John Quincy Adams - The Beauty of Hardship

The beauty of hardship, of difficulty, of misfortune, is the opportunity to practice virtue.

During the height of the American Revolution, John Quincy Adams’ mother wrote to him, “It is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues.”

What makes the man or the woman great is not just the person, but the situation the person was put into. Theodore Roosevelt said it well, “If there is not the war, you don’t get the great general; if there is not a great occasion, you don’t get the great statesman; if Lincoln had lived in times of peace, no one would have known his name now.”

If hardship is the opportunity to practice virtue, to make yourself, to become a better version of who you are, it might be the greatest thing life has to offer. Life is a never-ending act of becoming, growing, and evolving, and the best way, the only way, for that process to continue is to face the difficulties of life. Without them, you will never get to know the person you could be on the other side. 

Roman Philosopher Epictetus constantly urged his students to desire hardship, for it was the only chance for them to practice what they had learned, to put their character to the test, to show themselves where there was room for improvement. 

Virtue is the number one goal. Being courageous. Showing patience. Being honest. Staying persistent. Doing the right thing. And these traits can’t be trained or improved during easy times, when things are in your favor. To test them, to work at them, you yourself must be tested. You must be put into the ring.

So when it seems like life is working against you, throwing yet another battle your way, look at it as a gift. God, fate, and the world are offering you a test, one that if you take advantage of, will do you good. You’ll be stronger, wiser, and sounder. 

So when those moments arrive, remind yourself: difficulty is a beautiful opportunity to practice virtue. 

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