There is an enduring tenderness that is the love of a mother. It is neither to be chilled by selfishness, nor daunted by danger… She will sacrifice every comfort to his convenience; She will surrender every pleasure to his enjoyment; She will glory in his fame and exalt in his prosperity; And if adversity overtake him, he will be the dearer to him by misfortune; And if disgrace settle upon his name, she will still love and cherish him; And if all the world beside cast him off, she will be all the world to him.
- Washington Irving

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.
- Washington Irving