The most reliable quote about good teachers is Henry Adams: “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” It comes from The Education of Henry Adams, published in 1918, so you can put it on a card without worrying. Most of the teacher quotes circulating online cannot survive that check. Below are lines that can, sorted by where you would actually use them.
Best teacher quotes in English
Short, sourced, and usable on a card, a slide, or a wall.
“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” — Henry Adams, The Education of Henry Adams
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” — William Arthur Ward
“What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.” — Karl Menninger
“Nine-tenths of education is encouragement.” — Anatole France
“In a completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less.” — Lee Iacocca, Iacocca: An Autobiography
“Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theatre.” — Gail Godwin
The Adams line is the one to use if you only use one. It is old enough to be public domain, specific enough to mean something, and it makes a claim rather than paying a compliment.
Quotes for English teachers
For a literature or language arts classroom, quote people who worked in one.
“The classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy.” — bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress
“The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards.” — Anatole France, The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard
“There is no such thing as a child who hates to read; there are only children who have not found the right book.” — Frank Serafini
“A word after a word after a word is power.” — Margaret Atwood
The Atwood line works above a writing wall. The hooks line works in a room where students argue. Neither is inspirational in the greeting-card sense, which is why they hold up over a school year.
Teacher and student quotes
Lines about the relationship rather than the job.
“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” — Albert Einstein
“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” — John Dewey
“The child is both a hope and a promise for mankind.” — Maria Montessori
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” — often attributed to Mark Twain, though no source in his writing has ever been found
That last one is included as a warning. It is charming, it sounds exactly like Twain, and there is no evidence he said it. If you use it, say “attributed to.”
Teaching motivational quotes
For a staff room, a first-day-back email, or a teacher who is tired in February.
“Teaching is the profession that creates all other professions.” — attributed to Sheila Rae Fritz and widely reprinted; original source uncertain
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” — attributed to Einstein; no source exists
“To teach is to learn twice over.” — Joseph Joubert
“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.” — Margaret Mead
The Joubert and Mead lines are safe. The fish-climbing-a-tree line is the most misattributed sentence in education, and a teacher in the room will know it. Skip it or attribute it honestly.
Teachers love quotes
For thank-you notes and end-of-year cards, where warmth is the point.
“Teachers who love teaching teach children to love learning.” — Robert John Meehan
“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” — Carl W. Buehner, frequently misattributed to Maya Angelou
“Nine-tenths of education is encouragement.” — Anatole France
The Buehner line appears on more teacher mugs under Angelou’s name than under his. Angelou expressed a similar idea, but the sentence is Buehner’s, printed in 1971.
How to check a teacher quote before you print it
Three rules eliminate most errors.
Look for a book, a lecture, or a transcript — not a quote-image site. If the earliest appearance you can find is a Pinterest graphic, treat the quotation as unsourced.
Be suspicious of Einstein, Twain, Gandhi, and Aristotle. These four names collect orphaned quotations. If a warm, aphoristic line is attributed to any of them, assume misattribution until you find a page number.
When in doubt, write “attributed to.” It costs two words and it is accurate. For putting a quotation into an essay rather than onto a card, see how to cite a quote.
Related collections
For lines sorted by occasion rather than by theme, see teacher quotes and inspirational teacher quotes. For appreciation week and end-of-year notes, thank you teacher quotes and quotes for teachers from students. For the work itself, teaching quotes.
FAQ
What is the best quote about good teachers?
Henry Adams: “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” From The Education of Henry Adams, 1918.
Who said “the mediocre teacher tells, the great teacher inspires”?
William Arthur Ward, an American writer of aphorisms. The full line names four levels: tells, explains, demonstrates, inspires.
Did Einstein say “everybody is a genius”?
No. The fish-and-tree line has never been located in anything Einstein wrote or said. It began appearing under his name in the 2000s.
Did Maya Angelou say “they will never forget how you made them feel”?
The sentence is Carl W. Buehner’s, from 1971. Angelou expressed a related idea in her own words, but this exact wording is not hers.
What is a good short quote for a teacher card?
“Nine-tenths of education is encouragement.” — Anatole France. Nine words, sourced, and it says something.
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