Battles

"There is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it's better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you're fighting for."

-Dona M. Deane, Honor Your Gifts, p. 199

Mistakes

"The two worst strategic mistakes to make are acting prematurely and letting an opportunity slip; to avoid this, the warrior treats each situation as if it were unique and never resorts to formulae, recipes, or other people's opinions."

-Harpreet Kaur Kapoor

Failing

"When you find your path, you must not be afraid. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes. Disappointment, defeat, and despair are tools God uses to show us the way."
-Paulo Coelho Brida (1990)

Tipping

"It's much easier, she realized, to be on the verge of something than to actually be it. This would still take time."
-The Book Thief

Greatness

"If you want it badly enough, and are willing to make some changes in your life to cause it to happen, you too can take over the world...or do anything else you really want to do. Yes, you really can have it all. The only things you'll need to give up are assumptions, expectations, and the comfort zone that holds you back from greatness." -Chris Guillebeau

Henry David Thoreau

"I am struck by the fact that the more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core, and I think that the same is true for human beings. We do not wish to see children "precocious," like sprouts producing a soft and perishable timber, but rather, better, as if contending gradually with difficulties, they are solidified and gradually perfected."  - from the journal of Henry David Thoreau

Words

Martha's words: http://mostlymarthajane.blogspot.com/2010/11/words.html

"Last week I got to listen to a famous essayist. He calls himself a story addict. He said he tells stories to crack open windows and doors inside him. Not only to let things out, but to let things in. Like laughter. Or tears."