“
We love being mentally strong, but we hate situations that allow us to put our mental strength to good use.
”
”
Mokokoma Mokhonoana
“
Your strength doesn't come from winning. It comes from struggles and hardship. Everything that you go through prepares you for the next level.
”
”
Germany Kent
“
Easily mistaken, it is not about a love for adversity, it is about knowing a strength and a faith so great that adversity, in all its adverse manifestations, hardly even exists.
”
”
Criss Jami (Killosophy)
“
When I think how sometimes people can be brave enough to overcome any fear, any hardship, it gives me a feeling I can hardly describe. To charge right at the things that are painful and difficult, break through to the other side, and take pleasure in that - don't you think that's truly fantastic? The greater the suffering, the greater the joy in overcoming it.
”
”
Genzaburo Yoshino (How Do You Live?)
“
It's going to be hard––everything worth doing is.
”
”
Mindy McGinnis (In a Handful of Dust (Not a Drop to Drink, #2))
“
Through hardship to the stars
”
”
Ruta Sepetys (Salt to the Sea)
“
We have to walk by faith to possess all that is duly ours.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita (Think Great: Be Great! (Beautiful Quotes, #1))
“
Everyone has hardship in their life. Everyone has pain.
”
”
Gayle Forman (Where She Went (If I Stay, #2))
“
We all have problems. Or rather, everyone has at least one thing that they regard as a problem.
”
”
Mokokoma Mokhonoana
“
You don't fight the battles you know you will win, its the ones that everyone says you will lose.
”
”
Chris Burkmenn
“
Accept hardship as a necessary discipline.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita
“
It is never easy to endure pain nor uncomfortable situation. It is seems easy to quit to avoid the pain.If you quit you will suffer later. It is far better to endure the pain now and enjoy later. Life is all about endurance.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita
“
Hardships refine a man to what he ought to be.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita (Pearls of Wisdom: Great mind)
“
The truth of the matter is, Satan and God may want the exact same event to take place - but for different reasons. Satan's motive in Jesus' crucifixion was rebellion; God's motive was love and mercy. Satan was a secondary cause behind the Crucifixion, but it was God who ultimately wanted it, willed it, and allowed Satan to carry it out. And the same holds true for disease.
”
”
Joni Eareckson Tada (A Step Further: growing closer to God through hurt and hardship)
“
While grief is not fun to deal with, it is a valuable tool to bring about amazing change and growth. The key to this deep level of learning is attitude. How will you respond to the pain you’re feeling?
”
”
Diamante Lavendar (Finding Hope in the Darkness of Grief: Spiritual Insights Expressed Through Art, Poetry and Prose)
“
To get over a mountain, you have to climb it.
”
”
Jonathan Tesch
“
Even in hardship, God’s goodness prevails.
”
”
Todd Stocker (REFINED: Turning Pain into Purpose)
“
The willingness to challenge hardships taps the power within human beings to transform even a place of tragedy into a stage for fulfilling one's mission.
”
”
Daisaku Ikeda
“
Before you hate pressure, remind yourself that is where diamonds are made.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
I really do forget about everything. Because that’s what a moment like this does to you. It makes you feel like something so small inside of something so massive that it’s beyond comprehension. It strips away all of your problems, all of your hardships, all of your worldly needs and wants and desires, forcing you to realize just how insignificant all of it really is. It’s like the Earth becomes completely silent and still, and all that your mind can understand or feel is the vastness of the Universe and you gasp thinking about your place within it. Who needs psychiatrists? Who needs grief counselors and life coaches and motivational speakers? Fuck all that. Just stare at the night sky and let yourself get lost in it every now and then.
”
”
J.A. Redmerski (The Edge of Always (The Edge of Never, #2))
“
Hardships occur to build a person’s character.
”
”
Sahara Sanders (Gods’ Food (Indigo Diaries, #1))
“
Some teach you
what can't be taught,
by turning their back
on you & helping
you get internally
closer to everything
you externally
sought.
”
”
Curtis Tyrone Jones
“
Do not run away from your challenges. You must endure and overcome each challenge.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita (Pearls of Wisdom: Great mind)
“
I have seen times of plentiful and times of scarcity.
