Best Wishes

16 Graduation Poems

Compiled by Julie Hebert - Updated July 6, 2024

Best Wishes | Graduation Poems

Graduations are a wonderful time in a young person's life and there are many ways to share your congratulations. Encourage and inspire the new graduate with a poem - it is one way to share words of congratulations and recognize the graduate's achievement.

A Great New Chapter
Poet: Julie Hebert

I love to write poems for all occasions
And this is no exception.
A graduation of this magnitude
Deserves an even better reception!

Let's party like this season,
Of your life has now ended.
On to a great new chapter,
One that will be splendid.

So pick up your glass and make a toast,
May your dreams all come true.
Never let the battles win even
Though life sometimes feels like a zoo!

You are stronger than you'll ever think,
Don't ever let yourself forget.
Lead yourself to the next great thing,
And stay in a positive mindset.

It's Your Time To Shine
Poet: Julie Hebert

Do your very best,
In everything you do,
So when it comes time,
You can choose whatever you want to.

This next chapter of your life,
Will be an exciting one.
Do your very best,
To enjoy all the fun.

When things don't go your way,
And you don't know what to do.
Do your very best,
Remember you are you!

Congratulations,
It's your time to shine.
Wish you all the best in your endeavors,
May your future be filled with sunshine.

More wishes for the Graduate:

Christian Poems For Graduates

Graduation Wishes

Quotes To Inspire Graduates

Change Is Major
Poet: C. A. Lynch

Graduation's here at last
Changes with a new chapter to begin
Change is major, but don't be aghast
Opportunities lie within.

Positivity is the way to go
Embrace the change with glee
The future is yours to show
We are excited for all that will be.

Congrats
Poet: C. A. Lynch

Congrats on this, your graduation day
We are so proud of you in every way.
We celebrate you and give you a cheer
You have worked hard to get here!

Your future is now before you
And we wish you success in all you do
Be sure that you never forget
Your learning is not over yet.

Life is one big classroom
One where you will continue to bloom
Keep learning each and every day
And success will follow you.

Write Your Story
Poet: C. A. Lynch

Life is a story, go out and explore,
Follow the chapters of possibilities galore.
Let nothing define you, let your character unveil
Go forth, make your life an incredible tale.

Write your story, full of your goals, and read it out loud
Ready to overcome any challenges along life�s crowd.
Your potential is within you; yours to take
A grand adventure for you to write and make.

Your potential is within you; yours to take

A New Start
Poet: C. A. Lynch

Graduation, an ending yet a new start,
A gateway to life's uncharted part.
As we look ahead, dreams within our reach,
With goals to chase and lessons to teach.

With gratitude we bid farewell to this phase,
Embracing the challenges life will raise.
Polishing our minds and honing our skills,
Ready to conquer the world, with hope that thrills.

This famous poem was written in 1927 but contains wisdom for life that will serve the new graduate well.

Desiderata
Poet: Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

God's Guidance
Poet: C. A. Lynch

As you graduate and spread your wings so wide,
Let God's gentle guidance be your trusted guide.
In each new chapter, challenges may rise,
But with faith and grace, you'll reach the skies.
So as you journey on, with humility and drive,
Trust in His plan, and in Him, truly thrive.

Joy And Cheer
Poet: C. A. Lynch

Graduation bursts with joy and cheer,
The future beckons, crystal clear.
New chapters await with open arms,
Dazzling adventures, abundant charms.

Boundless horizons stretch afar,
Opportunities shine like a star.
With knowledge gained, we'll take flight,
The future's brilliance ignites our might.

Poems for special people on graduation:

Graduation Poems For Daughter

Graduation Poems For Son

Graduation Poems For A Friend

The poem If, can be applied to success and a new graduate, it advises maintaining composure amid chaos, trusting oneself even in the face of doubt, and being patient and truthful. The ability to navigate social situations, remain humble yet dignified, and holding onto one's values is also highlighted.

If
Poet: Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don�t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don�t give way to hating,
And yet don�t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream -and not make dreams your master;
If you can think -and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you�ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build �em up with worn out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds� worth of distance run
Yours is the Earth and everything that�s in it,
And - which is more - you�ll be a Man [Woman], my son [daughter]!

Learn To Live
Poet: Bayard Taylor

Learn to live and live to learn,
Ignorance like a fire doth burn,
Little tasks make large return.

In thy labors patient be,
Afterward released and free,
Nature will be bright to thee.

Toil, when willng, groweth less;
"Always play" may seem to bless,
Yet the end is weariness.

Live to learn and learn to live,
Only this content can give;
Reckless joys are fugitive!

More poems for special people on graduation:

Graduation Poems For Grandson

Graduation Poems For Granddaughter

Graduation Poems For Niece

A short poem but words every graduate should remember as they start the next chapter of life.

Action
Poet: Kate Louise Wheeler

Action is the golden key
That unlocks doors to set us free;
Thro� which the trusting heart that sings
Shall find it�s way to better things.

This poem, Thirst For Knowledge, reflects on the occasion of graduation, noting the symbolic tossing of caps and the closure of a chapter. But it also reminds us and the new graduate that the world still holds lessons to be learned and that life itself is a continuous learning experience.

Thirst For Knowledge
Poet: C. A. Lynch

As tassels turn and diplomas fly,
A chapter closes, time goes by.
Yet in this hour of grand achievement,
Let not the thirst for knowledge cease.

For every graduation marks a start,
To be a student, heart and smart.
The world awaits with lessons, bittersweet,
In life's eternal learning seat.

For every graduation marks a start, To be a student, heart and smart.

Academic Affair
Poet: C. A. Lynch

Caps tossed high into the air,
Completion of this academic affair.
Diplomas in hands, hearts full of pride,
Ready to conquer, no more need to hide.

Years of hard work, now celebrated,
Paths diverge, dreams navigated.
Excited for what the future may hold,
With knowledge and passion as our mold.

My Dreams
Poet: C. A. Lynch

My dreams I've worked so hard to pursue,
Step by step and day by day;
The future that I've set my sights on,
Is mine at last, come what may.

The diploma longed for so long, forevermore will stay;
A time of exuberance now awaits me on commencement day.
For a student it's the greatest feeling, all their work has paid off;
Eagerly coming forward to the stage to feel the glory aloft.

Graduation Is Here
Poet: C. A. Lynch

Graduation is here and progress you made
Now your dreams can be pursued, don't let them fade.
Apply the knowledge and experiences you have gained,
There is truly a wealth of information inside your brain.

Brightly shine your light to make the world a better place,
Drawing knowledge from your education in life's exciting race.
Today you graduate, and congratulations are due,
Take heart in your accomplishment, we are proud of you!