What words got you through high school?

High school was pretty awful in a lot of ways. I had a scant handful of friends, who, quite often, were not all that kind, either. I liked a few of my teachers, but mostly, I endured. I loved band and chorus, English was fine, history classes were good, and science was okay. Math, gym, and French were abysmal, mostly because of poor teaching and a poor self-image-- a deadly combination for an awkward girl. Typing class was a complete joke. Mostly, I liked to read, and there was a table I preferred in the library-- one where I could be out of view. And on and on it went for four years, and I was happy to go to college, to find my "tribe," and to flourish, finally. I still didn't have a large circle of friends, but mainly because I didn't party much, and I certainly had plenty of homework and papers to crank out every day. But I survived and thrived, and here we are, several decades and degrees later. 

One of the things that got me through the high school yuck was a quote by American poet e.e. cummings. It was one of the first things I memorized, and it became a sort of mantra:

“To be nobody but
yourself in a world
which is doing its best day and night to make you like
everybody else means to fight the hardest battle
which any human being can fight and never stop fighting.”

I wonder what gets other people through tough times? I think we'll need some new quotes, poems, and songs for the foreseeable future. If I can help you find something to carry in your heart, just let me know. 

Have a good day,

C