I enjoy the times of prosperity and endure the times of difficulty.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita (Think Great: Be Great! (Beautiful Quotes, #1))
“
A strong soul recovers from any suffering.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita
“
In this imperfect world, we face unpredictable weather conditions, fluctuating moods, fragile relationships, uncertain job prospects, and an unknown future. There are moments when it may feel like nothing is going our way. Yet, we must never lose sight of hope, for life will always go on.
”
”
Mouloud Benzadi
“
A setback often moves us to a road that is even worse, but leads to an even better destination.
”
”
Mokokoma Mokhonoana
“
Only hardship softens the hardness of the human heart.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita
“
Life is an individual race of endurance.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita (Think Great: Be Great! (Beautiful Quotes, #1))
“
Every hardship has a reason and every deprivation a purpose, if you look through eyes of insight.
”
”
Diamante Lavendar (Finding Hope in the Darkness of Grief: Spiritual Insights Expressed Through Art, Poetry and Prose)
“
Friction is necessary. Ease of life leads to complacency and the atrophy of the human will and spirit. Within our struggles lives our strength, within our trials lives our triumphs. Friction creates a platform for change, generates heat and or fervor and creates a motivational charge that gives us an opportunity to be better. A gem cannot be polished without friction and so neither a person without hardships. Friction within and friction without sharpens our senses and revives our internal resolutions. Friction is uncomfortable, hardships are distressing but both are necessary. We cannot light a match without friction nor can we hone steal. Uncomfortable as it may be, our adversity ultimately lights a fire and sharpens our very will to flourish. Today, let us not be discouraged, let us not be bitter in our suffering rather let us be encouraged as we look to our trials as a medium that will eventually make us better.
”
”
Jason Versey (A Walk with Prudence)
“
No matter who you are, everyone has a shadow; a constant darkness that follows them wherever they go…unless where you go is into the darkness itself, of course, because then you have already been consumed.
”
”
S.R. Crawford (No Secrets: Eternity series)
“
A rainbow earns its colors in the storm.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
We encountered many hardships. With hope, we find the strength to endure.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita
“
One man suffers to save many.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita
“
Sacred joy exists in any suffering.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita
“
Impossible and extremely difficult are as unalike as the desert and the ocean.
”
”
Richelle E. Goodrich (Being Bold: Quotes, Poetry, & Motivations for Every Day of the Year)
“
Take a step back. Life gets distorted when you examine things from too close up.
”
”
Richelle E. Goodrich (Being Bold: Quotes, Poetry, & Motivations for Every Day of the Year)
“
It shouldn't take a life-changing event for you to change your life.
”
”
Shaun Hick
“
Dear Fathers of the Fatherless Children, The Chief Guardian dives deep and pulls strength from all the hardships and struggles that are thrown at her, yet she is blamed for everything that has gone wrong. Not only is she blamed for everything, but she is also always judged by her actions. As she’s being blamed and judged she’s always given a shitty stick and dealt an unfair hand. How is that fair to the Chief Guardian? She is the one who has to carry the load when she doesn’t have any fight left. She is the one who has to figure every burden out, without any help from the fathers of the fatherless children. Yet she finds the courage to figure it out as she keeps pushing and moving on through the pain.
”
”
Charlena E. Jackson (Dear fathers of the fatherless children)
“
I really do forget about everything. Because that's what a moment like this does to you. It makes you feel like something so small inside of something so massive that it's beyond comprehension. It strips away all of your problems, all of your hardships, all of your worldly needs and wants and desires, forcing you to realize just how insignificant all of it really is. It's like the Earth becomes completely silent and still, and all that your mind can understand or feel is the vastness of the universe and you gasp thinking about your place within it.
Who needs psychiatrists? Who needs grief counselors and life coaches and motivational speakers? Fuck all that. Just stare at the night sky and let yourself get lost in it every now and then.
”
”
J.A. Redmerski (The Edge of Always (The Edge of Never, #2))
“
Production is carried on for profit, not for use. There is no provision that all those able and willing to work will always be in a position to find employment; an “army of unemployed” almost always exists. The worker is constantly in fear of losing his job. Since unemployed and poorly paid workers do not provide a profitable market, the production of consumers’ goods is restricted, and great hardship is the consequence. Technological progress frequently results in more unemployment rather than in an easing of the burden of work for all. The profit motive, in conjunction with competition among capitalists, is responsible for an instability in the accumulation and utilization of capital which leads to increasingly severe depressions. Unlimited competition leads to a huge waste of labor, and to that crippling of the social consciousness of individuals which I mentioned before.
