Fairytale Quotes About Life
Fairytale quotes about life are the lines that stick with you long after the movie ends: work hard, be kind, and do not trust anyone who offers you an apple. These are for graduation cards, journal pages and the days that feel like the middle of the dark forest.
For other occasions, every fairytale quote collection is gathered in one place, from wedding lines to birthday cake signs.
Each quote is credited to the book or movie it really comes from, and we cut a few song lyrics that usually show up on lists like this. For more fairy tale lessons with little ones, see our fairytale quotes for kids.
Quick Picks: Fairytale Quotes About Life
A short list for the fridge door.
- “Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one.” (Grandmother Willow, Pocahontas (1995))
- “Our fate lives within us. You only have to be brave enough to see it.” (Merida, Brave (2012))
- “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” (Gandalf, J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring)
- “The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.” (Rafiki, The Lion King (1994))
- “Write your happily ever after one ordinary day at a time.”
The last one is an original 3BoysAndADog saying.
Fairytale Quotes About Dreams and Hard Work
Wishing on stars is nice. So is a work ethic.
The Princess and the Frog
“That old star can only take you part of the way. You gotta help it along with some hard work of your own.”
James, Tiana’s father, The Princess and the Frog (2009)
- “I won’t stop. For every minute of the rest of my life, I will fight.” (Rapunzel, Tangled (2010))
- “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” (the Cheshire Cat, Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland)
- “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” (Gandalf, J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring)
- “Wishing is the first step. Working is the second.”
- “A dream with a to-do list is called a plan.”
The last two are original 3BoysAndADog sayings.
Fairytale Quotes About Hard Times
Every good story has a dark forest in the middle.
- “It’s not until you lose everything that you can truly appreciate everything.” (popular saying, often credited to Beauty and the Beast)
- “The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.” (Rafiki, The Lion King (1994))
- “Imperfections we all have, but we also have compensations.” (attributed to Hans Christian Andersen, “The Teapot” (wording varies by translation))
- “Hard chapters still move the story forward.”
- “Even Cinderella had a few rough years before the ball.”
The Ugly Duckling
“He now felt glad at having suffered sorrow and trouble, because it enabled him to enjoy so much better all the pleasure and happiness around him.”
Hans Christian Andersen, The Ugly Duckling
We could not find the first line in any Beauty and the Beast movie, so it is labeled a popular saying. The last two are original 3BoysAndADog sayings.
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Fairytale Quotes About Being Yourself
For the kid, or grown-up, who does not fit the usual storyline.
Cinderella, 2015
“Have courage and be kind. Where there is kindness, there is goodness, and where there is goodness, there is magic.”
Ella’s mother, Cinderella (2015)
- “Our fate lives within us. You only have to be brave enough to see it.” (Merida, Brave (2012))
- “Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle!” (Alice, Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland)
- “Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one.” (Grandmother Willow, Pocahontas (1995))
- “Glass slippers are overrated. Comfy shoes go farther.”
- “You don’t need a crown to be royal on the inside.”
The last two are original 3BoysAndADog sayings.
Ways to Use Fairytale Quotes About Life
Where a little storybook wisdom helps.
- Graduation cards: Gandalf’s time line fits any big next step.
- Morning journal: Copy one quote and write how it fits your day.
- Hard-day notes: Rafiki’s line belongs in a teenager’s backpack.
- Classroom wall: Tiana’s dad on hard work, hung by the homework bin.
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