“No, the thing that makes for greatness is determination, persisting in the right direction over the long haul, following your dream, staying at the task.”

The stronger the winds, the deeper the roots, and the longer the winds, the more beautiful the tree.

When Christ becomes our central focus, contentment replaces our anxiety as well as our fears and insecurities.

If God’s people are to be living examples of one thing, that thing ought to be – it must be – compassion.

The Lord delights to surprise us with His goodness, if only we will unlock the door of obedience with the key of faith – which He has given – and then push it open and walk through.

Make a plan now to keep a daily appointment with God. The enemy is going to tell you to set it aside, but you must carve out the time. If you’re too busy to meet with the Lord, friend, then you are simply too busy

Encouragement is awesome. Think about it. It has the capacity to lift a man’s or a woman’s shoulders. To breathe fresh air into the fading embers of a smoldering dream. To actually change the course of another human being’s day, week, or life.

Times may be hard and people may be demanding, but never forget that life is special. Every single day is a special day. God is at work in you!

The beautiful thing about encouragement is that anybody can do it.

We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.

We have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day. Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. Our attitude is everything.

No marriage is “too dead” for the Lord to restore.

[God] is able to take your life, with all of the heartache, all of the pain, all of the regret, all of the missed opportunities, and use you for His glory.

Battles are won in the trenches, in the grit and grime of courageous determination; they are won day by day in the arena of life.

We really shouldn’t look like a church.’ I’ve heard that so much I want to vomit. ‘Why?’ I ask. ‘Do you want your bank to look like a bank? Do you want your doctor’s office to look like a doctor’s office, or would you prefer your doctor to dress like a clown?’

Nothing speaks louder or more powerfully than a life of integrity.

10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react.

Opinion is ultimately determined by the feelings, and not by the intellect.

I wish you power that equals your intelligence and your strength. I wish you success that equals your talent and determination. And I wish you faith.

Self-determination is not a mere phrase. It is an imperative principle of action, which statesmen will henceforth ignore at their peril.

You will have to make up for the smallness of your size by your courage and selfless devotion to duty, for it is not life that matters, but the courage, fortitude and determination you bring to it.

Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so.

I’m always gonna do my own thing. I wanna be something – whether I’m 19 years old working at a pet store, or I’m 19 years old with a No. 1 record – I wanna be the biggest I can be to my crowd, no matter what my crowd is.

No man is a good citizen, a good neighbor, a good friend, or a good man just because he obeys the law. The intrinsic worth is determined mainly by the intrinsic make-up.

I have failed at times, but I have never stopped trying.