You are evidence of your mother's strength, especially if you are a rebellious knucklehead and regardless she has always maintained her sanity.

There is a greater Christian faith than one which settles for the temporal happiness, and that is the augmentation of faith. The more faithful you become, the harder the obstacles get; but the harder the obstacles get, the tougher your spine grows; and the tougher your spine grows, the less dependent you are on man's approval. I came to know this about Christianity when valuing faith before comfort.

Never hide things from hardcore thinkers. They get more aggravated, more provoked by confusion than the most painful truths.

The love of conflict is most evident when opposing forces join sides to defeat the peacemaker.

To me it seems that too many young women of this time share the same creed. 'Live, laugh, love, be nothing but happy, experience everything, et cetera et cetera.' How monotonous, how useless this becomes. What about the honors of Joan of Arc, Beauvoir, Stowe, Xena, Princess Leia, or women that would truly fight for something other than just their own emotions?

It's much easier on the emotions when one sees life as an experiment rather than a struggle for popularity.

You have to lift a person up before you can really put them in their place.