Finals week is almost upon us, and like most college students I am DREADING it. Treat yo' self to these inspirational quotes accompanied with funny gifs so that you don't drop out of college. Good luck!
1. “The more you learn, the more you earn.” - Warren Buffett
2. “Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard.” - Tim Notke
If you’re like me, academics doesn’t come easily to you. Working twice as hard to get the same good grades as someone who is naturally smart can really take a toll on you. But, one day that talent will run out and those people won’t know how to keep learning, but YOU will.
3. “One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” - Arthur Ashe
You studied (or you should have). YOU KNOW THIS. One of my teachers said to me, study things no more than three times. NEVER. After studying something three times, you begin to doubt yourself. Trust your gut. You got this!
4. “To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.” - Mark Twain
It doesn’t matter if you’re the last one to finish. It doesn’t matter that people are starting to take up their tests. It doesn’t matter that the girl next to you is cocky af. Ignore everyone else, and have confidence in YOUR ability to pass.
5. “If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” - Frank A. Clark
Getting that diploma is NOT supposed to be easy. If it was easy, everyone would do it. I think about this in terms of thrift stores. There are a bunch where I live, but the best ones take dirt roads and some effort to get to. The pay off is always worth it, and so is the struggle to get your degree. Keep pushing!
6. “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” - Beverly Sills
7. “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” - Albert Einstein
Okay, Albert. Success is not the beginning and the end of everything. The most valuable artwork, was NOT successful while those artists were alive. Be of value to yourself. Who cares if you’re successful in other people’s eyes?
8. “Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.” - OG Mandino
9. “Stop letting your fear condemn you to mediocrity.” - Steve Maraboli
My biggest fear is mediocrity. Don’t allow yourself to be comfortable because there is so much more potential beyond your comfort zones. Don’t tell yourself that a B will be fine, and secretly hope for an A. Study for the A, and GET THAT A! Don’t say “oh well, everybody did bad too,” because there are definitely people that did well and you could be one of them!
10. “Failure is simply an opportunity to being again, this time more intelligently.” - Henry Ford
One bad grade or class will not make or break you. Classes can be retaken, professors can be e-mailed. Don’t let the failure (or fear of it) drive you to question yourself.
11. “Success is only meaningful- and enjoyable- if it feels like your own.” - Michelle Obama
Don’t cheat y’all. Academic dishonesty can RUIN your career real quick, so fail or succeed on your own and be proud that you did it yourself.
12. “It always seems impossible until it is done.” Nelson Mandela
13. “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress,” - Kofi Annan
Education, and access to it, is the most valuable power in the world. People with a degree and money, are among the most powerful. Remember that when you feel like you aren’t learning anything.
14. “Frustration, although quite painful at times, is a very positive and essential part of success.” - Bo Bennett
Everyone has a memory of a math problem or test problem making them angry. You erase the answer over and over, re-working the problem, and then later you get it or you don’t. Whether or not you get it right is not the point. When someone struggles with a problem over and over, they solve it and know it for next time. It’s all apart of the process.
15. “You are only responsible for the effort, not the outcome.” - Bryant McGill
You aren’t grading the test. Once you put all your studying and knowledge down on that paper, it is in your professor's hands. Breathe.
16. “Failure is not the opposite of success; it’s a part of success.” - Arianna Huffington
17. “Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.” - George S. Patton
Lack of success tends to give people an excuse to quit, which is something outsiders expect. People take notice when they see you bounce back, so instead of staying down, bounce.
18. “If you don’t sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes the sacrifice.” - Unknown
Don’t skip studying to go out to that party. There will be another one. If you keep failing, you’ll be in college longer to party anyways. Don’t give up your long-term goals for a short-term good time. STUDY.
19. “I’m a very bad student, but a great learner.” - Tim Allen
Just because you’re bad at standardized testing, doesn’t mean you aren’t smart. Just because you’re not getting a 4.0, doesn’t mean you won’t be successful.
man running in forestPhoto by 
