You juggle a lot as a college student with work, school, social life and other responsibilities. Newsflash: Life will probably continue feel overwhelming past college. Luckily, inspirational quotes can act as a quick and simple way to keep you motivated with your hectic schedule. Feeling sad, mad or frustrated? Put the brakes on your life for just a couple minutes. Read through these inspirational quotes that will remind you that the tough times will pass and you are capable of incredible things.
Check out these 15 Friday inspirational quotes that will remind you the weekend is closer than you think.
1. “You are strong, you’re a Kelly Clarkson song, you’ve got this.” – Jonathan from Queer Eye
When you encounter a rough time in life, live by the wise words of Kelly Clarkson: “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Your challenges help you to uncover your strengths. “I like this quote because I think it’s witty while still being inspirational, but not in a cheesy way,” Temple University senior Mickey Kniskern said. “Also I like the pop culture reference because it’s a common one that I and most people would understand.” If you need some inspiration to get through your week, remember to acknowledge your strengths.
2. “What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven’t happened yet.” – Anonymous
People say that your college years are the best years of your life. However, this quote acts as a reminder that things will get even better. You can’t schedule those great times into your day planner right after your graduation day because we don’t know when they’ll come, but they will come.
3. “Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” – Oprah Winfrey
Always keep a positive attitude, even when things get tough. A positive attitude took you through the gen ed lecture you hated and it’ll take you through the rest of life as well. While no one achieves perfection, you can do your absolute best whenever possible to get close. Doing your best will keep you motivated to keep trucking along. And hey, Oprah Winfrey knows what she’s talking about.
4. “I want to feel my life while I’m in it.” – Meryl Streep
No college student will disagree that life gets overwhelming. People expect so much of us. Sometimes we need to just take a step back from all of our responsibilities and enjoy life. “I feel like life can get so chaotic sometimes and it’s a nice reminder to take a breath and really be present and live in the moment,” University of Pittsburgh senior Tori Sweeney said. Make sure to keep your life balanced to the best of your ability.
5. “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullsh–t story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.” – Jordan Belfort from The Wolf of Wall Street
Although we may not want to take advice from Jordan Belfort so we don’t end up like him in The Wolf of Wall Street, he makes a good point. His crazy lifestyle led him to achieve great things. Other people may tell you that you can’t reach your goals, but that’s where you need to come in and believe in yourself. We will always come up with excuses for why we can’t succeed. Throw those excuses away and trust yourself that you can do it.
6. “Nothing is impossible. The word itself says, ‘I’m possible.’” – Audrey Hepburn
Work life as a college student gets hard. You want to enjoy time with your friends and live life to the fullest, but you still need to make money. Just remember Audrey’s wise words when you feel overwhelmed with all of life’s responsibilities. After all, that paycheck will make anything seem possible.
7. “If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” – Maya Angelou
Embrace yourself and all the amazing things about you. Angelou’s words exist to remind you to fully embrace your differences because they make you special. Temple senior Liv Vesey wears a necklace with this quote on it. “That necklace was actually a gift to me from my aunt for my high school graduation but I think it is a daily reminder to step out of my comfort zone and to not care what other people may think because you may never discover something about yourself unless you try,” Vesey said. “I wear it every day because it tells me that I don’t have to follow any pressure to conform to everyone else, but to be myself and that I am quote-unquote ‘amazing’ as my true self.”
8. “Live every week like it’s Shark Week.” – Tracy Jordan from 30 Rock
We all know the intensity of Shark Week. Once a year on the Discovery Channel, we see footage of sharks attacking their prey, sharks flying out of the water and other dramatic clips that leave us wanting more information about these fish. You never know what will happen during Shark Week. Tracy Jordan from 30 Rock suggests that people live every week as though it’s that special time of year. Live life on the edge.
9. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
The hardest part of starting something new is taking those first baby steps. The very first step of any new endeavor: Believe you can do it. Just thinking that you can achieve your goals puts you in a position to set yourself up for success. If you want to learn French, sign up for that class. If you want to climb that mountain or go sky diving, do your research and believe in yourself. You will achieve your goals.
10. “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will spend its whole life thinking it’s stupid.” – John Lennon
Some people can ace every test they take. Some people act as a therapist for all their friends’ problems. And some people have a very strong work ethic in the workplace. “This quote inspires me because it reminds me that everybody has strength and weaknesses and that while not all those strengths are equally recognized in academic spaces, all are equally important,” Vassar College junior Antonella DeCicci said. Remember that your strengths are valuable, no matter what they may be.
11. “Be nice to everyone, always smile and appreciate things because it could all be gone tomorrow.” – Ed Sheeran
You can’t lose anything by being nice to people. They will always remember the way you treated them. Everyone has the potential to be kind and caring and make someone feel appreciated for no cost to you (do you hear that, broke college kids?). Small, kind gestures can make a big difference in someone’s life.
12. “Ever make mistakes in life? Let’s make them birds. Yeah, they’re birds now.” – Bob Ross
I’m sure many of us have watched Bob Ross paint and enjoyed his funny and pure commentary that comes with it. Bob Ross does not believe in mistakes in his paintings. He believes in “happy accidents,” and they make the painting better. Mistakes will always happen in life, but think about them in a positive light. A mistake in a Bob Ross painting turns into a bird or a tree. Mistakes in life might lead to something that you never expected to find, so don’t take mistakes as failures.
13. “Either you run the day or the day runs you.” – Jim Rohn
Take control of your life and do what you need to do in order to succeed. If you feel like the days seem to drag along, take control of your days. Don’t let other people or outside factors dictate how you live your life. Decide how you want to live and take all the steps to take control and live your desired life.
14. “Just remember, even your worst days only have 24 hours.” – Moosa Rahat
College comes with ups and downs for everyone. No one can avoid the occasional bad day. If you experience a rough day, just remember Rahat’s words. “I think this is especially relevant with how stressful school can get sometimes,” Sweeney said. “I have it on a Post-It on my mirror to remind myself to once again take a breath and remember that everything will be better in the morning.” Stay positive whenever possible and you will make it through.
15. “Don’t fake it till you make it. Fake it till you become it.” – Amy Cuddy
In my high school communications class, we watched Amy Cuddy’s Ted Talk about body language. She talked about the importance of “power posing,” or holding a strong, confident pose before a big interview or other event where you need to calm down and appear confident. She also talked about the motto/quote above. Usually, people say to fake it till you make it. Amy Cuddy offers a different approach, explaining that she doesn’t want to fake it and then still feel like a fraud once she reaches her goal. She wants to change and mold her actions in order to become and embody her goal.
