“You have every right to a beautiful life.”— Selena Gomez
You might be packing for move-in day or knee-deep in midterms. We know that college is a whole journey. Some days you’re thriving, some days you’re Googling “how to drop out and start a goat farm.” We get it. That’s why we pulled together 25 Modern Motivational Quotes for College Students from people actually making moves – to help you stay focused, fired up, and ready to keep pushing.
We created this post to give you 25 Modern Motivational Quotes for College Students with quotes from modern day superstars. People closer in age to college kids, for relatability and inspiration to go for it, and keep going even when things get tough. We believe in you!
25 Modern Motivational Quotes for College Students
College is a wild ride, y’all.
You might be living the days where you’re rolling onto campus straight out of high school or jumping in as a distance learner chasing that college degree, one thing is true: you’re doing a lot of hard work.
We can easily find inspirational quotes from legends like Maya Angelou, Eleanor Roosevelt, Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein, or even Steve Jobs, and they still hit hard, but sometimes you want motivation from people who are right now out there making waves – modern success stories from people who really get what college life, and life in general, feels like today.
Slowestuff Graduation & Back To School
If you are getting college ready, we have a whole section of the blog dedicated to you!
This includes the best laptop computers on a budget, how to make your dorm bed super comfortable, plus what to get for your dorm room, from the best TV to the top vacuum. Be sure to check it out!
25 Modern Motivational Quotes for College Students
This list of 25 modern motivational quotes for college students is all about helping you push through hard times, keep that positive mindset alive, and stay focused on your bright future. Not one quote from Mark Twain, Michael Jordan, Walt Disney or Abraham Lincoln to be found. We wanted modern success stories!
We’re talking quotes that vibe with the school year chaos, the dorm life grind, the group project madness, and those late-night existential crises when you’re asking yourself if pursuing academic success is worth the daily routine of caffeine and crying. (It is.)
These words of wisdom aren’t just fluffy filler, they’re from creators, entrepreneurs, artists, and young leaders who turned their greatest weakness into their biggest strength. They all had new ideas, or a fear of failure, but they kept an open mind, a positive attitude, and reached (or are still reaching for) their full potential.
They are all well known now, but the beauty of their dreams didn’t come easy. It took hustle, personal growth, and a whole lot of belief in themselves.
And now, their motivational quotes might just be the push you need to ace that exam, apply for that internship, or something as small as finally learning how to do laundry without shrinking your hoodie. We will take all the victories we can!
So if you’re building your vision board, chasing a good grade, or dreaming about your future master’s degree, this is your sign to keep going.
College isn’t the only place to grow, but it’s a pretty great one. Whether you’re after new skills, better things, or just trying to get through the semester with a good laugh, these right quotes will remind you of what’s possible when you show up, even on the hard days.
25 Modern Motivational Quotes for College Students
Here are 25 modern motivational quotes for college students from some of the most successful people doing big things today:
- “Never believe anyone who says you don’t deserve what you want.” — Taylor Swift
- “The most important thing, in anything you do, is always trying your hardest, because even if you try your hardest and it’s not as good as you’d hoped, you still have that sense of not letting yourself down.” – Tom Holland
- “If you have a dream, fight for it. There’s a discipline for passion. And it’s not about how many times you get rejected or you fall down or you’re beaten up. It’s about how many times you stand up and are brave and you keep on going.” – Lady Gaga
- “I go watch Alex Rodriguez, he’s leading the league in home runs, and he’s hitting off the tee every single day. It taught me that even whenever I get to where I want to get to, I can’t let the fundamentals slip. I can’t stop working and doing the little things. That’s what makes people great.”— Patrick Mahomes
- “There’s no time limit and there’s no what-ifs. I’m going to work hard until this turns into something really special.”— Dua Lipa
- “That’s what a lot of people like to say about me, they’re like, ‘Oh you just got this because of your family,’ but in reality it was almost the opposite. It made me work harder, it made me feel like I had to prove to these people that it’s what I want to be doing.”— Kendall Jenner
- “To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t: consistent, determined, and willing to work for it.”— Tom Brady
