Man is troubled not by events, but by the meaning he gives them.
God has entrusted me with myself.
If you would be good, first believe that you are bad.
Be not diverted from your duty by any idle reflections the silly world may make upon you, for their censures are not in your power and should not be at all your concerns.
Nothing truly stops you. Nothing truly holds you back. For your own will is always within your control.
Embrace reality. Think about what delights you - the small luxuries on which you depend, the people whom you cherish most. But remember that they have their own distinct character, which is quite a separate matter from how we happen to regard them.