1. "There can be no real spirituality without courage and firmness of will." [Letters of Helena Roerich in 9 Volumes - 9. 180]
2. "Pay attention to the gait of a person who firmly knows where and why he is going, and to the gait of a loiterer ... All the more different are all the actions of people who know the meaning and purpose of life and those who do not know. Only knowledge gives firmness and confidence to a step." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1965, 202]
3. "People lose their strength when they lose their sense of righteousness, and how can one advance if one’s feet do not feel the firm ground? The spirit must lean upon the solidity of consciousness." [Supermundane, 112]
4. "Let us learn to stand unshakably and firmly, like a rock, among the whirlwinds and storms of the dense world. Firmness is expressed in a strong assimilation of the Fundamentals [of the Laws of Life], when nothing can cause any doubts about them, or fluctuations. The foundations cannot be made dependent on the randomness of favorable or unfavorable external conditions, because they are temporary, and the Foundations are eternal. ...We enrich ourselves with elements of the eternal, not for today, not for tomorrow, but forever. Let us show diligence and attention and find time to fill our treasured casket with the pearls of Secret Knowledge." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1966, 197]
5. "The Tower is a symbol of firmness, steadfastness and stability, hence: the Tower of the Spirit. He who built it can lean on it and abide in it." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1954, 387]
6. "Firmness of spirit has been called armor, but one needs to become accustomed to each suit of armor." [Aum, 568]
7. "Your only asset is the fortress of your spirit." [Hello Dear Friends by Nicholas Roerich]
8. "A cultured or intelligent person, first of all, is distinguished by constancy and firmness in his beliefs and service to ideas, but a beginner in this field grabs an idea and, not understanding the full meaning of it, easily throws it to grab another, etc." [Letters of Helena Roerich in 9 Volumes - 6. 093]
9. "A knowledgeable and experienced traveler will not slow down for a moment his immutable step, and the firmness of his step, and his rhythm, even in front of a blank wall. And the wall will fall apart." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1963, 67]
10. "Fortitude, steadfastness, unbreakable devotion, fearlessness, firmness, steadfastness of the path – all these are manifestations of the fiery will. It is possible to be strong if the will is strong, and the will is the spirit of fire, manifested in action." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1958, 50]
11. "How should one understand the benefits of obstacles when one is told that psychic energy, acting as a magnet, attracts all possible advantages? Truly, when a large ship increases its speed the resistance of the waves increases too. Similarly, many obstacles are brought about by our own striving. It is this process that attracts to us unexpected actions by an opposing will. If they are very strong, our own counterstroke will develop accordingly.
... When someone is said to be depressed by circumstances, be assured that he lives unignited, and that any encounter with an obstacle confuses his consciousness. Sometimes it is difficult to discern the moment of confusion, yet it poisons all subsequent actions. But when the step is firm, the counterforces are beneficial. …Pettiness begets pettiness, however. Therefore, when bidding people Godspeed on a journey, bid them also to shun pettiness. The future is constructed by lightning-bolts of realization. The power of these great sparks depends upon the strength of the counterforce. Clearly then, success will not come from embarking on a voyage in a tub across a stagnant pool. When We say, "Set sail," We mean that you must try the ocean; the grandeur of its waves will give you joy. Does not the testing of one's strength lead to a growth of power? [Agni Yoga, 257]
12. "The armor of the spirit grows and strengthens in the strength of resistance to external blows. Fortitude and firmness is developed then. In the end, a person learns not to be afraid of anyone or anything, because he feels something in himself that can resist everything and overcome everything. After all, the external is overcome not outside, but inside a person. And when it is defeated inside, it also loses the power of external influence." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1954, 523]
