12 Inspiring Quotes EVERY Grad Should Read

By Brenda Janowitz

Updated on 6/17/2016 at 9:30 AM

Getty
Getty

Graduating can be a scary thing. Going out there into the great wide unknown, unsure of your plans, your fate. Moving on to any new stage in life can be terrifying. Sometimes you just need a few well-placed words of wisdom to get you through.

When Mary Karr gave the commencement speech at Syracuse University last year, it became an internet sensation. Her words resonated with graduates everywhere. Her sage advice was shared all over the internet, and now, in her gem of a book, Now Go Out There (and Get Curious) she shares that wonderful advice.

This small book makes a wonderful graduation gift or birthday gift for anyone on your list. And to get a small sampling of the crowd-pleasing advice, we've compiled a list of our favorite quotes.

  1. "That's how fear works, isn't it? Getting what you want often scares you more than not getting it."
  2. "But don't make the mistake of comparing your twisted up insides to other people's blow dried-outsides. Even the most privileged person in this stadium suffers the torments of the damned just going about the business of being human."
  3. "Far as I can tell, a dysfunctional family is any family with more than one person in it."
  4. "And if you can get curious about what scares or infuriates you — especially if it's part of yourself — you can grow less scared. . . . You can open your eyes onto a completely different world, because you can see it from a less terrified consciousness."
  5. "Being smart and rich are lucky, but being curious and compassionate will save your ass."
  6. "Each of you is a spark that's added something to our little flame and to the world's torch."
  7. "[E]very time I was super-afraid, it was of the wrong thing."
  8. "And stuff that first looked like the worst, most degrading thing that could ever happen almost always led me to something extraordinary and fine."
  9. "The loony bin is where I learned that as deep as a wound is, that's how deep the learning can be."
  10. "Bad things are gonna happen to you, because they happen to us all. Any worrying won't stave the really bad things off."
  11. "But it turns out finding people to love and do for is way more healing."
  12. "See, the opposite of love isn't hate. It isn't even indifference. It's fear — often fear of the very pain and suffering which we all know are inevitable."