126 Instagram Captions and Quotes for Your Next Post

Your Instagram captions are almost as important as the quality of the post itself. They provide some context to the image or video and help your audience understand exactly what you’re trying to say. Sometimes, you might need more than just visuals to get your message across. So it’s crucial to find the perfect caption to accompany your photos and videos.

In this post, you’ll discover some excellent ideas and quotes for Instagram captions. You’ll also learn some of the best practices to write captivating captions that will engage your audience. Let’s get started.


126 Instagram Captions and Quotes for Your Next Post:


Instagram Caption Best Practices

To make sure your Instagram captions can engage your audience, make sure you follow these best practices:

1: Make Sure It’s Relevant

Your caption should be relevant to the content of the image or video. It should be able to give some sort of context that you could not include in the post. You could give a detailed explanation or keep it short and simple – whatever works.

Take for example the following post from Camila Morrone. It’s a beautiful photo but it would be a bit confusing if she simply published it without a caption. Instead, she’s included a short caption saying “Italian summer” which explains that she’s spending her summer in Italy.


2: Maintain the Ideal Character Limit

While Instagram allows 2200 characters in the caption, that doesn’t mean you should use them all up. People may not necessarily have the time or attention span to process a lengthy caption. So try to maintain the ideal character limit unless it’s absolutely necessary. It’s best if you keep it around 138-150 characters.


3: Include Questions and/or CTAs

When you use Instagram, you’ll ideally want to drive high levels of engagement to your posts so that they get optimum visibility. So in addition to the likes, you’ll also want people to comment on your posts. One of the best ways to do this is by using your caption to encourage people to leave comments.

You can ask them questions or add a relevant CTA so they know exactly what you want them to do. And make sure whatever question or CTA you include is relevant to the content of the post.

See how Denny’s Diner uses this tactic in the following post.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Denny’s (@dennysdiner)


4: Add Proper Line Breaks for Readability

If you’re writing a lengthier caption, make sure it has suitable line breaks instead of huge blocks of text. This will make the caption easier to read and the information easier to process. However, this can be challenging as the Instagram app will typically convert your paragraphs and line spacing into zero-spaced formatting.

But you can use tools like Insta-Space to create line breaks more easily on Instagram. You just need to enter the text with your ideal formatting and hit convert. This will give you an Instagram-ready caption with proper line spacing and formatting.


126 Instagram Captions to Copy and Paste

As long as you follow the above best practices, it’s not too difficult to come up with catchy and interesting captions. However, there are bound to be days when you just run out of ideas and on other days you may be out of time. This is when you need some readymade captions and quotes that you can just copy and paste for your posts to save time.

So check out our list of 126 Instagram captions and selfie quotes and use them whenever you need some help.

Instagram Captions for Selfies

 

 

1: Selfie Sunday

2: Me, myself, and I

3: Sending my selfie to NASA ‘cuz I’m a star

4: Me doing me

5: Self love is the best love

6: I don’t always take a selfie, but when I do...

7: As beautiful on the inside as I am on the outside


Motivational and Uplifting Quotes

 

 

8: It’s always the simple that produces the marvellous. – Amelia Barr

9: The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money. – Thomas Jefferson

10: A problem is a chance for you to do your best. – Duke Ellington

11: Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want. – Jim Rohn

12: I dwell in possibility. – Emily Dickinson

13: In a gentle way, you can shake the world. – Mahatma Gandhi

14: Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing. – L.M. Montgomery

15: We rise by lifting others. – Robert Ingersoll

16: You are worth more than your darkness. - Anonymous

17: Be the reason someone believes in the goodness of people. – Karen Salmansohn

18: You do not find the happy life; you make it. – Camilla Eyring Kimball

19: Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity is greater. – William Hazlitt

20: The power of imagination makes us infinite. – John Muir


Success Instagram Captions

21: It wasn’t easy but it’s worth it.

22: We did it! (Details of your achievement)

23: When daydreams become reality...

24: I like the person I’m becoming.

25: A year changes a lot.

26: We made it!

27: We’ve come a long way...

28: Mission accomplished!


Funny/Witty Instagram Captions

 

 

29: I made a huge list for today. I just can’t figure out who’s going to do it.

30: Some days I amaze myself. Other days I put my keys in the fridge.

31: The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off.

32: Age only matters if you’re cheese.

33: Enjoy at least one sunset per day. – Phil Dunphy

34: Do I run? Yes. Out of time, money, and patience.

35: Sure, I do marathons… on Netflix.

36: I don’t care what people think of me. Mosquitoes find me attractive!

37: A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids mistakes.

