No one ever said that they learned their deepest lessons of life, or had their sweetest encounters with God, on the sunny days. People go deep with God when the drought comes. That is the way God designed it. Christ aims to be magnified in life most clearly by the way we experience him in our losses.

when she was pregnant, so Nan was born in a workhouse. She never talked about it, but it seemed to have left her as someone nothing could faze,

Everything in life happens for a reason and it's important to embrace it.

You work three jobs? Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that. To a divorced mother of three, Omaha, Nebraska, Feb. 4, 2005

Morse conquered his electrical difficulties although he was only a painter, and I don't intend to give in either till all is completed.

Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.

'Tis known by the name of perseverance in a good cause, and of obstinacy in a bad one.

When I lost to Michael Watson, I cried. I thought the world was on my shoulders and I broke down. But I came back because I wanted my titles.

Part of what you learn about life is that a wrecking ball can come out of nowhere, and it isn't just going to take out your left toe. It can hit you right in the middle and take you down.

until they bump into an obstacle that stymies them. If you encounter a problem with no immediate solution, your response to that situation will take you either up or down. You can lash out at the difficulty, resenting it and feeling sorry for yourself. This will take you down into a pit of self-pity. Alternatively, the problem can be a ladder, enabling you to climb up and see your life from My perspective.

When you feel flustered and frazzled on the outside, do not get upset with yourself. You are only human, and the swirl of events going on all around you will sometimes feel overwhelming. Rather than scolding yourself for your humanness, remind yourself that I am both with you and within you.

It is not so much adverse events that make you anxious as it is your thoughts about those events. Your mind engages in efforts to take control of a situation, to bring about the result you desire.