Literature is really such a beautiful thing, and one of the small things in this world that’s so often overlooked. Especially in times of stress when other life matters take precedent. At this point in the semester, summer is teasingly close, yet still so, so far. You look around campus to see students cramming for tests, planning their futures, participating in a million clubs… you get the idea. But there’s also the emotionally draining component of college that we all love. [Sarcasm.] Katie Perry said it best, “Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, drifting in the wind, wanting to start again?” We all feel a little bit deflated. We are all ready for a stress-free summer.

Here’s a list of 11 quotes from some of the greatest literature there ever was. And though most of the texts were written decades ago, these excerpts can be applied to our struggle to finish the semester strong. Let them inspire us, and show us how universal, valid, and age-old that our feelings are. And even though times are tough, these quotes remind us of lessons that we often forget.

1. “That is just the way with some people. They get down on a thing when they don’t know nothing about it.” - Mark Twain, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"

I read this and think, “robot programming,” because that’s the course that currently makes me feel dumber than I ever thought possible. But for every weakness we have, we have double the amount of strengths. Dwell on that!

2. “They carried the sky. The whole atmosphere, they carried it, the humidity, the monsoons, the stink of fungus and decay, all of it, they carried gravity.” - Tim O'Brien, "The Things They Carried"

Yes, they’re talking about war here, but doesn’t life feel this difficult sometimes? Tests, projects, presentations, papers, LOVE… the weight of it all can bring us down.

3. “In my younger and more vulnerable years, my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. 'Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,' he told me, 'just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.'” - F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Great Gatsby"

How lucky are each and every one of us to be in college. Period.

4. “She cast away the fragments of a broken chain. The world's law was no law for her mind.” - Nathanial Hawthorne, "The Scarlet Letter"

5. “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will. - Charlotte Brontë, "Jane Eyre"

Both quotes listed above are the words of strong and fearless women. Though they are women from history, their mentality is one that I strive to emulate in 2016. Summon your inner Hester Prynne when life requires the most strength.

6. “Doubt thou the stars are fire;

Doubt that the sun doth move;

Doubt truth to be a liar;

But never doubt I love.”

-William Shakespeare, "Hamlet"

When life gets especially hectic, it's tough to remember the values we treasure most. Hamlet valued the seriousness with which he loved. I value empathy. In times of hardship never lose the characteristic that makes you so special. A.K.A. you will get though that term paper; don’t lose yourself in the process.

7. “A guy needs somebody -- to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick.” - John Steinbeck, "Of Mice and Men"

How cool is it that in college, the community is made up of our peers?! We are constantly surrounded by a support system. Utilize that, and always thank them later for helping you through those tough times.

8. “Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.” - Jane Austin, "Pride and Prejudice"

Be proud of all the work that you are putting into your education. Be proud that you are a part of whichever organization you have a passion for. Hard work and dedication warrant a sense of pride that I hope you (humbly) show the world.

9. “Sometimes you gwyne to git hurt, en sometimes you gwyne to git sick; but every time you's gwyne to git well agin.” - Mark Twain, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"

College is a really tough atmosphere to live in sometimes… your feelings will get hurt. Maybe you see your ex everywhere, or you didn’t get asked to that formal, or you failed the midterm. Sometimes after falling down, that sad place feels like the new “normal," but you have so much height to reclaim.

10. “You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don't you let 'em get your goat. Try fightin' with your head for a change." - Harper Lee, "To Kill a Mockingbird"

We all have those people -- in life and on campus -- that we wish would just vanish. But they won’t -- and we are bound to see them at the next party. Kill em’ with kindness, and know that we are approaching a beautiful summer break to have a breather from the toxicity people can bring.

11. “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Great Gatsby"

The project will end, seeing your ex will become less painful, and you will choose a graduate school. The world keeps spinning, and everything -- in some shape or form -- will work out.