The Best Journal Quotes to Doodle, Write, & Reflect on {+ Free Printable}

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 around. By that, I mean that you can write about these quotes, hand-letter them, collage them, and more!

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

This article also included a pdf printable journal quotes list. Download, print, and use these journal quotes any time.

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

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Ideas for using quotes in creative journaling

Write about the quote

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. Make a bullet list or write freehand. There are many ways to elaborate on an inspiring quote! Journal quotes make great writing prompts for personal 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. Try bubble lettering, block lettering, cursive style, graffiti lettering, and more! Here is a handy article on different ways you can hand-letter words and quotes.

Collage the quote

Collage a journal quote in your art journal using scraps of paper such as newspaper or magazine clippings. Or even fabric. Collage can be funky and fun. You can’t mess it up. It’s easy and great for kids!

Pen the quote on top of an art journal background

Layer a handwritten journal quote atop a pre-created background in your art journal. A watercolor splash background always works well with a quote on top. Or a newspaper collage background. There are many types of art journal backgrounds you could create and add a journal quote to.

Doodle the quote

Simply doodle the journal quote however you want. No need to take it too seriously, get super detailed, or make it look “perfect.” You can write small, you can write big. Colorful lettering or black and white. Messy or neat. Bullet journal style or free hand. How you doodle the journal quotes is up to you!

Incorporate the quote as a subtle background element

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 a quote or handwriting as a background element on an art journal page.

Gorgeous journal page by idontwashianymore on Instagram.

Best Journal Quotes to Doodle, Write, & Reflect Upon

Ok, so now that you have some ideas of how to use journal quotes creatively, here is the list of journal quotes, along with some gorgeous journal page inspiration! You can grab the free printable journal quotes list at the bottom of this article. Enjoy!

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.

“Hope is a waking dream.” -Aristotle.

“Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist.” -Stephen Hawking.

“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.

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.

“The obstacle is the path.” -Zen Proverb.

“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.

“Live what you love.” -Jo Deurbrouck.

“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.

The bright and inspirational artwork below is by Vanshi, whenshe_doodles on Instagram.

Beautiful quotes to journal

“A beautiful day begins with a beautiful mindset.” -DDJ.

“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.

Beautiful quotes on top of beautiful 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.

“If not us, who? If not now, when?” -John F. Kennedy.

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

“Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” -Saint Augustine.

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

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

Gorgeous journal quote page below by Shifa Sarguru on Unsplash.

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 creativity quotes for your journal

“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.

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.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” -Albert Einstein.

“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” -Marcus Aurelius.

“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.

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” -Robert F. Kennedy.

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

Free PDF Printable Journal Quotes

Did any of these quotes inspire you to write, draw, doodle, paint, or collage into your journal? Quotes are such a fun art element. You can grab your downloadable journal quotes using the link below!

PDF Journal quotes printable

Concluding thoughts

I hope you enjoyed these gorgeous art journal pages along with the 70 journal quotes to doodle, draw, write, and reflect upon. Beautiful quotes + art is such an inspiring combination, don’t you think?

Let me know your favorite art journal pages and inspiring quotes in the comments. Be sure to check out the Instagram pages of each featured artist. And pin this article below to share on Pinterest!