It's that time of year when thoughts of AP testing, finals, and grumpy teachers who refuse to round your 89.49 to a 90 are ricocheting off the walls of your brain and colliding with each other in a seemingly-incurable case of mental pandemonium. As much of your life may seem in shambles right now, I want to motivate you to finish out these last few weeks of complete torture and mental breakdowns with a couple of quotes I've found seem to ease the mind (and the constant desire to procrastinate).

1. "Good, better, best. Never let it rest. 'Til your "good" is your "better" and your "better" is your "best." - St. Jerome

2. "You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water." - Rabindranath Tagore

3. "Accept the challenges so you can feel the exhilaration of victory." - George S. Patton

4. "Don't think about what can happen in a month. Don't think about what can happen in a year. Just focus on the 24 hours in front of you and do what you can to get you closer to what you want to be." - Anonymous

5. "97% of the people who quit too soon are employed by the 3% that never gave up." -Anonymous

6. "Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it." - Anonymous

7. "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." - Henry Ford

8. "The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me." - Ayn Rand

9. "Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs." - Farrah Gray

10. "Nothing will work unless you do." - Maya Angelou

11. "A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done." -Vince Lombardi

12. "To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe." - Anatole France

13. "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly." -Proverb

14. "Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings." - Salvador Dali

15. "If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it." - Michael Jordan


So study on, my stressed friends; and just keep swimming. In a couple of weeks, you can toast your marshmallows over the flames of your burning review books.