Dinosaur Quotes: 120+ Sayings and Captions for Cards, Kids, Birthdays and Instagram

You've got a card to sign, a cake to pipe, a photo to caption, or a classroom wall that needs something on it, and "Happy birthday!" isn't going to cut it for a kid who can pronounce Pachycephalosaurus. This is our list of dinosaur quotes for exactly that: the famous movie lines, a few real quotes from writers, and a lot of short sayings we've written for cards, birthdays, parents and captions.

It's sorted by where you'll use it. The quotes credited to a film or a person are real lines. Everything else is ours, so you can copy it onto a card, a cake or a caption.

The 10 best dinosaur quotes, if you only need one

1. "Life, uh, finds a way." Dr. Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park (1993)
2. "Some things you see with your eyes. Others you see with your heart." Littlefoot's mother, The Land Before Time (1988)
3. "Sometimes you gotta get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side." Poppa, The Good Dinosaur (2015)
4. "Rawr means I love you in dinosaur."
5. "Be a dinosaur in a world full of lizards."
6. "Tiny arms, big heart."
7. "The dinosaurs became extinct because they didn't have a space program." usually credited to Larry Niven
8. "Dinosaurs didn't read. Now they're extinct." the classic library poster
9. "I'm not old, I'm Jurassic."
10. "Stay wild, little dino."

Famous dinosaur quotes from movies

Movie lines are the first thing most people mean by dinosaur quotes. These are the ones worth knowing, with who says them, because someone at the party will ask.

Jurassic Park (1993)

• "Life, uh, finds a way." Dr. Ian Malcolm, on why an all-female park won't stay that way. It's the most quoted line in the film.
• "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." Malcolm again, and the line that has outlived the movie. You'll hear it in debates about AI and gene editing.
• "Welcome to Jurassic Park." John Hammond, as the music swells.
• "Spared no expense." Hammond, about nearly everything, including the things that go wrong.
• "Hold on to your butts." Ray Arnold (Samuel L. Jackson), as he reboots the park's systems.
• "Clever girl." Robert Muldoon, the game warden, in his last moment on screen.
• "Must go faster." Malcolm, in the jeep, with the T. rex in the side mirror.
• "Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth." Ellie Sattler, finishing Malcolm's speech for him.

The Land Before Time (1988)

The Land Before Time has some of the gentlest lines in any dinosaur film, which is why they turn up on nursery walls.

• "Some things you see with your eyes. Others you see with your heart." Littlefoot's mother.
• "Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen closely." Also Littlefoot's mother. It's the line most often used at baby showers and in sympathy cards.
• "Yep, yep, yep!" Ducky's catchphrase. Every kid who's seen it will say it back to you.

The Good Dinosaur (2015)

Searches for the good dinosaur quotes mostly come from parents. The film is about Arlo, a young Apatosaurus who's scared of almost everything, and the line people want is his father's:

• "Sometimes you gotta get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side." Poppa, to Arlo. It works for a first day of school, a graduation card, or a kid who's nervous about swimming lessons.

Barney

The Barney dinosaur quotes people search for are nearly always the song. Barney's closing number opens with "I love you, you love me," sung to the tune of "This Old Man." It's the reason a whole generation of parents can't see a purple dinosaur without hearing it. For a card, it's best quoted as just that first line.

Real quotes about dinosaurs from writers and scientists

These are less well known than the movie lines and better on a classroom wall or a science-fair poster.

• "The dinosaurs became extinct because they didn't have a space program." Usually credited to science-fiction writer Larry Niven. The longer version adds that if we go extinct for the same reason, it'll serve us right.
• "The Age of Reptiles ended because it had gone on long enough and it was all a mistake in the first place." Credited to humorist Will Cuppy, from How to Become Extinct (1941), a book of comic essays about animals.
• "Dinosaurs didn't read. Now they're extinct." The library poster slogan. Nobody seems to know who wrote it first, and every school librarian has used it.

A tip if you're making a poster: pair the quote with a fact. "Dinosaurs ruled for about 165 million years" next to the space-program line makes a better wall than either one does alone. Our dinosaur trivia page has 80 of those facts with the reasoning behind each.

Funny dinosaur quotes (short ones)

Short is the point here. These fit on a mug, a sticker, a cake or the inside of a card without wrapping.

