Email Signature Quotes: 90 Checked Quotes and Funny Lines (and Where to Put Them)

The best email signature quotes are short (one line, about 10 words or fewer), suit the work you do, and are correctly attributed. Put the quote on its own line under your contact details, a size smaller and in grey, so it never competes with your name or phone number. Leave out political and religious quotes in work email, and leave out any quote you haven't checked: many famous lines were never said by the people they're credited to.

Below are 90 lines sorted by use: professional, customer service, creative, teaching, funny and by line of work. Every quote with a name next to it was checked on October 6, 2026 against the sourced section of that author's Wikiquote page, and comes with the work and year it's from. The funny lines and the lines by line of work are our own, so there's no attribution to get wrong. After the lists you'll find the famous quotes that are usually credited to the wrong person, and the lines to keep out of a work signature.

When a quote helps, and when it hurts

A quote is the one part of your signature that isn't information. That's why it divides people: some readers like the personal touch, others see clutter. Five questions decide which side you're on:

1. Would you be comfortable if your most formal client read it? Your signature goes on every email, including the ones to a lawyer, a bank or a new customer.
2. Does it say something about how you work? "Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest." works for a contractor. A random sunset quote doesn't say anything about you.
3. Does it fit on one line on a phone? If it wraps to two or three lines, it starts to look like a second email.
4. Is it the only decorative thing in the signature? A logo, a banner, a photo and a quote together are too much. Pick one or two.
5. Have you checked who said it? A misattributed quote is a small thing until the reader knows it's wrong.

If you answer yes to all five, the quote probably helps. It tends to work best in teaching, creative work, nonprofits, coaching, customer support and small owner-run businesses, where a bit of personality is expected.

It tends to hurt in these situations:

• Formal and regulated fields. In law, finance, insurance and healthcare, a cheerful line can read as unprofessional, or worse, as a promise or advice. Some firms ban quotes in signatures for that reason.
• Company policy. If your employer has a signature standard, follow it. A quote is the first thing a brand team removes.
• Bad-news emails. An upbeat quote under a complaint reply, a refund refusal or a condolence note feels careless. Many email apps let you choose a different signature for replies, which is a good place to drop the quote.
• Across cultures and languages. Humor and idioms don't always translate. "Little strokes fell great oaks" may confuse a reader whose first language isn't English.
• Job applications. A recruiter wants your name, phone number and LinkedIn link. Leave the quote out until you're hired.

In personal email, almost anything goes. Our guide to personal email signatures covers that side.

How to format a quote in your email signature

The rule is simple: the quote is the quietest line in the signature. Your name is the loudest, your contact details come next, and the quote sits at the bottom.

• One line, under the contact details. Put it below your phone number, website and social icons, with a little space above it. If you also have a legal disclaimer, the quote goes above the disclaimer.
• A size or two smaller. If your contact details are 13 or 14 px, set the quote at 11 or 12 px. See email signature size for the rest of the measurements.
• Muted, but readable. A medium grey works in light and dark mode. Very pale grey disappears on white backgrounds, and some apps change text colors in dark mode, so check it there too. Our dark mode guide explains what changes.
• Italic is optional. It helps separate the quote from the contact details, but don't combine italic with a script font at small sizes.
• Quote marks and name. Put the quote in quotation marks and the name after it, in parentheses or after a space: "Well done is better than well said." (Benjamin Franklin). The year and book aren't needed in a signature.
• Text, not an image. A quote typed as text stays readable when images aren't loaded, can be read by screen readers and doesn't add weight to the email.
• Keep it for a while. One quote that you keep for months looks deliberate. A new quote every day looks like a hobby.

Signguin, our free email signature generator, builds the main part of the signature for you: type your work email and it loads your company logo, brand colors and contact details, then installs it straight into Gmail or gives you step-by-step instructions for Outlook, Apple Mail and other apps. It has no dedicated quote field, but the free Legal note / disclaimer field prints one line of small grey text under the signature, which is exactly the format a quote needs. If you already use that field for a legal notice, add the quote after installing as the last line in your email app's signature editor instead.

Professional and motivational email signature quotes

These suit most office jobs, managers, consultants and small business owners. Most are short enough to fit on one line.

1. "Well done is better than well said." Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack (1737)
2. "Diligence is the mother of good luck." Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack (1736, spelling modernized)
3. "Lost time is never found again." Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack (1748)
4. "Little strokes fell great oaks." Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack (1757)
5. "Procrastination is the thief of time." Edward Young, Night-Thoughts (1742)
6. "A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step." Laozi, Tao Te Ching, chapter 64 (in translation; the original unit is the Chinese li)
7. "The beginning is the most important part of any work." Plato, The Republic (Jowett translation)
8. "The best is the enemy of the good." Voltaire, "La Bégueule" (1772). Voltaire was quoting an older Italian proverb, so it suits anyone fighting perfectionism.
9. "In the fields of observation chance favors only the prepared mind." Louis Pasteur, lecture at the University of Lille (1854)
10. "Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one." Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book X
11. "First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do." Epictetus, Discourses, Book III
12. "Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration." Thomas Edison, who confirmed it was his in a 1927 letter
13. "Simplify, simplify." Henry David Thoreau, Walden (1854)
14. "Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much." Helen Keller, as quoted in Joseph P. Lash, Helen and Teacher (1980)
15. "Brevity is the soul of wit." William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act II. A small irony: the line belongs to Polonius, one of the most long-winded characters in the play.

