There is no despair so absolute as that which comes with the first moments of our first great sorrow, when we have not yet known what it is to have suffered and be healed, to have despaired and have recovered hope.

We all knew this. We all knew that it would take more time than any of us want to dig ourselves out of this hole created by this economic crisis.

It was that which gave promise that in due time the weights should be lifted from the shoulders of all men, and that all should have an equal chance. This is the sentiment embodied in that Declaration of Independence.

Man’s only true happiness is to live in hope of something to be won by him. Reverence something to be worshipped by him, and love something to be cherished by him, forever.

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.

There is no love of life without despair of life.

The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.

He hoped and prayed that there wasn’t an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn’t an afterlife.

There is one consolation in being sick; and that is the possibility that you may recover to a better state than you were ever in before.

Neither should a ship rely on one small anchor, nor should life rest on a single hope.

I was in my late thirties when my eyes were opened to truth in God’s Word that showed me I wasn’t living the abundant life Jesus died for me to have. I had a very negative mindset and was miserable most of the time because of the abuse I had experienced throughout my childhood.

I am prepared for the worst, but hope for the best.

I just want to do God’s will. And he’s allowed me to go to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the promised land! I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land.

I’m reasonably optimistic about the future, especially the future of the United States – for the century, at least.

If we can boondoggle ourselves out of this depression, that word is going to be enshrined in the hearts of the American people for years to come.

What medicines do not heal, the lance will; what the lance does not heal, fire will.

Sleep is all about recovering. So if you’re not sleeping, you’re not recovering. And if you’re going to break your body down a lot, you better find ways to build it back up. And the only way to do that is get a lot of sleep. So for me, I go to bed at like 8:30, 9:00. As soon as I put my kids to bed. Because I’m up at 5:30 the next day.

You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.

Hope is a waking dream.

America is the land of the second chance – and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.

Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas.

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.

I think that cancer is a life form that exists out there, and it exists in us. I think even the concept of healing is a spiritual principle that we have to really look at. I think the word itself is something we ought to get rid of, because it implies that there is illness – that there is something wrong.

The sun is gone, but I have a light.

Hope is the magic carpet that transports us from the present moment into the realm of infinite possibilities.

I have seen how leaders rule by intimidation. Leaders who demonize and dehumanize entire groups of people often do so because they have nothing else to offer. And I have seen how places that stifle the voices and dismiss the potential of their citizens are diminished: how they are less vital, less hopeful, less free.

Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ, and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.

The love of the family, the love of one person can heal. It heals the scars left by a larger society. A massive, powerful society.

Courage is like love; it must have hope for nourishment.

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.

All I really had was a suitcase and my drums. So I took them up to Seattle and hoped it would work.

I did not, thank the Lord, have to have a hysterectomy.

It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.

I know three people who have got better after a brain tumour. I haven’t heard of anyone who’s got better from Alzheimer’s.

The less we deserve good fortune, the more we hope for it.

I think women want freedom. They want to be empowered. They want hope. They want love; they want all the things that I want, and I’m not afraid to say those things and act on them, and I think that’s why they identify with me.

Ours is a nation of laws: of citizens who live under them and for the citizens who enforce them. So, to a community in Ferguson that is rightly hurting and looking for answers, let me call once again for us to seek some understanding rather than simply holler at each other. Let’s seek to heal rather than to wound each other.

They say miracles are past.

Art’s everything we hope life would be, a lot of times.

Forgotten is forgiven.

But God can only smile because only God can know what is coming next.

I firmly believe that sleep and recovery are critical aspects of an effective and holistic training program.

A man’s delight in looking forward to and hoping for some particular satisfaction is a part of the pleasure flowing out of it, enjoyed in advance. But this is afterward deducted, for the more we look forward to anything the less we enjoy it when it comes.

A lot of times, people feel that if they forgive the person who hurt them, then they will continue to take advantage of them or not take responsibility for what they did wrong.

I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.

Once we start to act, hope is everywhere. So instead of looking for hope, look for action. Then, and only then, hope will come.

In this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to all; and to the young, it comes with bitterest agony because it takes them unawares. I have had experience enough to know what I say.

My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth.

Whether a person is straight or gay, Republican, Democrat, good person, not a good person, they’re all welcome, because to me, church is a place you’re supposed to get healed and whole and loved.

I do know this… I seem to reach a lot of previously unchurched people. So many people have told me they never went to church until they heard our message of hope that God is a good God who desires to bless those who are faithful and obedient to Him through Jesus Christ.

I think writing really helps you heal yourself. I think if you write long enough, you will be a healthy person. That is, if you write what you need to write, as opposed to what will make money, or what will make fame.

We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon.

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.

Getting out of the hospital is a lot like resigning from a book club. You’re not out of it until the computer says you’re out of it.

My message to all the activists is to just keep going, and I know it really may seem impossible and hopeless sometimes – it always does – so you just have to keep going because if you try hard enough and long enough you will make a difference.

I simply can’t build my hopes on a foundation of confusion, misery and death… I think… peace and tranquillity will return again.

When we look back on all the perils through which we have passed and at the mighty foes that we have laid low and all the dark and deadly designs that we have frustrated, why should we fear for our future? We have come safely through the worst.

Obviously, you go through a lot of emotional turmoil in a divorce.

Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have.

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.