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Difficulty Quotes

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Difficulty Quotes

“While others are engaged in inferior and menial tasks in which they encounter many difficulties, how can I sit here at peace and do nothing? I must and shall benefit them, but without ever succumbing to the poison of self-importance.”

Self Benefits Tasks Importance Difficulty Buddhist Engaged Poison Encounters Inferiors Self-importance Succumbing

Author:Shantideva

“place where man laughs, sings, picks flowers, chases butterflies and pets birds, makes love with maidens, and plays with children. Here he spontaneously reveals his nature, the base as well as the noble. Here also he buries his sorrows and difficulties and cherishes his ideals and hopes. It is in the garden that men discover themselves. Indeed one discovers not only his real self but also his ideal self?he returns to his youth. Inevitably the garden is made the scene of man's merriment, escapades, romantic abandonment, spiritual awakening or the perfection of his finer self.”

“Prescription for Life-long Happiness: Purpose enough for satisfaction; Work enough for sustenance; Sanity enough to know when to play and rest; Wealth enough for basic needs; Affection enough to like many and love a few; Self-respect enough to love yourself; Charity enough to give to others in need; Courage enough to face difficulties; Creativity enough to solve problems; Humor enough to laugh at will; Hope enough to expect an interesting tomorrow; Gratitude enough to appreciate what you have; Health enough to enjoy life for all its worth.”

“A rising mass movement attracts and holds a following not by its doctrine and promises but by the refuge it offers from the anxieties, barrenness and meaningless of an individual existence. It cures the poignantly frustrated not by conferring upon them an absolute truth or by remedying the difficulties and abuses which made their lives miserable, but by freeing them from their ineffectual selves and it does this by enfolding and absorbing them into a closely knit and exultant corporate whole.”

Source: Between the Devil and the Dragon: The Best Essays and Aphorisms of Eric Hoffer

“When you become detached mentally from yourself and concentrate on helping other people with their difficulties, you will be able to cope with your own more effectively. Somehow, the act of self - giving is a personal power - releasing factor.”

Source: The Positive Principle Today

“A workable and effective way to meet and overcome difficulties is to take on someone else's problems. It is a strange fact but you can often handle two difficulties-your own and somebody else's-better than you can handle your own alone. That truth is based on a subtle law of self-giving or outgoingness whereby you develop a self-strengthening in the process.”

Way Giving Two Self Facts Problem Law Process Friendship Strange Truth Is Overcoming Difficulty Handle Subtle Better Than You Strengthening Self Giving

Book:The positive principle today: how to renew and sustain the power of positive thinking

Source: The positive principle today: how to renew and sustain the power of positive thinking

“The discovery of radioactivity created a momentary chaos in chemistry and physics; but it soon led to a fuller interpretation of the old ideas. It dispersed many difficulties, harmonized many discords, and yea, more! It shewed the substance of Universe as a simplicity of Light and Life, manners to compose atoms, themselves capable of deeper self-realization through fresh complexities and organizations, each with its own peculiar powers and pleasures, each pursuing its path through the world where all things are possible.”

“Сertainly there are people for whom anti-depression medication has allowed them to use difficulty to wake up, and I don't deny that at all, but as usual with us human beings, we've overdone it. We are self-medicating ourselves away from the great awakening moments, and losing our coping skills and losing wake-up calls.”

People Humans Self Moments Use Human Beings Skills Losing Difficulty Wake Up Deny Awakening Usual Coping Medication Wake Up Call Self Medicating

Author:Elizabeth Lesser

“That freedom can never be attained by a nation without suffering and sacrifice has been amply borne out by the recent tragic happenings in this subcontinent. We are in the midst of unparalleled difficulties and untold sufferings; we have been through dark days of apprehension and anguish; but I can say with confidence that with courage and self-reliance and by the Grace of God we shall emerge triumphant.”

