Inspiring Messages to Jot Down Inside Graduation Cards (2024)

Graduation is a major life milestone, and it certainly calls for anyone and everyone to say, "Congratulations, Graduate!" But what to write in a graduation card to best express how incredibly proud you are of this achievement years in the making, be it from high school or college? We're here to help with 61 examples of personal messages, from sweet to funny, for you to choose from or tweak to make your own. Whichever one you select, it will make just the right inspirational touch to go with a cash gift in a card or a special present you've selected to commemorate your graduate's achievements and their new chapter ahead.

Our list of graduation wishes ends with a set of inspirational quotes that might be just the words you are looking for, or you can peruse more quotes about graduation too. So select the best words for this graduate in particular, pull out a favorite pen, and get to writing before the celebration begins (check out our Best Graduation Party Ideas to Celebrate the Guest of Honor for more on that). Your graduate is sure to appreciate the special touch of a personal message!

Graduation Wishes and Congratulations

• Oh the places you will go! Congratulations on your graduation.
• Congratulations on graduating and here's to your next adventure!
• You're a class act!
• Best of luck on your new beginnings!
• You did it, Graduate! Congratulations!
• We're so proud of you, and honored to celebrate graduation day with you!
• You are a star in the making! Congrats and shine on!
• Caps off to you, Graduate!
• Congratulations on your big day! We knew you could do it!
• Cheers to the new graduate! Best wishes for your future!
• Bravo! What an outstanding achievement!
• Congratulations - the sky is your limit! Fly high!
• Cheers to four years!
• Congrats and may all your dreams come true!
• High five and hugs! You did it!
• Nothing can stop you now, Graduate! Keep reaching for the stars!
• The world is your oyster! Kudos on your big day!

Funny Messages for Graduation Cards

• You're one smart cookie!
• A toast to the graduate! Do you prefer white or wheat?
• Why did the graduate cross the road? To move back in with her parents.
• Here’s to the end of eating Top Ramen!
• My hope for you is that your awesome memories of college last longer than your student loans.
• Isn’t it amazing how far people can go with Google and Wikipedia around to help?
• Congratulations on your graduation. Education is the key to unlocking your potential. The diploma helps a wee bit also.
• Congrats on filling a minimum job requirement!
• I lost a bet. You graduated.
• Hard work: check! Diploma: check! Make some money: more checks!
• I hate to break it to you, but that was the easiest part of your adult life.
• Who would have thought that in just six years you'd graduate. That was way faster than I expected.
• The tassel is worth the hassle! You did it!

Wise Words for Graduates

• Follow your heart. It knows the way.
• Before you act, listen. Before you react, think. Before you criticize, wait. And, before you quit, try.
• Always remember that you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you’ll ever know.
• Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.
• With love and patience, nothing is impossible.
• May you always dare to do great things with your life.
• Life is a journey and only you hold the map.
• Shoot for the stars and if you miss you’ll land among stars.
• Graduation isn’t the end of a tough journey. It is the beginning of a beautiful one.
• Take your time celebrating. Take it easy for a while. Then get ready to take on the world!

Sentimental Sayings for Graduation

• With grit and determination like yours, nothing can hold you back. On to the next adventure!
• We're proud of your achievements, but even more proud of the person you've become.
• May you celebrate graduation recalling fond memories from your past and dreaming exciting visions of your future.
  
• We can't wait to see what's next in your journey.
• Go into the world and do well, but more importantly, go into the world and do good.
• Take pride in how far you've come. Have faith in how far you can go.
• It has been a privilege to watch you grow into the person you are today.
• Let your dream be your wings to carry you into the future.
• From when you were a child until today, you have only given us reason to hold our heads up in pride.
• Your graduation day is a proud day for you and a dream come true for our family.

Inspiring Quotes for Graduates

• “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain
• “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” — C.S. Lewis
• “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” — Confucius
• “All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” —Walt Disney
• “The old rules are crumbling and nobody knows what the new rules are. So make up your own rules.” — Neil Gaiman
• “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” — Malcolm X
• “What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
• “If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” — Thomas Jefferson
• “Go forth and set the world on fire.” — St. Ignatius Loyola
• “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” — Babe Ruth
• “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” — Anthony Robbins
• “Be bold, be courageous, be your best.” — Gabrielle Giffords
• “Learning is the only thing the mind never exhausts, never fears, and never regrets.” — Leonardo da Vinci
• “It is absolutely still possible to make a difference.” — Michelle Obama
• “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.” — Steve Jobs