"Now What?" 18 Inspiring Quotes for Recent College Grads

"We become what we celebrate. What are you celebrating?"

College graduation. The word "exciting" does not capture the emotions this occasion stirs. (Stirs might be a little soft. I remember it feeling more like my amygdala was thrown into a blender.)

Graduation, a wonderful time, opens the door for a different kind of life to begin. I graduated from college only a few years ago; not long enough for me to forget the mixed emotions that came along with throwing my cap into the air.

Remember that this is the beginning. Be proud of your degree, but if you have regrets about whether you reached your true potential in undergrad (we all do—mine are longer than the treaty of Versailles) remember that future opportunities are still ahead. The curtain has dropped on act one, but it will open for many more acts, on many other stages.

So, congratulations, graduates. And here are some quotes to remember as you venture out into the world "and let down your nets for a catch" (Luke 5:4):

18 QUOTES FOR RECENT COLLEGE GRADS

1.“Patience is the companion of wisdom.”— Saint Augustine

2. “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” ? Victor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

3. "You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so you learn to love God and man by loving. All those who think to learn in any other way deceive themselves." — Saint Francis de Sales

4. "It is a lesson we all need—to let alone the things that do not concern us. He has other ways for others to follow Him; all do not go by the same path.  It is for each of us to learn the path by which He requires us to follow Him, and to follow Him in that path."  – Saint Katharine Drexel

5. “You will know your vocation by the joy that it brings you. You will know. You will know when it's right.” — Dorothy Day

6. "We become the books we read." — Matthew Kelly

7. “Remember that He is the artist and you are only the picture.  You can’t see it. So quietly submit to be painted –i.e., keep fulfilling all the obvious duties of your station (you really know quite well enough what they are!), asking forgiveness for each failure and then leaving it alone.  You are in the right way.  Walk—don’t keep looking at it.” ? C.S. Lewis, The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis, Volume 3

8. "Bloom where you are planted." — Saint Francis de Sales 

9. "Your beliefs will be the light by which you see, but they will not be what you see and they will not be a substitute for seeing." — Flannery O'Connor

10. "Do not let the past disturb you—just leave everything in the Sacred Heart, and begin again with joy." — Mother Teresa

11. "True progress quietly and persistently moves along without notice." — Saint Francis de Sales

12. “Let us study things that are no more. It is necessary to understand them, if only to avoid them.” ? Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

13. "The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings.” — Francis de Sales 

14. “So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains.” — Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

15. “Time will explain.” ? Jane Austen, Persuasion

16. "Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning what you want me to be—and becoming that person." — St. Thérèse of Lisieux

17. "It is better to be young in your failures than old in your successes." — Flannery O'Connor

18. “Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”? Pope John Paul II

Do you know someone who has just graduated from college? Be sure to share these quotes with them!

And don't forget to encourage them and pray for them as they seek God's plan for their lives!