Thomas Doswell spent nineteen years behind bars for a rape he didn’t commit. When he was released from prison, he told a reporter, “I’m thankful to be home. I’m thankful justice has been served. . . . I couldn’t walk around with anger and bitterness. It would have done me more harm than good.” That’s one of the magical things about gratitude -- it doesn’t give anger and bitterness and resentment any soil to grow in.
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on my life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstance, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearances, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have . . . and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.” Charles Swindoll