On the occasion of every accident that befalls you, remember to turn to yourself and inquire what power you have for turning it to use.
—Epictetus, Greek Philosopher, 55 AD – 135 AD (Public Domain)
Turning Misfortune Into Fuel
Wealth. Success. Happiness. Join...
Penn All AccessMost Recent Articles
Humor Friday: Saintly Mirth
If God can work through me, he can work through anyone. — St. Francis of Assisi (Image licensed by Penn Wealth) While Saint Francis was no doubt serious with his assessment, he would have...
One Question, Asked Each Evening
At the end of each day, there really is only one question we must answer to determine our commitment to achieving what we want in life: “What actions did I accomplish today which directly moved me...
Decide…Then Achieve
Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great. — Niccolò Machiavelli (Image licensed by Penn Wealth) Determine, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what you will accomplish, and watch...
St. Jerome on Making the Most of Each Moment
Catch, then, the transient hour; Improve each moment as it flies! — Saint Jerome, 347-420 AD (1632, by Jacques Blanchard; Public Domain) I have always been the quintessential planner. From my...
Recalling the Future
It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards. — Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland (Image licensed by Penn Wealth) While we don’t know for certain what the future will bring, some...
Humor Friday: Franklin on Hope vs Action
He that lives upon hope will die fasting. — Benjamin Franklin (1778, by Joseph Duplessis; Public Domain)
Be the Beacon of Light Amidst the Chaos and Confusion
Times of general calamity and confusion have ever been productive of the greatest minds. The purest ore is produced from the hottest furnace, and the brightest thunderbolt is elicited from the...
Forged in Fire
Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars. — Khalil Gibran (Image licensed by Penn Wealth)
The Power of Necessity
Necessity of action takes away the fear of the act, and makes bold resolution the favorite of fortune. — Francis Quarles, 17th century English poet (Image licensed by Penn Wealth)
Humor Friday
From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend on reading it. — Groucho Marx (by ABC Photo; Public Domain)
Our Perceived Baggage
No matter our current situation or perceived shortcomings, we alone determine the amount of baggage we carry through life, and the extent to which it weighs us down. —Mike Hazell (Image licensed...
Create a Purpose-Driven Life
Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose—a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye. — Mary Shelley (Image 1818 frontispiece to frankenstein; licensed by...
Strive to Understand Rather Than to Judge
I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule, not to bewail, not to scorn human actions, but to understand them. — Baruch Spinoza (1665, by anonymous; Public Domain)
Dream…and Then Build
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. — Henry David Thoreau (Image licensed by Penn Wealth)
Undoubtedly Not Meant as Humor (Friday)
Well, I don’t know as I want a lawyer to tell me what I cannot do. I hire him to tell me how to do what I want to do. — John Pierpont Morgan (Image licensed by Penn Wealth)
A Sobering Reflection to Use as a Catalyst; It is Never Too Late
It is a mortifying reflection for a man to consider what he has done, compared to what he might have done. — Samuel Johnson (by Joshua Reynolds, Public Domain)
The Lost Art of Reticence
We must not always talk in the market-place of what happens to us in the forest. — Nathaniel Hawthorne (1862, Image licensed by Penn Wealth) An essential personal attribute—made exceedingly...
Be Attentive to Your Dreams, Discover Your Calling, and Pursue Relentlessly
Irresolution on the schemes of life which offer themselves to our choice, and inconstancy in pursuing them, are the greatest causes of all our unhappiness. — Joseph Addison (Image licensed by Penn...
Remain Focused on the Objective; Keep Moving Forward
We ought not to look back, unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors and for the purpose of profiting by dear bought experience. — George Washington (Image licensed by Penn Wealth)...
Humor Friday: Lincoln’s Backhanded Compliment
He can compress the most words into the smallest ideas better than any man I ever met. — Abraham Lincoln (November 1863, by Alexander Gardner; Public Domain)