Thomas Paine on Gathering Strength from Distress

"The heart that feels not now is dead; the blood of his children will curse his cowardice, who shrinks back at a time when a little might have saved the whole, and made them happy. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death."

Thomas Paine. "The American Crisis I." 1776. Common Sense, edited by Richard Beeman. New York: Penguin Books, 2012. 112.