'They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.'

Psalm 126 verse 5

I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and you put the work and time into it. I think your mind really controls everything.

Michael Phelps, swimmer, winner of 14 Olympic gold medals, 2008

'We must realise that becoming an educated person is a difficult, demanding enterprise. Just as anyone who spoke of intense physical training as a continuous source of pleasure and delight would be thought a fool, for we all know how much pain and frustration such training involves, so anyone who speaks of intense mental exertion as a continuous source of joy and ecstasy ought to be thought equally foolish, for such effort also involves pain and frustration.

It is painful to have one's ignorance exposed and frustrating to be baffled by intellectual subtleties. Of course, there can be joy in learning as there can be joy in sport. But in both cases the joy is a result of overcoming genuine challenges and cannot be experienced without toil.

It is not easy to read intelligently and think precisely. It is not easy to speak fluently and write clearly. It is not easy to study a subject carefully and know it thoroughly. But these abilities are the foundation of a sound education.'

Steven Cahn, New York Times, 29 December 1974