1. "I'm not old, I'm Jurassic."
2. "Tiny arms, big dreams."
3. "I was going to clean today, but then I remembered I'm a dinosaur."
4. "Running late. Tiny arms, can't reach the alarm."
5. "Don't make me go full T. rex."
6. "Coffee first. Then roaring."
7. "I'm a delight until I'm a Velociraptor."
8. "Extinct is just a state of mind."
9. "Hug me. Oh wait, you can't. Tiny arms."
10. "Rex-cuse me?"
11. "Professional napper. Amateur dinosaur."
12. "Prehistoric and proud of it."
13. "I don't do mornings. I'm cold-blooded until 10."
14. "My other personality is a Stegosaurus."
15. "Born to roar. Forced to sit in meetings."
16. "Fossil fuel: coffee."
17. "I like big bones and I cannot lie."
18. "This is my resting T. rex face."
19. "Will roar for snacks."
20. "Some days you're the T. rex. Some days you're the snack."

If one of these makes you laugh, the Tea-Rex Time mug is the same joke on ceramic, and our dinosaur mugs have plenty more. For puns built around dinosaur names, we keep a separate list of dinosaur puns.

Cute dinosaur sayings for kids

For lunchbox notes, bedroom walls, the first page of a baby book, or a card from Grandma.

1. "Rawr means I love you in dinosaur."
2. "Stay wild, little dino."
3. "You're dino-mite."
4. "Little feet, big roar."
5. "Tiny but mighty."
6. "I love you a ton. A Brachiosaurus ton."
7. "You make my heart go rawr."
8. "Dream big, little one. Dinosaurs did."
9. "Brave like a Triceratops, kind like a Brachiosaurus."
10. "Every big dinosaur was once a little egg."
11. "Snuggle-saurus on duty."
12. "Roar loud, love louder."
13. "You're my favorite kind of dinosaur: mine."
14. "Small dino, big adventures."
15. "Good night, little rex. Dream in roars."
16. "Hatched with love."
17. "One of a kind, like a dinosaur nobody's dug up yet."
18. "Dino-sore from all this playing."

"Rawr means I love you in dinosaur" is the one that ends up on clothes. Our Rawr Means I Love You baby tee prints it in baby sizes from 6M to 24M. "Tiny but mighty" and "freshly hatched" are on several of our dinosaur baby bodysuits, which make a good gift for a baby shower.

Dinosaur sayings for birthdays

Birthday wording is where most people get stuck, so here it is sorted by age. Most of these are puns on the number, which kids find hilarious.

More birthday lines for cards and invitations:

• "Roar! It's your birthday!"
• "Have a dino-mite birthday."
• "Wishing you a roar-some year."
• "Let's party like it's 65 million years ago."
• "Another year older, still not extinct."
• "Hope your birthday is T-riffic."
• "Make a wish and roar it out loud."
• "You're one in a Jurassic million."
• "Come stomp, chomp and roar with us!" (good for invitations)
• "Dinosaurs ate cake too. Probably."

For a first birthday, the One-A-Saurus bodysuit is the saying ready to wear for the cake-smash photo. It comes in 12M, 18M and 24M. If you're planning the whole day, our dinosaur birthday party guide covers invitations, food and games.

Inspirational dinosaur quotes

Dinosaurs make good metaphors. They were around for about 165 million years, they came in every size, and some of them are still here as birds. These sayings play on that, for graduation cards, classroom walls and teachers.

1. "Be a dinosaur in a world full of lizards."
2. "The dinosaurs didn't stop being amazing because they were big. Neither should you."
3. "Even a T. rex started as an egg."
4. "Adapt or go extinct."
5. "Birds are dinosaurs that learned to fly. Keep evolving."
6. "Leave footprints worth finding."
7. "Be fierce. Be fearless. Be a little bit prehistoric."
8. "Your past doesn't have to be fossilized."
9. "Big things take time. Ask the Brachiosaurus."
10. "Roar even when your voice shakes."
11. "Stand tall. Stretch your neck out. Reach for the high leaves."
12. "Courage is a Triceratops facing a T. rex anyway."

Number 5 is also true: birds are living dinosaurs, which makes it a good one to explain to a kid.

Dinosaur quotes for moms and dads

"Mamasaurus" and "Dadasaurus" have become the standard dinosaur words for parents. They're what most people want on a Mother's Day or Father's Day card, and on a shirt.

