A new year holds the promise of a fresh start and new beginnings. It’s why we all look forward to New Year’s Eve so much! Whether you have made one new year’s resolution or a dozen, the start of a new year is worth acknowledging and celebrating. One way to do so is to consider famous new year’s quotes that stir and excite you to excite you about the opportunities the future holds. From Emerson to Oprah Winfrey, so many greats have made smart remarks about the new year.
We have rounded up dozens of new year’s quotes from thinkers that you love to get you in the mood for some fresh experiences and to fill you with hope for what’s to come. Share these with your children, sign them into greeting cards, use them as social media captions, or just take a moment to think about these amazing quotes. Enjoy!
Hopeful New Year’s Quotes
- “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” —Albert Einstein
- “There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.” —C.S. Lewis
- “Past and Present I know well; each is a friend and sometimes an enemy to me. But it is the quiet, beckoning Future, an absolute stranger, with whom I have fallen madly in love.” —Richelle E. Goodrich
Bright New Year’s Quotes
- “He who breaks a resolution is a weakling; he who makes one is a fool.” —F.M. Knowles
- “The attraction of New Year is this: The year changes, and in that change, we believe that we can change with it. It is far more difficult, however, to change yourself than turn the calendar to a new page.” ― R. Joseph Hoffmann
- “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” —Eleanor Roosevelt
Fun New Year’s Quotes
- “Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald
- “This bright new year is given me / To live each day with zest / To daily grow and try to be / My highest and my best!” —William Arthur Ward
- “With dawn of the new year on the horizon, I resolved to exert my will on the world.”―Holly Black
Moving New Year’s Quotes
- “You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you.” —Eckhart Tolle
- “We are the authors of our destinies.” ―Nike Campbell-Fatoki
- “The priceless lesson in the New Year is that endings birth beginnings and beginnings birth endings. And in this elegantly choreographed dance of life, neither ever find an end in the other.”―Craig D. Lounsbrough
New Year’s Quotes About Growth
- “Approach the new year with resolve to find the opportunities hidden in each new day.” —Michael Josephson
- “New Beginnings are in order, and you are bound to feel some level of excitement as new chances come your way.” —Auliq Ice
- “Cheers to a gracious New Year. May we uphold the fullness of God’s grace, goodness, and goodwill.” ―Lailah Gifty Akita
Fearless New Year’s Quotes
- “Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.” —Frank Scully
- “When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. When life is bitter, say thank you and grow.” —Shauna Niequist
- “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” —E.E. Cummings
New Year’s Quotes About Evolving
- Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand and melting like a snowflake.” —Francis Bacon Sr.
- “No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.” —Buddha
- “Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.” —Karen Kaiser Clark
Resolute New Year’s Quotes
- “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” —Socrates
- “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.” —Joseph Campbell
- “Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account.” —Oscar Wilde
Balanced New Year’s Quotes
- “What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven’t even happened yet.” —Anne Frank
- “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” –Plato
- “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” —Seneca
Optimistic New Year’s Quotes
- “New Year’s Day is every man’s birthday.” —Charles Lamb
- “Many years ago, I made a New Year’s resolution to never make New Year’s resolutions. Hell, it’s been the only resolution I’ve ever kept!”―D.S. Mixell
- “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language, and next year’s words await another voice.” T.S. Eliot
Positive New Year’s Quotes
- “Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” —Helen Keller
- “Every moment is a fresh beginning.” —T.S. Eliot
- “Each day is a new beginning, the chance to do with it what should be done and not to be seen as simply another day to put in time.” –Catherine Pulsifer
Buoyant New Year’s Quotes
- “You can get excited about the future. The past won’t mind.” ―Hillary DePiano
- “Youth is when you’re allowed to stay up late on New Year’s Eve. Middle age is when you’re forced to.” —Bill Vaughan
- “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” — C.S. Lewis
Upbeat New Year’s Quotes
- “The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written.” —Melody Beattie
- “Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction.” ―Germany Kent
- “Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” —Hal Borland
New Year’s Quotes About No Regrets
- “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” —George Eliot
- “And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.” Rainer Maria Rilke
- “I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” —Thomas Jefferson
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Cheerful New Year’s Quotes
- “New year—a new chapter, new verse, or just the same old story? Ultimately we write it. The choice is ours.” —Alex Morritt
- “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.” —J.P. Morgan
- “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
Festive New Year’s Quotes
- “Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.” —Oprah Winfrey
- “Celebrate endings—for they precede new beginnings.” —Jonathan Lockwood Huie
- “Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.” —Robin Sharma
Encouraging New Year’s Quotes
- “The magic in new beginnings is truly the most powerful of them all.” ―Josiyah Martin
- “Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one.” —Brad Paisley
- “The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul…” —Gilbert K. Chesterton
Motivational New Year’s Quotes
- “Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go. They merely determine where you start.” —Nido Qubein
- “Life is about change, sometimes it’s painful, sometimes it’s beautiful, but most of the time it’s both.” —Kristin Kreuk
- “What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year.” —Vern McLellan
Persuasive New Year’s Quotes
- “An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.” — William E. Vaughan
- “On New Year’s Eve the whole world celebrates the fact that a date changes. Let us celebrate the dates on which we change the world.” ―Akilnathan Logeswaran
- “The New Year is a painting not yet painted; a path not yet stepped on; a wing not yet taken off! Things haven’t happened as yet! Before the clock strikes twelve, remember that you are blessed with the ability to reshape your life!” ―Mehmet Murat ildan
Energizing New Year’s Quotes
- “Every single year, we’re a different person. I don’t think we’re the same person all of our lives.”—Steven Spielberg
- “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.” —Benjamin Franklin
- “If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.” —Paulo Coehlo
Galvanizing New Year’s Quotes
- “We joyfully pray with grateful hearts to welcome blessings in New Year.” ―Lailah Gifty Akita
- “Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous new year by believing.” —Sarah Ban Breathnach
- “It’s never too late to become who you want to be. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald
Rosy New Year’s Quotes
- “Change can be scary, but you know what’s scarier? Allowing fear to stop you from growing, evolving, and progressing.” —Mandy Hale
- “Each year’s regrets are envelopes in which messages of hope are found for the New Year.” —John R. Dallas Jr.
