30 Quotes For Teachers (Templates Of Appreciation)

featured image for a piktochart article about 30 quotes for teachers from students, showing gratitude to teachers with heartfelt messages of appreciation

Teachers have an outsized impact on ourselves and society at large. They shape our lives with guidance that extends far beyond academics.

We often take them for granted, but few things stick in our memories like those of a teacher who believed in us.

With all our teachers have done for us, seen and unseen, the least we could do is show them some gratitude. And whether we realize it or not, just a few genuine words of thanks go a long way in making teachers feel valued.

You can express gratitude in many ways, from personalized messages to thoughtful gestures that show your appreciation. A simple gift with flowers and a heartfelt message on a card can make your teacher feel valued.

Piktochart makes it easy to create a personalized message that shows your appreciation, but you will need to find the right words.

To help you get started, we collected over 30 heartfelt quotes to honor the teachers who make a difference every day.

30 Quotes For Teachers’ Appreciation

If you’re like me, you might struggle to find the right words to thank someone who’s shaped your future. The blank card stares back at you while you search for words worthy of their influence. 

To help you express your heartfelt appreciation with confidence, we’ve gathered 30 different quotes perfect for thanking the educators who changed your life.

General teacher appreciation quotes

Sometimes, a simple yet heartfelt quote captures perfectly our thoughts on a teacher. For those of us who struggle to express gratitude in our own words, these timeless expressions offer a meaningful way to say “thank you.”

“The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery” — Mark Van Doren

I used this template to create the quote

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” — Plutarch

You weren’t expecting a Deepavali Greetings card here, were you?

“The best teachers are those who show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see” — Alexandra K. Trenfor

Like this? Here’s the template

“A teacher takes a hand, opens a mind, and touches a heart.” — Anonymous

“The influence of a good teacher can never be erased.” — Anonymous

Want to create your own custom teacher appreciation cards? Try Piktochart’s AI infographic maker to quickly generate professional-looking quote designs with just a simple prompt.

“The influence of a great teacher is like a ripple in water, expanding outward through generations.” — Anonymous

Teachers create waves of impact that extend far beyond their classroom. Research dating back to the 1950s studied this ripple effect in education.

I used this Instagram post template for the card

Subject-Specific Teacher Quotes

No subject is inherently interesting or boring. Teachers do a lot of the heavy lifting here — some manage to ignite a sense of childlike wonder for their subject.

These quotes acknowledge the ability of the teacher to show you the beauty of their subject.

“Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic.” — Albus Dumbledore

I used this Instagram post template as a starting point

“Mathematics is the most beautiful and most powerful creation of the human spirit.” — Stefan Banach

It was made with our Text to Poster tool, found under the “Print” tab. Give it a try for free to create your own appreciate message in seconds!

“Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world” — Louis Pasteur

For a template designed with something completely different in mind, I really liked this one

“History is a vast early warning system.” — Norman Cousins

I used this Black History Month template and adapted it to fit this powerful quote

Quotes about teacher impact on future/society

We admire the trailblazers, those who push to advance our civilization. Yet, we often forget that these people didn’t spawn out of nowhere — their teachers and mentors played a big role in their formative years.

The following quotes celebrate how teachers lay the foundations for our collective future.

“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” — John Dewey

This is the elegant template I used

“I think the teaching profession contributes more to the future of our society than any other single profession.” — John Wooden

“One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.” — Malala Yousafzai

Here’s the template for this card

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela

Education helped great people of history lead. From Mandela himself, who studied law before becoming South Africa’s first Black president, to Mahatma Gandhi, whose legal education shaped his approach to civil disobedience, these leaders understood education’s transformative power.

I created this quote card using Piktochart’s inspirational template.

End-of-year/thank you messages

The end of a school year marks a perfect moment to express heartfelt appreciation to the educators who’ve guided, challenged, and believed in students every step of the way.

If you’re more interested in creating a full presentation as a thank you for the teacher  but creating a full deck of slides feels daunting, make sure to try out our AI presentation maker.

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” — Henry Adams

I used this Piktochart’s elegant minimalist template for the quote

“Thank you for helping me become the best version of myself” — Anonymous

A simple, yet beautiful message that will make any teacher feel warm inside. A year has passed, and you’re a completely different person thanks to your teachers.  

I went with this basic template to let the message shine.

“Teachers plant seeds of knowledge that grow forever.”  — Anonymous

Let’s be honest; most of us will forget the vast majority of what we hear in the classroom (or at least I did!). But the fundamental lessons and values that teachers instill continue to grow and bear fruit throughout our lives.

If you want to make a unique card, try our powerful AI quote card generator. It’s what I used to make this card.

“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” — B.B. King

To make the card I went with this Quote Backgrounds template.

Inspirational/motivational teaching quotes

Teachers love when they instill the love of learning into their students. 

With these quotes, you can encourage them to keep up their good work.

“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.” — Brad Henry

Want to make a card like this? You can use Piktochart’s AI quote generator for the template, and then finetune with the powerful visual editor to include the illustration.

“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” — Albert einstein

I used this vibrant template with raised hands to represent how great teachers uplift all students.

“The best teachers don’t give you the answers. They spark within you the desire to find the answers yourself.” — Anonymous

I used this leadership quote template with its distinctive blue and yellow design

“Teaching is the greatest act of optimism.” — Colleen Wilcox

A lovely example of a card made out of this template

Teaching requires incredible faith in the future. Every day, teachers invest their energy in students without knowing exactly how these efforts will bloom. 

