Life is not something to be lived through: it is something to be lived up to. It is a privilege, not a penal servitude of so many decades on earth.
William George JordanRead
Plants grow most in the darkest hours preceding dawn; so do human souls. Nature always pays for a brave fight. Sometimes she pays in strengthened moral muscle, sometimes in deepened spiritual insight, sometimes in a broadening, mellowing, sweetening of the fibres of character,—but she always pays.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Growth often occurs in the most challenging times, leading to personal strength and insight.
This quote emphasizes that just as plants tend to grow in the darkness before dawn, human beings also develop and strengthen their character during difficult times. These struggles can lead to moral strength, spiritual understanding, and a more compassionate nature, suggesting that adversity, while challenging, has the potential to foster significant personal growth and resilience.
Themes
GrowthCharacterAdversityStrengthInsight
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a motivational speech to encourage resilience in the face of challenges.
More from William George Jordan
All quotes →Self-confidence without self-reliance is as useless as a cooking recipe without food. Self-confidence sees the possibilities of the individual; self-reliance realizes them. Self-confidence sees the angel in the unhewn block of marble; self-reliance carves it out for oneself.
William George JordanRead
Love, in the divine alchemy of life, transmutes all duties into privileges, all responsibilities into joys.
William George JordanRead
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