What could be a better way to get pumped up for Scouting success than hearing some inspirational quotes? Personally, on my own journey to Eagle, I loved discovering and sharing quotes with my fellow Scouts to help us Stay Motivated And Advance In Scouting. You should do the same!
Here, you’ll discover some awesome quotes about troop leadership, the outdoors, and Scouting in general. But, first, let’s begin with the aim of Scouting, as explained by its founder, Lord Robert Baden-Powell:
“I have over and over again explained that the purpose of the Boy Scout and Girl Guide Movement is to build men and women as citizens endowed with the three H’s namely, Health, Happiness and Helpfulness. The man or woman who succeeds in developing these three attributes has secured the main steps to success in this Life.“
– Lord Robert Baden-Powell
Now that you know Baden-Powell’s vision, in this article, I’ll be sharing with you some of my favorite Scouting quotes that you can, in turn, share with your troop! Spreading wisdom and inspiration is a quality seen in any great leader, so share any quotes you find especially meaningful. 🙂
Scouting Quotes By Lord Robert Baden-Powell
- “A Scout is never taken by surprise; he knows exactly what to do when anything unexpected happens.”
- “A week of camp life is worth six months of theoretical teaching in the meeting room.”
- “Boys can see adventure in a dirty old duck puddle, and if the Scoutmaster is a boys’ man he can see it too.”
- “The man who is blind to the beauties of nature has missed half the pleasure of life.”
- “The most worthwhile thing is to try to put happiness into the lives of others”
- Where is there a boy to whom the call of the wild and the open road does not appeal?”
- “The real way to gain happiness is to give it to others.”
- “Scouting is a man’s job cut down to a boy’s size.”
- “Nobody is too small to do a good turn, even if it is only to smile.”
“Be Prepared… the meaning of the motto is that a Scout must prepare himself by previous thinking out and practicing how to act on any accident or emergency so that he is never taken by surprise.”
– Lord Robert Baden-Powell
- “A Good Turn will educate the Scout out of the groove of selfishness.”
- “O God, help me to win, but in thy wisdom if thou willest me not to win, then O God, make me a good loser.”
- “In Scouting, a boy is encouraged to educate himself instead of being instructed.”
- “If you make listening and observation your occupation you will gain much more than you can by talk.”
- “A boy is not a sitting-down animal.”
- “A Scout smiles and whistles under all circumstances.”
- “The code of the knight is still the code of the gentleman today.”
- “We must change boys from a ‘what can I get’ to a ‘what can I give’ attitude.”
- “We never fail when we try to do our duty. We always fail when we neglect to do it.”
Troop Leadership Quotes By Lord Robert Baden-Powell
- “There is no teaching to compare with example.”
- “It is important to arrange games and competition so that all Scouts of the troop take part.”
- “An invaluable step in character training is to put responsibility on the individual.”
- “Correcting bad habits cannot be done by forbidding or punishment.”
- (Scouting) is not a club or a Sunday school class, but a school of the woods.”
“The object of the patrol method is not so much saving the Scoutmaster trouble as to give responsibility to the boy.”
– Lord Robert Baden-Powell
- “Loyalty is a feature in a Scout’s character that inspires boundless hope.”
- “The Scout is not governed by don’t, but is led by do.”
- “Show me a poorly uniformed troop and I’ll show you a poorly uniformed leader.”
- “A man carries out suggestions the more wholeheartedly when he understands their aim.”
Quotes For Scoutmasters By Lord Robert Baden-Powell
- “Success in training the boy depends largely on the Scoutmaster’s own personal example.”
- “The Scoutmaster teaches boys to play the game by doing so himself.”
- “When a boy finds someone who takes an interest in him, he responds and follows.”
- “Scoutmasters deal with the individual, rather than with the mass.”
- “Can we not interpret our adult wisdom into the language of boyhood?”
“Scouting is a game for boys under the leadership of boys under the direction of a man.”
– Lord Robert Baden-Powell
- “The sport in Scouting is to find the good in every boy and develop it.”
- “Teach Scouts not how to get a living, but how to live.”
