“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”   Anne Frank

What a gentle, joyful spirit shines through Anne’s words! When my wonderful friend and mentor, Coach Mike Tully, and I talked recently, he observed that our experience in sheltering at home pales in comparison to Anne Frank’s forced seclusion – hiding behind bookcases into the secret rooms of an attic in Amsterdam during World War II. Month after month, she lived her life in cramped quarters among difficult, frightened adults. And yet, she never lost hope, as we know from her amazing words, penned in her young hand in a classic beloved from generation to generation, The Diary of Anne Frank:

“Riches, prestige, everything can be lost. But the happiness in your heart can only be dimmed; it will always be there as long as you live, to make you happy again.”

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God … I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.”

“We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.”

“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”

“No one has ever become poor by giving.”

“Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character and goodness.”

“An empty day, though clear and bright, is just as dark as any night.”

“As long as this exists, this sunshine and this cloudless sky, and as long as I can enjoy it, how can I be sad?”

“I must uphold my ideals, for perhaps the time will come when I shall be able to carry them out.”

“People can tell you to keep your mouth shut, but that doesn’t stop you from having your own opinion.”

“In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.”

“Where there’s hope, there’s life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again.”

“The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!”

On August 1, 1944, Anne Frank wrote the last entry in her diary. “I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are still truly good at heart…” The Franks were arrested by the Gestapo three days later.

“What a bold, beautiful spirit! May her words inspire and embolden you as we all write on!