The moral test of government is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life — the children; those who are in the twilight of life — the aged; and those who are in the shadows of life — the sick, the needy and the handicapped.

 —Hubert Humphrey

A test of a people is how it behaves toward the old. It is easy to love children. Even tyrants and dictators make a point of being fond of children. But the affection and care for the old, the incurable, the helpless are the true gold mines of a culture.

 —Abraham Heschel

Our trials are tests; our sorrows pave the way for a fuller life when we have earned it.

 —Jerome P. Fleishman

Good tests kill flawed theories; we remain alive to guess again.

 —Karl Popper

The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where the stand in times of challenge and controversy.

Martin Luther King, Jr

The strongest oak tree of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It’s the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.

Napoleon Hill

Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth. Tame the dragon and the gift is yours.

– Noela Evans

A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.

—Cicero

Do not try to find a place free from temptations and troubles. Rather, seek a peace that endures even when you are beset by various temptations and tried by much adversity.

 —Thomas A. Kempis

Do not rely completely on any other human being, however dear. We meet all life’s greatest tests alone.

 —Agnes Macphail

A clay pot sitting in the sun will always be a clay pot. It has to go though the white heat of the furnace to become porcelain.

 —Mildred White Struven

Blessed is he who has never been tempted; for he knows not the frailty of his rectitude.

 —Christopher Morley

Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging.

 —Joseph Campbell

What is genius, anyway, if it isn’t the ability to give an adequate response to a great challenge?

 —Bette Greene

We must look for the opportunity in every difficulty instead of being paralyzed at the thought of the difficulty in every opportunity.

 —Walter E. Cole