Life involves struggle.

Given the amount of unjust suffering and unhappiness in the world, I am deeply grateful for, sometimes even perplexed by, how much misery I have been spared.

The greatest reverses of fortune are the most easily borne from a sort of dignity belonging to them.

Living never wore one out so much as the effort not to live.

When I was young I lost everything.

Almost without exception the most beautiful, selfless people I've met are ones who've experienced personal tragedy.

He said, "Don, when something hard happens to you, you have two choices in how to deal with it. You can either get bitter, or better. I chose to get better. It's made all the difference.

Suffering, as absurd as it seemed, pointed to a greater story in which, if one would only construe himself as a character within, he could find fulfillment in his tragic role, knowing the plot was heading toward redemption.

Every conflict, no matter how hard, comes back to bless the protagonist if he will face his fate with courage. There is no conflict man can endure that will not produce a blessing. And I smiled. I'm not saying I was happy, but for some reason I smiled. It hurts now, but I'll love this memory, I thought to myself. And I do.

God allows us to face the tension whether we like it or not.

Our desire to avoid pain motivates us to seek a resolution to our problems.

Love makes us both strong and weak at the same time.