" The church is like a back brace,” she said to me. “In the beginning, your muscles are weak, and it is very hard to stand up straight. So you have to use the church, use those who love and support you, to grow stronger. Then one day you’ll stand upright, and you’ll find that you don’t need the brace any longer. But that is still only the beginning, because the most important part is still to come.” “What part is that?” I asked. “Only when you are standing upright and tall yourself, can you lean over and help brace the person next to you. "

― Sherry Gore , The Plain Choice: A True Story of Choosing to Live an Amish Life