2016 was an interesting year, to say the least. We were hit with a wave of good and bad which caused us to put our strength to the test. As we live out the last days of 2016 and events that occurred this year, I thought it was only right to find some of the most touching quotes about strength as well as the knowledge that comes from pain.

"Life is tough, my darling but so are you."

-Stephanie Bennett-Henry

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'"

- Eleanor Roosevelt

"That though the radiance which was once so bright be now forever taken from my sight. Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, glory in the flower. We will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind."

- William Wordsworth

"Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them."

-Orison Swett Marden

"The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way."

-Robert Kiyosaki

"Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have - life itself."

- Walter Anderson

"Experiencing sadness and anger can make you feel more creative, and by being creative, you can get beyond your pain or negativity."

- Yoko Ono

"True compassion means not only feeling another's pain but also being moved to help relieve it."

"If you aren't in the moment, you are either looking forward to uncertainty, or back to pain and regret."

I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.

-Leonardo da Vinci

"When I dare to be powerful - to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid."

-Audre Lorde

"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars."

-Khalil Gibran

"I am an example of what is possible when girls from the very beginning of their lives are loved and nurtured by people around them. I was surrounded by extraordinary women in my life who taught me about quiet strength and dignity."

-Michelle Obama