adversity - adversity 2 - adversity 4

The human capacity to fight back will always astonish
doctors and philosophers.  It seems, indeed, that
there are no circumstances so bad and no obstacles so big
that human beings cannot conquer them.

Jean Tetreau

Adversity introduces a person to him or herself.  On the occasion of every
accident that befalls you, remember to turn to yourself and inquire
what power you have for turning it to use.

Epictetus

When things are bad, we take comfort in the thought that they could always be worse.
And when they are, we find hope in the thought that things are so bad they have to get better.

Malcolm Forbes

When the first Superman movie came out, I was frequently asked, "What is a hero?"
My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action
without considering the consequences. . . . Now my definition is completely different.
I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere
and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.

Christopher Reeve

Steve Allen

When you get into a tight place and everything goes
against you, till it seems as though you could not
hang on a minute longer, never give up then,
for that is just the place and time
that the tide will turn.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Positive thinking is not the destination; it is the journey.  An optimistic person
will be constantly challenged – by external circumstances as well as
inner fears and doubts.  Always remember that these tests are like
a ladder you must climb.  As you move past each rung, your optimism
strengthens and your confidence begins to flex newly found muscle
that you might never have developed otherwise.

Montague Ewards

Our lives are full of separations that shake us up, force us to attend
to our emotional selves and to learn new ways of being in the world.
Although many of our losses are painful, they encourage our gains.
The lesson life is trying to teach us is that, regardless of the challenges
and changes in the physical world, we will abide in peace by aligning
ourselves with our inner changelessness.  The power of God in us
is more than equal to any moment—no matter what it brings.
We live in a loving, supportive universe that is always saying yes to us.

Susan L. Taylor

Defeat is a school in which Truth always grows strong.

Henry Ward Beecher

Before you begin a thing, remind yourself that difficulties and delays
quite impossible to foresee are ahead. . . .  You can only see one thing
clearly and that is your goal.  Form a mental vision of that
and cling to it through thick and thin.

Kathleen Norris

I heard a story about a woman who grew up in Texas.  When she was
having trouble in her life, she would visit her grandmother, who lived nearby
and always had a kind word and some wisdom to pass on.  One day
she was complaining to her grandmother about some situation and
her grandmother just turned to her, smiled sadly, and said,
“Sometimes, darlin’, you’ve just got to rise above yourself in this life.”
 I’ve remembered that wise advice many times as I’ve faced trouble in my life.

Bill O’Hanlon

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from the Book of Habakkuk

People are afraid when dark clouds gather and thunder clashes.
But clouds and thunder are nothing; they are only the sources
of rain for the hot and parched earth.  Do not be afraid of clouds;
do not be afraid of difficulties.  Keep moving straight ahead.
Give your hand to God, and he will keep you
in the light twenty-four hours a day.

Baba Virsa Singh

It is the wind and the rain, O God, the cold and the storm that make
this earth of yours to blossom and bear its fruit.  So in our lives
it is storm and stress and hurt and suffering that make real men
and women bring the world's work to its highest perfection.

W.E.B. DuBois

Julia Cameron

If things are tough, remember that every flower had to go through a whole lot
of dirt to get there.  So do not grieve about a bitter experience.  The present
is slipping by while you are regretting the past and worrying about the future.
Regret will not prevent tomorrow’s sorrows; it will only rob today of its strength.

Barbara Johnson

unattributed, The Daily Word

If it is true that strength is the child of effort and pain, then most of us
will have the opportunity to learn strength. . . . Effort is standing up to
the storm.  Pain comes from enduring the worst the storm can throw
at us.  But then so does strength.

Joseph M. Marshall III

The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when
we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled.  For it is
only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are
likely to step out of our ruts and start searching
for different ways or truer answers.

M. Scott Peck