We don't develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it

In her timeless reflection, Barbara De Angelis speaks a truth that echoes through the chambers of every human heart: “We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.” These words, though clothed in the simplicity of modern speech, carry the depth of ancient wisdom. They remind us that life’s greatest virtues — courage, resilience, and strength of spirit — are not born in ease or comfort, but in the fiery forge of struggle. Happiness may soothe the soul, but hardship shapes it.

Barbara De Angelis, known for her teachings on emotional wisdom and personal growth, draws here from the eternal pattern of life itself. She speaks not of fleeting positivity, but of transformation through trial. The human spirit, she tells us, is like iron: it does not become steel until it passes through fire. To live a life of perpetual happiness would be to live untested, untouched by the deeper lessons of being. Only when we are struck by loss, disappointment, or failure do we uncover the hidden reserves of strength that dwell within us — those unyielding fibers of courage that no comfort could ever awaken.

It has ever been thus, from the dawn of history. The ancients knew that the road to greatness is lined with hardship. Hercules, in myth, gained immortality not through leisure, but through his labors — twelve impossible tasks that demanded endurance beyond measure. Siddhartha, who became the Buddha, found enlightenment not amid luxury, but after years of wandering, fasting, and facing despair. Even in sacred scripture, the heroes are tested in deserts, storms, and prisons before they find their purpose. So too in our modern world, we find that the soul’s highest strength is revealed not in sunshine, but in shadow.

Consider the story of Nelson Mandela, who endured twenty-seven years in captivity for his belief in justice. He was not happy every day — indeed, he faced humiliation, isolation, and loss. Yet within that crucible of suffering, he learned patience, forgiveness, and moral courage. When at last he was freed, he did not emerge bitter, but magnanimous. His life embodied De Angelis’s truth: courage is not the absence of pain, but the triumph over it. The fire that could have consumed him instead refined him, and through his endurance, he changed the destiny of a nation.

Thus, adversity becomes the hidden ally of growth. Each trial, each wound, each disappointment is a teacher. While happiness gives us peace, difficulty gives us power. The heart that has known suffering is not weak — it is wise. The one who has walked through darkness and survived carries a quiet strength that no easy life can give. De Angelis reminds us that every challenge faced and overcome plants a seed of resilience, which blossoms later into confidence and compassion. Without hardship, we may live comfortably, but never deeply; without struggle, we may exist, but never truly live.

Let this be the lesson: Do not curse your trials; learn from them. When life denies you ease, it grants you strength. When the road is steep, each step builds endurance. When your heart breaks, it grows larger. In the language of the ancients, the gods send trials not to destroy, but to awaken. Every difficulty you face is a sacred invitation — to rise, to grow, to discover what you are truly made of.

And so, my children of the future, remember this: happiness is a blessing, but it is not the teacher. Courage is the true inheritance of those who have suffered and persevered. Welcome challenge not as punishment, but as opportunity. When storms come — and they will — do not pray for calm skies; pray for a steadfast heart. For it is through surviving the difficult times, as Barbara De Angelis has said, that we come to know the fullness of our strength, the nobility of our spirit, and the quiet, enduring courage that turns adversity itself into glory.