Saints spring and thrive most internally, when they are most externally afflicted. Afflictions are the mother of virtue.
Interpretation
True strength and virtue often emerge from facing hardships and challenges.
In this quote, Thomas Brooks suggests that individuals, particularly saints or virtuous people, find their deepest strength and moral character through external struggles and afflictions. Rather than being deterred by challenges, these hardships nurture and cultivate virtue, indicating that adversity plays a crucial role in developing one’s inner strength and goodness.
In practice
During a speech about resilience, one could reference this quote to emphasize the importance of overcoming difficulties.
Remember this-all the sighing, mourning, sobbing, and complaining in the world, does not so undeniably evidence a man to be humble, as his overlooking his own righteousness, and living really and purely upon the righteousness of Christ.
Grace and glory differ very little; the one is the seed, the other is the flower; grace is glory militant, glory is grace triumphant.
He is the best preacher, not that tickles the ear, but that breaks the heart.
Ah! sinner, remember this, there is no way on earth effectually to be rid of the guilt, filth, and power of sin, but by believing in a Saviour. It is not resolving, it is not complaining, it is not mourning, but believing, that will make thee divinely victorious over that body of sin that to this day is too strong for thee, and that will certainly be thy ruin, if it be not ruined by a hand of faith.
Self is the only oil that makes the chariot-wheels of the hypocrite move in all religious concerns.
Humility can weep over other men's weaknesses, and joy and rejoice over their graces.
Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
Common sense (which, in truth, is very uncommon) is the best sense I know of: abide by it; it will counsel you best.
Don’t romanticise your ‘vocation’. You can either write good sentences or you can’t. There is no ‘writer’s lifestyle’. All that matters is what you leave on the page.
I see my whole 20s as a massive experiment. So were my teens. I think the problem is that we're not encouraged to experiment; we're encouraged to decide and choose, be singular and focused. You can't be that until you experiment. You don't know what's going to work until you try it.
Geniuses must never die, the progress of mankind depends on us
There are but very few men clever enough to know all the mischief they do.
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