“There are people who bear great sorrows with resignation, and seem to gain a certain dignity and force of character through trouble, but who are utterly vanquished by trivial annoyances.”

Contrasting heroic endurance with failure to manage everyday irritations · Essay, The Important Trifles

• Character
• Difficulty
• Patience

“Make him laugh. Speak of trouble as the gymnasium where our moral muscles are developed.”

Using humour and a vivid metaphor to turn adversity into training · Essay, Destiny

• Difficulty
• Growth
• Humour

“Do not sit down by the roadside and say you have been hindered by these difficulties, that is to confess yourself weak.”

Rejecting defeatism in the face of difficulty · Essay, Obstacles

• Attitude
• Difficulty
• Strength

“Regard the troubles and cares you encounter as the punching bags of fate, given you to develop your spiritual muscle.”

Using a vivid physical metaphor for the strengthening power of adversity · Essay, The Heart of the New Thought

• Difficulty
• Endurance
• Strength

“When we declare we are brave enough to overcome any fate, we find our strength put to the test at once.”

Suggesting that declarations of courage are inevitably tested by experience · Essay, The Heart of the New Thought

• Courage
• Difficulty
• Endurance

“Consider all your troubles as an education for your mind and soul.”

Reframing adversity as an opportunity for inner education · Essay, The Heart of the New Thought

• Difficulty
• Growth
• Learning