”
”
Albert Einstein (Why Socialism?)
“
Our inability to imagine the length of the rest of existence magnifies our problems.
”
”
Mokokoma Mokhonoana
“
Our mortality makes it impossible for our problems to last forever.
”
”
Mokokoma Mokhonoana
“
Endurance is the art of survival.
”
”
Saim .A. Cheeda
“
It is silly to complain about the hardships caused by your endeavour to achieve a goal for which you are willing to die.
”
”
Mokokoma Mokhonoana
“
No one gets a free pass. None of us are guaranteed a perfectly pleasant journey free of hardship, struggle, and pain.
”
”
Ruth Soukup (Do It Scared: Finding the Courage to Face Your Fears, Overcome Adversity, and Create a Life You Love)
“
Nothing Can Beat Hard Work, But Hard Work Itself
”
”
Syed Sharukh
“
Don't get discouraged by present hardships,
They are the reason to your success in future.
"Easy Victory is less valued than a hard one".
”
”
Jiten Bhatt
“
The point is that the degree of hardship when exercising patience from committing sins depends on the strength or weakness of the motives for that sin.
”
”
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (Excellence of Patience & Gratefulness)
“
May find hope you every hardship.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita
“
Without hardships, how could we know hope?
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita
“
We endure hardships by God’s grace.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita (Pearls of Wisdom: Great mind)
“
The rainbow’s colors are hidden in the storm.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
Every seed must rise through dirt to enjoy the sunshine.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
I was eight years old and scared, and had no idea what was going on
”
”
Sarah Todd Hammer
“
Be flexible like trees; when the wind blows bend, but do not break.
”
”
Matshona Dhliwayo
“
Lord gives even more grace, so you can endure the test of time.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita (Think Great: Be Great! (Beautiful Quotes, #1))
“
Thank God who delivered us from harsh labour.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita
“
If they remain with you during a storm, remain with them after the storm.
”
”
Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu
“
Life is as hard as you are determined to make it.
”
”
Richelle E. Goodrich (Being Bold: Quotes, Poetry, & Motivations for Every Day of the Year)
“
Maybe who God wants me to be is the type of person born from sorrows. Maybe a life of hardships is the only way of becoming that remarkable person.
”
”
Richelle E. Goodrich (Being Bold: Quotes, Poetry, & Motivations for Every Day of the Year)
“
Endured pain is a power gained.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita
“
The Sunlight reflects on,
Pieces of clear, green beer glass on sidewalks,
Where I Break-dance on broken promises,
Trying to repair shattered dreams.
”
”
Kevin J. Estes (Love Letters to Reality: The Señor Estes Experience)
“
But the greatest paradox of the sport has to do with the psychological makeup of the people who pull the oars. Great oarsmen and oarswomen are necessarily made of conflicting stuff—of oil and water, fire and earth. On the one hand, they must possess enormous self-confidence, strong egos, and titanic willpower. They must be almost immune to frustration. Nobody who does not believe deeply in himself or herself—in his or her ability to endure hardship and to prevail over adversity—is likely even to attempt something as audacious as competitive rowing at the highest levels. The sport offers so many opportunities for suffering and so few opportunities for glory that only the most tenaciously self-reliant and self-motivated are likely to succeed at it. And yet, at the same time—and this is key—no other sport demands and rewards the complete abandonment of the self the way that rowing does. Great crews may have men or women of exceptional talent or strength; they may have outstanding coxswains or stroke oars or bowmen; but they have no stars. The team effort—the perfectly synchronized flow of muscle, oars, boat, and water; the single, whole, unified, and beautiful symphony that a crew in motion becomes—is all that matters. Not the individual, not the self.
”
”
Daniel James Brown (The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics)
“
Never let critics pour misery into your cup.
Never let doubters place hesitation in your steps.
Never let cheaters plant suspicion in your heart.
Never let bullies provoke fear in your chest.
Never let evil pierce hatred in your soul.
Never let rivals play games in your head.
Never let slackers pull taut on your reins.
Never let hardships put worry in your rest.
”
”
Richelle E. Goodrich (Being Bold: Quotes, Poetry, & Motivations for Every Day of the Year)
“
We complained with angst and anger that it should be easier, forgetting that much of the negative energy that pervades our lives comes from despising the inevitable hardships of change.