- “The Scoutmaster guides the boy in the spirit of an older brother.”
- “The more responsibility the Scoutmaster gives his patrol leaders, the more they will respond.”
Inspiring Quotes From Famous Boy Scouts
“The Boy Scouts of America stands for a set of principles. These principles have a lot of staying power. The values you learn as a Scout are like a compass. They can help you find your way through difficult and sometimes unchartered terrain. The principles of Scouting give you a sense of what’s important. I feel I owe the Boy Scouts a great deal, both personally and professionally.”
– Bill Bradley
- “I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don’t intend to waste any of mine.” -Neil Armstrong
- “You shouldn’t just dream your film, you should make it!” -Steven Spielberg
- “Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” -Sam Walton
- “”On my honor” – what an ennobling phrase! Three short words, nine letters, but the summation of all we call character.” -Ezra Taft Benson
“Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.”
– John F. Kennedy
- “You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.” -George Herman “Babe” Ruth
- “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” -Barack Obama
- “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” -Bill Gates
- “I used to think anyone doing anything weird was weird. Now I know that it is the people that call others weird that are weird.” -Sir Paul McCartney
Outdoor Adventure Quotes For Boy Scouts
“The wilderness is gone, the buckskin man is gone, the painted Indian has hit the trail over the Great Divide, the hardships and privations of pioneer life which did so much to develop sterling manhood are now but a legend in history, and we must depend upon the Boy Scout movement to produce the MEN of the future.”
– Daniel Carter Beard
- “Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more that what we could learn from books.” -John Lubbock
- “Now I know the secret of making the best persons; it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the Earth.” -Walt Whitman
- “I feel a hint of pity for those who don’t get to experience the crisp air and excitement of mountain climbing. Are they ever really awake?” -Tommy Caldwell
- “The glories of a mountain campfire are far greater than may be guessed…. One can make a day of any size, and regulate the rising and setting of his own sun and the brightness of its shining.” -John Muir
“We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.”
– John Hope Franklin
- “Climb the mountain not to plant your flag, but to embrace the challenge, enjoy the air and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can see you.” -David McCullough Jr
- “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” -John Muir
- “The best view comes after the hardest climb.” -Unknown
- “Nature is one of the most underutilized treasures in life. It has the power to unburden hearts and reconnect to that inner place of peace.” -Janice Anderson
- “Never measure the height of a mountain until you reach the top. Then you will see how low it was.” -Dag Hammerskjold
“If adventure has a final and all-embracing motive, it is surely this: we go out because it is our nature to go out, to climb mountains, and to paddle rivers, to fly to the planets and plunge into the depths of the oceans… When man ceases to do these things, he is no longer man.”
– Wilfrid Noyce
My Possibly Quotable Thoughts About Scouting 😛
- “It only takes a few years of dedication to become an Eagle Scout, but the lessons learned in Scouting will be carried for the rest of your life.”
- “Merit badges are a doorway into countless possible passions. Pay attention as you tackle each requirement and enjoy the learning process.”
- “As a Tenderfoot Scout, the task of one day becoming a troop leader and Eagle Scout seemed like a faraway dream. But, by trying to grow a bit better each day, I eventually woke up to find I’d done more than I ever thought I could.”
This isn’t the end of the epic Scouting quotes to get you and your troop inspired. Be sure to check out my other article on 99 Excellent Quotes For BSA Scouts for more insightful sayings to light your Scouting trail!
Conclusion
Remembering your favorite Scouting quotes will help you to stay motivated and keep pushing forward on your path to becoming an Eagle Scout. Also, share a few quotes with your Scouting buddies! That could be a great way to inspire others (while practicing your leadership at the same time). 🙂
Thanks for reading this far! For sticking around, here’a a bonus quote from the Bible that may help if you’re needing some motivation for your Scouting Journey:
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
Also, if you like Scouting quotes as much as I do, you might also like my collection of Hilarious Scout Jokes. These are perfect for campfires and meetings and are sure to get laughs. Anyway, thanks for checking out ScoutSmarts, and, until next time, best of luck on your Scouting journey! 😀