Do not be afraid of defeat. You are never so near to victory as when defeated in a good cause.

It is defeat that turns bone to flint; it is defeat that turns gristle to muscle; it is defeat that makes men invincible.

Human misery must somewhere have a stop; there is no wind that always blows a storm.

Patience and fortitude conquer all things.

No great thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.

The English nation is never so great as in adversity.

On the occasion of every accident that befalls you ... inquire what power you have for turning it to use.

All that is necessary is to accept the impossible, do without the indispensable, and bear the intolerable.

Turn your stumbling blocks into stepping stones.

A mistake is not a failure, but evidence that someone tried to do something.

As to the aridity you are suffering from, it seems to me our Lord is treating you like someone He considers strong: He wants to test you and see if you love Him as much at times of aridity as when He sends you consolations. I think this is a very great favor for God to show you.

Hope is necessary in every condition. The miseries of poverty, sickness and captivity would, without this comfort, be insupportable.