”
”
Brendon Burchard (The Motivation Manifesto: 9 Declarations to Claim Your Personal Power)
“
The Christian up to his eyes in trouble can take comfort from the knowledge that in God’s kindly plan it all has a positive purpose, to further his sanctification. In this world, royal children have to undergo extra training and discipline which other children escape, in order to fit them for their high destiny. It is the same with the children of the King of kings. The clue to understanding all his dealings with them is to remember that throughout their lives he is training them for what awaits them, and chiseling them into the image of Christ. Sometimes the chiseling process is painful and the discipline irksome, but then the Scripture reminds us: “The Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons . . . No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Heb 12:6-7,11). Only the person who has grasped this can make sense of Romans 8:28, “All things work together for good to them that love God” (KJV); equally, only he can maintain his assurance of sonship against satanic assault as things go wrong. But he who has mastered the truth of adoption both retains assurance and receives blessing in the day of trouble: this is one aspect of faith’s victory over the world. Meanwhile, however, the point stands that the Christian’s primary motive for holy living is not negative, the hope (vain!) that hereby he may avoid chastening, but positive, the impulse to show his love and gratitude to his adopting God by identifying himself with the Father’s will for him.
”
”
J.I. Packer (Knowing God)
“
And maybe life isn't as hard as it seems to be
Every day could be a mess , but darling, you see
One of the few places you will always find peace
Owes its breeze to the constant chaos in the sea ...
”
”
Sanhita Baruah
“
Your problems are not by any means unique, which is a good thing. This means whatever hardships you are currently facing, you can get a glimpse of the future by going back in time and read how other people survived and thrived during similar difficulties.
”
”
Chris Erzfeld
“
As it was her lot that she had to go through the frustrations, disillusionments, privations, failures, and obstacles on her way to succeed—she will be strong enough to survive them, never giving up.
Hardships occur to build a person’s character.
The world is perfect, with all its imperfections.
”
”
Sahara Sanders (Gods’ Food (Indigo Diaries, #1))
“
Beloved, it is in the triumph over adversity that life reveals its profound fascination, and in the transcendence of its obstacles that we discover its true worth. For it is through the crucible of challenge that we are tempered, and in the overcoming of hardship that we find the essence of our existence.
”
”
Bishop W.F. Houston Jr.
“
Understand that by giving something a name, you own it. I find that by naming it, you give yourself a sense of purpose. Like wanting to become a doctor or lawyer or writer for instance, don’t hide in the shadows and wait for it to happen, because the chances of it spontaneously happening are next to none, trust me. You actually have to put yourself out there and commit to it by giving it a name. And you achieve this by simply saying, I WILL become a ‘this’ or ‘that’ or whatever it is that you want. Because you see, if you own it, nothing anyone can say or do will be able to take it away from you; because YOU gave it a name and thus, it belongs to you.
”
”
Charles Mackriel
“
The hardships of the Civil War were forgotten. But we will never forget that each of us was motivated by the firm belief in the justice of the ideas proclaimed by Lenin’s Party in October 1917. British General Knox wrote to his government at that time that it was possible to crush a million-strong Bolshevik army, but when 150 million Russians did not want the whites, and wanted the Reds, it was futile helping the former.
”
”
Georgi K. Zhukov (Marshal of Victory: The Autobiography of General Georgy Zhukov)
“
From the ashes of failure, sorrow, hardship, and loss, the most exquisite souls arise, their journey marked by empathy and humility. Those who have plumbed the depths of despair and emerged, transformed, possess an ineffable beauty of spirit that cannot be denied. They, tempered by adversity, radiate empathy, humility, and a profound reverence for life, serving as beacons of inspiration to all who behold them. Remember, dear ones, the most exquisite spirits are not born of idyllic circumstances but are forged in the crucible of life's trials.
”
”
Bishop W.F. Houston Jr.
“
Dark feelings churn inside me, weighing my spirit as if gray clouds were emptying their cold, drenching contents into my being. I have endured such a storm for seasons now; it has blurred into years of miserable existence. I wonder a desperate thought: when will the rains cease? For surely they must. And if by some cruel twist of nature a forbidding storm can rage eternal, might an outside gust be powerful enough to blow it all past? Say yes. Oh please, say yes! Blow ferociously! Do not leave me doomed to a life drenched in the darkest feelings.
