Difficulty, my brethren, is the nurse of greatness a harsh nurse, who roughly rocks her foster children into strength and athletic proportion. William Cullen Bryant
A diamond cannot be polished without friction, nor the man perfected without trials. Chinese Proverb
Adversity breaks the inferior man's will but only bends the superior man's spirit. Outward influence is denied the great man, who accordingly uses words sparingly but retains his central position. I Ching
The actual tragedies of life bear no relation to one's preconceived ideas. In the event, one is always bewildered by their simplicity, their grandeur of design, and by that element of the bizzare which seems inherent in them. Jean Cocteau
The best way out of a difficulty is through it. Anon.
Strong men greet war, tempest, hard times. They wish, as Pindar said, to tread the floors of hell, with necessities as hard as iron. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Bad times have a scientific value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss. Ralph Waldo Emerson
To accuse others for one's own misfortunes is a sign of want of education. To accuse oneself shows that one's education has begun. To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one's education is complete. Epictetus
Common and vulgar people ascribe all ills that they feel to others; people of little wisdom ascribe to themselves; people of much wisdom, to no one. Epictetus
The misfortune of the wise is better than the prosperity of the fool. Epicurus
In misfortune, what friend remains a friend? Euripides
Ignorance of one's misfortunes is clear gain. Euripides
Human misery must somewhere have a stop: there is no wind that always blows a storm. Euripides
A time of disarray is also a moment of opportunity. Frederick Ferre
Aromatic plants bestow no spicy fragrance while they grow; but crush'd or trodden to the ground, diffuse their balmy sweets around. Oliver Goldsmith
Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity is a greater. Possession pampers the mind; privation trains and strengthens it. William Hazlitt