Fire tests gold, suffering tests brave men.

The obstacle in the path becomes that path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.

Sometimes hath the brightest day a cloud; and after summer evermore succeeds barren winter, with his wrathful nipping cold: so cares and joys abound, as seasons fleet.

When you don't come from struggle, gaining appreciation is a quality that's difficult to come by.

The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity.

Suppose your whole world seems to rock on its foundations. Hold on steadily, let it rock, and when the rocking is over, the picture will have reassembled itself into something much nearer to your heart's desire.

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.

Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation; it means understanding that something is what it is and that there’s got to be a way through it.

Life's blows cannot break a person whose spirit is warmed at the fire of enthusiasm!

This is the mark of a really admirable man: steadfastness in the face of trouble.

Obstacles are like wild animals. They are cowards but they will bluff you if they can. If they see you are afraid of them, they are liable to spring upon you; but if you look them squarely in the eye, they will sink out of sight.

Give us grace and strength to forbear and to persevere. Give us courage and gaiety and the quiet mind, spare to us our friends, soften to us our enemies.

I've been absolutely terrified every moment of my life—and I've never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.

You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.

If you want to conquer fear, don't sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.

Any man can make mistakes, but only an idiot persists in his error.

Man is neither angel nor beast; and the misfortune is that he who would act the angel acts the beast.

If all our misfortunes were laid in one common heap, whence every one must take an equal portion, most people would be contented to take their own and depart.

Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that setbacks and griefs which endure help us in our march forward.