Wisdom for the Soul

ADVERSITY

Perils and misfortunes, and want, and pain, and injury, are more or less the certain lot of every man that cometh into the world. It behooveth thee, therefore, O child of calamity, early to fortify thy mind with courage and patience, that thou mayest support, with a becoming resolution, thy allotted portion of human evil.
Akhenaton
c. 1385-c. 1355 BCE, Khemetic Pharoah

Even loss and betrayal can bring us awakening.
Buddha
c. 563-483 BCE, Indian Prince, Mystic, Founder of Buddhism

The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.
Kongfuzi
c. 551-c. 479 BCE, Chinese Philosopher, Educator

Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.
Seneca
c. 4 BCE-65 CE, Spanish-Roman Philosopher, Poet, Dramatist, Essayist, Rhetorician, Statesman

Fire is the test of gold, adversity of strong men.
Seneca
On Providence

The road to triumph is built by adversity.
Ovid
c. 43 BCE-17 CE, Roman Poet

Adversity reveals genius; prosperity conceals it.
Horace
65-8 BCE, Roman Poet, Satirist

Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant.
Horace

When your inner spirit is in harmony with Nature it can adapt easily to all events and possibilities. For this spirit does not need any special matter or substance to function, but works on what ever obstacles are put in its way. We can compare it to a bonfire that consumes whatever is thrown in it: if the fire is feeble it can be extinguished, but a strong blaze feeds on everything, and its flames grow ever higher.
Marcus Aurelius
121-180, Roman Emperor, Stoic Philosopher
The Spiritual Teachings of Marcus Aurelius , Mark Forstater, tr., 2000

But gentle flames are not enough for iron;
it eagerly draws to itself the fiery dragon's breath.
That iron is the dervish who bears hardship:
under the hammer and fire, he happily glows red.
Rumi
1207-1273, Afghani-Turkish Sufi Mystic, Poet
"The Fire the Dervish Needs," Mathnawi II, 829-30
The Pocket Rumi Reader , Kabir Helminski, ed., 2001

Endure rough surfaces that smooth you.
Rumi
"The Lost Camel," This Longing: Poetry, Teaching Stories, and Letters of Rumi , Coleman Barks and John Moyne, trs.

How much strength each man has is best proved by occasions of adversity.
Thomas à Kempis
c. 1380-1471, Dutch Theologian, Monk

The vagaries of life
though painful,
teach us not to cling
to this fleeting world.
Ikkyu Sojun
1394-1481, Japanese Zen Master, Poet

Ezikubingire nizo zikworeka omuhanda.
The troubles that chase you away also show the road.
Kigezi (Southwest Uganda) Saying
in Black Woman's Gumbo Ya-Ya , Terri L. Jewell, ed., 1993

In the hour of adversity be not without hope,
For crystal rain falls from black clouds.
Nizami Ganjavi
1141-c. 1209, Azeri Poet, Philosopher

What the ego considers to be a devastating hurricane is, as far as the universe is concerned, a perfectly natural event, a link in the endless chain of cause and effect. The universe, having no ego, continues its existence without rendering judgments about hurricanes or ocean breezes. When we are empty of ego we, too, can carry on in calm acceptance of life's varying events.
Hanshan Deqing
1546-1623, Chinese Chan Master, Scholar, Poet
Journey to Dreamland , Jy Din Shakya, tr., 1998

Sweet are the uses of adversity,
Which like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;
And this our life, exempt from public haunt,
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in the stones, and good in every thing.
William Shakespeare
1564-1616, English Poet, Dramatist, Actor
As You Like It

Let me embrace thee, sour adversity,
For wise men say it is the wisest course.
Shakespeare
Henry VI

When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time.
Francis de Sales
1567-1622, French Prelate, Patron Saint of Writers
Spiritual Meditations

He knows not his own strength that hath not met adversity.
Ben Jonson
1572-1637, English Dramatist, Poet, Critic

Our real blessings often appear to us in the shapes of pains, losses and disappointments; but let us have patience, and we soon shall see them in their proper figures.
Joseph Addison
1672-1719, English Essayist, Poet, Dramatist, Statesman

Those things that hurt instruct.
Benjamin Franklin
1706-1790, American Statesman, Scientist, Inventor, Writer

Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity a greater.
William Hazlitt
1778-1830, English Writer, Critic

Providence has hidden a charm in difficult undertakings which is appreciated only by those who dare to grapple with them.
Madame Swetchine
1782-1857, Russian Writer
The Writings of Madame Swetchine

Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune, but great minds rise above them.
Washington Irving
1783-1859, American Writer, Diplomat

Whenever evil befalls us, we ought to ask ourselves, after the first suffering, how we can turn it into good. So shall we take occasion, from one bitter root, to raise perhaps many flowers.
Leigh Hunt
1784-1859, English Writer, Poet, Literary Editor

Adversity is the first path to truth.
Lord Byron
1788-1824, English Poet, Satirist
"Don Juan"

Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict.
William Ellery Channing
1789-1842, American Cleric

There is no education like adversity.
Benjamin Disraeli
1804-1881, English Statesman, Prime Minister, Writer

Thy fate is the common fate of all;
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
1807-1882, American Poet, Writer
"The Rainy Day"

That which caused us trial shall yield us triumph; and that which made our heart ache shall fill us with gladness. The only true happiness is to learn, to advance, and to improve; which could not happen unless we had commenced with error, ignorance, and imperfection. We must pass through darkness, to reach light.
Albert Pike
1809-1891, American Lawyer, Militarist, Writer

Adversity draws men together and produces beauty and harmony in life's relationships, just as the cold of winter produces ice-flowers on the window-panes, which vanish with the warmth.
Soren Kierkegaard
1813-1855, Danish Philosopher, Theologian

Conquering any difficulty always gives one a secret joy, for it means pushing back a boundary-line and adding to one's liberty.
Henri-Frederic Amiel
1821-1881, Swiss Philosopher, Writer
The Private Journal of Henri-Frederic Amiel

Di aia mongki claim di muo ihn aas expuoz.
The higher the monkey climbs the more his arse is exposed.
Jamaican Saying

The more thou dost advance, the more thy feet pitfalls will meet.
Helen Blavatsky
1831-1891, Russian Writer, Translator, Co-Founder of Theosophy
in Wisdom of the Ages at Your Fingertips , 1995

To young and old, then, the same advice must be given: Turn every trial to account, however trifling in its character, to make of it as a polishing instrument that will change the roughest stone into the jeweler's prize.
Rachel Simon
19th Century British Jewish Diarist
in Four Centuries of Jewish Women's Spirituality , Ellen M. Umansky & Dianne Ashton, eds., 1992

Wa no kil fatn.
What does not kill fattens.
Jamaican Saying

Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich starker.
That which does not kill me makes me stronger.
Friedrich Nietzsche
1844-1900, German Philosopher, Critic, Poet
Twilight of the Idols , 1889

Difficulties exist only that in overcoming them we may grow strong, and they only who have suffered are able to save.
Annie Besant
1847-1933, British Social Reformer, Theosophist
Some Difficulties of the Inner Life

Difficulties come. But they do not last forever. You will see that they pass away like water under a bridge.
'Holy Mother' Sri Saradamani Devi
1853-1920, Indian Guru

The ability to thrive and live under adverse circumstances is the surest guaranty of the future.
Charles Chestnutt
1858-1932, African-American Writer
The Marrow of Tradition

Fly from evil and terror and misery, and they will follow you. Face them, and they will flee.
Vivekananda
1863-1902, Indian Guru
The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, 1984-1987 , 1:339

Face adversity promptly and without flinching, and you will reduce its impact.
Winston Churchill
1874-1965, English Prime Minister, Historian, 1953 Nobel Laureate

Be of good courage, all is before you, and time passed in the difficult is never lost � What is required of us is that we love the difficult and learn to deal with it. In the difficult are the friendly forces, the hands that work on us.
Rainier Maria Rilke
1875-1926, Czech-Austrian Poet
Letters of Rainer Maria Rilke 1892-1910

I would never have amounted to anything were it not for adversity. I was forced to come up the hard way.
J. C. Penney
1875-1971, American Entrepreneur

I am grateful for all my problems. After each one was overcome, I became stronger and more able to meet those that were still to come. I grew in all my difficulties.
Penney

Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
Albert Einstein
1879-1955, German/American Mathematical Physicist, 1921 Nobel Laureate

