Top Email Signature Quotes for Every Occasion

Your email sign-off is prime real estate. Every message you send is a chance to leave a lasting impression—and email signature quotes are one of the easiest ways to do it.

Whether you’re hunting for witty one-liners, timeless wisdom, or professional quotes for email signature use, this guide has you covered. 

We’ve pulled together the best quotes for email signature needs of every style and tone, along with practical tips for making them work. Find the one that works best for your needs and learn how to add it to your email signature effectively.

1. Motivational Quotes for Email Signatures
2. Professional and Business Quotes
3. Time and Productivity Quotes
4. Success and Achievement Quotes
5. Informative and Insightful Quotes
6. Lighthearted and Humorous Quotes
7. Popular and Trending Quotes
8. Leadership and Influence Quotes
9. Famous Sayings from Renowned Figures
10. Tips for Adding Quotes to Your Email Signature Effectively

100 email signature quotes by category

Finding the right quote in your email signature is a small detail that can have a surprisingly big impact. The right line can spark inspiration, show personality, or subtly reinforce your professional values—sometimes all at once. Whether you’re writing to a long-time client, a new lead, or even a skeptical colleague, the right words can frame your message in the best possible light.

In the list ahead, you’ll find quotes for every type of tone and occasion—from quick bursts of motivation to clever one-liners that make the recipient smile. You’ll also see options that signal leadership, convey professionalism, or reflect your personal philosophy. 

No matter your style, there’s a category here to help you add meaning, character, or a hint of wit to the close of your emails without straying from the main purpose: leaving the reader with something worth remembering.

Motivational Quotes for Email Signatures

If you want to start with energy, motivational lines are a strong choice. A well-chosen inspirational quote can turn a routine sign-off into something that resonates. The right email signature idea gives your closing words purpose—whether you’re nudging a client toward action, lifting a colleague’s spirits, or simply reinforcing positive thinking in the middle of a busy week. 

Pick something that reflects your principles and points toward your ambitions. Done well, a single sentence can make business correspondence feel more personal and remind others that work—and life—can be meaningful.

• “Think Different” ― Steve Jobs
• “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” ― Peter F. Drucker
• “To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business and your business in your heart.” ― Thomas J. Watson
• "It always seems impossible until it’s done." ― Nelson Mandela
• "Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny." ― C.S. Lewis
• "A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new." ― Albert Einstein
• "You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take." ― Wayne Gretzky
• "I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." ― Jimmy Dean
• "Well done is better than well said." ― Benjamin Franklin
• “Don't follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you.” ― Margaret Thatcher
• "Fortune favors the bold." ― Latin proverb

Professional and Business Quotes

From motivation, we move into the territory of expertise and credibility. Professional quotes for email signature can bring a polished, intentional feel to the end of your emails. The right words reflect your commitment to quality and your respect for the person receiving your message. They work in one-to-one correspondence and when you are writing on behalf of a team of people working toward a shared goal.

• “Business has only two functions―marketing and innovation.” ― Peter Drucker
• “Good ideas come from bad ideas, but only if there are enough of them.” ― Seth Godin
• “If you don’t drive your business, you will be driven out of business.” ― B. C. Forbes
• “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” ― Bill Gates
• "In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield." ― Warren Buffett
• "Business opportunities are like buses; there’s always another one coming." ― Richard Branson
• “Globalization means that business strategy and business ethics cannot be separated from each other.” ― Ofra Strauss
• “Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.” ― Richard Branson 
• “A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all.” ― Michael LeBoeuf

Time and Productivity Quotes

Once professionalism is established, it’s worth remembering that time underpins nearly every interaction. We run out of it, wish we could rewind it, or look ahead hoping it will bring better days. It’s no surprise so many great minds have tried to capture its value in words. 

From sharp reminders about using it wisely to reflections on how it shapes priorities, quotes about time often carry more weight than their length suggests. In a signature, they can nudge the reader to treat each moment as something worth spending well.

• “Time is the longest distance between two places.” ― Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie
• “Time is an illusion.” ― Albert Einstein
• “You may delay, but time will not.” ― Benjamin Franklin
• “Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity.” ― Jean de La Bruyère
• “Time is a slippery thing: lose hold of it once, and its string might sail out of your hands forever.” ― Anthony Doerr
• “Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” ― Napoleon Hill
• “Don’t count every hour in the day. Make every hour in the day count.” ― Alfred Binet
• “You will never ‘find’ time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.” ― Charles Buxton
• “Time is money.” ― Benjamin Franklin
• “Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you’ve got to start young.” ― Theodore Roosevelt

Success and Achievement Quotes

After motivation, professionalism, and a few wise words about time, the next step is what those qualities can lead to—success. Up close, it’s often a complex matter shaped by persistence, smart choices, and shutting down negative thinking early. 

The right words can inspire progress, mark milestones, and remind both you and your reader what’s possible. Choose one to add to your email signature and let it speak for your achievements without needing further explanation:

• ​​“You can have it all. Just not all at once.” ― Oprah Winfrey
• “Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door. ” ― Coco Chanel
• “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” ― Winston Churchill
• “Action is the foundational key to all success.” ― Pablo Picasso
• “Anything that is measured and watched, improves.” ― Bob Parsons 
• "Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." ― Henry David Thoreau
• "The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary." ― Vidal Sassoon 
• “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.” ― Robert Collier
• “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” ― Harry S. Truman
• “If my mind can conceive it, My heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it!” ― Jesse Jackson

Informative and Insightful Quotes

Some professional email signature quotes offer more than style—they deliver perspective you can use. They challenge assumptions, spark curiosity, or distill a lesson into a single, memorable line. Including one in your signature leaves the reader with something to consider long after the email is gone.

• "The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing." ― Socrates
• "Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning." ― William Arthur Ward
• "The best way to predict your future is to create it." ― Peter Drucker
• “You'll never get ahead by blaming your problems on other people.” ― Willie Nelson
• "Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it." ― Charles R. Swindoll
• "Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought." ― Albert Szent-Györgyi
• "Learning never exhausts the mind." ― Leonardo da Vinci
• "Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems." ― Epictetus
• “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful... that's what matters to me.” ― Steve Jobs
• “Whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture.” ― Allen Ginsberg
• “The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.” ― Willie Nelson
• "Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results." ― Willie Nelson
• “Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.” ― George Bernard Shaw

Lighthearted and Humorous Quotes

Not every closing line has to be serious. Especially in a personal email, funny quotes can be just as effective as profound ones. They can lighten the mood, spark a smile, and help your message stand out in the sea of “Sent from iPhone” sign-offs—even on a difficult life kind of day.

• "I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying." ― Oscar Wilde
• "Some people bring happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go." ― Oscar Wilde
• "You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?" ― Steven Wright
• "Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow." ― Mark Twain
• "Life is hard. After all, it kills you." ― Katharine Hepburn
• "I intend to live forever. So far, so good." ― Steven Wright
• “If you're too open-minded; your brains will fall out.” ― Lawrence Ferlinghetti
• “I live in my own little world. But it's ok, they know me here.” ― Lauren Myracle
• “Ah coffee. The sweet balm by which we shall accomplish today's tasks.” ― Holly Black
• “Don’t be so humble ― you're not that great.” ― Golda Meir
• “Whoever said that money can’t buy happiness, simply didn’t know where to go shopping.” ― Bo Derek
• “It is useless to try to hold a person to anything he says while he’s madly in love, drunk, or running for office.” ― Shirley MacLaine
• “I remember it like it was yesterday. Of course, I don’t really remember yesterday all that well.” ― Dory, “Finding Dory” 
• “Just taught my kids about taxes by eating 38% of their ice cream.” ― Conan O’Brien
• “I don’t know how to put this, but I’m kind of a big deal.” ― Ron Burgundy, “Anchorman”
• “Age is something that doesn’t matter, unless you are a cheese.” ― Luis Buñuel

Popular and Trending Quotes

Humor isn’t the only way to keep things fresh. Popular quotes often come from whatever’s making waves—viral TikTok, memes, or headline news. Adding one as a tagline in your email signature shows the recipient you’re tuned in to what’s current. 