If you want something that sounds less like a poster, a company tagline that explains what you do ("Bookkeeping for small builders since 2012") often does more work than any quote. Our guide to the professional email signature explains why.

Customer service quotes for email signatures

In support and service jobs, the best "quote" is often a promise you keep. A borrowed line works when it's about courtesy or doing the right thing.

Quotes with a source:

16. "Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy." Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Social Aims" (1876)
17. "Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest." Mark Twain, note to a young people's society in Brooklyn (1901)
18. "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." Aesop, "The Lion and the Mouse" (the moral as given in English retellings)
19. "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." Mahatma Gandhi, Young India (1925)
20. "I can live on a good compliment two weeks with nothing else to eat." Mark Twain, letter (1906). Good for anyone who loves a thank-you email.

Original lines for support teams:

21. "No question is too small. Ask away."
22. "If something isn't right, tell me and I'll make it right."
23. "We answer every message, including the tricky ones."
24. "Thanks for your patience. We never take it for granted."
25. "Your feedback makes our next reply better."
26. "A real person reads every email, usually within one business day."

Only use a line like 26 if it's true. A promise in your signature is a promise on every email you send.

Creative quotes for designers, writers and makers

Creative fields give you the most room. A quote about craft says something about how you work.

27. "It seems that perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to remove." Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Terre des Hommes (1939, in translation). Long, but a favorite of designers.
28. "Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together." Vincent van Gogh, letter to his brother Theo (1882)
29. "The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter: 'tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning." Mark Twain, letter to George Bainton (1888). Twain used a dash where we use a colon. For editors and copywriters.
30. "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889)
31. "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Albert Einstein, interview with George Sylvester Viereck (1929)
32. "Life imitates art far more than art imitates life." Oscar Wilde, "The Decay of Lying" (1889)
33. "You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." Maya Angelou, 1982 interview, published in Conversations with Maya Angelou (1989)

Original lines:

34. "Good ideas need rough drafts."
35. "Designed with care, revised with patience."
36. "Every blank page is a good start."
37. "Sketch first. Pixels later."

Teacher and academic email signature quotes

Teachers get more freedom with quotes than most professions, and parents often like them. Keep the quote below your school, room or office hours, which matter more to the reader. Our page on the teacher email signature covers the rest of the signature.

38. "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." Henry Adams, The Education of Henry Adams (1907)
39. "Men learn while they teach." Seneca, Letters to Lucilius, Letter VII (Latin: homines dum docent discunt)
40. "The mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting." Plutarch, "On Listening to Lectures" (Robin Waterfield translation)
41. "Choose a guide with a well-made rather than a well-filled head." Michel de Montaigne, Essays, Book I, chapter 26 (shortened)
42. "All men by nature desire to know." Aristotle, Metaphysics, Book I
43. "For knowledge itself is power." Francis Bacon, Meditationes Sacrae (1597)
44. "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Isaac Newton, letter to Robert Hooke (1676, spelling modernized)
45. "A little learning is a dangerous thing." Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism (spelling modernized)
46. "Education consists mainly in what we have unlearned." Mark Twain, Mark Twain's Notebook (1935)
47. "The important thing is not to stop questioning." Albert Einstein, Life magazine (1955)
48. "Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop." Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). Perfect for an English teacher, or anyone grading essays.

Original lines:

49. "Every question is a good question in this classroom."
50. "Ask early, ask often."
51. "Grading papers since breakfast."
52. "Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 3 to 4 pm, Room 112." Not a quote, but parents will thank you for it more than for any quote.

Funny email signatures that are safe for work

A funny email signature works when the joke is on you, your coffee or your inbox, never on the reader. Before you add one, run the same test as for funny sign-offs: would you be fine if this email were forwarded to the reader's boss? For funny ways to end the email itself, see our list of email sign-offs; this section is about the line in your signature.

Original funny lines:

53. "Yes, the attachment is attached this time."
54. "Written before my second coffee. Proofread after it."
55. "Inbox zero happened once. I have a witness."
56. "Reply-all responsibly."
57. "Sent with zero uses of 'per my last email.'"
58. "Professional overthinker of subject lines."
59. "Fluent in English, spreadsheets and polite follow-ups."
60. "If found, please return to the nearest coffee machine."
61. "Spell-checked, double-checked, still human."
62. "Powered by lists. Ask me about my lists."
63. "My calendar has more colors than my wardrobe."
64. "Always dressed for the meeting. Ask any penguin."

