The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity. Such knowledge is a true gift, for all that it is painfully won, and it has been worth more than any qualification I ever earned.

from J.K. Rowling’s 2008 Commencement Address at the Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association (via Amanda Horne)