51.1 - CHARACTER BUILT BY FIRE

“Your body is like the glass surrounding a lamp. Remember always, that you are not that lamp, but instead that flame burning bright inside.” – David Scott

“Courage. Kindness. Friendship. Character. These are the qualities that define us as human beings, and propel us, on occasion, to greatness.” - R.J. Palacio, Wonder

Character is not a virtue we are not born with. Character does not develop in the protected safety of the uterus, or a cocoon. Character is forged by the fire of challenges we face in life and overcome. The battle scars of character, should be honored, for they made us who we are.” – David Scott

“Sometimes you don’t realize your own strength until you come face to face with your greatest weakness.” - Susan Gale

“We must take care to live not merely a long life, but a full one; for living a long life requires only good fortune, but living a full life requires character." - Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Roman playwright (B.C. 4 - A.D. 65)

“When written in Chinese the word “crisis” is composed of two characters – one represents danger and the other represents opportunity.” - John F. Kennedy

“Yoga is a dance between control and surrender – between pushing and letting go – and when to push and to let go becomes part of the creative process, part of the open-ended exploration of your well-being.” –Joel Kramer

"There is nothing else in the world that can trouble you as much as your own thoughts. There is no greater wealth in this world than peace of mind. Let go of the thoughts that don't make you strong"

"There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path. You cannot travel on the path until you become the path itself." - Buddha

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved” – Hellen Keller

"Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it." - Dalai Lama, Tibetan religious leader (1935- )

“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” – Albert Einstein

When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves. William Arthur Ward

“We are healed from suffering only by experiencing it, in all of its furry.” David Scott

“Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power.” - Lao Tzu

Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go. Hermann Hesse

“Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go.” - Hermann Hesse

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” - Edmund Hillary

“The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.” – Confucius

"Forgiving someone may cost you your pride, but in not forgiving them it will cost you your freedom."

“There is tremendous value in hitting rock bottom.”

"Kindness is having the ability to speak with love, listen with patience, touch with gentle kindness and act with compassion." David Scott

“A clay pot sitting in the sun will always remain just a clay pot. It has to go through the white heat of the furnace to become porcelain.” - Mildred W. Struven

“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, and the black, curious eyes of a child— our own two eyes. All is a miracle.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” - Dale Carnegie

“Whatever you are physically...male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy--all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things, they are the glass that contains the lamp, but you are the light inside.” - Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel

“Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Focus on your character, not your reputation. Focus on your blessings, not your misfortunes.” -Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart