We all have stories of teachers who have made a profound impact on our lives, shaping who we are and the paths we choose to follow.
These dedicated educators are the unsung heroes, working tirelessly behind the scenes to impart knowledge and inspire the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and innovators.
Whether you're celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week or simply showing gratitude for educators throughout the year — let's take a moment to reflect on the crucial role teachers play in our communities and the lives of our children.
The influence of a great teacher extends far beyond the boundaries of the classroom. They provide the foundation for our children's intellectual growth and emotional well-being, often becoming mentors, guides, and trusted confidants.
Our educators face countless challenges every day, including limited resources, crowded classrooms, and a rapidly changing world. Yet, they remain steadfast in their commitment to create a brighter future for each and every student.
This collection of teacher appreciation quotes is a small token of gratitude for the incredible work teachers do every day.
As you read through these inspiring words, we hope you'll be reminded of the immense value of the educators in your life and feel motivated to express your thanks to them.
Additionally, we hope these quotes will serve as a source of inspiration for educators, reminding them of the powerful impact they have on their students' lives.
In this ever-evolving world, it's important to remember that teachers truly are the architects of our future – nurturing, guiding, and shaping the minds that will one day lead us forward.
The Best Teacher Appreciation Quotes
Famous Quotes
“Teacher appreciation makes the world of education go around.”
— Helen Peters
“Most of us end up with no more than five or six people who remember us. Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives.”
— Andy Rooney
“Everyone who remembers his own education remembers teachers, not methods and techniques. The teacher is the heart of the educational system.”
— Sidney Hook
“I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.”
— John Steinbeck
“One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.”
— Carl Jung
“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.”
— Marian Wright Edelman
“A good teacher isn’t someone who gives the answers out to their kids but is understanding of needs and challenges and gives tools to help other people succeed.”
— Justin Trudeau
“Teachers, I believe, are the most responsible and important members of society because their professional efforts affect the fate of the earth.”
— Helen Caldicott
→ Read more ‘thank you’ quotes
Inspirational Quotes
“They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even when you don’t know it.”
— Nicholas Sparks
“Proper teaching is recognized with ease. You can know it without fail because it awakens within you that sensation which tells you this is something you have always known.”
— Frank Herbert
“What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to a human soul.”
— Joseph Addison
“The best thing about being a teacher is that it matters. The hardest thing about being a teacher is that it matters every day.”
— Todd Whitaker
“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”
— Pericles
“Teaching is more than imparting knowledge; it is inspiring change. Learning is more than absorbing facts; it is acquiring understanding.”
— William Arthur Ward
“This Teacher Appreciation Week and every week, I’m thankful for America’s teachers. But they deserve more than thanks. Teachers go above and beyond their job for their students every day — they deserve higher wages and better working conditions.”
— Vice President Kamala Harris
“Wherever you find something extraordinary, you’ll find the fingerprints of a great teacher.”
— Arne Duncan
Quotes for Teachers, From Students
“Some people change the world. And some people change the people who change the world, and that’s you.”
— Kij Johnson
“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”
— Henry Adams
“It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.”
— Tom Brokaw
“The great teacher is not the man who supplies the most facts, but the one in whose presence we become different people.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.”
— Confucius
Quotes of Gratitude for Teachers
“My English teacher, Mrs. Bodey, was instrumental in the educational journey that carried me through school and into my career. Until her class, I hadn’t believed in my ability as a writer. She recognized my potential and showed me that I could write with creativity, with clarity, with passion.”
— John Legend
“I am indebted to my father for living, but to my teacher for living well.”
— Alexander the Great
“The great teachers fill you up with hope and shower you with a thousand reasons to embrace all aspects of life. I wanted to follow Mr. Monte around for the rest of my life, learning everything he wished to share of impart, but I didn’t know how to ask.”
— Pat Conroy, My Losing Season: A Memoir
“The human mind is an incredible thing. It can conceive of the magnificence of the heavens and the intricacies of the basic components of matter. Yet for each mind to achieve its full potential, it needs a spark. The spark of enquiry and wonder. Often that spark comes from a teacher… If you look behind every exceptional person there is an exceptional teacher. When each of us thinks about what we can do in life, chances are we can do it because of a teacher.”
— Stephen Hawking, Brief Answers to the Big Questions
“When she chose to smile on me, I always wanted to thank her. The action was so graceful and inclusively benign.”
— Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Short Quotes
“Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero to me.”
— Fred Rogers
“I think the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession.”
— John Wooden
“Invest in our teachers, and our children will succeed.”
— Barack Obama
“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.”
— Brad Henry
“Teaching is a creative profession.”
— Sir Ken Robinson
“Show me a school where the teachers are happy, and I’ll show you a school where the teachers are trusted.”
— Dwayne Reed
“The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.”
— Mark Van Doren
“[Teachers’] devotion to our children embodies the best of America — ready to serve and eager to see others thrive.”
— President Joe Biden
“Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
— John C. Maxwell
More Quotes
“Teachers teach because they care. Teaching young people is what they do best. It requires long hours, patience, and care.”
— Horace Mann
“Teachers play such an enormous role in forming, not just teaching them, but forming character in our kids. We really have to thank them for what they do. They are really the core that makes our society work.”
— Jeanine Pirro
“You can’t stop a teacher when they want to do something. They just do it.”
— J.D. Salinger
“Great teachers empathize with kids, respect them, and believe that each one has something special that can be built upon.”
— Ann Lieberman
“Teaching is a calling too. And I’ve always thought that teachers in their way are holy — angels leading their flocks out of the darkness.”
— Jeannette Walls
“To me, there is nothing more exciting, fulfilling, and wonderful than watching a kid finally grasp a concept, then take the information and use it in the real world. Teachers make this happen. Teachers motivate. Teachers synthesize information to help students understand. Teachers listen, coach, and mentor. Teachers matter.”
— George Lucas