“Charitable endeavour exalts the prestige and the status of the giver. This may sound unduly cynical but as with all philantrophic activity, it is not easy to unravel the mutually reinforcing motives of selflessness and self-interest. All that can safely be said is that most members of the royal family have difficulty distinguishing between concern about society, concern about the social order and concern about what best to do so they can remain at the top of it.”

“We are difficult. Human beings are difficult. We're difficult to ourselves, we're difficult to each other. And we are mysteries to ourselves, we are mysteries to each other. One encounters in any ordinary day far more real difficulty than one confronts in the most “intellectual” piece of work. Why is it believed that poetry, prose, painting, music should be less than we are? Why does music, why does poetry have to address us in simplified terms, when if such simplification were applied to a description of our own inner selves we would find it demeaning?”

“Moral epochs have their course as well as the seasons. We can no more hold them fast than we can hold sun, moon, and stars. Our faults perpetually return upon us; and herein lies the subtlest difficulty of self-knowledge.”

Wells Self Lying Courses Stars Moral Sun Return Moon Seasons Difficulty Faults Self Knowledge Moon And Stars Sun Moon Sun Moon And Stars

Author:Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“We can more easily avenge an injury than requite a kindness; on this account, because there is less difficulty in getting the better of the wicked than in making one's self equal with the good.”

Self Kindness Equal Accounts Difficulty Revenge Wicked Injury

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero

“What I've learned about my self over the years is that I'm pretty restless. If I multitask it's probably because I have difficulty just focusing on one thing.”

Ifs Years Self One Thing Difficulty I've Learned Restless

Author:Demetri Martin

“At least one indication of unbelief is the tendency to measure life's challenges against our own adequacy instead of God's promises. To enter our Sabbath rest, we must put an end to self-reliance - trusting in our own abilities to overcome difficulties, rise above challenges, escape tragedies, or achieve personal greatness.”

Ends Self Challenges Ability Achieve Greatness Promise Overcoming Difficulty Tragedy Tendencies Self Reliance Reliance Rise Above Indication Sabbath Unbelief Adequacy

Author:Charles R. Swindoll

“Memory is a wonderfully useful tool, and without it judgement does its work with difficulty; it is entirely lacking in me.... Now,the more I distrust my memory, the more confused it becomes. It serves me better by chance encounter; I have to solicit it nonchalantly. For if I press it, it is stunned; and once it has begun to totter, the more I probe it, the more it gets mixed up and embarrassed. It serves me at its own time, not at mine.”

Ifs Doe Self Memories Chance Mines Judgment Tools Difficulty Presses Judgement Confused Encounters Lacking Embarrassed Distrust Stunned Chance Encounters

Author:Michel de Montaigne

“So closely interwoven have been our lives, our purposes, and experiences that, separated, we have a feeling of incompleteness--united, such strength of self-association that no ordinary obstacles, difficulties, or dangers ever appear to us insurmountable.”

Has Beens Self Feelings Purpose Friendship United Our Lives Danger Friends Ordinary Difficulty Obstacles Association Insurmountable Incompleteness

Author:Elizabeth Cady Stanton

“I don't feel myself that I Know it all, but I have enough conceit to be successful. That observation was made by a businessman in his 30s who was making notable headway, although his path bristled with difficulties. Business places no premiums on shrinking violets. Employers prefer men who have self-assurance, forcefulness, go-aheadness, men who know their jobs and know that they know it.”

“It is precisely our egoism, our self-centeredness and self-love that cause all our difficulties, our lack of freedom in suffering, our disappointments and our anguish of soul and body.”

Soul Self Body Suffering Causes Self Love Difficulty Disappointment Anguish Egoism Asceticism Self Centeredness Soul And Body Centeredness

Author:Tito Colliander

“The true Christian reaction to suffering and sorrow is not the attitude of self-pity, fatalism or resentment; it is the spirit which takes life's difficulties as a God given opportunity, and regards its troubles as a sacred trust, and wears the thorns as a crown.”