- “Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” —Carl Bard
Exciting New Year’s Quotes
- “Make New Year’s goals. Dig within, and discover what you would like to have happen in your life this year. This helps you do your part. It is an affirmation that you’re interested in fully living life in the year to come.” —Melody Beattie
- “You are never too old to reinvent yourself.” —Steve Harvey
- “We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Heartening New Year’s Quotes
- “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” —Maya Angelou
- “Be like a tree. Stay grounded. Connect with your roots. Turn over a new leaf. Bend before you break. Enjoy your unique natural beauty. Keep growing.” —Joanne Raptis
- “Don’t let today’s disappointments cast a shadow on tomorrow’s dreams.” —Unknown
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Final New Year’s Quotes
- “Life’s not about expecting, hoping and wishing, it’s about doing, being and becoming.” —Mike Dooley
- “Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.” —Emilie Coue
- “A New Year has tiptoed in. Let’s go forward to meet it.”―Anusha Atukorala
What did you think of these New Year’s quotes? We hope you found them as moving and motivational as we did. If you’d like even more New Year’s fun, keep reading. We have some very silly jokes about the new year to share with you.
The Failure
Why is the person who plans the Time’s Square celebration on New Year’s a failure? They always drop the ball.
The Math Teacher
Where did the math teacher hang out on New Year’s Eve? Times Square.
The Cow’s Favorite
What’s a cow’s favorite night of the year? Moo Year’s Eve.
The Good Advice
What should people never eat on New Year’s Eve? Fire… crackers.
The Sugar
Why did someone sprinkle sugar on their pillow on New Year’s Eve? They wanted to start the year with sweet dreams.
The Dad Joke
What did Dad say at 11:59 on New Year’s Eve? I promise not to make any bad jokes for the rest of the year.
The Caterpillar’s Resolution
What was the caterpillar’s New Year’s resolution? To turn over a new leaf.
The Spice
Where did the chef celebrate New Year’s? Thyme’s Square.
The Good Intentions
Why did the lady start making breakfast at 11:59 p.m. on December 31? She wanted a New Year’s toast.
The Migration
Why do birds fly south for New Year’s Eve? It’s too far to walk.
The Jeweler
Why do you need a jeweler on New Year’s Eve? To ring in the new year.
The Haunting
What does a ghost say on January 1st? “Happy Boo Year!”
The Auld Lang Syne
What do you call someone who says they know all the words to “Auld Lang Syne?” A liar.
The Shoplifter
What happened to the woman who stole a calendar on New Year’s Eve? She got 12 months!
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The Arrests
What happened when an iPhone and a firework were arrested on NYE? One was charged, and the other was let off.
The Resolution, Explained
What is a New Year’s resolution? Something that goes in one year and out the other.
The Jogger
What’s the problem with jogging on New Year’s Eve? You’ll spill your punch all over.
The Haters
What’s the one group that hates New Year’s Day? The New Year’s Even clean-up crew.
The Abby
Knock, knock! Who’s there? Abby. Abby who? Abby New Year.
The Left Foot
Why should you stand on your left foot during the NYE countdown? So you can start the New Year on the right foot.
The Excitement
Who gets the most excited about the New Year’s Eve countdown? Calendar makers.
The Comedians
Where can you find comedians on New Year’s Eve? Waiting for the punchline.
The Field
What does a field grow on Jan. 1? New Year’s hay.
The Success
What New Year’s resolution guarantees success? Making a resolution to break your resolution.
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The Dracula
Dracula passed out at midnight on New Year’s Eve. There was a count… down.
The Basketball Player
What New Year’s resolution should a basketball player never make? To travel more.
The Reader
What’s the easiest way to keep your New Year’s resolution to read more? Watch TV with subtitles.
The Champagne Bottle
What did the little champagne bottle call his father? Pop!
The Freezer
Why should you put your new calendar in the freezer? To start off the new year in a cool way.
The Razor
Knock, knock! Who’s there? Razor. Razor who? Razor glass and toast the New Year.
The Santa Claus
What do New Year’s parades have in common with Santa Claus? No one is ever awake to see them.
There you go! We hope you found these New Year’s jokes as funny and entertaining as we did.