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Monday, October 23, 2023

I have been bent and broken, but — I hope — into a better shape.

Charles Dickens

Though his classic novels — including “Great Expectations” and “David Copperfield” — are now widely beloved, Charles Dickens’ real-life fortune ebbed and flowed similarly to those of his fictional characters. After a relatively comfortable childhood, family financial trouble drove him to work in a factory at just 12 years old. Those years, as well as his later work as a law clerk and court journalist, shaped the stories he would go on to write. Dickens’ work often focuses on the difficulties of poverty, especially for children, but also on how people can make the best of their circumstances. In this quote from “Great Expectations,” the beautiful Estella speaks of resilience and reminds us that we are often stronger for the challenges we face.

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Daily Question

Fill in the blank: "Think big thoughts, but relish small ___." - H. Jackson Brown Jr.

More Inspiration

Aim above morality. Be not simply good; be good for something.

Henry David Thoreau

Take forgiveness slowly. Don't blame yourself for being slow. Peace will come.

Yoko Ono

Do not whine... Do not complain. Work harder. Spend more time alone.

Joan Didion

I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.

Eric Roth

The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you.

David Foster Wallace

I have stood on a mountain of no's for one yes.

B. Smith

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The transformation of the heart is a wondrous thing, no matter how you land there.

Patti Smith

The quality of your life depends quite a bit on the quality of attention you project out onto the world.

David Brooks

One shouldn't just hope to be treated well: one must insist on it.

Abraham Verghese

Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.

Taylor Swift

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