Holidays & Entertaining 42 Inspirational New Year's Quotes for a Fresh Start to Your Year Want some witty words to say at the stroke of midnight? Read on. By Lisa Milbrand Lisa Milbrand Lisa Milbrand has more than 20 years of experience as a lifestyle writer and editor, writing thousands of articles on topics that help people live better and healthier lives for Real Simple, Parents, and dozens of other top publications. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 05, 2023 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Anna Blazhuk/Getty Images Come New Year's Eve, we're all looking for a little inspiration for the year ahead. These motivational, serious, and funny New Year's quotes or caption ideas from celebrities, beloved fictional characters, and other notables might have the power to give us a sunnier outlook for the brand new year. 16 Inspiring Books to Help You Start Fresh in the New Year New Year's quotes, on the other hand, are all about celebrating after the New Year's Eve holiday: They're about making the most of a new year, and all the new years to come, with or without New Year's resolutions. Pick your favorite inspirational New Year's quote, and start the year with a fresh attitude. 01 of 42 No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Buddha 02 of 42 With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Eleanor Roosevelt 03 of 42 You know how I always dread the whole year? Well this time I’m only going to dread one day at a time Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Charlie Brown 04 of 42 Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight, when it's exactly twelve o'clock that night. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Ella Fitzgerald, ”What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?” 05 of 42 Happy new year, happy new year. May we all have a vision now and then of a world where every neighbor is a friend. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Abba, "New Year's Day" 06 of 42 If you didn't come to party, don’t bother knockin' on my door. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Prince, "1999" 07 of 42 New year—a new chapter, new verse, or just the same old story? Ultimately we write it. The choice is ours. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Alex Morritt 08 of 42 Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Ralph Waldo Emerson 09 of 42 For last year's words belong to last year's language. And next year's words await another voice. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple T.S. Eliot 10 of 42 We should celebrate every year that we made it through. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Ellen DeGeneres 11 of 42 I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple David Bowie 12 of 42 You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Martin Luther King, Jr. 13 of 42 It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple William Shakespeare 14 of 42 Baby, it's New Years Eve, a time we can believe in making wishes. Dreams come true, just for me and you. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple NSYNC, “Kiss Me at Midnight” 15 of 42 Whatever it is you're scared of doing, do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever. Corinne Mucha, Real Simple Neil Gaiman 16 of 42 Let's celebrate the inception of improved us, not the new year. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Mohith Agadi 17 of 42 And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Rainer Maria Rilke 18 of 42 And you asked me what I want this year. And I try to make this kind and clear—just a chance that maybe we'll find better days. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Goo Goo Dolls, "Better Days" 19 of 42 Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Robin Sharma 20 of 42 We all get the exact same 365 days. The only difference is what we do with them Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Hillary DePiano 21 of 42 This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Taylor Swift 22 of 42 This year's book, at midnight turns to footnote in the next. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Terri Guillemets 23 of 42 I was going to quit all my bad habits for the new year, but then I remembered that nobody likes a quitter. Corinne Mucha/Real Simple Unknown 24 of 42 Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to. Ana Celaya Bill Vaughan 25 of 42 Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one. Ana Celaya Brad Paisley 26 of 42 In our perfect ways. In the ways we are beautiful. In the ways we are human. We are here. Happy New Year's. Let's make it ours. Ana Celaya Beyoncé 27 of 42 You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. Ana Celaya C.S. Lewis 28 of 42 To the old, long life and treasure; to the young, all health and pleasure. Ana Celaya Ben Jonson 29 of 42 Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. Ana Celaya Benjamin Franklin 30 of 42 Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering 'It will be happier.'' Ana Celaya Alfred, Lord Tennyson 31 of 42 We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives…not looking for flaws, but for potential. Ana Celaya Ellen Goodman 32 of 42 We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. Ana Celaya Edith Lovejoy Pierce 33 of 42 You'll never get bored when you try something new. There's really no limit to what you can do. Ana Celaya Dr. Seuss 34 of 42 Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. Ana Celaya Martin Luther King Jr. 35 of 42 Hey friend, don't you dare forget, as you're creating a new you, that there's a whole lot about the old you that is worth keeping. Ana Celaya Toni Sorenson 36 of 42 If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Ana Celaya Maya Angelou 37 of 42 New Year's Resolution: To tolerate fools more gladly, provided this does not encourage them to take up more of my time. Ana Celaya James Agate 38 of 42 I think it would be much more sensible if resolutions began generally on January the second. Ana Celaya Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones's Diary 39 of 42 May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions. Ana Celaya Joey Adams 40 of 42 Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. Ana Celaya Mark Twain 41 of 42 Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account. Ana Celaya Oscar Wilde 42 of 42 There comes a day when you realize turning the page is the best feeling in the world, because you realize there is so much more to the book than the page you were stuck on. Ana Celaya Zayn Malik Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit