When he thought of his history, what resonated with him now was not all that he had suffered but the divine love that he believed had intervened to save him.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes finding strength through the belief in divine love rather than focusing on past suffering.
In this quote, Laura Hillenbrand reflects on how one's perception of their history can shift from a focus on the hardships endured to an appreciation for the positive forces, such as divine love, that contribute to personal salvation and resilience. It speaks to the transformative power of love and belief, suggesting that what truly defines us is not merely our suffering but the help and support we receive along the way.
In practice
A speaker reflecting on personal growth at a motivational seminar.
Every day after lunch when I was writing my first book, I'd nibble a square of fine chocolate and meditate on all that had gone into its creation: the sun and rain that spilled on the cocoa plant, the soil that nourished it, the hands that picked the beans, and so on. My taste of chocolate became a lesson on the interconnectedness of things, and the infinite blessings for which I am grateful.
I identified in a very deep way with the individuals I was writing about because the theme that runs through this story is of extraordinary hardship and the will to overcome it.
Without dignity, identity is erased.
It's easy to talk to a horse if you understand his language. Horses stay the same from the day they are born until the day they die. They are only changed by the way people treat them.
Most people, when they hear the disease name, it's all they know about it. It sounds so mild. When I first was sick, for the first 10 years or so, I was dismissed. I was ridiculed and told I was lazy. It was a joke.
The paradox of vengefulness is that it makes men dependent upon those who have harmed them, believing that their release from pain will come only when their tormentors suffer.
Inspiration is highly overrated. If you sit around and wait for the clouds to part, it's not liable to ever happen. More often than not, work is salvation.
I chose to embrace the spirit of my mother, who, though she had too many of her own dreams denied, deferred, and destroyed, she still instilled in me, her child, that I could have dreams and that I did have a responsibility and the power.
Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom. Of course the task will not be easy. But not to do this would be a crime against humanity, against which I ask all humanity now to rise up.
Yes, I did feel a special responsibility to be the first American woman in space.
When I was working on 'Coloring Book,' I knew that I wanted it to be a beacon for independent artists and music makers with their own agenda.
We are still awaiting Easter; we are not yet standing in the full light but walking toward it full of trust.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.