Launch Quotes for Students, Attributed and Sorted by Use

These launch quotes are for the start of something — a new school year, a new project, a program kickoff, or the first day of a class. They are sorted by use: lines about beginning, lines about momentum, and lines about aiming high. Where a quote is a genuine attributed line, it is credited; the rest are board and card lines you can use freely.

Lines about beginning

For a first day, an opening assembly, or the top of a new unit.

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” — Mark Twain (widely attributed)

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” — commonly attributed to Zig Ziglar

“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.”

“New year, new page, same potential.”

Lines about momentum

For keeping a class moving once the launch is over and the real work begins.

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” — attributed to Confucius

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” — Robert Collier

“Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

“Progress, not perfection.”

Lines about aiming high

For setting the tone at the start of a year or a big project.

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” — commonly attributed to Norman Vincent Peale

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” — widely attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, though the attribution is unverified

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” — Theodore Roosevelt (commonly attributed)

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — attributed to Arthur Ashe

How to use a launch quote

A launch quote works best on something the class will see more than once — a bulletin board, a slide you reopen each morning for the first week, a note taped inside a folder. Pick one line that matches the moment: a “beginning” quote for day one, a “momentum” quote for week three when the energy dips. Posting a single line the class can absorb beats a wall of quotes nobody reads.

If a student is putting a quote into a piece of writing rather than on a wall, it needs a signal phrase and a citation. See how to introduce a quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good quote to start the school year?
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started,” attributed to Mark Twain, works as a first-day line.

Did Eleanor Roosevelt say “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”?
It is widely attributed to her, but there is no solid source. Treat it as unverified.

What’s a short launch line for a bulletin board?
“Progress, not perfection,” or “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

For more, see quotes for students, back to school quotes, and quotes about goals for students.