- “I just kept going and following that trail of good relationships, being a good person, keeping my word, being on time, and perfecting my craft.”— Victoria Monet
- “It makes so much sense to just love what you do and go to work every day to get to work.” — Millie Bobby Brown
- “Be happy with being you. Love your flaws. Own your quirks. And know that you are just as perfect as anyone else, exactly as you are.”— Ariana Grande
- “I literally started from zero; I had zero subscribers. I remember my first subscriber—I was so excited, and then I looked, and it was my dad.”— Emma Chamberlain
- “My favourite quote is ‘work hard in silence and let success make the noise’ and that’s what I want to do. I don’t need people to know how hard I work, I just want it to show later on.”— Illona Maher
- “I think when you continuously show up, you show the universe that you are capable of bringing this idea to life and manifesting it in the way that it’s supposed to be manifested.” – Olivia Rodrigo
- “After some point it’s like you feel like you should quit but you want it so badly you just keep going.” — Mr. Beast
- “Once I set my mind towards something, it’s going to happen. By hook or by crook.”— Anya Taylor-Joy
- “I think with every challenge, you come to learn more about yourself, and I’m so curious to know who I’m becoming.” – Jenna Ortega
- “You don’t have to change who you are for anyone: if you are your regular, authentic, confident self, then you can push to do whatever you want.” – Marsai Martin
- “I’m not in competition with anyone but myself, and I think once I know I work hard enough for myself and I know I put my all into everything, then that’s my goal.”– Caleb McLaughlin
- “I think that you just have to keep going and not be scared of living… You can change, and you can change your mind.” — Billie Eilish
- “My journey has been a lot of delusion, a lot of just, ‘Well, if they did it, why can’t I do it?’ And then just going for it.” – Shaboozey
- “Don’t wait until you’ve reached your goal to be proud of yourself. Be proud of every step you take toward reaching that goal.”— Simone Biles
- “Don’t worry about failure; you only have to be right once.” – Drew Houston
- “You have to keep pushing forward, no matter the obstacles. Every setback is a setup for a comeback.” — Caitlin Clark
- “There is no better way to earn respect than actually working for it.” – Kiera Cass, The Selection
- “When people try to minimize your worth, it’s just a reflection of their own insecurities.” — Laurie Halse Anderson, Speak
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Gifts For The College Student
If you wanted to send a gift with one of these amazing inspirational quotes for college students, here are a few ideas that may not be typical, but are really great ideas! It is the right time for new things, but you don’t have to be one of the richest people to be able to afford something to help them achieve their goal of a true education.
Portable Hard Drive
This is truly a genius idea and a great thing to have on hand. It is also not something a lot of people think about. But an external hard drive provides an extra sense of security, or a lot of extra storage, at a very reasonable price. Top tier gift idea!!
Rain Jacket
I know you might be thinking – a rain jacket??? – but this was one of the first things we bought AFTER college started. Get caught in a downpour once, and you will never make fun of a rain jacket again.
Sweatpants
This might also seem like a funny recommendation, but literally every single college kid we gave Nike Sweatpants to as a gift, absolutely LOVED them. College kids live in sweatpants, and these ones seem to be universally loved. You can get them oversized and they will love them, so you can’t go wrong on guessing a size.
25 Modern Motivational Quotes for College Students
Bottom line?
Whether you’re building something great or just trying to make it through the week, keep going.
YOU’VE GOT THIS!
As Thomas A. Edison once said, success is the sum of small efforts—repeated day in and day out.
But this is a post with more modern voices, so let me also share with you a quote from Tyler, the Creator that proves this advice is timeless – “Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently.”
And if that’s not motivation for college students, we don’t know what is.
Graduation & College Inspiration
Looking for more graduation and college prep ideas? Check out our unique graduation gift guide, shop for the perfect white graduation dress, and be inspired to take amazing cap and gown photos just using your smartphone!
If you are getting college ready, we have a whole section of the blog dedicated to you!
This includes the best laptop computers on a budget, as well as mother & daughter approved dorm room essentials, including the best TV for a dorm room. We have everything you need linked in our storefront, so check out all the options there for all your dorm room bedding needs or dorm bedding necessities.
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Best of luck to you or your favorite graduate!
Slowestuff
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