Difficulties meet us at every turn. They are the accompaniment of life. They result from combinations of character and individual idiosyncracies.
Helen Keller
1880-1968, American Writer, Educator

We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world.
Keller

Problems are only opportunities in work clothes.
Henry Kaiser
1882-1967, American Industrialist

Be grateful even for hardship, setbacks, and bad people. Dealing with such obstacles is an essential part of training in the Art of Peace.
Morihei Ueshiba
1883-1969, Japanese Martial Artist, Founder of Aikido
The Art of Peace , John Stevens, tr., 1992

There are two ways of meeting difficulties: You alter the difficulties or you alter yourself to meet them.
Phyllis Bottome
1884-1963, British Writer

Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever.
Isak Dinesen
1885-1962, Danish/South African Writer

We learn as much from sorrow as from joy, as much from illness as from health, from handicap as from advantage – and indeed perhaps more.
Pearl S. Buck
1892-1973, American Writer, Dramatist, 1938 Nobel Laureate

Do not take life's experiences too seriously. Above all, do not let them hurt you, for in reality they are nothing but dream experiences � If circumstances are bad and you have to bear them, do not make them a part of yourself. Play your part in life, but never forget that it is only a role.
Paramahansa Yogananda
1893-1952, Indian Guru
Par-a-gram , 1993

The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.
Ernest Hemingway
1899-1961, American Writer, 1954 Nobel Laureate

A problem is a chance for you to do your best.
Duke Ellington
1899-1974, African American Jazz Composer, Musician

We are built to conquer environment, solve problems, achieve goals, and we find no real satisfaction or happiness in life without obstacles to conquer and goals to achieve.
Maxwell Maltz
1899-1975, American Writer
Psycho-Cybernetics , 1960

Crisis is an attempt of nature, of the natural, cosmic lawfulness of the universe, to effect change � It tears down and breaks up, which is momentarily painful, but transformation is unthinkable without it.
Eva Pierrakos
1915-1979, Austrian/American Channel
"The Spiritual Meaning of Crisis"

Those issues that you face are not fixed in time and space; they are relative to your particular viewpoint and subject to constant change. In fact, much of the pain caused by our problems stems in part from our own unchanging biases in terms of how we interpret our personal difficulties to ourselves.
Vilayat Khan
1916-, Indian/British Sufi Master, Writer
Awakening: A Sufi Experience , 1999

When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters – one represents danger and the other represents opportunity.
John F. Kennedy
1917-1963, 35th US President

A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him.
Sidney Greenberg
1917-, American Rabbi, Writer

Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life and repeat to yourself the most comforting words of all: This too, shall pass.
Ann Landers
1918-2002, American Advice Columnist

If you want a place in the sun, you've got to expect a few blisters.
Abigail van Buren
1918-, American Advice Columnist

Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.
William Arthur Ward
1921-, American Writer

Remind thyself, in the darkest moments, that every failure is only a step toward success, every detection of what is false directs you toward what is true, every trial exhausts some tempting form of error, and every adversity will only hide, for a time, your path to peace and fulfillment.
Og Mandino
1923-1996, American Writer, Motivational Speaker

Tough times never last, but tough people do!
Robert H. Schuller
1926-, American Cleric, Writer

Should you shield the canyons from the windstorms, you would never see the beauty of their carvings.
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
1926-, Swiss/American Psychiatrist, Thanatologist

People are like stained glass windows; they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within.
Kübler-Ross

If life teaches us anything, it may be that it's necessary to suffer some defeats. Look at a diamond: It is the result of extreme pressure. Less pressure, it is crystal; less than that it is coal; and less than that, it is fossilized leaves or just plain dirt.
Maya Angelou
1928-, African-American Writer, Poet, Dramatist

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
1929-1968, African-American Civil Rights Leader, Cleric, 1964 Nobel Laureate
Strength to Love , 1963

The way we see the problem is the problem.
Stephen Covey
1932-, American Management Educator, Writer
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People , 1989

It's not what happens to us, but our response to what happens to us that hurts us. Of course, things can hurt us physically or economically and can cause sorrow. But our character, our basic identity, does not have to be hurt at all. In fact, our most difficult experiences become the crucibles that forge our character and develop the internal powers, the freedom to handle difficult circumstances in the future and to inspire others to do so as well.
Ibid.