Self Christian Joy Spirit Suffering Opportunity Given Attitude Trouble Sorrow Difficulty Regard Sacred Reactions Pity Resentment Crowns Thorns Self Pity Fatalism Given Opportunity

Author:James Stewart

“I'd like to be proven wrong firstly on the difficulty of building a self-sustaining closed circuit ecosystem in space that can support human life.”

Humans Self Space Support Building Difficulty Human Life Proven Ecosystems Circuits Sustaining Proven Wrong

Author:Charles Stross

“To do one's best in the face of the commonplace struggles of life, and possibly in the face of failures, and to continue to endure and persevere with the ongoing difficulties of life - when those struggles and tasks contribute to the progress and happiness of others and the eternal salvation of one's self - this is true greatness.”

Self Faces Struggle Progress Greatness Eternal Tasks Difficulty Salvation Endure Ongoing Persevere Commonplace Life Struggle True Greatness

Author:Howard W. Hunter

“Think about all the good things of your life. Never think about your difficulties. Forget yourself, and concentrate on being of service as much as you can in this world, and then, having lost your lower self in a cause greater than yourself, you will find your higher self: your real self.”

Thinking World Real Self Lost Causes Forget Greater This World Higher Difficulty Good Things Forget You Higher Self Real Self

Book:Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words

Source: Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words

“Each of you should feel that you have great potential and that, with self-confidence and a little more effort, change really is possible if you want it. If you feel that your present way of life is unpleasant or has some difficulties, then don't look at these negative things. See the positive side, the potential, and make an effort.”

Ifs Way Want Feels Should Looks Littles Self Life Is Sides Effort Negative Difficulty Self Confidence

Book:Illustrated Teachings of the Dalai Lama

Source: Illustrated Teachings of the Dalai Lama

“Whether it is under the guise of survival and self-defence or directly expressed through dominion and greed, the failure to recognize the common humanity shared by us all lies at the heart of our difficulties. To overcome it, we should begin to develop, from the level of the individual through that of society to the world at large, what I call a sense of universal responsibility; a deep respect for every living being who lives on this one small planet and calls it home.”

World Should Heart Self Home Lying Humanity Individual Levels Common Responsibility Planets Survival Overcoming Universal Difficulty Greed Defence Dominion Guise Common Humanity Self Defence

Author:Dalai Lama

“When Thales was asked what was difficult, he said, To know one's self. And what was easy, To advise another.”

Knows Said Self Easy Difficult Difficulty Advise

Author:Diogenes Laertius

“Self-pity is the most negative quality of the human spirit. Difficulties in life are intended to make us better, not bitter.”

Humans Self Spirit Quality Negative Difficulty Pity Bitter Human Spirit Self Pity

Author:Jon M. Huntsman Sr.

“The only difficulty is that I'm playing to two audiences, and it's too bad the noise detracts from the show, because it's a great show. I've seen my own self out there, and it's a very good musical show. Sometimes the show gets lost in the hysteria and sometimes it doesn't.”

Two Self Sometimes Shows Lost My Own Audience Difficulty Musical Very Good Noise Hysteria

Author:George Michael

“I think the biggest survival instinct that Midwesterners possess is self deprecation, it's almost a Buddha-like sense of humor in anything that is difficult to get through. They would prefer to laugh at difficulties, show their mettle through that, and toughen up and have a beer afterward. That's definitely the characteristic I've carried through me, and hope to never lose.”

Thinking Self Shows Difficult Loses Laughing Survival Difficulty Instinct Beer Characteristics Sense Of Humor Survival Instinct Self Deprecation Mettle Midwesterners

Author:Amy Pietz

“What I'm interested in exploring with Clark Kent is when you have the power to do something that goes beyond what you think is the right thing to do and the difficulty of that. Meaning, to be Superman also means to withhold a lot of power. He could reshape the world however he thinks it should be. But Superman doesn't, historically, do those things. He allows a certain level of self-governing and a certain level of independence, I think out of an admiration for humanity. Because he's inspired by the best in us and he challenges us to inspire each other to be the best that we can be.”