”
”
Richelle E. Goodrich (Being Bold: Quotes, Poetry, & Motivations for Every Day of the Year)
“
Life is made up of challenges, trials, hardships, and problems. You may hope your trials will be removed if you turn to the Lord, but that is not so. Life was designed as a trial; it cannot be avoided. Nonetheless, divine aid and comfort will come when you pray, have faith, and are obedient to God’s laws. The Lord loves us all. He loves us enough that He allows us agency—the agency to choose how we face our trials, with or without assistance. We choose by either turning to God or turning away from God. Even so, the trials remain ours to face, to experience, and to master.
”
”
Richelle E. Goodrich (Being Bold: Quotes, Poetry, & Motivations for Every Day of the Year)
“
I have talked with many pastors whose real struggle isn’t first with the hardship of ministry, the lack of appreciation and involvement of people, or difficulties with fellow leaders. No, the real struggle they are having, one that is very hard for a pastor to admit, is with God. What is caused to ministry become hard and burdensome is disappointment and anger at God.
We have forgotten that pastoral ministry is war and that you will never live successfully in the pastorate if you live with the peacetime mentality. Permit me to explain. The fundamental battle of pastoral ministry is not with the shifting values of the surrounding culture. It is not the struggle with resistant people who don't seem to esteem the Gospel. It is not the fight for the success of ministries of the church. And is not the constant struggle of resources and personnel to accomplish the mission. No, the war of the pastor is a deeply personal war. It is far on the ground of the pastor’s heart. It is a war values, allegiances, and motivations. It's about the subtle desires and foundational dreams. This war is the greatest threat to every pastor. Yet it is a war that we often naïvely ignore or quickly forget in the busyness of local church ministry.
When you forget the Gospel, you begin to seek from the situations, locations and relationships of ministry what you already have been given in Christ. You begin to look to ministry for identity, security, hope, well-being, meeting, and purpose. These things are already yours in Christ.
In ways of which you are not always aware, your ministry is always shaped by what is in functional control of your heart.
The fact of the matter is that many pastors become awe numb or awe confused, or they get awe kidnapped. Many pastors look at glory and don't seek glory anymore. Many pastors are just cranking out because they don't know what else to do. Many pastors preach a boring, uninspiring gospel that makes you wonder why people aren't sleeping their way through it. Many pastors are better at arguing fine points of doctrine than stimulating divine wonder. Many pastors see more stimulated by the next ministry, vision of the next step in strategic planning than by the stunning glory of the grand intervention of grace into sin broken hearts. The glories of being right, successful, in control, esteemed, and secure often become more influential in the way that ministry is done than the awesome realities of the presence, sovereignty, power, and love of God.
Mediocrity is not a time, personnel, resource, or location problem. Mediocrity is a heart problem. We have lost our commitment to the highest levels of excellence because we have lost our awe.
”
”
Paul David Tripp (Dangerous Calling: Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry)
“
The key trait of a Sperm Pirate is that she is not driven by desperation. Escaping poverty or hardship is not her motive. She usually has a good education and access to the same opportunities as the man she tries to trap. However, she understands that it is more efficient to enjoy a lavish lifestyle through the sweat of another’s labour. But the Sperm Pirate is acutely aware that the infatuation of a hormonal man has a brief shelf life. This poor collateral must be cashed in before it expires. A pregnancy is the best way to convert this volatile resource into a stable asset. Babies are reliable insurance policies. They create legal obligations for financial support, even when the sweet milk of passion turns sour.
