I have often found that a man’s true nature cannot be seen in smooth times. When a fortune is good and the world smiles, men show little of their substance; they are content to wear the mask of ease. But when pressure comes, when the path is blocked and the load is heavy, then the character is revealed. I learned this watching men in courts where favor shifts like wind. The one who crumbles under a slight loss reveals his cowardice, while the one who stands firm through injury shows his steel. The scent of goodness does not rise until it is ground down by trouble.

I ask you to prepare your mind for the storm before it breaks. Do not wait for disaster to test your spirit, but seek out small difficulties now to harden yourself. Let your life be a vessel that is beaten against the rocks so that when the great wave comes, you hold your shape. Remember that the world will try to crush you; do not beg for mercy from the blow, but offer it a chance to show what you are made of.