Personal, spiritual symmetry emerges only from the shaping of prolonged obedience. Twigs are bent, not snapped into shape.

God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our capability.

The soul is like a violin string: it makes music only when it is stretched.

If, in the end, you have not chosen Jesus Christ it will not matter what you have chosen.

The more seriously we work on our own imperfections, the less we are judgemental of the imperfections of others.

We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count.

No love is ever wasted. Its worth does not lie in reciprocity.

The submission of one's will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God's altar. The many other things we 'give' are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us.

We should not assume; however, that just because something is unexplainable by us, it is unexplainable.

Trials and tribulations tend to squeeze the artificiality out of us, leaving the essence of what we really are and clarifying what we really yearn for.

You rock a sobbing child without wondering if today's world is passing you by, because you know you hold tomorrow tightly in your arms.

I offer you what I have myPoverty

Life is not about tomorrow. Life is about living your fullest today.

He put his fist against his chest. “Burn, Maddygirl, ” he said. Then he turned and left her in the flickering gloom and thunder.

You should not have to burn your hand every day to feel the mystery of fire.

Not only do we need to focus on classrooms, but adult literacy is a huge issue in historically marginalized communities. That's a crisis, and it's one that you can't see.

Southerners love a good tale. They are born reciters, great memory retainers, diary keepers, letter exchangers . . . great talkers.

People called me "Slim" and "Daddy Long Legs." My best friend Martine named me Daddy Long Legs after she saw me running track. She was making fun of me!

Something is wrong if workers do not look around each day, find things that are tedious or boring, and then rewrite the procedures. Even last month's manual should be out of date

They can ta'k our lives but they can never ta'k our freedom!' Now there's a battle cry not designed by a clear thinker

I've always been attracted to sad. If you look at Woody Allen movies, he's often playing a sad clown, and it's always been interesting. And angry clown is even more interesting.