Diseases can be our spiritual flat tires - disruptions in our lives that seem to be disasters at the time but end by redirecting our lives in a meaningful way.
Bernie Siegel
1932-, American Physician, Writer

I have always grown from my problems and challenges, from the things that don't work out – that's when I've really learned.
Carol Burnett
1933-, American Entertainer

Many lives are disrupted by tragic accidents, and even the most fortunate are subjected to stresses of various kinds. Yet such blows do not necessarily diminish happiness. It is how people respond to stress that determines whether they will profit from misfortune or be miserable.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
1934-, Italian/American Scholar, Educator
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience , 1990

Every problem has a gift for you in its hands.
Richard Bach
1936-, American Writer

Problems are the cutting edge that distinguishes between success and failure. Problems call forth our courage and our wisdom; indeed, they create our courage and our wisdom. It is only because of our problems that we grow mentally and spiritually. When we desire to encourage the growth of the human spirit, we challenge and encourage the human capacity to solve problems, just as in school we deliberately set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of confronting problems that we learn.
M. Scott Peck
1936-, American Psychiatrist, Writer
The Road Less Travelled , 1978

Wise people learn not to dread but actually to welcome problems because it is in this whole process of meeting and solving problems that life has its meaning.
Ibid.

The healthy life is hardly one marked by an absence of crises. In fact, an individual's psychological health is distinguished by how early he or she can meet crisis.
Peck
The Different Drum

When you are in adversity for conscience's sake, you are not alone.
Peter John Gomes
1942-, African American Cleric

Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyse you. They're supposed to help you discover who you are.
Bernice Johnson Reagon
1942-, African-American Singer, Activist

The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.
Dolly Parton
1946-, American Singer

In every crisis there is a message. Crises are nature's way of forcing change – breaking down old structures, shaking loose negative habits so that something new and better can take their place.
Susan Taylor
1946-, African-American Editor, Writer

It's the irritations of life which create pearls.
Larry Chang
1949-, Chinese-Jamaican Artist, Writer, Activist

Under the pressure of trial and responsibility we are often stronger than where there is no pressure. Many a man will acknowledge that in difficulty he has surprised himself by a resource and coolness which he never suspected before.
Mark Rutherford
1959-, American Lawyer
The Deliverance of Mark Rutherford

The brook would lose its song if we removed the rocks.
- Anonymous

Sometimes when the world is dark it is for a purpose � Otherwise you would not see the light of the tunnel you're supposed to choose.
- Krista Belles

Nothing is predestined: The obstacles of your past can become the gateways that lead to new beginings.
- Ralph Blum

Our strength often increases in proportion to the obstacles imposed upon it.
- Paul De Rapin

The difficulties of life are intended to make us better, not bitter.
- Mandie Ellingson

One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks.
- Jack Penn

The stars are constantly shining, but often we do not see them until the dark hours.
- Earl Riney

Botanists say that trees need the powerful March winds to flex their trunks and main branches, so the sap is drawn up to nourish the budding leaves. Perhaps we need the gales of life in the same way, though we dislike enduring them.
- Jane Truax

ADVERSITY

This cross-index may help identify and delineate more closely subjective realities often hard to pin down.

Related states elucidate shades of meaning and amplify nuances of feeling
Syntonic elements foster and enhance well-being
Dystonic factors are contraindicated and should be minimized.

Related States & Conditions

Syntonic

Acceptance | Action/Effort | Attention/Awareness | Autonomy/Control | Beginning/Endeavor | Centering | Collaboration/Synergy | Composure/Peace/Tranquility | Confidence | Courage | Creativity/Discovery/Innovation | Daring/Challenge | Decision/Decisiveness | Detachment | Determination/Persistence/Resolve | Equanimity, Expedience, Faith, Flexibility/Flow/Flux, Forgiveness, Friendship, Health/Healing, Humor/Laughter, Ingenuity, Insight/Instinct/Intuition, Inspiration, Introspection/Self-Knowledge, Learning, Listening, Liberation/Liberty/Freedom, Love-Agape, Meditation, Opportunity, Optimism/Positivism, Patience, Power, Prudence, Release, Renewal, Self-Reliance, Solution, Transformation, Skill/Talent/Resources, Strength, Trust, Understanding, Vision/Visualization, Wisdom

Dystonic