60 Reading Quotes for Kids That Inspire Them to Read More

Reading is one of the most important skills that help people build their personalities and expand their knowledge. The importance of reading to your child cannot be understated, as the sooner they learn to read, the faster they are able to grasp ideas, develop critical thinking, and excel at both academics and social life. A children’s reading quote can serve as a powerful reminder of the lifelong benefits of this habit. Although you may have a bedtime reading routine set for your child, there will be long, tiring days when you might be tempted to skip it. That’s when an inspiring quote about reading to your child can lift your spirits and motivate you to continue. Consistency in reading nurtures creativity, empathy, and a love for learning that lasts a lifetime.

Inspirational Reading Quotes for Kids

Here are some reading quotes for children by accomplished people to inspire you and your kids to read:

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

2. “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.” – Maya Angelou.

3. “Books are the compasses and telescopes and sextants and charts which other men have prepared to help us navigate the dangerous seas of human life.” – Jesse Lee Bennett.

4. “From your parents, you learn love and laughter and how to put one foot before the other. But when books are opened, you discover you have wings.” – Helen Hayes.

5. “I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.” – Groucho Marx.

6. “I have a passion for teaching kids to become readers, to become comfortable with a book, not daunted. Books shouldn’t be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage.” – Roald Dahl.

7. “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” – Mortimer J. Adler.

8. “I really had a lot of dreams when I was a kid, and I think a great deal of that grew out of the fact that I had a chance to read a lot.” – Bill Gates.

9. “It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imaginations. Something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own.” – Katherine Patterson.

10. “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” – Harry S. Truman.

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

12. “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” – Walt Disney

13. “The whole world opened up to me when I learned to read” – Mary McCleod Bethune

14. “So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install, A lovely bookshelf on the wall.” –  Roald Dahl.

15. “There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.” – Marcel Proust.

16. “Expand the definition of ‘reading’ to include non-fiction, humor, graphic novels, magazines, action, adventure, and, yes, even websites. It’s the pleasure of reading that counts; the focus will naturally broaden. A boy won’t read shark books forever.” –Jon Scieszka.

17. “Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won’t have as much censorship because we won’t have as much fear.”  – Judy Blume.

18. “Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw.

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

20. “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin.

21. “Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.” – Lemony Snicket.

22. “There’s something good in every book, but sometimes you just have to look for it.” –Anonymous.

23. “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” – C.S. Lewis.

24. “Some books should be tasted, some devoured, but only a few should be chewed and digested thoroughly.” -Cornelia Funk.

25. “Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary.” – Jim Rohn.

26. “It is better to read a little and ponder a lot than to read a lot and ponder a little.” -Dennis Parsons Burkitt.

27. “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” – Ray Bradbury.

28. “When you sell a man a book you don’t sell just 12 ounces of paper and ink and glue – you sell him a whole new life.” – Christopher Morley.

29. “A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight.”- Robertson Davies.

30. “I cannot remember the books I have read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Short Reading Quotes for Kids

Reading opens doors to endless adventures, sparks imagination, and builds a lifelong love for learning. Short and powerful quotes will inspire young readers to dive into books and discover the magic of stories. Here are 30 motivational quotes about reading for kids from famous authors and thinkers:

1. “Think before you speak. Read before you think.” – Fran Lebowitz.

2. “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.

3. “Let’s be reasonable and add an eighth day to the week that is devoted exclusively to reading.” – Lena Dunham.

4. “Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labelled, ‘This could change your life.’” -Helen Exley.

5. “The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest (people) of the past centuries.” – Descartes.

6. “I was reading a book…’history of glue’…I couldn’t put it down.” -Tim Vine.

7. “Books are a uniquely portable magic. They can take you anywhere in the world without ever leaving your chair.” – Stephen King.

8. “If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” -Toni Morrison.

9. “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” – Joseph Addison.

10. “Reading takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere. -Hazel Rochman.

11. “Reading one book is like eating one potato chip.” – Diane Duane.

12. “I read a book one day and my whole life was changed.” – Orhan Pamuk.

13. “Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.” – Mason Cooley.

14. “People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading.” – Logan Pearsall Smith.

15. “People can lose their lives in libraries. They ought to be warned.” – Saul Bellow.

16. “The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.”-James Bryce.

17. “A good book is an event in my life.” – Stendhal.

18. “One must be an inventor to read well. There is then creative reading as well as creative writing.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

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

20. “Classic’ – a book which people praise and don’t read.” – Mark Twain.

21. “The man who does not read good books is no better than the man who can’t.” -Mark Twain.

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

23. “Reading is dreaming with open eyes.” – Anissa Trisdianty

24. “A book is a gift you can open again and again.” – Garrison Keillor

25. “There is no friend as loyal as a book.” – Ernest Hemingway

26. “Reading brings us unknown friends.” – Honoré de Balzac

27. “The world belongs to those who read.” – Rick Holland

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

29. “Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic.” – J.K. Rowling

30. “Reading is a way for me to expand my mind, open my eyes, and fill up my heart.” – Oprah Winfrey

How These Reading Quotes Help Children

Reading quotes help kids get excited about books. They make reading fun while teaching important thinking and emotional skills. Here are some of the benefits of reading quotes.

1. Cultivate a Positive Attitude Toward Reading

Well-chosen quotes create excitement around books, making reading feel like a rewarding activity rather than a chore.

2. Enhance Language Comprehension & Expression

Exposure to concise, meaningful phrases helps children absorb new vocabulary and sentence structures naturally.

3. Strengthen Imagination & Creativity

Thoughtful words about stories and adventures encourage kids to visualize, dream, and explore beyond the pages.

4. Reinforce Important Life Lessons

Quotes often carry underlying messages about perseverance, kindness, and curiosity, shaping a child’s moral outlook.

5. Develop Analytical Thinking

Reflecting on deeper meanings within quotes trains children to interpret ideas and form their own perspectives.

6. Foster Meaningful Discussions

Quotes act as conversation starters between adults and children, deepening their connection through shared literary appreciation.

FAQs

1. Can reading quotes help children with a reluctance to read?

While quotes alone won’t transform a reluctant reader, strategically placed, uplifting phrases about books can subtly shift a child’s mindset over time. Pairing quotes with engaging stories or displaying them in reading nooks creates positive associations that may gradually lower resistance.

2. How often should reading quotes be introduced to kids?

Natural exposure works best—a quote displayed weekly in a classroom, used as a journal prompt monthly, or shared casually during storytime prevents oversaturation while keeping the message fresh. Rotating them seasonally (adventure quotes in summer, cozy ones in winter) maintains engagement.

Every quote mentioned above conveys the importance of reading as an essential and life-altering habit. Whether it is witty short reading quotes or long and deeply insightful ones, the above-mentioned quotes are sure to inspire you and your child to inculcate a reading habit.

Also Read:

Back-to-School Quotes for Children
Inspirational & Motivational Quotes for Kids
Educational Quotes To Inspire Your Child
Top Success Quotes for Students and Kids

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