Encouragement, at its heart, represents an attempt to make others feel that they have the strength, wisdom, courage, and ability to solve their problems themselves: it aims not to provide specific solutions but to make others believe that they can find those solutions on their own. With encouragement we express our belief in the indefatigable power of the human spirit to make what appears to be impossible possible, all in the hopes of awakening the same belief in those we’re trying to encourage.

ALEX LICKERMAN, THE UNDEFEATED MIND: ON THE SCIENCE OF CONSTRUCTING AN INDESTRUCTIBLE SELF