Thinking World Should Mean Self Certain Humanity Challenges Levels Inspire Difficulty Independence Inspired Things To Do Right Thing Being The Best Admiration Exploring Governing Kent

Author:Scott Snyder

“No man who is occupied in doing a very difficult thing, and doing it very well, ever loses his self-respect.”

Men Inspirational Wells Self Motivational Difficult Loses Respect Difficulty Motherhood Crafts Self Respect Difficult Things

Book:The Collected Works of George Bernard Shaw: Plays, Novels, Articles, Lectures, Letters and Essays: Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Candida, Arms and The Man, Man and Superman, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion, The New York Times Articles on War, Memories of Oscar Wilde and more

Source: The Collected Works of George Bernard Shaw: Plays, Novels, Articles, Lectures, Letters and Essays: Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Candida, Arms and The Man, Man and Superman, Caesar and Cleopatra, Androcles And The Lion, The New York Times Articles on War, Memories of Oscar Wilde and more

“(...) being right all the time acquires a huge importance in education, and there is this terror of being wrong. The ego is so tied to being right that later on in life you are reluctant to accept that you are ever wrong, because you are defending not the idea but your self-esteem. (...) this terror of being wrong means that people have enormous difficulties in changing ideas.”

People Mean Ideas Real Self Accepting Self Esteem Huge Ego Importance Difficulty Terror Real Life Enormous Esteem Acquire Tied Reluctant Being Wrong

Book:PO: a device for successful thinking

Source: PO: a device for successful thinking

“The following of authority is the denial of intelligence. [It] may help us temporarily to cover up our difficulties and problems; but to avoid a problem is only to intensify it, and in the process, self-knowledge and freedom are abandoned.”

May Self Helping Problem Process Authority Difficulty Following Denial Abandoned Self Knowledge Cover Ups

Book:Krishnamurti: Reflections on the Self

Source: Krishnamurti: Reflections on the Self

“Work on your stony qualities and become resplendent like the ruby. Practice self-denial and accept difficulty. Always see infinite life in letting the self die. Your stoniness will decrease; your ruby nature will grow. The signs of self-existence will leave your body, and ecstasy will take you over.”

Self Body Spiritual Dies Strong Grows Existence Quality Accepting Practice Difficulty Infinite Your Body Denial Ecstasy Decrease Self-denial Rubies Your Strong Infinite Life

Author:Rumi

“THE MALE JOURNEY t some point in time, a man needs to embark on a risky -journey. It's a necessary adventure that takes him into uncertainty, and it almost always involves some form of difficulty or failure. On this journey the man learns to trust God more than he trusts a sense of right and wrong or his own sense of self-worth.”

Men Needs Self Form Journey Adventure Difficulty Males Self Worth Uncertainty Trust In God Sense Of Self

Author:Richard Rohr

“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.”

Source: The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God

“Life is indeed difficult, partly because of the real difficulties we must overcome in order to survive, and partly because of our own innate desire to always do better, to overcome new challenges, to self-actualize. Happiness is experienced largely in striving towards a goal, not in having attained things, because our nature is always to want to go on to the next endeavor.”

Want Real Self Life Is Desire Order Next Difficult Goal Challenges Goes On Overcoming Difficulty Strive Endeavor Innate New Challenges

Author:Albert Ellis

“A blessed thing it is to have a friend; one human soul whom we can trust utterly; who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults; who will speak the honest truth to us, while the world flatters us to our face, and laughs at us behind our back; who will give us counsel and reproof in a day of prosperity and self-conceit; but who, again, will comfort and encourage us in days of difficulty and sorrow, when the world leaves us alone to fight our own battle as we can.”

Source: The Works of Charles Kingsley

“Through persistence, self-knowledge, prayer, commitment, optimism, a resolute trust in God and the building of your own personal moral strength, you can enjoy the blessings of a deeper faith and face the difficulties of life with courage and confidence.”

