the good man’s shining time

From the last week of August to the last week of December, the year 1776 had been as dark a time as those devoted to the American cause had ever known – indeed, as dark a time as any in the history of the country. And suddenly, miraculously it seemed, that had changed because of a small band of determined men and their leader.

A century later, Sir George Otto Trevelyan would write in a classic study of the American Revolution, “It may be doubted whether so small a number of men ever employed so short a space of time with greater and more lasting effects upon the history of the world.”

Closer to the moment, Abigail Adams wrote to her friend Mercy Otis Warren, “I am apt to think that our later misfortunes have called out the hidden excellencies of our commander-in-chief.” “’Affliction is the good man’s shining time,’” she wrote, quoting a favorite line from the English poet Edward Young.

David G. McCullough

1776. Simon & Schuster, 2005. p.291

get action!

"Black care rarely sits behind a rider whose pace is fast enough," [Theodore Roosevelt] declared in one of the most self-revealing lines he ever wrote. Get action! It was the old Roosevelt family cure-all - for illness, grief, self-doubt. Seize the moment! 

David McCullough

Brave Companions: Portraits in History. Simon and Schuster, 1992. p. 62

uncontrolled force

Anger can be a powerful and positive motivator, useful to move us toward loving action to right wrongs and correct injustice – but it also can become a raging, uncontrolled force.

Gary D. Chapman

Anger: Handling a Powerful Emotion in a Healthy Way. 2007.

acknowledge anger

Because the emotion of anger comes on so suddenly, often we are caught up in a verbal or physical response to the anger before ever consciously acknowledging what is going on inside of us. We are far more likely to make a positive response to our anger if we first acknowledge to ourselves that we are angry. I suggest that you say the words out loud. “I am angry about this! Now what am I going to do?” Such a statement places the issues squarely on the table. You are now not only aware of your own anger, but you have distinguished for yourself the difference between your anger and the action you are going to take. You have set the stage for applying reason to your anger rather than simply being controlled by your emotions. This is an important first step in processing anger positively.

Gary D. Chapman

Anger: Handling a Powerful Emotion in a Healthy Way. 2007.

one great thing

Remember this: there is no one great thing that you can do which will determine your happiness or success in life. Life is a series of little things-how you do your work from day to day, personal honesty in your everyday contacts, a smile and a handshake, courtesy and kindness-these are the "little things" that become the sum of your character. 

Ezra Taft Benson

The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988], 462.