Photo credit: Bluebirdsandteapots/Flickr
Twenty-five is a milestone birthday. You have reached a point where you're an adult, a real adult, who pays taxes, worries about health insurance and can rent a car on a whim. Of course you don't have everything figured out -- and that's a good thing -- but getting through your teens and early twenties means you've picked up some wisdom along the way.
So, we asked our Facebook community: "What do you know now that you're 25 or over that you might not have known when you were younger?"
Behold, 25 things you (hopefully) know once you've turned a quarter of a century:
1. "'No' is a complete sentence that does not need an explanation." -- Facebook user Anissa K. Fogel
2. "It's OK to burn bridges." -- Facebook user Jhin Herbs
3. "It's completely alright if you don't have every little bit figured out at all times. Often the best things can come from times of chaos." -- Facebook user Michelle Via
4. "When your parents tell you that high school friends won't matter later, listen to them." -- Facebook user Tiana Harris
5. "If you don't want to drive three hours to attend a distant relative's baby shower, that's OK. Send a card, and don't feel guilty." -- Facebook user Maggie Muse
6. "Ladies -- invest in the BEST BRASSIERES you can afford!" -- Facebook user Gloria Aldecova
7. "Don't believe in other people's versions of what's right and wrong." -- Facebook user Edu Gonzalez
8. "Money doesn't buy anything of real value." -- Facebook user Penny Evans
9. "It's OK to let toxic people go. That includes family members. Life is too short to be around negative people who don't have your best interest at heart." -- Facebook user Destinee Wright
10. "When you're 20, love conquers all, when you're 30, a good credit score does." -- Facebook user Monica Sanchez Ontiveros
11. "Don't let people pressure you into deciding what you want to do with your life." -- Facebook user Rebecca Green
12. "Appreciate and love yourself every day -- you're beautiful at every age." -- Facebook user Dianne Wallis
13. "Don't be afraid to act like a boss." -- Facebook user Krystyna Solodenko
14. "Sometimes you have to forgive people. We all make bad decisions." -- Facebook user Felicia Camacho
15. "Friendship is family." -- Facebook user Amanda Brandom
16. "Laugh a lot and travel often." -- Facebook user Rachel Holston
17. "You don't have to get married or have kids." -- Facebook user Lisa Girard
18. "Go after the people you're interested in. Strike up conversations. Ask someone out. Life is too short to fear rejection." -- Facebook user Kristian Wilson
19. "Don't spend all your time working." -- Facebook user Brook Sarason
20. "Stress less." -- Facebook user Tresa Lynn Lamberts
21. "Health is important. [You] should always take care of yourself, not [just] when the damage is done." -- Facebook user Denise Acosta
22. "Don't rack up loads of debt buying cheap shit clothes that you will never wear." -- Facebook user Debbie Woodhead
23. "Stand up for [yourself] more often." -- Facebook user Violeta Vanessa Gill
24. "Life is really too short, don't give a f**k about anything, just do your thing and keep walking." -- Facebook user Marina Glower
25. "[You] still don't have all the answers." -- Facebook user Seracut Hair
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Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
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