For moms:

• "Mamasaurus: protector of the little dinos."
• "Don't mess with Mamasaurus."
• "Running on coffee and dinosaur facts."
• "My kids think I'm a T. rex. They're not wrong."
• "Mamasaurus: tired, roaring, still in charge."
• "I know every dinosaur name now. Send help."

For dads:

• "Dadasaurus: like a regular dad, but more roar."
• "Dad jokes are prehistoric. So am I."
• "Dadasaurus Rex: king of the backyard."
• "I'm the T. rex of this house. I just can't reach the top shelf."
• "Professional dinosaur ride provider."

The Don't Mess With Mamasaurus tee is the second line above. The full Mamasaurus collection has shirts, hoodies and mugs, and the Dadasaurus collection does the same for dads.

Dinosaur captions for Instagram

Captions need to be short, a little self-aware, and easy to read in a feed. These suit museum trips, dinosaur parks, costume photos, and pictures of your kid lining up their toy dinosaurs.

1. "Jurassic vibes only."
2. "Roar-some day out."
3. "Went to the museum. Came back with opinions about Spinosaurus."
4. "Feeling extinct-ly happy."
5. "Bone voyage."
6. "Dino-mite weekend."
7. "Just here for the fossils."
8. "Prehistoric mood."
9. "Life, uh, found a way to the gift shop."
10. "I've seen some things. Mostly femurs."
11. "Me, after one coffee: Velociraptor."
12. "Our little paleontologist in the wild."
13. "Roar first, ask questions later."
14. "Excavating the weekend."
15. "Dinosaurs: still the best part of any museum."

For a museum trip, take the photo with the biggest skeleton in the hall, then use #3 or #10. They work because people who've been will get them.

Christmas dinosaur sayings

It's November, so these are coming up soon on cards, gift tags and family photos. Most are puns on carols.

• "Fa la la la roar."
• "Jingle bell roar."
• "Tree-rex" (for a dinosaur dressed as a tree)
• "Merry Christmas, ya filthy Velociraptor."
• "All I want for Christmas is a T. rex."
• "Have a Dino-mite Christmas."
• "Santa-saurus is coming to town."
• "Rockin' around the Christmas Tree-rex."
• "Deck the halls with bones of dino."
• "Oh deer, I mean, oh dino."

The first two are already sweaters. The Fa La La La Roar ugly Christmas sweater is a raptor knit for adults, and the Jingle Bell Roar youth sweatshirt is the kids' version. The rest of our dinosaur Christmas collection has ornaments, stockings, wrapping paper and more sweaters.

Which dinosaur quote to use where

Dinosaur quotes FAQ

What is the most famous dinosaur quote?

"Life, uh, finds a way," said by Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) in Jurassic Park (1993). Close behind is Malcolm's line about scientists being "so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should," which gets quoted well outside dinosaur conversations.

What does "rawr" mean in dinosaur?

"Rawr means I love you in dinosaur" is an internet saying from the 2000s that stuck. It's now one of the most popular lines for baby clothes and Valentine's cards. Real dinosaurs probably didn't roar at all. Many scientists think some made closed-mouth booming or cooing sounds, more like a crocodile or an ostrich than a movie T. rex.

What is a good short dinosaur quote for a kid?

"Stay wild, little dino," "Tiny but mighty," and "You're dino-mite" all work. For something with more meaning, "Every big dinosaur was once a little egg" is good for a new sibling or a first day of school.

What are the best quotes from The Good Dinosaur?

The one people search for is Poppa's line to Arlo: "Sometimes you gotta get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side." It's about being scared and doing it anyway, which is why parents use it for first days and swimming lessons.

Can I put these quotes on a shirt or card?

For a homemade card, a cake or a social post, yes. The sayings on this page without a credit are ours, and you're welcome to use them. Movie lines are different: they belong to the studios, so they're fine to quote but not to print on something you're selling.

Are there dinosaur quotes about books and reading?

"Dinosaurs didn't read. Now they're extinct" is the classic, from library posters. For a gentler version for little kids: "Read like a dinosaur: one big bite at a time."

Find the one that fits

If you only take one thing from this list, make it a saying that's specific to the person: their age, their favorite dinosaur, or the thing they say when they're excited. If you'd rather give the saying than write it, our dinosaur mugs are the easiest place to start: several already carry one, from Tea-Rex Time to Mamasaurus Rex.