A List of Clever Instagram Captions

Instagram, the social media platform for sharing pictures and videos with the world, has exploded in popularity, becoming one of the top app contenders in the world with over a billion monthly users. Despite its humble beginnings as a place for friends to share fun images with one another, it has now evolved into a full-fledged social network. Instagram models and influencers are a cultural phenomenon, and an enormous amount of selling is done on the site.

While Instagram takes the world by storm, the basic principals remain the same as the day the app was launched:  users upload photos or videos, and add silly and fun captions that relate to their followers. But what if you’ve got a great photo to share, and absolutely no idea how to workshop a caption to give it that witty edge? Fear not – we’re here to help inspire you with some clever and captivating captions.

Standing out from the crowd on Instagram isn’t easy, but the best way to do it is to post a compelling image along with an interesting caption.  Sure, you could scour the internet for hours to find the absolute best caption, or wait for inspiration to strike you.  Heck, you can even hire a freelancer if you want.  But why not use and abuse these ideas that we have carefully compiled right here?!  Just scroll through until you find the perfect caption to give your visual story that perfect edge!

Clever Instagram captions

“Clever” is a good thing.  Clever means you know how to turn a phrase, twist a word, and make magic with just a few simple words.  Here are some phrases you can use to engage audiences; when paired with the perfect photo, you’ll have Instagram magic!

• • The most important thing is to enjoy your life – to be happy – that’s all that matters.  Oh, and good hair days.
  • Take every chance you get in life, because some things only happen once.  On the other hand, some things happen over and over again until you finally tell them to stop, change your phone number, and move to another town.
  • I myself never feel that I’m sexy. If people call me cute, I am concerned for their well-being.
  • Women drivers rev my engine.
  • You know why I trust foodies?  Because life is so bland without them!
  • Sometimes, all you attract is fuzz and pet hair.
  • I must destroy you with hugs and kisses.
  • Stop looking for happiness in the same place you just lost it.
  • I woke up like this.  Then I took a shower, did my hair and make-up, walked around the house to find perfect lighting, and took this picture.
  • If only Cher had really discovered how to turn back time…
  • Keep smiling because life is a beautiful thing.  Besides, most people find smiling suspicious.
  • Beauty is power, a smile is its sword, and high heels can be used as a weapon.
  • This picture is my autobiography.
  • I used to have class… then I graduated.
  • Don’t take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive.
  • Chilling like a gangster.  Gangsters wear pyjamas too, right?
  • It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.  Unless you’re talking about days off work, and then, the more you have, the happier you are.
  • Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.
  • I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.- Thomas Paine
  • It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.- Leonardo da Vinci

• • Love can be unselfish, in the sense of being benevolent and generous, without being selfless.  Just ask your boyfriend to run to the store for you, and you’ll see what I mean.
  • When I feel a little down, I put on my favorite high heels and dance.  Or clean the house.  #priorities
  • You think this is a game?
  • Weekend, please don’t leave me.
  • Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not strong enough.  Anyone can be strong when you throw a chainsaw into the mix.
  • Be who and what you want, period.
  • Stay strong, the weekend is coming!
  • You play Call of Duty? That’s cute.
  • You’re doing it wrong.  We’re all doing it wrong.  Wait… what were we doing?
  • Don’t be like the rest of them, darling.  And also don’t be like me… that’s my job.
  • I wasn’t lucky, I deserved it.
  • Whatever you do in life, make sure it makes you happy… or at least looks good on Instagram.
  • The question isn’t can you, it’s will you remember you were supposed to?
  • What do you think of the view?
  • I liked memes before they were on Instagram.
  • That moment when you realize your childhood is over.
  • Friday, my second favorite F word.
  • I’ll never try to fit in. I was born to STAND OUT!

Lyrical Instagram captions

If you can’t think of something compelling, use the words of others.  Song lyrics are always a good choice, because hey, who doesn’t love some solid tunes?  Check out these lyrical masterpieces for your Instagram account!

• • I’m here for a good time not a long time.- Trooper
  • I can’t really see another squad tryna cross us.- Drake
  • I’m up right now and you suck right now. -Drake
  • No new friends. – DJ Khaled
  • Where you movin’? I said onto better things. -Drake
  • Know yourself, know your worth.-Drake
  • Make the most out of tonight, and worry ‘bout it all tomorrow. -Drake
  • I’m way up, I feel blessed. -Big Sean
  • I cannot see heaven being much better than this. -Big Sean
  • Live for today, plan for tomorrow, party tonight. -Drake
  • I’mma sip it ‘til i feel it, I’mma smoke it ‘til it’s done. -Drake
  • My excuse is that I’m young. -DJ Khaled
  • I live for the nights that I can’t remember with the people that I won’t forget. -Drake
  • And you always had it, but you never knew. -The Killers
  • Half of the time we’re gone and we don’t know where. – Simon & Garfunkel
  • When I look at the television I want to see me, staring right back at me. -Counting Crows

(Do you like music? Check out our list of Instagram captions for concerts!)

Amusing Instagram captions

A sense of humor really makes you stand out.  And with Instagram, a sense of humor can go a long way towards encouraging your audience to engage with your posts!

