Willa Cather

Great Love and the Everyday Work of Miracles

If miracles are improbable improvements, then expectant care is one of their engines. The Pygmalion effect shows how warm, high expectations can lift performance; Rosenthal and Jacobson’s Pygmalion in the Classroom (1968) reported gains when teachers believed in students’ potential. Meanwhile, interventions that train compassion matter: Fredrickson et al. (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2008) found that loving-kindness meditation increased daily positive emotions, which in turn built social and psychological resources. Thus, love’s stance—seeing and calling forth the best in others—doesn’t just feel good; it cultivates conditions where change, once unlikely, becomes achievable. [...]

Believe in the Possibility of What You Are Doing - Willa Cather

Willa Cather, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author, often wrote about perseverance and belief in her novels. This quote reflects her philosophy of embracing possibility and the power of human will to create meaningful outcomes. [...]