Funny quotes with a real source:

65. "Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please." Mark Twain, in an interview with Rudyard Kipling (published 1899)
66. "I can resist everything except temptation." Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan (1892)
67. "I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours." Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat (1889)
68. "It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do." Jerome K. Jerome, Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1886)
69. "I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by." Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt (2002)
70. "I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time." Blaise Pascal, Provincial Letters (1656, a common translation of the French). Ideal for anyone known for long emails.
71. "I'm not young enough to know everything." J. M. Barrie, The Admirable Crichton (1903). Often credited to Oscar Wilde, but it's Barrie's.
72. "The report of my death was an exaggeration." Mark Twain, note to a reporter (1897). A good one for your first email back after a long holiday.

Funny lines that go too far:

Some jokes undercut you. Skip lines like "Sorry for the typos. Not really.", "If it's urgent, it can wait.", "Reply at your own risk." or anything about drinking, dating, politics, religion or a group of people. Also skip sarcasm about clients or your own employer. A good test: if the line makes you sound slower, sloppier or less reliable, it costs more than it earns.

Short original lines by line of work

Many people searching for quotes by profession really want a short line that sounds like their job. These are ours, so use and adapt them freely. Each one doubles as a small promise, so pick one you can keep.

Sales and account management

73. "Happy to help, even if the answer is 'not yet.'"
74. "No pressure, just answers."
75. "The best deal is the one you're still happy with next year."

Healthcare and wellness (clinics, therapists, trainers)

76. "Your health, explained in plain words."
77. "Ask anything. That's what we're here for."

Trades and home services

78. "On time, tidy, and you'll know the price first."
79. "Small jobs welcome."
80. "Done right the first time, or I come back."

Real estate

81. "Every house has a story. Let's find yours."
82. "Keys, contracts and plain answers."

Nonprofit and community work

83. "Every donation, every hour, every hand counts."
84. "Small help, real difference."

Finance and bookkeeping

85. "Deadlines remembered, so you don't have to."
86. "Numbers in order, so you can focus on the work."

Managers and founders

87. "Good work deserves a quick reply."
88. "My door's open. So is my inbox."

Developers and IT

89. "Tested before it ships."
90. "Documented, so the next person isn't guessing."

If a full signature is what you're after rather than a single line, our email signature examples show complete designs for most of these jobs.

Famous quotes that are usually misattributed

These lines appear on many quote lists, often with the wrong name. Wikiquote lists each of them as misattributed or disputed (checked October 6, 2026). If you love one of them, you can still use it without a name, or credit the real source where one is known.

Pasteur's line (number 9 above) says something close to the Seneca one and is properly sourced, so it's a safe swap.

Lines to avoid in a work email signature

Some quotes are fine on a fridge magnet and wrong under a business email. Leave these out:

• Political quotes and slogans. Even a mild one tells half your readers you disagree with them, on every email, about something that has nothing to do with the email.
• Religious quotes and verses. They're natural in a church, a faith school or a religious charity. In general business email they assume the reader shares your beliefs, the same problem as signing off "Have a blessed day".
• Long quotes. Anything over one line on a phone screen. If you need two sentences to make the point, it's a paragraph, not a signature line.
• Unchecked attributions. See the table above. A wrong name is the kind of detail a careful reader notices.
• Quotes from controversial people. The quote may be harmless; the name may not be.
• Song lyrics and lines from recent books or films. They date quickly and may not mean anything to the reader. Older, public-domain authors are a safer source.
• Hustle and grind slogans. "Sleep is for the weak" under a 2 am email doesn't reassure a client.
• Anything you'd be embarrassed to explain. If a client asks "why that quote?", you should have a good answer.

If the rest of your signature needs work too, Signguin makes a free one in a couple of minutes, then you add your chosen line at the bottom.

FAQ

Is it unprofessional to put a quote in your email signature?

Not always, but it's a risk. In teaching, creative work, nonprofits and small businesses, a short, relevant quote is common and often liked. In law, finance, healthcare and corporate roles, many readers see it as clutter, and some employers ban it. If you're unsure, leave it out of your main signature and keep it for internal or personal email.

What is a good quote for an email signature?

A good quote is short, relevant to your work and correctly attributed. "Well done is better than well said." (Benjamin Franklin) works for almost anyone. Teachers often use Henry Adams's "A teacher affects eternity", and support teams like Emerson's line about courtesy. Avoid anything political, religious, or longer than one line on a phone.

Where should a quote go in an email signature?

At the bottom: below your name, job title, contact details and social icons, and above any legal disclaimer. Set it one or two sizes smaller than your contact details and in a medium grey, so it reads as a quiet extra rather than the main message.

Should I include the author's name?

Yes, if the quote has a known author. Put the name after the quote, in parentheses or after a space. You don't need the book or year. If you can't confirm who said it, either leave the quote out or use it without a name. Many popular quotes are credited to the wrong person.

Can I have a funny email signature at work?

Yes, if the joke is about you, your coffee or your inbox, and never about the reader, clients or any group of people. Keep it to one short line and drop it for formal emails, complaints and bad news. If the line makes you sound slow or careless, choose another.

How long should an email signature quote be?

One line, about 10 words or fewer. On a phone screen, longer quotes wrap onto two or three lines and start to look like part of the email. If your favorite quote is long, look for a shorter line by the same author, or trim it and say so.