• • I think you’ve got a deficiency of Vitamin Me!
  • When Instagram was down, I ran around town shouting “like” at flowers, dogs, and expensive brunches.
  • Say “Beer Can” with a British accent. I just taught you to say “Bacon” with a Jamaican accent.
  • I don’t always do what I ought to, but when I do, I don’t.
  • One in a million?  So you’re telling me I have a chance…
  • Fitness?  How about “fitness post into my day when I already have 500 other things I’ve procrastinated on doing?”
  • I’m not saying it was aliens, but it was aliens!
  • Yea, dating is cool but have you ever had stuffed crust pizza?
  • Give me the chocolate and nobody gets hurt…
  • So, you’re on Instagram? You must be an amazing photographer.
  • Onions make me sad. A lot of people don’t realize that.
  • Oh you’re a model? What’s your agency, Instagram?
  • If a dentist makes their money from unhealthy teeth, why would I trust a product 4/5 of them recommend?
  • I didn’t choose the thug life, the thug life chose me.
  • Weekend, please don’t leave me!
  • Need an ark? I Noah guy…
  • What if I told you, you can eat without posting it on Instagram.
  • I need a six month holiday, twice a year.
  • If I was funny, I would have written a really good Instagram caption.
  • I don’t always surf the internet, but when I do, eyebrows!
  • A blind man walks into a bar… And a chair… and a table…
  • I had fun once, and now it’s on my permanent record.

(This is just a sampler…see our full list of funny Instagram captions!)

Great movie one-liners for Instagram captions

For the cinephile, using a classic movie quote is a great way to get your love of film across.

• • Go ahead, make my day. -Sudden Impact
  • Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape.- Planet of the Apes
  • Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night! -All About Eve
  • You talkin’ to me? -Taxi Driver
  • Show me the money! -Jerry McGuire
  • Houston, we have a problem. -Apollo 13
  • I have always depended on the kindness of strangers. -A Streetcar Named Desire
  • Round up the usual suspects. -Casablanca
  • I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore! -Network
  • I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too! -The Wizard of Oz
  • You had me at ‘hello’. -Jerry McGuire
  • There’s no crying in baseball! – A League of Their Own
  • You can’t handle the truth! -A Few Good Men
  • Tell ’em to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper. -Knute Rockne, All American
  • Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death! -Auntie Mame
  • I’m the king of the world! -Titanic
  • Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get. -Forrest Gump
  • Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. -The Wizard of Oz
  • Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. -The Godfather 2
  • What we’ve got here is failure to communicate. -Cool Hand Luke

Romantic Instagram captions

Romance tends to be a bit serious, but here are some true love words that are witty enough to share without making your audience roll their eyes at the mushiness!

• • There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment.
  • No matter where I went, I always knew my way back to you. You are my compass star.
  • Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
  • We accept the love we think we deserve.  Also, an excellent taste in restaurants helps.
  • A beautiful woman delights the eye; a wise woman, the understanding; a pure one, the soul.  Personally, I’d be lucky to make The People of Walmart.
  • Morning without you is a dwindled dawn… mostly because I don’t know how to work this coffee machine.
  • Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.
  • True love stories never have endings… they just get stuck doing laundry forever.
  • We love the things we love for what they are.
  • All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.
  • Love planted a rose, and the world turned sweet.
  • If you can make a woman laugh, you can make her do anything.  But you’re going to have really get her going if you leave the bathroom a mess.
  • What is love? It is the morning and the evening star.
  • Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.  I’m talking about pizza, by the way.
  • Love is like the wind, you can’t see it but you can feel it.  Especially if you didn’t bring a jacket.
  • If I had a flower for every time I thought of you…I could walk through my garden forever.
  • You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.  Especially that dream where you’re naked in school, and you didn’t study for an exam, and suddenly there are monkeys… .
  • Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.

(Check out our list of Instagram boyfriend captions. Or these I-love-you-more-than captions. Or if it didn’t work out, our list of Instagram captions for your ex.)

Sarcastic Instagram captions

Sarcasm often doesn’t translate in text, especially when you’re the wittiest person you know.  Take a look at these captions, and be sure to add the /s tag, unless you have an exceptionally brilliant audience!

• • Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until they speak.
  • If had a dollar for every smart thing you say, I’d be poor.
  • I feel so miserable without you, it’s almost like having you here.
  • I have two speeds. If you don’t like this one, you’re definitely not going to like the other one.
  • I love sarcasm. It’s like punching people in the face but with words.
  • Just because I don’t care doesn’t mean I don’t understand.
  • Young people think that money is everything. Old people know that this is correct.
  • I can’t come to work today. I have to stare at the ceiling and question every decision I’ve ever made.
  • Always remember that you’re unique. Just like everyone else.
  • If at first you don’t succeed, maybe skydiving isn’t your sport.
  • If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of car payments.
  • Thinking I’m a moron gives people something to feel smug about. Why should I disillusion them?
  • My imaginary friend thinks you have serious mental problems.
  • I don’t take orders. I barely take suggestions.
  • People who act like they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do.
  • I’m not always a smartass. Sometimes I’m asleep.
  • You’d have a big ego too, if you were as great as I am.

Got any other clever Instagram captions you want to share? Post them below!