First semester finals are the peak of stress and anxiety for every college student. Freshman are unsure how to prepare, and upperclassman have minimal effort as they get closer to graduation. Teachers begin to pile on the study guides as well as the last minute quizzes and homework. With several classes depending on how well you can perform on a cumulative test or a paper longer than you’ve ever written – you might question how you will ever get through.

First things first – you will get through it. Grades do not define you. You will do it this semester, and next – but here are some quotes to get you through.

1. In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can. –Nikos Kazantzakis
2. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. –Charles R. Swindoll
3. You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water. –Rabindranath Tagore
4. Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. –Thomas A. Edison
5. The secret of getting ahead is getting started. –Mark Twain

Even though these quotes might remind you of someone’s selfie on Instagram, I hope they inspire you to get through finals this winter. Don’t give up, mainly because you have another semester right around the corner. Everything is going to be okay, you will get through the test, whether you studied or not. You will turn in the paper. Regardless of the grade received – you made it.