“It is not that we do not believe the Lord wants the best for us. It is that we wonder how painful the best will be.”

“If they won't write the kind of books we like to read we shall have to write them ourselves.”

“I am only trying to call attention to a fact; the fact that this year, of this month, or, more likely, this very day, we have failed to practice ourselves the kind of behaviour we expect from other people.”

“Once in our world, a Stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.”

“We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.”

“I don't see how any degree of faith can exclude the dismay, since Christ's faith did not save Him from dismay in Gethsemane. We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us: we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.”

“We each do the best we can. My best may not be as good as your best, but it's my best. The fact is we know when we are doing our best and when we are not. If we are not doing our best, it leaves us with a gnawing hunger and frustration. But when we do our best, we experience a peace.”