”
”
Taona Dumisani Chiveneko (The Hangman's Replacement: Sprout of Disruption)
“
Responsibility;...the importance of habits,...- a willingness to fail, a willingness to begin again - that are essential to resilience...the single most important habit to build if you want to e resilient: the habit of taking responsibility for your life...The more responsibility people take, the more resilient they are likely to be. The less responsibility people take - for their actions, for their lives, for their happiness - the more likely it is that life will crush them. At the root of resilience is the willingness to take responsibility for results...Life is unfair. You are not responsible for everything that happens to you. You are responsible for how you react to everything that happens to you...The first word out of the mouth of the complainer is always "they"...as soon as we say "I am responsible for...", we take control of something...acceptance of responsibility is a powerful cure for pain. Even when seemingly powerless, the resilient person finds a way to grab hold of something - no matter how small at first - to be responsible for...If you take responsibility for anything in your life, know that you'll feel fear. That fear will manifest itself in many ways: fear of embarrassment, fear of failure, fear of hurt...Every worthy challenge will inspire some fear...Fear is a cor emotion. A life without fear is an unhealthy life...Proper fear is part of the package of responsible, adult living...Focus not on wiping out your anxiety, but on directing your anxiety to worthy ends. Focus not on reducing your fear, but on building your courage - because, as you take more and more responsibility for your life, you'll need more and more courage...Fear is a motivator. It can propel you...Fear works. Fear can make human beings do amazing things. Fear can help you to see your world clearly in a way that you never have before. Fear become destructive when it drives us to do things that are unwise or unhelpful. Fear becomes destructive when it begins to cloud our vision. But like most emotions, fear is destructive only when it runs wild. Embrace the fear that comes from accepting responsibility, and use it to propel yourself to become the person you choose to be...Excellence is difficult. An excuse is seductive. It promises to end hardship, failure, and embarrassment. Excellence requires pain. An excuse promises that you'll be pain-free...Excuses protect you, but they exact a heavy cost. You can't live a full life while you wear them...People who think you weak will offer you an excuse. People who respect you will offer you a challenge...All of these injuries have a hard truth in common. In the long term, the obstacle that stands between us and healing is often not the injury we have received, but ourselves: our decision to keep the injury alive and open long after it should have become a hard-won scar. It is not things which trouble us, but the judgments we bring to bear upon things...In truth, it's not the trauma that's most harmful. The harm comes when we make trauma an excuse to avoid the activities, the relationships, and the purpose that are its only lasting cure.
”
”
Eric Greitens (Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life)
“
Do not be harden by hardships.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita
“
Put aside all the things they deem "wrong" and simply write. Conscious writing comes from within, so at the end of the day, its your "word" not theirs.
”
”
P.C. Clotter
“
He who make no enemies makes no difference.
”
”
J. W. Barlament
“
Slowing down our minds helps us to speed up our progress.
”
”
Nancy Capistran (Open Your Eyes and LEAD: Hardship and Wisdom Shape the Best Leaders in Life)
“
The scars of your hardship cant be erased only time will value n your heart will be placed.
”
”
Sangeeta Das
“
The scars of your hardship can't be erased. Only time will value and your heart will be placed.
”
”
Sangeeta Das
“
Having problems is not nearly as tormenting as being had by problems.
”
”
Mokokoma Mokhonoana
“
Only hope can keep a man alive in times of hardship.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita
“
Humble people are respectful and accepting of our imperfect human nature. Many inexplicable components make up the vast sea of humanity. My own psyche contains enigmatic elements. Through conscientious studying other people and examination of my own unfathomable nature, I hope to gain a better understanding of the mystery of existence. There are limitations of human knowledge. We have a rich stable of resources available to us including the opportunity to read great literature, inspirational books, self-help books, scholarly psychology books, and a growing trove of cognitive sciences books devoted to exploring how the human brain works. Despite the illustrious resources that expound upon the desires, motives, and behaviors of the human species, the hardships of life frequently force us to realize we are the principal subject that we must study and understand in order to mend a broken personality. In order revive a deflated psyche and transcend into a better and sunnier version of the self, I need to know myself.
”
”
Kilroy J. Oldster (Dead Toad Scrolls)
“
And you think these collapses are your end
But nebulas collapse to become stars.
”
”
Zubair Ahsan
“
In the end, Vasile knew he couldn’t take any other path. He knew he needed a purpose to his life, one that justified all the hardships he’d endured in the past. Redemption was a strong motive. His talent had propelled him to great heights only to cause him to be cast down. He couldn’t dispose of it. It was part of him. It made him who he was. He too craved salvation.
”
”
Mitchell Hogan (A Crucible of Souls (Sorcery Ascendant Sequence, #1))
“
I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, nor did I have access to information like you do today via the internet. I had to learn everything the hard way. And I had to become a scientist the old-fashioned way, which is, not through academia, but through trial and error. And my hardship opened up unforeseen gateways of perception in my mind. And through these gateways, today the whole world is able to see its inner self.
