"It is a quiet truth that the stoutest timber is forged in the fiercest gales, not in the sheltered grove — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"Mom was 50 when my Dad died. She got on a bus every weekday for years, and rode 40 miles each morning to Madison. She earned a new degree and learned new skills to start her small business. It wasn't just a new livelihood. It was a new life."

"The foundation of joy is the greatest battles are fought within."

"It is a quiet truth that the river of time washes away kings and empires, leaving only virtue intact."

"But time strips our illusions of their hue, And one by one in turn, some grand mistake Casts off its bright skin yearly like the snake."

"A whole lot of us believers, of all different religions, are ready to turn back the tide of madness by walking together, in both the dark and the light - in other words, through life - registering voters as we go, and keeping the faith."

"To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless."

"Strive today so that tomorrow may stand upon solid ground. Remember this in moments of decisive trial."