This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Rice chapter.
Only a week into the semester and you’re already feeling overwhelmed? I’m sure we can all relate to that disappointing moment when “syllabus week” proves to be more like “syllabus first 15 minutes of class.” So, as motivation to start 2018 with a healthy, optimistic mindset, we’ve compiled a list of quotes that inspire us to love ourselves, do our best, and keep things in perspective.
- “And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”—John Steinbeck, East of Eden
- “She was unstoppable. Not because she did not have failures or doubts, but because she continued on despite them.”—Beau Taplin
- “It’s not like you can practice a little self-love, and then you have it for a lifetime. No, it’s more gradual. You have to start this hobby—this habit—of feeding yourself love.”—SZA
- “Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me.”—Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
- “I am the sole author of the dictionary that defines me.”—Zadie Smith
- “I’ve found that the changes I feared would ruin me have always become doorways, and on the other side I have found a more courageous and graceful self.”—Elizabeth Lesser
- “She was becoming herself and daily casting aside that fictitious self which we assume like a garment with which to appear before the world.”—Kate Chopin, The Awakening
- “I would always rather be happy than dignified.”—Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
- “I remind myself to be kind to myself and, as slightly ridiculous as it may sound, to treat myself in the same gentle way I’d want to treat a daughter of mine. It really helps.”—Emma Stone
- “You’re born being worthy, and I think that’s a message that a lot of women need to hear.”—Viola Davis
Have another quote you think we should’ve included? Let us know on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!