The BEST Journal Quotes to Doodle, Write, & Reflect On

This is a collection of the 70 best journal quotes to use as inspiration for your art journal, bullet journal, or personal writing journal.

These journal quotes are inspirational, motivational, beautiful, and positive. Each quote shared today would make a wonderful point of inspiration from which to get creative. By that, I mean that you can write about these quotes, hand-letter them, collage them, or use them as a starting point for any art journaling project.

For tons of new ideas and inspiration, this article contains beautiful examples from real artists of how to use quotes for journaling. You will love seeing the possibilities for journaling quotes in creative ways. There are so many beautiful art journal quote ideas!

This article also included a PDF printable journal quotes list. Download, print, and use these journaling quotes at any time. However, after reading them, I think you’ll agree that the best time to start is now!

All artists featured are linked. Please be sure to check out their Instagram pages and follow them!

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You can grab the free printable journal quotes list at the bottom of this list. We will also talk about how to use journal quotes creatively.

Along with these journal quotes, you’ll find gorgeous art journal page inspiration!

Related: How to Start an Art Journal For Beginners

Best Journal Quotes to Doodle, Write, & Reflect Upon

Inspirational journal quotes

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible!“ -Audrey Hepburn.

“Only in the darkness can you see the stars.“ -Martin Luther King Jr.

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.“ -Mahatma Gandhi.

“Every moment is a fresh beginning.” -T.S Eliot.

“Die with memories, not dreams.” -Unknown.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson.

“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.” -Susan Sontag

“When you consider things like the stars, our affairs don’t seem to matter very much, do they?” -Virginia Woolf.

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass… It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” -Vivian Greene.

“Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change.” -Wayne W. Dyer.

Related: 15 Creative Art Journal Page Ideas for Inspiration

Beautifully composed artwork by Shafastudied on Instagram. The hand-lettering is perfection!

Motivational quotes to journal

“You never fail until you stop trying.“ -Albert Einstein.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” -Lao Tzu.

“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” -Theodore Roosevelt.

“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.” -William Wordsworth

“Dream big and dare to fail.” -Norman Vaughan.

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” -Eleanor Roosevelt.

“What we think, we become.” -Buddha.

“This is reality, not a dream.” -Martina Navratilova

“Shoot for the moon, even if you fail, you’ll land among the stars.” -Cecelia Ahern.

“By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create it. The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired.” -Nikos Kazantzakis.

Beautiful artwork below by Vanshi, whenshe_doodles on Instagram.

Beautiful quotes to journal

“A beautiful day begins with a beautiful mindset.” -John Geiger.

“Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today.” -James Dean.

“All you need is love.” -John Lennon.

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” -Edith Wharton.

“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” -Rumi.

“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.” -Christopher Reeve.

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you.” -Walt Whitman.

“Dreams are illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you.” -Marsha Norman.

“Life’s a beautiful thing and there’s so much to smile about.” -Marilyn Monroe.

“Forever is composed of nows.” -Emily Dickinson.

Quotes on top of easy backgrounds by Madiha Pathan, _the_implied_tales on Instagram.

Best positive journal quotes

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.“ -George Bernard Shaw.

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein.

“If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” -Roald Dahl.

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” -Omar Khayyam.

“And still, I rise.” -Maya Angelou.

“It’d Be a Lot Cooler If You Did.” -Matthew McConaughey.

“A smile is the beauty of the soul.” -Lailah Gifty.

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” -Anne Frank.

“When nothing goes right, go left.” -Unknown.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” -Helen Keller.

Best journal quotes about love

“All you need is love.” -The Beatles.

“I love you” begins by I, but it ends up by you. -Charles de Leusse.

“Love is a friendship set to music.” -Joseph Campbell.

“You give me the kind of feelings people write novels about.”-Unknown.

“Dreaming of you keeps me asleep. Being with you keeps me alive.” -Unknown.

“Will you lend me a kiss? I promise to give it back.” -Unknown.

“You’re that ‘Once in a lifetime dream come true.’” -Unknown.

“So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.” -Paulo Coehlo.

“Your hand touching mine. This is how galaxies collide.” -Sanober Khan.

“My soul will find yours.” -Jude Deveraux.

