Selected quotation
"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself."
~ Clive Staples Lewis, "Mere Christianity"
Various books with quotations, aphorisms and proverbs:
America's Popular Sayings: Over 1600 Expressions on Topics from Beauty to Money and Everything In Between
Apronisms: Pocket Wisdom for Every Day
The Yale Book of Quotations
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations: A Collection of Passages, Phrases, and Proverbs Traced to Their Sources in Ancient and Modern Literature (17th Edition)
365 Inspirational Quotes (365 Days Perpetual Calendars)
Chinese Proverbs
Great Quotes from Great Leaders
Ancient Wisdom: The Book of Proverbs With Devotions for Today
A Continual Feast: Words of Comfort and Celebration, Collected by Father Tim
The Proverbs Driven Life: Timeless Wisdom for Your Words, Work, Wealth, and Relationships
The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
Everyday Positive Thinking