It is... very helpful to think of adversity not so much as a threat to our peace of mind but rather as the very means by which patience is attained.

... Our individual well-being is intimately connected both with that of all others and with the environment within which we live.... Our every action, our every deed, word, and thought, no matter how slight or inconsequential it may seem, has an implication not only for ourselves, but for all others, too.