Adversity is the first path to truth. — Lord Byron
Fire tests gold, suffering tests brave men. — Seneca the Younger
Trouble is only opportunity in work clothes. — Henry J. Kaiser
Many of our problems are blessings in disguise. — O. Leslie Stone
More dangers have deceived men than forced them. — Francis Bacon
There is hardship in everything except eating pancakes. — Charles Spurgeon
If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it. — Lucy Larcom
Abuse a man unjustly, and you will make friends for him. — E. W. Howe
If you shut your door to all errors truth will be shut out. — Rabindranath Tagore
Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with. — Thomas Carlyle
The greatest difficulties lie where we are not looking for them. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Adversity is just change that we haven’t adapted ourselves to yet. — Aimee Mullins
In time of difficulties, we must not lose sight of our achievements. — Mao Zedong
Avoiding problems you need to face is avoiding the life you need to live. — Paulo Coelho
Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful. — Zig Ziglar
Don’t murmur and rebel in your hour of adversity. Trust in God in every trial. — T. B. Joshua
Never befriend the oppressed unless you are prepared to take on the oppressor. — Ogden Nash
When you’re feeling your worst, that’s when you get to know yourself the best. — Leslie Grossman
It’s not easy taking my problems one at a time when they refuse to get in line. — Ashleigh Brilliant
One often learns more from ten days of agony than from ten years of contentment. — Merle Shain
We become wiser by adversity; prosperity destroys our appreciation of the right. — Seneca the Younger
When adversities flow, then love ebbs; but friendship standeth stiffly in storms. — John Lyly
There’s nothing wrong with you that a little Prozac and a polo mallet can’t cure. — Woody Allen
Life, in all its uniqueness, would not be life without the negatives and the positives. — Jim Rohn
Men succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparation for their victories. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Every successful person has faced, attacked, and conquered adversity somewhere along the way. — David Cottrell
Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open. — Alexander Graham Bell
Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict. — William Ellery Channing
Adversity is the source of our deepest growth and greatest blessings; embrace it, dare to seek it. — Aron Ralston
Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune. — William James
Too many parents make life hard for their children by trying, too zealously, to make it easy for them. — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
To endure is the first thing that a child ought to learn, and that which he will have the most need to know. — Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave. — Rainer Maria Rilke
Many times I had to dig deep and perform. All of that adversity helped me and drove me to want to be the best. — Hayley Wickenheiser
Adversity is another way to measure the greatness of individuals. I never had a crisis that didn’t make me stronger. — Lou Holtz
The pressure of adversity does not affect the mind of the brave man. It is more powerful than external circumstances. — Seneca the Younger
A generous and noble spirit cannot be expected to dwell in the breasts of men who are struggling for their daily bread. — Dionysius of Halicarnassus
A real friend will not visit you in prosperity unless he is invited, but when you are in adversity he will call without invitation. — Herbert V. Prochnow
Let us learn to appreciate there will be times when the trees will be bare, and look forward to the time when we may pick the fruit. — Anton Chekhov
Every failure, every adversity, every heartache may be a blessing in disguise providing it softens the animal portion of our nature. — Napoleon Hill
It is courage, courage, courage, that raises the blood of life to crimson splendor. Live bravely and present a brave front to adversity — Horace
The only use of an obstacle is to be overcome. All that an obstacle does with brave men is, not to frighten them, but to challenge them. — Woodrow Wilson
A man of character finds a special attractiveness in difficulty, since it is only by coming to grips with difficulty that he can realize his potentialities. — Charles de Gaulle
Some minds seem almost to create themselves, springing up under every disadvantage and working their solitary but irresistible way through a thousand obstacles. — Washington Irving
Life is thickly sown with thorns. I know no other remedy than to pass rapidly over them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes the greater is their power to harm us. — Voltaire
Once we had become locked in on a schedule, he (Coach Denny Green) often created a disruption (artificial adversity) to that schedule just to see how guys would respond. — Tony Dungy
“In adversity it is easy to despise life; he is truly brave who can endure a wretched life.
