Life forges us in struggle. From one end of life to another we duel and joust, contest and dispute, rebel and revolt – against forces outside ourselves, yes, but against tensions within us as well. We struggle from infancy in an attempt to exert our own will on the world around us only to discover that we are pinioned in our efforts to be the equally strong wills of those around us. We find ourselves pitted against forces of our own making and against forces beyond the edges of our understanding, greater than the limits of our strength to repel.

Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope

Joan D. Chittister William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (page 2)