Active happiness is not a common state. Active unhappiness is better than dull days. Katherine was seldom in an intermediate stage.

Joy is what has made the pain bearable and, in the end, creative rather than destructive.

Why is it, she wondered, that things that hurt people make them deeper and more understanding?

Maybe if you aren't unhappy sometimes you don't know how to be happy.

Life at best is a precarious business, and we aren't told that difficult or painful things won't happen, just that it matters. It matters not just to us but to the entire universe.

The better word, of course, is joy, because it doesn't have anything to do with pain, physical or spiritual. I have been wholly in joy when I have been in pain—childbirth is the obvious example. Joy is what has made the pain bearable and, in the end, creative rather than destructive.

Use the dirt life throws at you to plant the seeds of your success.

An unpleasant experience will often reveal your passion.

Small wins and major victories are important because they encourage and inspire you to keep your faith and stay the course even when everything around you seems to be falling apart.

Don't let your circumstances and the events in your life rob you of the joy of celebration.

To be happy you need to take charge of your life by choosing to live in a beautiful state always because others might not have a plan for you.

The roots of the abundant life may seem bitter, but its fruits are sweet.