“The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear.”   Daniel Defoe

“Your journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be.  Don’t think you’ve lost time.  There is no short-cutting to life.  It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now.  And now is right on time.”   Asha Tyson

“Memory is not just the imprint of the past time upon us; it is the keeper of what is meaningful for our deepest hopes and fears.”  Rollo May

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope or confidence.”  Helen Keller

“We only become what we are by the radical and deep-seated refusal of that which others have made of us”    Jean-Paul Sartre