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” — Benjamin Franklin

Studies show that active learning works better than passive lectures. A teacher who encourages students to take active part in their learning is setting them up for success.

I picked this pixel art template for its charm.

Quotes about student-teacher relationships

The bond between students and teachers creates a unique dynamic that goes beyond simple knowledge transfer. 

At its best, this relationship becomes a two-way street of growth, respect, and mutual learning.

“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.” — Phil Collins

I repurposed a World Literacy Day template to make this card

“Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”— Anonymous

I went with a heart-centered template to emphasize the importance of the connection between teacher and student.

“The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called ‘truth’.” — Dan Rather

Want to make your own inspiring teacher appreciation graphics? Try Piktochart’s AI quote maker to quickly generate professional-looking designs with just a simple prompt—it takes seconds to create something meaningful that your favorite teacher will treasure.

“To teach is to learn twice over.” — Joseph Joubert

Every question the students ask deepens the teacher’s understanding of the material. This makes teaching a two-way relationship, where the students themselves support the teacher’s learning.

Cute template for a cute post.

Humorous teacher quotes

Learning is serious business, but a little goofiness keeps the mood up in the classroom. 

You will find these quotes perfect for teachers who love to inject silliness and humor into their lessons, making learning a joyful experience.

“A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.” — Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

I created this fun card using Piktochart’s AI quote maker. Want to design your own playful quote card? Try Piktochart’s AI tools to quickly generate professional-looking designs with just a simple prompt. 

“Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing worth knowing can be taught.” — Oscar Wilde

It took me 4 clicks to turn this Education Day Poster into a fun quote card.

“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”—  Mark Twain

There is a nonzero chance a teacher will take this quote the wrong way. What Twain meant, however, was to highlight the difference between formal schooling and true learning.

I adapted a Leadership Quote 01 Twitter Post for this card, for a different flavor

How to create a quote with Piktochart AI

Using templates might feel like a cop-out for something as personal as a quote card for your teacher. 

That’s why we built our AI-powered tools. We want everyone to be able to design beautiful quote cards in minutes.

For educators and students looking for more resources, Piktochart for education offers specialized templates and features.

Our tool lets you generate great-looking designs in a few clicks.

Here’s how.

Step 1: Choose the right format for your teacher quote

I recommend starting with the “Quote” template, which you can find under “Social Media” in our editor

This format is perfect for creating shareable appreciation messages that look great both online and in print.

Step 2: Craft the perfect prompt

Prompting means giving AI instructions. Treat AI as your design assistant who needs clear guidance. It’s amazing at design, but it’s very literal—it will do exactly what you ask for.

For quote designs, try including these elements in your prompt:

  • Ignore the text bit, AI will include dummy text you can change in our editor
  • The desired visual style (elegant, playful, minimalist)
  • Color preferences (warm tones, blues and greens, etc.)
  • Any specific imagery you’d like included

Here’s an example of a good prompt: “Create an inspirational quote card with ‘Thank you for helping me become the best version of myself’ using calming blue colors and education-themed imagery.”

This prompt combines all elements in a way AI understands. It specifies the purpose (inspirational). It includes detailed style preferences (calming blue colors). And it mentions relevant imagery (education-themed). 

Step 3: Generate and customize your design

Click “Generate Quotes” and watch as Piktochart AI creates several design options for you to choose from.

Select the design you like best, then use our editor to:

  • Adjust colors to match your teacher’s preferences
  • Change fonts for better readability
  • Add your teacher’s name or a personal message

For example, here’s what I got with a simple “testing things” prompt: 

It’s a solid starting point. You can edit this design to make it perfect for yourteacher by:

  • Replacing the quote text with one of the appreciation quotes from this article
  • Changing the name from “Tech Guru” to my teacher’s name
  • Swapping the image for something more appropriate (or removing it entirely)
  • Adding a personal note at the bottom like “Thank you for an amazing year!”

Click on anything you want to change, our editor will oblige.

Step 4: Export in the right format

Once you’re happy with your design, it’s time to share it with your teacher:

For digital sharing:

  • Download as a PNG or JPG file to send via email
  • Save as a PDF for including in a digital presentation

For print:

  • Select high-resolution PDF for the best print quality
  • Choose the right dimensions if you plan to frame it
  • Consider card stock paper for a more premium feel

Step 5: Presentation ideas for your teacher quote

Your custom quote design deserves a special presentation:

  • Insert it into a thank-you card with a personal note
  • Include it in a class presentation on the last day of school
  • Add it to a digital slideshow of memories from the school year

Teachers cherish personalized appreciation. A thoughtful quote presented in a creative way shows that you’ve put care into expressing your gratitude.

Final thoughts

Teachers shape our lives in ways that extend far beyond the classroom. A thoughtful quote, beautifully presented, is a simple yet powerful way to show your appreciation.

Whether you choose a profound philosophical quote or a lighthearted message that matches your teacher’s personality, what matters most is the sincerity behind it.

Take a moment to reflect on how your teacher has impacted your learning journey. Then use these quotes and design tools to create something that captures your gratitude.

After all, teachers spend their careers helping students find their voices. What better way to thank them than by using yours to say, “You made a difference.”

waltermoraschinelli
Walter Moraschinelli