”
”
Abhijit Naskar (I Am The Thread: My Mission)
“
What can we do in any hardship? We can hope with prayerful praise.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita
“
Endure every hardship as a discipline of grace.
”
”
Lailah Gifty Akita
“
Al-Askarî gives examples of the high esteem shown to scholars and
the important position in society they occupy, often in spite of their
lowly origins which ordinarily would not have allowed them to advance
far beyond their fathers’ menial situations. Much more numerous, and
more interesting, are the anecdotes and remarks on the diffi
culties that
must be overcome on the road to knowledge. He cites the statement
concerning the six qualities needed: a penetrating mind, much time,
ability, hard work, a skilful teacher, and desire (or, in the parlance of
our own time, “motivation,” shahwah). On his own, he adds the very
elementary need for “nature,” that is, an inherited physical endowment,
such as Muslim philologians of al-Askarî’s type always claimed as
essential for their intellectual pursuits. The search for knowledge must be
unselfi
sh. As the author repeats over and over again, it is a never ending
process. Persistent study sharpens the natural faculties. The hunger for
knowledge is never stilled, as proclaimed by traditions ascribed to the
Prophet. Stationariness means ultimate failure, according to the widely
quoted saying that “man does not cease knowing as long as he studies,
but once he gives up studying, he is the most ignorant of men.”
Constant travel in search of knowledge and regular attendance at the
teacher’s lectures are mandatory. The prospect of learning something
not known before should make a man forget his home and his family
and endure all possible hardships, as illustrated by an anecdote about
al-Asmaî. Scholars refrain at times from certain foods as too luxurious
or as harmful to the powers of memory. They study all night long.
”
”
Franz Rosenthal (Knowledge Triumphant: The Concept of Knowledge in Medieval Islam (Brill Classics in Islam))
“
You have to get real about what you want, and decide if you’re actually motivated to change. Because sometimes we don’t want things to improve. We just want to wallow. We want to talk about how awful and difficult things are, and have others commiserate and admire us for all the hardship we manage to endure.
”
”
Angela Watson (Fewer Things, Better: The Courage to Focus on What Matters Most)
“
Nothing in life is a problem, everything is a possibility
”
”
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
“
Difficulty is the foundation of growth, which is the foundation of greatness.
”
”
@Mokokoma Mokhonoana
“
I don’t know if I should think of such occurrences as luck, chance, or opportunism. In a way they are examples of what I have always tried to do: take something negative or unexpected and turn it around so it might resemble a possibility. Anything that goes wrong might be also a chance for something nice to happen. At the very least it is unexpected, and therefore can shift us, even slightly, out of our routines and routine ways of thinking. I’m not sure I exactly like what I’m writing here. It feels to me too much like a motivational speech, an inspirational message, all that bullshit that can so easily devolve into capitalism insisting the individual must make the best of each and every situation, whatever hardships arise along the way. But if there’s anything I still like about performance, it’s that the unexpected might happen at any time, live in front of an audience or at any point during the process. It is a place where surprises can most productively occur, and it is still somewhat shocking to me that most shows are set up to ensure they so rarely do.
”
”
Jacob Wren (Authenticity is a Feeling: My Life in PME-ART)
“
I generally prefer the word “compassion” to care or empathy. For me, compassion is a developed moral capability, whereas care or empathy are closer to the natural capacities that make compassion possible. Humans, and many other animals, naturally have empathy for the suffering of others. Compassion, on the other hand, is a cultivated aspiration to benefit other beings. “I use the word “compassion” in the way that the Dalai Lama articulates it in his recent book, Beyond Religion: “… although compassion arises from empathy, the two are not the same. Empathy is characterized by a kind of emotional resonance—feeling with the other person. Compassion, in contrast, is not just sharing experience with others, but also wishing to see them relieved of their suffering. Being compassionate does not mean remaining entirely at the level of feeling, which could be quite draining. After all, compassionate doctors would not be very effective if they were always preoccupied with sharing their patients’ pain. Compassion means wanting to do something to relieve the hardships of others, and this desire to help, far from dragging us further into suffering ourselves, actually gives us energy and a sense of purpose and direction. When we act upon this motivation, both we and those around us benefit still more. (2011, 55)”
(Compassion and being human: Deane Curtin)
”
”
Carol J. Adams (Ecofeminism: Feminist Intersections with Other Animals and the Earth)