And this, too, shall pass

It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: “And this, too, shall pass away.” How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!

-Abraham Lincoln in his ‘Address Before the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society, Milwaukee, Wisconsin’ on September 30, 1859

If there was ever a phrase to seed recovery in depression, to encourage hope in adversity, to effect calm in chaos, this is it: “And this, too, shall pass”.

I grabbed the quote from Wikipedia while thinking about my statement of purpose for graduate school. One of those phrases that resonates strongly with me. I wonder whether that’s bad or good?