Against criticism a man can neither protest nor defend himself; he must act in spite of it, and then it will gradually yield to him. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Maxims and Reflections

Flowers never emit so sweet and strong a fragrance as before a storm. When a storm approaches thee, be as fragrant as a sweet-smelling flower. – Jean Paul Richter

The cold is a good counselor, but it is cold. – Antonio Porchia, Voces, 1943, translated from Spanish by W.S. Merwin

Real pain can alone cure us of imaginary ills. We feel a thousand miseries till we are lucky enough to feel misery. – Samuel Taylor Coleridge