Words of Wisdom for the Exam Period

It’s exam season. You can tell because of the aura of panic and despondency hovering like a fog over the library. There are people half-running from the bus to get a seat with a plug, and you can’t even judge them too harshly, because you know that in a day from now, you’ll be one of them. You start to wonder if you could get away with bringing a sleeping bag to The Oculus. When did you last feel sun on your skin? Caffeine and sugar are the only allies in the battle against that textbook/novel/report/essay. But never fear, because here at Boar Books, we have plenty of motivational, or at least relatable, words of wisdom to get you through this trying time!

When you’re really hoping your tutors are going to go easy on you because at least you tried:

“So top grade’s O for ‘Outstanding,'” Hermione was saying, “and then there’s A-” 
“No, E,” George corrected her, “E for ‘Exceeds Expectations.’ And I’ve always thought Fred and I should’ve got E in everything, because we exceeded expectations just by turning up for the exams.”
– J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

When you are writing an essay and your point is about five lines long, filled with fancy sounding academic terms:

“I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.”
– Oscar Wilde, The Happy Prince and Other Stories.

When your mind goes blank in the exam and you need a miracle:

“Accio Brain!”
— J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

When you’re in the library for the 22nd day straight and trying to convince yourself why you should finish your degree at all:

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!

When it all gets too much, just remember you aren’t alone and everyone feels this way sometimes:

“‘I’ll never remember this,’ Ron burst out one afternoon, throwing down his quill and looking longingly out of the library window.”
 – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

When you take a step back and remember that grades don’t mean everything, and the world is still a beautiful place:

“Sometimes I feel as if those exams mean everything, but when I look at the big buds swelling on those chestnut trees and the misty blue air at the end of the streets they don’t seem half so important.” 
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables.

Image Credits: Header (Wokandapix / Pixabay)