“Self-acceptance comes from meeting life's challenges vigorously. Don't numb yourself to your trials and difficulties, nor build mental walls to exclude pain from your life. You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace not in denial, but in victory.”

Trying Self Problem Motivational Pain Peace Challenges Acceptance Wall Victory Difficulty Meetings Trials Denial Self Acceptance Numb Finding Peace Confronting

Author:Goswami Kriyananda

“A price has to be paid for success. Almost invariably those who have reached the summits worked harder and longer, studied and planned more assiduously, practiced more self- denial, overcame more difficulties than those of us who have not risen so far.”

Self Acceptance Difficulty Harder Paid Denial Summit Risen Pay The Price Self-denial

Author:B. C. Forbes

“The difficulty is to know conscience from self-interest.”

Knows Self Interest Fame Conscience Difficulty Self Interest

Book:Delphi Complete Works of William Dean Howells (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Complete Works of William Dean Howells (Illustrated)

“Life never was intended to be easy. Rather, it is a period of proving and growth. It is interwoven with difficulties, challenges, and burdens. We are immersed in a sea of persistent, worldly pressures that could destroy our happiness. Yet these very forces, if squarely faced, provide opportunity for tremendous personal growth and development. The conquering of adversity produces strength of character, forges self-confidence, engenders self-respect, and assures success in righteous endeavor.”

“The difficulties, hardships and trials of life, the obstacles... are positive blessings. They knit the muscles more firmly, and teach self-reliance.”

Self Teach Gratitude Blessing Difficulty Obstacles Trials Muscles Hardship Self Reliance Reliance

Author:William Matthews

“I realized that my circumstances, while causing me despair and heartbreak, also held great possibility, if only I could see it. I knew that I was learning one of the most important lessons of my life: that instead of waiting for the perfect opportunity, I should work toward a realization that every opportunity is perfect. Each moment is perfect and heaven-sent, in that each moment holds the seeds for growth. Difficulty creates the opportunity for self-reflection and compassion.”

“If every day a man takes orders in silence from an incompetent superior, if every day he solemnly performs ritual acts which he privately finds ridiculous, if he unhesitatingly gives answers to questionnaires which are contrary to his real opinions and is prepared to deny his own self in public, if he sees no difficulty in feigning sympathy or even affection where, in fact, he feels only indifference or aversion, it still does not mean that he has entirely lost the use of one of the basic human senses, namely, the sense of humiliation.”

“Our enemy is not lack of preparation; it’s not the difficulty of the project or the state of the marketplace or the emptiness of our bank account. The enemy is our chattering brain, which, if we give it so much as a nanosecond, will start producing excuses, alibis, transparent self-justifications and a million reasons why we can’t/shouldn’t/won’t do what we know we need to do.”

“It belongs to small-mindedness to be unable to bear either honor or dishonor, either good fortune or bad, but to be filled with conceit when honored and puffed up by trifling good fortune, and to be unable to bear even the smallest dishonor and to deem any chance failure a great misfortune, and to be distressed and annonyed at everything. Moreover the small-minded man is the sort of person to call all slights an insult and dishonor, even those that are due to ignorance or forgetfulness. Small-mindedness is accompanied by pettiness, querulousness, pessimism and self-abasement.”

“For want of self-restraint many men are engaged all their lives in fighting with difficulties of their own making, and rendering success impossible by their own cross-grained ungentleness; whilst others, it may be much less gifted, make their way and achieve success by simple patience, equanimity, and self-control.”

Men Way Want Life May Self Success Fighting Simple Impossible Achieve Crosses Difficulty Simplicity Engaged Self Control Gifted Restraint Equanimity Rendering Self Restraint

Book:Character. Repr

Source: Character. Repr

“We were not unmindful of the difficulties involved. So we decided to go through a process of self-purification.”

Inspirational Self Process Involved Decided Difficulty Purification

Book:The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.:

Source: The Essential Martin Luther King, Jr.: