As a writer and an all-around English and literature nerd, I've always had a particular obsession with quotes. In fact, I have an entire wall of quotes in my bedroom - quotes from books, movies, plays and any and all other forms of media. I've used different quotes as personal mantras to get me through some of the toughest times in my life. Here are some of my personal favorites:
1. "Forever, is composed of nows." - Emily Dickinson
This quote from Emily Dickinson comes from her poem of the same name. I keep this quote as a reminder to live in the moment. It reminds me that I shouldn't spend too much time worrying about the future or reminiscing on the past, and see the beauty of every moment as it presents itself to me.
2. "It's good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end." - Ernest Hemingway 
This quote, much like the previous one, reminds me not to worry too much about the final goal, but to enjoy the journey instead. This is especially important for me in college, as I have to remind myself that I can't hurry trying to get out into the real world and start making money, but I still need to take the necessary steps to get there.
3. "I go to seek a great perhaps." - Francois Rabelais
This quote was the last words of the French poet Francois Rabelais. I discovered this quote in John Green's novel Looking for Alaska. This quote would have been my senior quote in high school, but we didn't have those. I'm probably going to put it on my graduation cap when I graduate from college! It's probably my favorite quote. I'm a pretty anxious and neurotic person, so I use this quote as a reminder to take risks and not let my anxiety get in the way of that.
4. "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end." - John Lennon
This quote has gotten me through some of the toughest times in my life. It served as a reminder that things may be bad now, but they will get better. It may be tough now, but it's not the end. This optimism coupled with the faith in the process of improvement has brought me out of some dark times in my life.
5. "Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I've ever known." - Chuck Palahniuk
This quote is a reminder to me that even though a lot of the successes in my life come from my own hard work, it's the effort of everyone around me and all the people that I love that make me the person I am today. The quote reminds me to be grateful for those people who believe in me.
6. "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." - Bernard M. Baruch.
This quote reminds me to be myself, unapologetically. I get really worried that people won't like me if they see who I really am. This quote reminds me that the people who really matter know who I really am. They will love me and support me through anything.
7. "The world breaks everyone and afterward some are strong at the broken places." - Ernest Hemingway
This quote is from my favorite novel, Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. It serves as a reminder that everyone goes through their own struggles, but they make us stronger. We aren't weaker for having problems, the people who fight their way through these struggles are some of the strongest people.
8. "When did we see each other face-to-face? Not until you saw into my cracks and I saw into yours." - John Green
This quote goes well with the last one. It serves as a reminder to show the realest version of myself to people. Even though that person may be a little broken and scarred, we can only see our true selves and the true selves of others. When we let the light shine through our cracks and reveal our real selves.
9. "We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will." - Chuck Palahniuk
This quote is a reminder of why I write and want to teach. I know that my time on Earth is limited, but if I can make a positive impact on someone through writing and teaching, then I will be happy. I may not change the world, but if I can change one person's life, then I'll have an impact on the world after I'm gone.
10. "What we have to remember is that we can still do anything. We can change our minds. We can start over." - Marina Keegan
This quote is a really important reminder for me and for all college students. It reminds me that if I get far enough down a path and start to wonder if I don't want to keep following it. I can change and start over. As college students, we all think that we have to know our whole life plan now, but we can change at any point in the road if it's not the life we want.
11. "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde
This quote is very important to my own optimism. The world may be a dark and scary place sometimes, and we may have struggles that make us feel like we're perpetually stuck in a metaphorical gutter. But if we're optimistic, we can take steps to get out of that gutter, and make ourselves and our world better.
These are just a few of the many quotes that have had a profound impact on my life. They all make me hopeful that, someday, I might write something that changes someone's life like these writers and poets have done for me.
