It is challenging to obtain a solid, killer set of go-to filler quotes to use in college application essays, literature analysis, or mock trial opening statements. Here are some of the best quotes I've kept a running list of throughout my schooling for your use in times of struggle; these struggles include but aren't limited to: fundraising speeches, writer’s block moments, ACT writing, or when your research has hit a wall.
I’ve also included images of the first thing that pops into my head as I recall some go-to quotes. These images appear as I think about an essay topic or research method to discuss each quote’s intersectional themes.
Hard work and perseverance
- "The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work." - Frenchman Emile Zola, a prominent novelist and playwright who had discussions over dinners with Guy de Maupassant and studied with Paul Cézanne.
- “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” –Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States.
- Image Credit: Us Magazine
- “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” -Tim Notke, a high school basketball coach. The quote has also been used by Kevin Durant and Tim Tebow.
- “Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.” – Collin Powell, American Politician and former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor.
- "Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goals: my strength lies solely in my tenacity." -Louis Pasteur, Chemist and microbiologist who discovered pasteurization principles and created the first Rabies vaccine.
- "Power means happiness; power means hard work and sacrifice." -Beyonce Knowles, the Queen of everything and former Destiny’s Child member.
- "We live in the kind of society where, in almost all cases, hard work is rewarded." - Neil deGrasse Tyson, native New Yorker and astrophysicist.
- "I can say the willingness to get dirty has always defined us as a nation, and it's a hallmark of hard work and a hallmark of fun, and dirt is not the enemy.” - Mike Rowe, on-air host of QVC and actor.
Nature and self-reliance
- “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson in Self-Reliance
- “I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” –John Burroughs, naturalist and essayist.
- “So long as free land exists, the opportunity for a competency exists, and economic power secures political power.” –Fredrick Jackson Turner, prominent historian on The Frontier within American history.
- “Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light.” – Theodore Roethke, poet influenced by Emily Dickinson.
- “Love her, but leave her wild.” – Atticus, To Kill a Mockingbird
- Image Credit: stageagent.com
- “One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” -William Shakespeare, the king of writing.
- “Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” –Rachel Carson, marine biologist and conservationist.
- “Long-term, we must begin to build our internal strengths. It isn't just skills like computer technology. It's the old-fashioned basics of self-reliance, self-motivation, self-reinforcement, self-discipline, self-command.” –Steven Pressfield, American author and screenwriter.
Education and learning
- “Knowledge speaks but wisdom listens.” – Jimi Hendrix, guitarist and songwriter.
- Image Credit: gibson.com
- “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson in Self-Reliance.
- “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” –Aristotle, Greek philosopher and scientist.
- “Everything has its limit- iron ore cannot be educated into gold.” –Mark Twain, writer and lecturer.
- “Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves.” –Ernest Dimnet, priest, writer, and lecturer.
- “All men by nature desire knowledge.” –Aristotle
These just scratch the surface of the many phrases uttered in relation to afore mentioned topics, but these are easily applicable to quote in everyday life. Whether you are stumped during an in-class essay or hit a splotch of writer’s block for a weekly article, these quotes are sure to jog your intellectual prowess and allow you to sustain a speedy recovery.
