Pain gave me the desire to die; tears gave me the weakness to thrive; anger gave me the will to defeat; sympathy gave me peace of mind; love gave me serenity of heart; hope restored my inner child; faith carried me away from the grave; courage dried my tears; strength denied the sympathy and humbleness carried me through.

My mother also taught me that when life hits me to the ground, I am permitted 24 hrs. to have my pity party - cry, scream, kick and complain. After those 24 hours, I am to pull myself up by the boot straps and move on. So, I devised a plan. I allow myself 12 hrs to party and spend the next 12 hours pulling one strap at a time until I'm fully standing and then I kick the party in the rearend.

A shallow faith is debilitating, even if it fits into your ideals.

Strength is not instinctive, the will to succeed over weaknesses is what is instinctive.

There comes a time in every man's life when courage is no longer defined by the chances he takes, but rather, by the chances he leaves to chance.

Boldness often attracts adversity, and the louder the conviction, the more shrilling the opposition. It is often wise then to lower the decibels of principle as the lower the volume, the louder the sincerity. The volume of audible whispers can be more ferocious than the shrill.