A super nice way to open PTO or PTA meetings is with an inspirational, motivational or funny quote.
The right quote or saying can set the tone for the meeting.
And it can help members, especially during acrimonious times, remember the whole point of what they’re doing as PTO volunteers: working as a team to make their school community better!
In my PTO, the Membership Chair shares the saying at the very start of the meeting.
But finding appropriate quotes can be a pain, so I’m rounding up my favorite 25 in this post!
Quotes and Sayings about Teamwork
Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success.
“No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.” – H.E. Luccock
“The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side.” – M. Carty
TEAM means Together Everyone Achieves More!
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
Quotes and Sayings About Not Being Alone
No person is an island, entire of itself; every person is a piece of the continent.
Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable. – Kenyan Proverb
“A single leaf working alone provides no shade.” – Chuck Page
“Nobody, but nobody / Can make it out here alone.” – Maya Angelou
“Sisterhood is powerful.” Robin Morgan
Quotes and Sayings for When PTO Members are Being Difficult
Sometimes, a few people might need a little reminder that they need to chill out an act like adult team players, and these sayings and quotes hit that spot!
“None of us is as smart as all of us.” – Ken Blanchard
“None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.” – Mother Teresa
“Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
“People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes.”- Abigail Van Buren
“The world is wide, and I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum.” Frances Willard
“If you stop to be kind, you must swerve often from your path.” – Mary Webb
“The opposite of talking isn’t listening. The opposite of talking is waiting.” – Fran Lebowitz
“Let us always meet each other with a smile, got the smile is the beginning of love.” – Mother Theresa
Quotes about Giving Back
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank
“A cheerful giver does not count the cost of what he gives. His heart is set on pleasing and cheering him to who he has given.” – Julian of Norwich
“There is nothing to make you like other human beings so much as doing things for them.” – Zora Neale Huston
“Service is the rent that you pay for room on this earth.” – Shirley Chisholm
“When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Quotes about Starting or Doing Hard Things
“It is only the first step that is difficult.” – Marie de Vichy-Chamrond, Marquis du Deffand
“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott
“For you to be successful, sacrifices must be made. It’s better that they are made by others but failing that, you’ll have to make them yourself.” – Rita Mae Brown
“I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but it should get you pretty near.” – Margaret Thatcher
“Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. After some years, it can boast a long series of successes.” – Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach
Quotes about Leadership
“You take people as fas as they will go, not as far as you would like them to go.” – Jeannette Raskin
“To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark.” – Whoopi Goldberg
“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” – Dolly Parton
“Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.” – Colin Powell
“The secret of leadership is simple: Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there.
People will follow.” – Seth Godin
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
“A star wants to see himself rise to the top. A leader wants to see those around him rise to the top.” – Simon Sink
Quotes about Meetings
“Meetings… are rather like cocktail parties. You don’t want to go, but you’re cross not to be asked.” – Jilly Cooper
“The majority of meetings should be discussions that lead to decisions.” – Patrick Lencioni
“Meetings should be like salt – a spice sprinkled carefully to enhance a dish, not poured recklessly over every forkful. Too much salt destroys a dish. Too many meetings destroy morale and motivation.” – Jason Fried
Over to you!
Use these quotes and sayings in your PTO work wherever appropriate. They can save you a lot of brain work when you can refer to a quote instead of thinking of how to say something yourself.
For more tips on running PTO meetings, check out this post on How to Avoid PTO Meetings Turning into Ghost Towns.
More PTO Meeting Resources You’ll Love
Learn how to run a better PTO meeting with this fantastic guide!
Keep everyone on the same page with a meeting agenda!
A reminder they can’t miss is one stuck to their kid or in their student’s planner!
Track attendance and participation in meetings so you can track topic popularity, potential leaders and more!
