The beginning of the school year can always seem a little intimidating, especially when you haven't had classes in what feels like years thanks to the pandemic. I've gathered up a list of sayings to get you inspired for all that lays before you. You can choose one to be your mindset for the year or use all of them. And in case you're wondering why you're looking at an adorable baby elephant, I've paired every quote with its very own baby animal, because that's a surefire way to put a smile on most people's faces.
"Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today."- Malcolm X
https://pixabay.com/photos/easter-chicks-baby-beautiful-sweet-349026/
No matter the circumstances in the world around us, we can't let it stop us from learning new things.
"If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you can't hear them anymore."- Michele Ruiz
https://pixabay.com/photos/deer-animal-lovely-baby-nature-3955031/
Whether it's a normal hater or Miss 'Rona herself, we aren't going to let anyone slow us down.
"Others can stop you temporarily, you are the only one who can do it permanently."- Zig Ziglar
https://pixabay.com/photos/piglet-wildpark-poing-baby-1326946/
Don't quit what you truly enjoy.
"If you don't risk anything, you risk even more."- Erica Jong
https://pixabay.com/photos/tiger-tiger-cub-cute-nuremberg-987678/
Believe me, I know how easy it is to stay in your comfort zone, but a new school year is the perfect time to take chances.
"Either you run the day or the day runs you."- Jim Rohn
https://pixabay.com/photos/rabbit-animal-baby-rabbit-bunny-1915918/
Some school days might be really daunting but so are you; you can kick its butt.
"I'm going to make everything around me beautiful- that will be my life."- Elsie de Wolfe
https://pixabay.com/photos/cute-monkey-baby-animal-mammal-5424776/
Looking on the bright side never hurts.
"If there is no struggle, there is no progress."- Frederick Douglass
https://pixabay.com/photos/calf-red-young-animal-livestock-834528/
There sure has been a lot of struggle this year, so we should have boatloads of progress too.
"Success isn't defined by those who fought and never fell, but by those who fought, fell, and then rose again."- Nastia Luikin
https://pixabay.com/photos/turtle-olive-baby-turtle-cute-4241313/
Going back to school may mean falling an awful lot, but I believe we can all get back up again.
"I haven't failed. I've just found 10,000 ways it won't work."- Thomas Edison
https://pixabay.com/photos/lion-animal-nature-predator-565820/
This is what you can tell yourself when you fail your first assignment of the year; it might take a little sting off of it.
"Try to think bigger than you ever have/or had the courage enough to do."- Alice Walker
https://pixabay.com/photos/horse-gallop-foal-suckling-2510189/
If a pandemic can happen, anything can. Dream as big as can be.
"A person who never made a mistake , never tried anything new."- Albert Einstein
https://pixabay.com/photos/giraffe-baby-animal-wildlife-cute-4195905/
Expect mistakes to happen; give yourself a grace period.
"View yourself as someone with something to share."- Kristin Schultz
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It can be scary to speak up in class sometimes, but I promise that what you have to say is just as important as everyone else.
"We're all rough drafts of the people we're becoming."- Bob Goff
https://pixabay.com/photos/kitty-cat-kitten-domestic-cat-2948404/
The best thing about rough drafts is that you can revise them whenever you want; feel free to do that with yourself too until you find the right fit.
"You don't have to be stressed or busy to be important."- Martina Martian
https://pixabay.com/photos/cheetah-cub-park-beekse-bergen-4586253/
Don't go overboard; there is such thing as spreading yourself too thin.
"Recognize that every interaction you have is an opportunity to make positive impact on others."- Shep Hyken
https://pixabay.com/photos/gecko-baby-gecko-lizard-reptile-4763045/
Don't forget that you aren't the only one going through the pandemic; try to spread some kindness to those around you.
"Don't you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can't be exactly who you are."- Lady Gaga
https://pixabay.com/photos/duck-ducky-baby-baby-duck-duckling-2203073/
Never change. Be your super cool self.
"If obstacles are large, jump higher."- Steve Buckley
https://pixabay.com/photos/amur-amur-leopard-amur-leopard-baby-3523424/
Coronavirus may very well be a freaking skyscraper then.
"Don't let temporary setbacks become permanent excuses."- Angela Duckworth
https://pixabay.com/photos/goat-baby-animal-livestock-mammal-5440255/
Repeat after me: This whole virus thing = a temporary situation (well, at least hopefully).
"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you."- B.B. King
https://pixabay.com/photos/cow-baby-moose-little-moose-5150899/
You always have the ability to learn new things even if you have to go to school through a mask or a computer screen.
"Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them."- Ann Landers
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This semester may require a little extra hard work.
"I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become."- Carl Jung
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Things might seem bleak at times, but we can take control of our lives and try to steer them into new and better directions.
"There's nothing stronger than a woman who has rebuilt herself."- Hannah Gadsby
https://pixabay.com/photos/barred-owl-baby-portrait-bird-1949805/
Let's all be strong women.
"Every year, many, many stupid people graduate from college. And if they can do it, so can you."- John Green
https://pixabay.com/photos/lamb-baby-animals-sheep-animal-1081950/
A special shoutout to all my fellow college students.
"Let us make our future now, and let us make our dreams tomorrow's reality."- Malala Yousafzai
https://pixabay.com/photos/squirrel-baby-animal-nature-rodent-5424200/
Use the present to catapult yourself into the future you want.
"Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end."- Robin Sharma
https://pixabay.com/photos/bear-cub-tree-trunk-climbing-79838/
Change can be absolutely terrifying, but it's a necessary part of life, so we might as well learn to embrace the scary.
"If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one."- Dolly Parton
https://pixabay.com/photos/husky-siberian-husky-dog-pet-4193503/
Switch your major, switch your boyfriend, heck, even switch your hair color; do whatever is best for you.
"The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn."- Ralph Waldo Emerson
https://pixabay.com/photos/zebra-young-grass-colt-foal-filly-4664923/
Anything can be a stepping stone to success.
"Don't let your ice cream melt while you're counting someone else's sprinkles."- Akilah Hughes
https://pixabay.com/photos/robbe-seal-baby-seal-concerns-5176913/
It might seem like other people are having better school years than you are, but we aren't all comparable.
"I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring."- David Bowie
https://pixabay.com/photos/alligator-baby-young-florida-4445339/
Think of all this craziness as an unexpected adventure.
"One small crack does not mean that you are broken. It means you were put to the test, and you didn't fall apart."- Linda Poindexter
https://pixabay.com/photos/sand-hill-cranes-baby-nature-1277673/
By now, there's probably so many cracks, but it shows how much you've gotten through this year. If no one else has said it, I will- I'm proud of you.
