Charles de Gaulle Quotes

Difficulty attracts the man of character because it is in embracing it that he realizes himself

The sculptor will chip off all unnecessary material to set free the angel. Nature will chip and pound us remorselessly to bring out our possibilities. She will strip us of wealth, humble our pride, humiliate our ambition, let us down from the ladder of fame, will discipline us in a thousand ways, if she can develop a little character. Everything must give way to that. Wealth is nothing, position is nothing, fame is nothing, manhood is everything.

It is clear that we must trust what is difficult; everything alive trusts in it, everything in Nature grows and defends itself any way it can and is spontaneously itself, tries to be itself at all costs and against all opposition. We know little, but that we must trust in what is difficult is a certainty that will never abandon us; it is good to be solitary, for solitude is difficult; that something is difficult must be one more reason for us to do it.

We're always attracted to characters who are people we could identify with and yet are put through incredibly tortured or difficult circumstances - the idea being that you don't really know who you are until you've been tested or suffered in some way.

Only by contending with challenges that seem to be beyond your strength to handle at the moment you can grow more surely toward the stars.

Surmounting difficulty is the crucible that forms character.

A man of character finds a special attractiveness in difficulty, since it is only by coming to grips with difficulty that he can realize his potentialities

I don't think one ever stops struggling.

It is definitely hard when you're going against the tide. Of course, it is tough. But does that mean you can't do it? No, it depends on your strength, stamina and ability to take so much power against you.

To be honest...here is a task for all that a man has of fortitude...

About the only value the story of my life may have is to show that one can, even without any particular gifts, overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable if one is willing to face the fact that they must be overcome.

We develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and obstacles.

Obstacles are found everywhere, and in overcoming them we nourish ourselves.

Adversity builds character and character takes you places money can't.

It's fun to play somebody who's kind of struggling.

Life is a challenge" he once told me, "and only those who rise to the challenge truly know what it means to live.

Life is all about toiling and labor. But obviously I get great joy in confronting challenge and taking risk.

The true test of a character is to face hard conditions with the determination to make them better.

It is very rare that you meet with obstacles in this world, which the humblest man has not faculties to surmount.

Every talent must unfold itself in fighting.

Life is an ever-flowing process and somewhere on the path some unpleasant things will pop up - it might leave a scar, but then life is flowing, and like running water, when it stops it grows stale. Go bravely on, my friend, because each experience teaches us a lesson. Keep blasting because life is such that sometimes it is nice and sometimes it is not.

I've often thought that when something is hard for you, whether it's going to law school or anything else that challenges you, that's probably what you should do.

Hardships make or break people.

Do every day or two something for no other reason than its difficulty.