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The 10 Most Influential Quotes of My College Career

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Iowa chapter.

Little over one month of classes, assignments and final projects separates me (and other December grads) from the cold, hard, adult world of post-grad reality, where everything accomplished in college becomes background to every adventure to come. In this high stakes climate where one door is closing to a portal so big and scary it’s bone-crushing, nostalgia comes easier than air. In passing down my top ten most influential quotes, lyrics and lines of poetry, I hope to bring comfort to those of you who have ever doubted your self-worth, intelligence or power to love. May these quotes bring you the peace they have brought me during these wonderful albeit challenging 3.5 years as a Hawkeye. P.S. #10 is a special shout-out to my Dad for believing in my ferocity even (and especially) when I did not!

10) Dan DeSousa, my Dad, on willpower:

9) Aibeleen Clark, “The Help,” on self worth:

8) Charles Bukowski, on life:

7) Shakespeare, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”: 

6) Kurt Vonnegut, “Slaughterhouse-Five”: 

5) Sylvia Plath, lines from “Lady Lazarus”:

4) Hundred Waters, “Show Me Love” (lyrics):

3) Albert Einstein, on imagination: 

2) Watty Piper, “The Little Engine That Could”:

1) A. A. Milne, “Winnie the Pooh”:

I am in my senior year and last semester at the University of Iowa, majoring in journalism, minoring in English and pursuing a certificate in creative writing. My passions include writing (poetry, short fiction and anything my mind must expel onto the page), working out and spending time with my friends. I stand by the aphorism, "the pen is mightier than the sword" and hope to use my skills as a writer to positively impact as many people on this planet as I can.
U Iowa chapter of the nation's #1 online magazine for college women.Â