With midterms underway, the election coming up, and holiday shopping quickly approaching, there are some rough times ahead for many of us. I don't know about you, but when I find myself in trying times like these, I often turn to reading some uplifting quotes. Maybe it's the English major in me, but there's just something really comforting about finding quotes you can relate to and knowing that other people have gone through some of the same things you have, and clearly lived to tell the tale. So here are some of my favorite inspirational quotes that help me get through tough times, and can hopefully help you too.

1. "You are confined only by the walls you build yourself." -- Andrew Murphy

The only things preventing you from succeeding in certain areas of your life are the emotional walls that you built around yourself to protect you from some sort of pain. But by trapping yourself within these walls, you are keeping out so many good things in your life and missing out on even more opportunities. So you can't blame all of your problems on your circumstances or other outside forces, because you are the one who built those walls. And if you want change, you'll have to be the one to break them.

2. "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light." -- J.K. Rowling

If you're a Harry Potter fan like me, you may recognize these wise words from none other than Albus Dumbledore. These words remind us to look for the good and positive things in our lives whenever we're going through something bad. You can be happy during those dark times if you try to find a bright side in the situation.

3. "If you don't know what you want, you'll never find it. If you don't know what you deserve, you'll always settle for less." -- Rob Liano

As someone with a fear of settling and a less-than-average sense of self-esteem, this quote kind of hits home. If you recognize that you're in a bad situation or relationship, or that you aren't where you want to be in life, this can hopefully be the motivation you need to do something about it and stop settling. This can also serve as a reminder that you are special and amazing and worthy of all the good things life can give you. You deserve more than what you might be settling for. And you deserve any amount of time it takes to learn more about yourself and figure out what you want.

4. "Avoid problems and you'll never be the one who overcame them." -- Richard Bach

This one is simple. If you keep ignoring or running away from your problems, you will never solve them. It's as easy as that. You need to be the one to step up and face your own problems head on.

5. "You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do." -- David Foster Wallace

David Foster Wallace was really onto something with this one. So much of what we do today is done to impress others. We have just become so concerned with what everyone else thinks that it has taken over our lives. According to Wallace, we need to stop worrying about how other people think of us because they don't do it as often as we think. They are usually too wrapped up in their own lives to care that much.

6. "When you do something noble and beautiful and nobody noticed, do not be sad. For the sun every morning is a beautiful spectacle and yet most of the audience still sleeps." -- John Lennon

As if we (okay I) needed another reason to love John Lennon, I stumbled upon this gem over the summer. What Lennon was saying is that we shouldn't be so focused on receiving praise or recognition when we do something great. It will still be great even if no one else notices. All that matters is that you did it and you're proud of yourself for it.

7. "There's a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." -- Leonard Cohen

This quote comes from Leonard Cohen's song "Anthem." It's basically saying that it's okay to make mistakes and have flaws. We're all human. None of us are perfect. And it's those imperfections of ours that make us more unique and beautiful.

8. "Live every day with intention." -- Unknown

Believe it or not, I actually found this one on a makeup bag when I was shopping at a store in Spain. This quote is a great reminder that we need to make the most out of every day and not just sit around and wait for things to happen to us. We need to be the ones to make things happen. So go out and live your life on purpose. Choose what you do and where your life is heading.

9. "The amazing thing is that we're right to hold onto hope. The world may be broken but hope is not crazy." -- John Green

With all the terrible things happening in our country and in the world right now, it's easy to believe that we're too far gone and that nothing will ever change. But you can't think like that. No matter how hopeless things may seem in the world or just in your own life, you can't give up or lose faith because then those things may never get better.

10. "To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Emerson hits the nail on the head with this quote. There are so many things in our world today that try to change us and make us into something we're not. Every day there's something new out there to try to shape or force us into something that society wants. So whenever you feel society trying to push you down a path of their choosing, do your best to ignore them and continue to be the unique, wonderful, and talented individual you know you are.

11. “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.” -- Henry David Thoreau

This quote from Emerson's fellow Transcendentalist is actually my favorite one. It reassures me that it is okay to have such big dreams, goals, and aspirations for myself. I don't need to change them or aim lower, I just need to work hard and put in the time and effort required to reach them. This goes for all of you too. Don't let anyone tear you down or tell you that you'll never fulfill your dreams because with a little hard work and determination, you just might.