Quotes about Adversity

have lived a long life and had many troubles, most of which never happened.

Whenever anything excellent or mediocre or lame or annoying happens to you, meet it with the statement, "This is good because . . . " and fill in the blank. Once you make this a regular practice, you'll see how much easier it is to be in gratitude for much more than you realized.

Rough seas make better sailors.

All life is either moving forward and evolving or shrinking back and dying. If you want to evolve in your own life, you have to push through the obstacles instead of running from them.

So if you finally decide to quit your soul-crushing job and start the pastry shop of your dreams, be not upset if a truck drives through your front window into your scones. Instead of taking this as a sign that you shouldn't have opened your shop, take it to mean that you're ridding yourself of your BS and moving in the right direction.

I wish I were out of doors - I wish I were a girl again, half savage and hardy, and free... and laughing at injuries,not maddening under them!

Being repulsed continually hardened her.

Together they would brave satan and all his legions.

What are we to do, then? To make the best of what lies within our power, and deal with everything else as it comes. 'How does it come, then?' As God wills.

Asked how a man should best grieve his enemy, Epictetus replied, By setting himself to live the noblest life himself.

What would Heracles have been if he had said, How am I to prevent a big lion from appearing, or a big boar, or brutal men? What care you, I say? If a big boar appears, you will have a greater struggle to engage in; if evil men appear, you will free the world from evil men.

I must be exiled; but is there anything to keep me from going with a smile, calm and self-composed?