“humor purges the blood, making the body young, lively, and fit for any manner of employment.”

Dr. Schweitzer knew it and gave himself the task of supplying nutrients for their spirits.

During an average day at the hospital, even after he turned ninety, he would attend to his duties at the clinic and make his rounds, do strenuous carpentry, move heavy crates of medicine, work on his correspondence (innumerable letters each day), give time to his unfinished manuscripts, and play the piano.

Just replacing anxiety with a fair degree of confidence might be helpful.

‘We have to cure ourselves of the itch for absolute knowledge and power. We have to close the distance between the push-button order and the human act. We have to touch people.’”

Hans Selye’s classic book, The Stress of Life. With great clarity, Selye showed that adrenal exhaustion could be caused by emotional tension, such as frustration or suppressed rage. He detailed the negative effects of the negative emotions on body chemistry.

Drugs are not always necessary. Belief in recovery always is.

We gorge the senses and starve the sensitivities.

I learned that a highly developed purpose and the will to live are among the prime raw materials of human existence. I became convinced that these materials may well represent the most potent force within human reach.