[Lat., Rebus in angustis facile est contemnere vitam;
Fortiter ille facit qui miser esse potest.]” — Martial
I could not help reflecting that the bullet which had struck the chestnut [horse] had certainly passed within a foot of my head. So at any rate I had been ‘under fire.’ That was something. — Winston Churchill
There is in every true woman’s heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity, but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity. — Washington Irving
Cows run away from the storm while the buffalo charges toward it – and gets through it quicker. Whenever I’m confronted with a tough challenge, I do not prolong the torment, I become the buffalo. — Wilma Mankiller
In life, you may face hard times. But in the face of adversity, always seek to remain positive. What we think, will eventually become our life. And if you think positive, you will have a positive life. — Sarah Wilson
Ji-li’s deeply moving story should be on the shelf of every person’s library. Her courage in the face of adversity and her steadfast loyalty and love for her family are truly inspirational for young and old alike. — Nien Cheng
Here life itself, life at its best and healthiest, awaits the caprice of the bullet. Let us see the development of the day. All else may stand over, perhaps for ever. Existence is never so sweet as when it is at hazard. — Winston Churchill
So use prosperity, that adversity may not abuse thee: if in the one, security admits no fears, in the other, despair will afford no hopes; he that in prosperity can foretell a danger can in adversity foresee deliverance. — Francis Quarles
I feel it’s okay to get angry with God. He can take it. Just don’t stay angry. It takes courage to believe that the best is yet to come. I hold steadfast to that belief, especially when I come face-to-face with adversity. — Robin Roberts
True loyalty is that quality of service that grows under adversity and expands in defeat. Any street urchin can shout applause in victory, but it takes character to stand fast in defeat. One is noise – the other, loyalty. — Fielding H. Yost
If we are right with the Lord, then, as we face adversity, we can be assured that we will be blessed with faith, strength, wisdom and help from others, not only to overcome, but to learn and to grow from those experiences. — Ronald E. Poelman
The pressure of adversity is the most powerful sustainer of accountability. It’s as though everything you do is multiplied by 50 in order to surpass those with a head-start. I was never capable of slacking when at the threshold of failure. — Criss Jami
Man learns through experience, and the spiritual path is full of different kinds of experiences. He will encounter many difficulties and obstacles, and they are the very experiences he needs to encourage and complete the cleansing process. — Sai Baba
We become wiser by adversity; prosperity destroys our appreciation of the right.” “True happiness is … to enjoy the present” “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult. — Seneca the Younger
It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement. Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs, therefore avoid undue elation in prosperity or undue depression in adversity. — Isocrates
Building discipline, earning respect and overcoming adversity are all parts of a winning game plan. If you don’t have a game plan, where are you going? When I’m talking about a game plan, I’m talking about how you go about being the best player you can be and how you go about being successful in life. — Walt Frazier
For most of the universe’s life is not all gummy wads and tarty tarts; is a struggle against hardship, unfairness, corruption, abuse, and adversity in all its guises, where even to survive – let alone survive with dignity – is heroic. To soldier through the days in the wake of failure is the courageous act of many. — Frank Beddor
The human spirit is as expansive as the cosmos. This is why it is so tragic to belittle yourself or to question your worth. No matter what happens, continue to push back the boundaries of your inner life. The confidence to prevail over any problem, the strength to overcome adversity and unbounded hope — all reside within you. — Daisaku Ikeda
I would want people to take away this idea that sometimes people’s problems or neuroses are really the things that are kind of a blessing in disguise, and even though there’s sometimes pain associated with these things that sometimes in the face of adversity with obstacles to overcome, people can really kind of soar and find their higher selves. — Tony Shalhoub
Life isn’t always easy and we are never guaranteed that things will always go smoothly…It progresses with an almost constant series of challenges, but these obstacles are just detours that we have to take in order to meet our ultimate goals. No matter what sort of adversity or challenge you might face, you can always believe that, with hope, it can be conquered and, in the end, you will be stronger for it. — Brooke Ellison
I’ve learned a lot this year.. I learned that things don’t always turn our the way you planned, or the way you think they should. And I’ve learned that there are things that go wrong that don’t always get fixed or get put back together the way they were before. I’ve learned that some broken things stay broken, and I’ve learned that you can get through bad times and keep looking for better ones, as long as you have people who love you. — Jennifer Weiner
In the midst of global crises such as pollution, wars and famine, kindness may be too easily dismissed as a ‘soft’ issue, or a luxury to be addressed after the urgent problems are solved. But kindness is the greatest need in all those areas – kindness toward the environment, toward other nations, toward the needs of people who are suffering. Until we reflect basic kindness in everything we do, our political gestures will be fleeting and fragile. — Bo Lozoff
A person can learn a lot from a dog, even a loopy one like ours. Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart. He taught me to appreciate the simple things-a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in a shaft of winter sunlight. And as he grew old and achy, he taught me about optimism in the face of adversity. Mostly, he taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty. — John Grogan
Like all the other arrivals to the tournament, Hank had erected a banner in front. It was a long, tapering pennant with a blue and red circular design in the center and the words GO CUBS! on both sides. Interesting,” said Hugo. “What does it mean?” It was a gift from Sam,” Hank explained as they entered the tent. “He said it used to represent Triumph over Adversity, but now better represents Impossible Quests and Lost Causes.” I think I preferred not knowing that,” said Hugo. Hank grinned. “You’re a Sox fan too, hey? — James A. Owen
It’s as if your kind needs adversity in order to achieve. (Leta) No, we don’t. That’s just a lie people tell themselves to feel better about all the people who kick them in their teeth when it’s just as easy to help a man up as it is to knock him to the ground. That’s why I’ve withdrawn from this world. I don’t want to have to watch my back all the time and I’m tired of trying to figure out if the loyalty someone professes is real and true, or just another lie that will crumble the instant they taste jealousy. (Aiden) — Sherrilyn Kenyon
If you reflect on your life, you may recall times when you couldn’t see the value of some person and were tempted to brush him or her off. It takes hindsight to recognize that the very situation you may have seen as an irritating bother turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Wouldn’t life be a much more enjoyable and meaningful experience if we decided to look at the difficult people and irritating situations as blessings in disguise? If we look deeply enough, we might see how these experiences as situations that motivate us to grow and change for the better. — John Templeton
