All quotes

My world had for some years been in Lowood: my experience had been of its rules and systems; now I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, awaited those who had courage to go forth into its expanse, to seek real knowledge of life amidst its perils.

It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquillity: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.

But let me not hate and despise myself too much for these feelings; I know them to be wrong—that is a great step gained; I shall strive to overcome them.

Resolve to remain as strong, as determined and as highly enthused during the darkest night of adversity as you are during the sunniest day of prosperity.

The man who never weakens when things are against him will grow stronger and stronger until all things will delight to be for him.

My dear Laelius and Scipio, we must stand up against old age and make up for its drawbacks by taking pains.

And when you fall throughout life—and maybe even tonight after a few too many glasses of champagne—fall forward.

Every failed experiment is one step closer to success.

I walked out of there to prepare for the next audition, and the next audition, and the next one.

Never be discouraged. Never hold back. Give everything you’ve got.

You hang around a barbershop long enough—sooner or later you will get a haircut.

You will fail at some point in your life. Accept it. You will lose. You will embarrass yourself. You will suck at something. There is no doubt about it.

Baffled, discountenanced, subdued, discredited, as the cause of justice and humanity is, it will be only the dearer to me.

If a man is unhappy, remember that his unhappiness is his own fault; for God has made all men to be happy, to be free from perturbations.

In my opinion no man has had a more profitable difficulty than you have had, if you choose to make use of it as an athlete would deal with a young antagonist.

The time for renewed action was coming, and though our situation was grave enough, we were facing the future hopefully.

To admit failure at this stage was hard, but the facts had to be faced.

One should always follow a denial with an affirmation.

Sometimes we will be rising toward the heights--then all will seem to reverse itself and start downward.

At times we were almost disposed to give up, and try to content ourselves with our wretched lot; at others, we were firm and unbending in our determination to go.

I can say with conviction that the struggle which evil necessitates is one of the greatest blessings. It makes us strong, patient, helpful men and women.

I am never discouraged by absence of good. I never can be argued into hopelessness.

If happiness is to be so measured, I who cannot hear or see have every reason to sit in a corner with folded hands and weep.

It lets us into the soul of things and teaches us that although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.

Once I knew the depth where no hope was, and darkness lay on the face of all things.