First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.
–Epictetus, Greek Philosopher, 55 AD – 135 AD
Becoming Your Ideal Self
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Maintaining Composure While the Storm Rages
The height of human wisdom is to bring our tempers down to our circumstances, and to make a calm within, under the weight of the greatest storm without. — Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe...
Dual Aspects of the Journey
Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance toward the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point....
Humor Friday
I never vote for anyone. I always vote against. — WC Fields (1938, by CBS Radio; Public Domain)
Einstein on Imagination
The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination. — Albert Einstein (1921, by Ferdinand Schmutzer; Public Domain)
Work with Purpose
There are so many people working so hard and achieving so little. — Andy Grove, semiconductor pioneer (Creative Commons) It is so easy to fall into the trap; to get bogged down by the chaff...
Singularity of Focus
It is your work to clear away the mass of encumbering material of thoughts, so that you may bring into plain view the precious thing at the center of the mass. — Robert Collier, founder...
Humor Friday
When your friends begin to flatter you on how young you look, it’s a sure sign you’re getting old. — Mark Twain (1907, by A.F. Bradley; Public Domain)
Reject the Modern Tendency; Embrace this Mindset
Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray. — Lord Byron (1813, Public Domain)
With Aim and Purpose, Keep Moving Forward
To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor. — Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1879, by Armstrong & Co.; Public Domain)
An Essential Maxim for Life
It is courage, courage, courage, that raises the blood of life to crimson splendor. Live bravely and present a brave front to adversity. — Horace (65 BC – 8 BC; Image licensed by Penn Wealth)
Charting Your Own Course
I’ve always been in the right place and time. Of course, I steered myself there. — Bob Hope (Public Domain)
Humor Friday
Never lend money to someone who must borrow money to pay the interest. — A Swiss banker’s first rule (Image licensed by Penn Wealth)
Maslow on Human Potential
What one can be, they must be. This need we call self-actualization. — Abraham Maslow (Image licensed by Penn Wealth) Self-actualization: the achievement of one’s potential through creativity,...
Sincere Empathy is Always a Good Starting Point
It is easy when we are in prosperity to give advice to the afflicted. — Aeschylus (Greek dramatist; soldier in the Battle of Marathon, BC 490; Public Domain)
The Two Components of Wealth
Wealth flows from energy and ideas. — William Feather (Image licensed by Penn Wealth) It seems so simple, right? But consider the large percentage of people who have let life hammer them down; who...
The Roots of Our Own Happiness Lie Within; That is Where We Must Cultivate
He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts. — Samuel Johnson (1772, by Joshua...
Humor Friday
The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself. — Oscar Wilde (1889, by Napoleon Sarony; Public Domain)
Grand Dreams are Brought to Manifest by Small Actions
Success in life is founded upon attention to the small things rather than to the large things; to the every day things nearest to us rather than to the things that are remote and uncommon....
Write.
You write your first draft with your heart and you re-write with your head. The first key to writing is to write, not to think. — Sean Connery (Image licensed by Penn Wealth)
Our Ever-Shifting Perceptions of the World Around Us
Dream delivers us to dream, and there is no end to illusion. Life is like a train of moods like a string of beads, and, as we pass through them, they prove to be many-colored lenses which paint...