Were we to take as much pains to be what we ought, as we do to disguise what we are, we might appear like ourselves without being at the trouble of any disguise at all.
—François de La Rochefoucauld (Public domain)
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Humor Friday
People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do. —Isaac Asimov (by Phillip Leonian; Public Domain)
The Determined Soul
A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop. —Rupert Hughes (by Bain News Service; Public Domain) It is easy to get...
Stop, take a Deep Breath, and Simply Enjoy this Moment
Most pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it. —Søren Kierkegaard (1840, sketched by his cousin; Public Domain)
Knocking Out Self Doubt
There are two primary methods for gaining confidence: taking continuous, decisive action, and transforming our thoughts of self-doubt. A combination of the two will result in a powerful one-two...
Humor Friday
Do the right thing; it will gratify some people and astonish the rest. —Mark Twain (Public Domain)
Admiral Byrd on Untapped Potential
Few, during their lifetime, come anywhere near exhausting the resources dwelling within them. There are deep wells of strength which are never used. —Admiral Richard E. Byrd, American aviator and...
No Matter What, Keep Moving Forward
When it all feels pointless, when it feels as though working tirelessly doesn’t seem to bring anything to fruition, remember that everything we do moves forward with us and has an ultimate impact....
Michelangelo on Aspiration
The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark. —Michelangelo (Public Domain)
Plan and Execute, but do so with a Thoughtful Patience
If I have done the public any service, it is due to my patient thought. —Sir Isaac Newton (1689, by Sir Godfrey Kneller; Public Domain) I once had a boss who considered himself the quintessential...
Humor Friday—Business Edition
Even the best intentioned of great men need a few scoundrels around them; there are some things you cannot ask an honest man to do. —Jean de La Bruyère (Public Domain)
Two Roads: Focus and Determination, or Doubt and Ambiguity
On the road from the City of Skepticism, I had to pass through the Valley of Ambiguity. —Adam Smith (the Muir portrait; Public Domain)
Traversing Sadness
Sadness is but a wall between two gardens. —Khalil Gibran (Image Licensed) It is difficult to keep sadness in perspective when we find ourselves shrouded in its dreary fog. Through the cloud of...
Fr. de Chardin on the Adventure of Love
Love is an adventure and a conquest. It survives and develops, like the universe itself, only by perpetual discovery. —Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (Fair Use)
Find Your Inspiration and Use it to Create Great Works
When a work lifts your spirits and inspires bold and noble thoughts in you, do not look for any other standard to judge by: the work is good, the product of a master craftsman. —Jean de La Bruyère...
Humor Friday—Economists' Edition
The stock market has predicted nine of the last five recessions. —Paul Samuelson, economist (Image Licensed)
Forge Ahead with Your Plan in Good Times and Bad, but Especially Bad
This is the mark of a really admirable man: steadfastness in the face of trouble. —Ludwig van Beethoven (1820, by Joseph Karl Stieler; Public Domain)
Forge Ahead into the New Decade with both Vision and an Action Mindset
Vision without action is daydreaming; action without vision is a nightmare. —Chinese Proverb (Shaolin temple; Image Licensed)
Making Sense out of Pain and Suffering
Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of extraordinary graces. —Matthew Henry (1707; Public Domain)
Humor Friday—Holiday Edition
I just got back from a pleasure trip—I took my mother-in-law to the airport. —Henny Youngman (1957; Public Domain)
Change when Needed; Stay the Course Otherwise