Work hard for a B

Work hard for a B: that has been my motto for graduate school and let me explain. It doesn't mean being lazy. It means prioritizing your time. I argue that the most important topics at this level are learned by being involved in research (and publishing if it's worth anyone's time reading). Classes are only a supplement. So if the difference of getting an A from a B is making your homework look pretty (which just happens to be an important grading criteria to some), just turn the damn thing in.

Other phrases that I go by:

"The stiffest members take the most load."
"Prioritize what can and can't be done."
"Leave when you have nothing more to learn or nothing to contribute."
"That's fancy math, we don't look at that."