We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won't need to tell anybody it does. Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining- they just shine.
Dwight L. MoodyRead
Happiness is caused by things that happen around me, and circumstances will mar it; but joy flows right on through trouble; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows through persecution and opposition. It is an unceasing fountain bubbling up in the heart; a secret spring the world can't see and doesn't know anything about.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Happiness is influenced by external circumstances, while joy is a deeper, internal state that persists even through difficulties.
In this quote, Dwight L. Moody distinguishes between happiness, which is often tied to external factors and can be disrupted by life's challenges, and joy, which represents a profound inner contentment that remains unaffected by adversity. Joy is depicted as an unstoppable force within, independent of external conditions, highlighting its importance in enduring tough times.
Themes
HappinessJoyTroubleCircumstancesPersecution
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about resilience, one might quote this to emphasize the power of joy in overcoming challenges.
More from Dwight L. Moody
All quotes →There is the joy of one's own salvation. I thought, when I first tasted that, it was the most delicious joy I had ever known, and that I could never get beyond it. But I found, afterward, there was something more joyful that, namely, the joy of the salvation of others.
Dwight L. MoodyRead
'Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God' (Rom. 10:17). That is whence faith comes. It is not for me to sit down and wait for faith to come stealing over me with a strong sensation, but is for me to take God at His Word.
Dwight L. MoodyRead
There is no greater honour than to be the instrument in God's hands of leading one person out of the kingdom of Satan into the glorious light of Heaven.
Dwight L. MoodyRead
Many a professing Christian is a stumbling-block because his worship is divided. On Sunday he worships God; on weekdays God has little or no place in his thoughts.
Dwight L. MoodyRead
Let us expect that God is going to use us. Let us have courage and go forward, looking to God to do great things.
Dwight L. MoodyRead
Similar quotes
Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony.
Thomas MertonRead
It's fun to have money, but the more money I get, the less interesting it becomes. If you don't have very much, you have to think about it. If you are starving, you become interested in food. If you are struggling to pay the bills, money becomes tragically important.
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Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life's deepest joy: true fulfillment.
Tony RobbinsRead
There are two ways to spread happiness; either be the light who shines it or be the mirror who reflects it.
Edith WhartonRead
Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough.
Emily DickinsonRead
Let me, if I may, be ever welcomed to my room in winter by a glowing hearth, in summer by a vase of flowers. If I may not, let me think how nice they would be and bury myself in my work. I do not think that the road to contentment lies in despising what we have not got. Let us acknowledge all good, all delight that the worlds holds, and be content without it.
George MacdonaldRead