Perhaps I am stronger than I think.

“Perhaps I am stronger than I think.” So whispered Thomas Merton, the monk and seeker, a man who wrestled not with armies but with the shadows and lights of the inner life. In this simple phrase lies a revelation that comes not in triumph, but in the quiet recognition that the soul holds hidden reserves of strength unknown even to itself. We walk through life often doubting, often fearing, often certain that the burden is greater than we can carry—yet in the hour of trial, a deeper power awakens, and we discover that we are not as fragile as we believed.

The ancients knew this truth and proclaimed it in many forms. The Greeks told of heroes who, pressed to the brink of death, found within themselves courage that no god had granted before. The Stoics spoke of the inner citadel, a fortress of strength hidden within every soul, revealed only when adversity strikes. Merton’s words are the modern echo of this timeless wisdom: we are always more than we imagine, and only trial proves it.

History offers shining examples. Consider Joan of Arc, a young peasant girl, untrained and unarmed, who believed herself too small for greatness. Yet when the call came, when France lay broken, she discovered within herself a courage so fierce that she led armies and inspired nations. She did not know her own strength until the fire of trial revealed it. Like Merton’s quiet admission, her life was a living testament: “Perhaps I am stronger than I think.”

Or take Helen Keller, blind and deaf from infancy, who could have lived in despair. At first she believed she was trapped in silence and darkness, but through struggle and patience, she discovered an inner power greater than her limitations. She became a writer, a speaker, a teacher to the world, proving that her soul’s strength was far greater than she had thought. Her life reminds us that human beings, when pressed, often discover a light they never knew was there.

O children of tomorrow, hear this: doubt is natural, and fear is human. But do not mistake your doubts for truth. When the burden seems too heavy, when the road seems too long, remember Merton’s words. Within you lies a wellspring of resilience, a strength hidden even from your own eyes, waiting to be awakened. Only in testing, only in trial, will you come to see the greatness that has always dwelt within.

The lesson is plain: trust that you are more than you believe. Practically, let each person do this: when hardship comes, resist the urge to say, “I cannot.” Instead, take one step, then another, and watch as your hidden strength rises. Keep a record of past struggles already endured, for they are proof of your might. Train the mind through reflection and gratitude, so that when trials come, you meet them not as a stranger to your own power, but as one who knows there is always more within.

Thus remember the humble yet powerful words of Thomas Merton: “Perhaps I am stronger than I think.” Let them guide you in the hours when fear whispers and despair beckons. For you are not as weak as you believe, nor as fragile as you fear. You are the bearer of hidden strength, a flame that grows brighter in the winds of adversity. And when you look back on your trials, you will know, with wonder and gratitude, that you were always stronger than you thought.