, or more. Then choose a quote that reflects your values.

Ask for Advice

If you have any doubts about whether or not the quote you’ve chosen is right for you, ask a person you trust (a trusted family member, teacher, or friend) to weigh in on it. They may have a different point of view or insights you haven’t considered.

If you find yourself reluctant to use a certain quote, there may be a reason for that. Read the list of quotes above to discover new options that will suit your values and the image you want to portray as a person. Here’s hoping you find the perfect quote for you.

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