1. "This too shall pass." - Unknown

I'm not going to lie, I first heard this quote from the song "Damaged" by Danity Kane. Right before the song ends, Diddy says "this too shall pass." At that time (right after my sophomore year of high school), that became my hope. I had gone through a very rough year, including problems with the opposite sex where I felt very, very low, mentally. It's hard looking at yourself every day and wondering if you're ever going to be happy again. This quote reminded me that all things are temporary: pain, happiness, love, etc. You have to take the good with the bad, because there can't be one without the other. And things do pass.

2) "Tables turn, bridges burn, you live and learn." - Aubrey Drake Graham

This quote comes from one of my favorite Drake songs, "Pound Cake." Despite the innuendo in the title, he spits amazing rhymes just like this one. This quote became my mantra, and changed my outlook on life. I started to see regrets I have and mistakes I made as lessons, never anything bad, really, just a life lesson. Life goes on, and you have the choice to decide if you want to dwell on it (like I used to), or move on from it with some life knowledge in your pocket. I chose the latter.

3. "You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should've behaved better." - Anne Lamott

When I write, I always write about my own life experiences, so that means I have to play dirty, sometimes. I have a really strong conscience, and I start to feel bad, so I think, Hmm, maybe I shouldn't publish this. But then, I saw this quote on a Buzzfeed article, and I stopped second guessing myself (and my writing) right then and there.

4. "'Cause I’m a woman phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, that’s me." - Maya Angelou

This, again, taught me to help me learn self-acceptance. My whole life, I was blaming myself for things I couldn't control, and reading the poem "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou taught me how to embrace my imperfections and learn that I am worthy of being loved and everything else in between.

5. "What's right isn't always popular. What's popular isn't always right." - Howard Cosell

This quote was on a poster in the room of my sixth and seventh grade Advanced English class, and it still resonates with me, especially with writing. I know lots of people who don't like my writing, because I do get very personal and tend to involve some people in it. I see the backlash and some may think it's disappointing for me, but it helps me to keep my skin thick. This can also be applied for the movie "Odd Girl Out," in which Alexa Vega (Carmen from "Spy Kids") gets bullied by a bunch of "popular," ugly blondes. Sorry, getting sidetracked.

6. "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

This one might be one of my personal favorites. It's inspirational, uplifting, and might be the most true saying, ever. I've experienced a lot in my life, especially in high school, where I got into a lot of sticky situations and at the end of the day, I saw who was there and who wasn't. The people who weren't there didn't really care about me, they just didn't want to be involved with my drama, or they wanted someone who wasn't so moody or opinionated all the time. Well, I guess that's just me, and yes, I have my imperfections, but leading up to quote 7...

7. "If you can't handle me at my worst, you sure as hell can't handle me at my best." - Marilyn Monroe

Speaks for itself.