38: I make myself laugh entirely too much for a sane person.

39: I can resist everything except temptation.

40: I came. I saw. I made it awkward.


Vacation/Travel Instagram Captions

 

 

41: It’s bad manners to keep a vacation waiting.

42: Overpack. It’s why suitcases have wheels now.

43: Work. Save. Travel. Repeat.

44: Be right back. Exploring the world.

45: I wish travel therapy was covered by my health insurance.

46: Guess where I am...

47: Ready for another adventure.

48: I travel because you can always get more money, but you can never get more time.

49: Work hard, travel harder.

50: This is my therapy.


Food-Related Instagram Captions

 

 

51: Wine + dinner = winner

52: There’s no “we” in fries.

53: When you’re downie, eat a brownie.

54: Never settle for just one scoop.

55: Today is a good day for cake.

56: You can’t live a full life on an empty stomach.

57: I like hashtags because they look like waffles.

58: Send noods.

59: Another one bites the crust.

60: Donut kill my vibe.


Fitness Instagram Captions

 

 

61: Excuses don’t kill the fat, exercises do.

62: Train like a beast, look like a beauty.

63: Weights before dates.

64: Push yourself because no one else is going to do it for you.

65: I work out so I can drink beer.

66: Fitness is like a relationship. You can’t cheat and expect it to work.

67: Life has its ups and downs. We call it squats.

68: Good things come to those who sweat.

69: Once you see results, it becomes an addiction.

70: It hurts now, but one day it’ll be your warmup.


Pet-Related Instagram Captions

 

 

71: As every cat owner knows, nobody owns a cat.

72: My pet deserves the best. That’s why I’m here.

73: A house is not a home if there is no pet.

74: My dog thinks I’m kind of a big deal.

75: The best therapist has fur and four legs.

76: Pawfection in a frame.

77: You had me at meow.

78: My cat thinks she’s queen of the house. She’s kinda right.

79: Never underestimate the power of sloppy kisses and a wet nose on a bad day.

80: Boop the snoot!


Lyrics Instagram Captions

81: I got 99 problems, but [fill in the blank] ain’t one.

82: I wear my crown, show it off, go on, girl. – Kelly Rowland

83: Kiss the earth that birthed you. – Frank Ocean

84: I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone’s shadow. – Whitney Houston

85: These are the days we’ll never forget. – Avicii

86: I ain’t got a lotta money but I got a lotta style. – Fifth Harmony

87: I think I need a sunrise; I’m tired of the sunset. – Augustana

88: Find me where the wild things are. – Alessia Cara

89: Feeling good, living better. – Drake

90: Darling I’m a nightmare dressed in a daydream. – Taylor Swift


Short and Sweet Instagram Captions

 

 

91: I got nothing.

92: Gotta start somewhere.

93: Living a good story.

94: Focusing on the good.

95: Prove them wrong.

96: Just chillin’

97: Speechless!

98: I’m in heaven.

99: Surprise!

100: Mood

101: Love


Creative Instagram Captions

102: Life is the biggest party you’ll ever be at.

103: Be the person you needed when you were young.

104: Give second chances but not for the same mistake.

105: Life is about taking chances and having fun.

106: Life is the biggest party you'll ever be at.

107: Never sacrifice three things: family, love, and/or yourself.

108: I’m an original and that’s perfection in itself.

109: An apple a day will keep anyone away if you throw it hard enough.


Birthday Instagram captions

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Sue Ng (@sueshappybakes)

110: Cake day

111: One year wiser

112: Next-level wisdom achieved

113: All about the cake

114: Happy, happy birthday, baby

115: Candles just want to get lit

116: Another trip around the sun

117: Fire hazard


Winter Instagram captions

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Christmas (@whiteoutwinter)

118: Chasing winter vibes

119: Embracing the chill

120: Cozy nights, warm hearts

121: Winter wonderland

122: Freeze the moment

123: A snowflake is winter’s butterfly

124: Baby, it’s cold outside

125: Keep calm and winter on

126: Let it snow


Final Thoughts

These Instagram caption best practices and 126 caption ideas will help you create more intriguing posts that your followers will want to engage with. Take inspiration from them and come up with a whole new list of captions to fill out your social media calendar.

About the Author
With over 15 years in content marketing, Werner founded Influencer Marketing Hub in 2016. He successfully grew the platform to attract 5 million monthly visitors, making it a key site for brand marketers globally. His efforts led to the company's acquisition in 2020. Additionally, Werner's expertise has been recognized by major marketing and tech publications, including Forbes, TechCrunch, BBC and Wired.