20 Inspirational Reading Quotes to Use in the Classroom

20 inspirational reading quotes to use as a motivational tool or as discussion starters in your classroom on the importance of reading.

Reading Quotes in the Classroom

Here are twenty insightful reading quotes Dr. Seuss, Roald Dahl, J. K. Rowling, Neil Gaiman, Haruki Murakami, Frederick Douglass and more. You can use the reading quotes as inspiration for your students by printing them out and posting them around your classroom. Or why not use them as discussion starters to promote conversations on how reading can develop:

a greater understanding of the world
foster imagination
empathy and tolerance
seeing the world from other perspectives
inspiration and courage

After the quotes, there are a few discussion questions to can use with your students to see how or if it relates to themselves and their own reading journey. You can get your own copy of the reading quotes to print out.

Reading Quotes by Dr Seuss, Roald Dahl and Others

1. Dr. Seuss

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss

2. Kate DiCamillo

“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift. – Kate DiCamillo

3. Malorie Blackman

“Reading is an exercise in empathy; an exercise in walking in someone else’s shoes for a while.” – Malorie Blackman

4. Neil Gaiman

“A book is a dream you hold in your hands.” – Neil Gaiman

5. Stephen King

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” – Stephen King

6. Frederick Douglass

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” – Frederick Douglass

7. Margaret Fuller

“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” – Margaret Fuller

8. Roald Dahl

“If you are going to get anywhere in life you have to read a lot of books.” – Roald Dahl

9. Chinese Proverb

“A book is like a garden, carried in the pocket.” – Chinese Proverb

10. Roald Dahl

“If my books can help children become readers, then I feel I have accomplished something important.” – Roald Dahl

11. C.S. Lewis

“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.” – C.S. Lewis

12. Dr. Seuss

“Be awesome! Be a book nut!” – Dr. Seuss

13. Jorge Luis Borges

“I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.” – Jorge Luis Borges

14. Paul Sweeney

“You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.” – Paul Sweeney

15. Dr. Seuss

“Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks.” – Dr. Seuss

16. Matilda, Roald Dahl

“I'm wondering what to read next.” – Matlida, Roald Dahl

17. Mary Pope Osborne

“Reading is a passport to countless adventures.” – Mary Pope Osborne

18. Haruki Murakami

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, You can only think what everyone else is thinking.” – Haruki Murakami

19. Gail Carson Levine

“There’s nothing wrong with reading a book you love over and over.” – Gail Carson Levine

20. J.K Rowling

“If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.” – J.K Rowling

Reading Questions Discussion Questions

What is your favourite reading quote above? Explain why?
Explain what [this] quote means.
Do you agree with [this] quote?
Do any of these quotes make you think differently about reading? Explain.
How does [this] quote relate to your reading journey?

What Next?

Think about how you can use these reading quotes in your classroom, maybe

as writing prompts
as part of a motivational display
to inspire art or craft projects
make a tag cloud to analyse the most common words
to compare and contrast to explore similarities

What do you think of using quotes in your classroom? How would use these reading quotes to inspire your students?

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