It occurred to me that the following quote from Alfred D. Souza could be considered a legacy of sorts; I have certainly found it to be a helpful reminder on numerous occassions:

For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin — real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first,  some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.