The trade-off is that trends fade quickly, so you’ll need to update your choice often. For more staying power, tap into classic pop culture from TV, film, or music:

• “May the Force be with you.” ― Star Wars
• “I’ll be back.” ― The Terminator
• "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get." ― Forrest Gump
• "That’s what she said." ― The Office 
• "Houston, we have a problem." ― Apollo 13
• "That’s hot." ― Paris Hilton, The Simple Life
• "Let it be." ― The Beatles
• "I wish I could, but I don’t want to." ― Phoebe Buffay
  "I don’t believe in the Republican party or the Democratic party. I just believe in parties." ― Samantha Jones
• "I’m not bossy. I just have better ideas." ― Lynette Scavo
• "I’ve got the moves like Jagger." ― Maroon 5

Leadership and Influence Quotes

Some quotes speak directly to how we guide and inspire others. Leadership often shows itself in small moments: a calm word during a crisis, a clear decision when others hesitate, or a reminder of the bigger picture. The right line can carry that inspiration into every message you send, reinforcing your influence without you having to lead the conversation outright.

• "The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers." ― Ralph Nader
• "People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision." ― John C. Maxwell
• "The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things." ― Ronald Reagan
• “To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt
• “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” ― William Arthur Ward
• “It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse.” ― Adlai E. Stevenson
• “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” ― Peter Drucker
• “One of the best ways to influence people is to make them feel important.” ― Roy T. Bennett
• “We never know which lives we influence, or when, or why.” ― Stephen King

Famous Sayings from Renowned Figures

Finally, if you prefer a choice with built-in credibility, you can’t go wrong with a well-known line from a respected voice. Famous sayings from renowned figures carry instant recognition and a weight that needs no introduction. 

For a safe option that still makes an impact, here’s a list you can choose from for your email signature:

• "Creativity is intelligence having fun." ― Albert Einstein
• "Not all those who wander are lost." ― J.R.R. Tolkien
• "Be the change that you wish to see in the world." ― Mahatma Gandhi
• "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." ― Theodore Roosevelt
• "To be, or not to be: that is the question." ― William Shakespeare
• "An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind." ― Mahatma Gandhi
• "The unexamined life is not worth living." ― Socrates
• "I think, therefore I am." ― René Descartes
• "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." ― Martin Luther King Jr.
• “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” ― Steve Jobs
• "If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude." ― Maya Angelou
• "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." ― Muhammad Ali

Tips for Adding Quotes to Your Email Signature Effectively

After looking through that long list, it’s clear there are quotes for email signature needs of every kind—whether you want to motivate, entertain, or make someone think. But choosing the right words is only half the job. Even the most meaningful line can lose its punch if it’s not used well. How you present it matters just as much as what it says.

Here are some best practices to make sure your chosen quote works as intended:

• Keep it short and clear: Long quotes risk getting skipped, especially on mobile. A concise sentence has more impact and keeps your signature neat.
• Match tone to context: Professional quotes for email signature use should fit your industry and audience. What works for a casual personal message might not land well in a boardroom.
• Use a signature template for consistency: With a platform like Newoldstamp, you can choose or customize a template that pairs your quote with a clean design, ensuring it looks the same across every message.
• Pair with a logo for brand recognition: Adding your company’s logo alongside your quote creates an immediate visual link between your words and your brand.
• Include a link for action: Whether it’s to your portfolio, booking page, or latest campaign, adding a link turns your quote into a conversation starter with a next step.
• Keep branding and tone aligned: If your company leans formal, choose quotes that reflect that. If it’s more casual, humor or creativity can work.
• Refresh when needed: Rotating quotes keeps your signature from going stale and lets you adapt to seasons, campaigns, or events.
• Leverage email signature management: If you’re working with a team, email signature management in Newoldstamp ensures everyone uses approved, on-brand quotes and designs. This is especially helpful for large teams where consistency is key.
• Consider education and inspiration: Beyond branding, think about the message you’re sending. A well-placed quote can share insight, spark curiosity, or pass along a small piece of education in every message.