Bright and beautiful art journal pages by Thulasi Brindha artyz_xoxo on Instagram.

Best creative journaling quotes

“Everything you can imagine is real.” -Pablo Picasso.

“The power of imagination makes us infinite.” -John Muir.

“When words fail, music speaks.” -Shakespeare.

“Make each day your masterpiece.” -John Wooden.

“We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.” -Bob Ross.

“Reality is wrong, dreams are for real.” -Tupac.

“I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?” -George Bernard Shaw.

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” -Albert Einstein.

“The world is but a canvas to the imagination.” -Henry David Thoreau.

“Creativity is God’s gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God.” -Julia Cameron.

Related: How to Boost Creativity: Take the Creativity Challenge

Art journal pages below by Carolyn S. Nehring, carolyn.sn on Instagram. Messy handwriting is a cool and unexpected way to use quotes or words creatively in a journal.

Best life quotes to journal

“You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, love like you’ll never be hurt, sing like there’s nobody listening, and live like it’s heaven on earth.” -William W. Purkey.

“Life is too important to be taken seriously.” -Oscar Wilde.

“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” -Ernest Hemingway.

A best friend is the most wonderful thing in the world. -Unknown

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson.

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” -Nelson Mandela.

“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.” -J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan.

“Life is a book and there are a thousand pages I have not yet read.” -Cassandra Clare.

“Love people, not things; use things, not people. ” -Spencer W. Kimball.

“Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.” -Theodore Roosevelt.

Free PDF Printable Journal Quotes

Pouring thoughts out on paper is so much fun, and quotes are such a great art element. They help you express the little details of your everyday life in a beautiful way.

You can grab your downloadable journal quotes using the link below!

PDF Journal Quotes Printable

Feel free to share with a friend, and have fun!

Ideas for using quotes for journaling

Using quotes for journaling is fun and easy! Here are some ideas to get you started.

Write about the quote

For artistic journal writing, you could write out the journal quote, then add any deeper meaning you might find within it such as how the quote makes you feel.

Write what memories the quote triggers, what dreams it inspires, or even write an entire story based on the quote.

You can create bullet journal quotes, or write freehand. There are many ways to elaborate on an inspiring quote! Journal quotes are a great way to use writing prompts for personal growth journaling.

Hand-letter the quote as a focal point

Practice calligraphy or any type of hand lettering to illustrate the journal quote in your personal journal or art journal.

Fill a blank page with bubble lettering, block lettering, cursive style, graffiti lettering, and more! Here is a handy article on different ways to hand-letter words and the best ways to use quotes in an art journal.

Collage the quote

Collage a journal quote in your art journal using scraps of paper such as newspaper, recycled paper, or magazine clippings. You might even try fabric.

Collage can be funky and fun and there are so many great mixed-media art ideas when you search around. You can’t mess up a collage page. Collage is easy and great for kids, too!

Pen the quote on top of an art journal background

A good way to use a quote in your art journal is to layer a handwritten quote you love atop a pre-created background. A watercolor splash background always works well with a quote on top. A newspaper collage background looks great too. Even a love letter would be interesting.

There are many types of art journal backgrounds you could try. If you’re having trouble creating the right background, it’s easy to find one online, print it, and then add a quote on top of it.

Doodle the quote

Another idea for your art journal is to simply doodle one of your favorite quotes however you want to on your page.

There’s no need to take it too seriously, get super detailed, or make anything look “perfect” since there is no best way to doodle. You can write small, you can write big. Use colorful lettering or write in black and white. Be messy or neat. Try bullet journal style or free hand. How you doodle the journal quotes is up to you!

Incorporate the quote as a subtle background element

An idea I love is to paint or hand-letter a quote as a more subtle background element of an art journal page.

The lovely artwork below is a nice example of how to use quotes for journaling. As you can see, this artist uses writing as a background element on an art journal page.

Gorgeous journal page by idontwashianymore on Instagram.

 

Concluding thoughts

I hope you enjoyed these beautiful art journal pages along with the journaling quotes. May they inspire you to write, draw, doodle, paint, collage, or otherwise be creative.

Let me know your favorite pages and inspiring art journal quotes in the comments.

And be sure to check out the Instagram pages of each featured artist!

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