One afternoon he returned earlier than was his wont, to find the widow sitting in the doorway of the house.
“What are you doing?”
“I have nothing to do,” she replied.
“Then learn something. At this moment, many people have stopped living. They do not become angry, nor cry out; they merely wait for time to pass. They did not accept the challenges of life, so life no longer challenges them. You are running that same risk; react, face life, but do not stop living.”
– page 91
"He thinks the enemy is afraid. He doesn't know that the Assyrian warriors are well trained: when they enter the army, they plant a tree, and every day they leap over the spot where the seed is buried. The seed becomes a shoot, and they leap over it. The shoot becomes a plant, and they go on jumping. They neither become annoyed nor find it a waste of time. Little by little, the tree grows, and the warriors leap higher. Patiently and with dedication, they're preparing to overcome obstacles."
- page 121-122
"Which of us is best at using a sword?" asked one warrior.
"Go to the place where the spy was stoned yesterday," said the commander. "Pick up a stone and insult it."
"Why should I do that? The stone would not answer me back."
"Then attack it with your sword."
"My sword will break," said the soldier. "And that wasn't what I asked; I want to know who's the best at using a sword."
"The best is the one who's most like a rock," answered the commander. "Without drawing its blade, it proves that no on can defeat it."
- page 126-127
"Why must I choose between saving this city and redeeming my people?"
"Because a man must choose," answered the angel, "Therein lieth his strength: the power of his decisions."
"It is a difficult choice; it demands that I accept the death of one people to save another."
"Even more difficult is defining a path for oneself. He who maketh no choice is dead in the eyes of the Lord, though he go on breathing and walking in the streets."
- page 136
"There is no tragedy, only the unavoidable. Everything hath its reason for being: thou needest only distinguish what is temporary from what is lasting."
"What is temporary?" asked Elijah.
"The unavoidable."
"And what is lasting?
"The lessons of the unavoidable."
Saying this, the angel disappeared.
- page 137
Here are some new ones!
"Courage is fear that prays,"
- page 149
"you told me that all life's battles teach us something, even those we lose."
- page 173
The unavoidable always happens.
"You need discipline and patience to overcome it," the shepherd said.
"And hope. When that no longer exists, one can't waste his energy fighting against the impossible."
"It's not a question of hope in the future. It's a question of re-creating your own past."
- page 179
"Can a man cast from his heart the pain of a loss?" asked a woman.
"No. But he can find joy in something won."
- page 212
"A warrior accepts defeat. He does not treat it as a matter of indifference, nor does he attempt to transform it into a victory. The pain of defeat is bitter to him; he suffers at indifference and becomes desperate with loneliness. After all this has passed, he licks his wounds and begins everything anew. A warrior knows that war is made of many battles; he goes on."
- page 212
"Take advantage of the chance that tragedy has given to you; not everyone is capable of doing so."
- page 225
"It's always necessary to know when a stage of one's life has ended. If you stubbornly cling to it after the need has passed, you lose the joy and meaning of the rest. And you risk being shaken to your senses by God."
"The Lord is stern."
"Only with those He has chosen."
- page 238
I am almost done, only a few more pages! Hope these inspire!
xo
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