Fourth Quarter 2014 Quotes
It’s a new year, which means new ideas and new initiatives.
I’ve added several new functions to the site that should hopefully make the reading experience:
- More engaging (revamped comments, new post email reminders that don’t spam);
- Easier to share (images, text highlights); and
- Better overall.
Through feedback analysis – thanks to tools like heat maps and content analytics – I may make further changes in the spirit of continuous improvement.
As I explained last year, “I simply want to publish what I find interesting, inspiring, or thought-provoking.” The focus has been and will always humbly remain on the writing and diffusion of knowledge content.
With this in mind, I’ve pulled together the below quotes, which will be compiled quarterly from now on in longer form compared to the monthly versions.
Spread the love if you like what you read!
—
“Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men.” – Douglas Bader
“If you want to achieve greatness stop asking for permission.” – Anonymous
“I always dream big and I strive for that which is out of my reach – the impossible is worth striving for.” – Anonymous
“Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument.” – Desmond Tutu
“What’s the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable.” – John Green
“You can do anything, but not everything.” – David Allen
“Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.” – Napoleon Hill
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. “ – Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States
“Where you are going to spend your time and your energy is one of the most important decisions you get to make in life. We all have a limited amount of time, and where you spend it and how you spend it is just an incredibly levered way to think about the world.” – Jeff Bezos (source)
“Your behavior today is a strong indicator of your behavior tomorrow.” – Me
“He who knows best knows how little he knows.” – Thomas Jefferson
“True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing.” – Socrates
“If you are self-motivated, wow, this world is tailored for you. The boundaries are all gone. But if you’re not self-motivated, this world will be a challenge because the walls, ceilings and floors that protected people are also disappearing. That is what I mean when I say “it is a 401(k) world.” Government will do less for you. Companies will do less for you. Unions can do less for you. There will be fewer limits, but also fewer guarantees. Your specific contribution will define your specific benefits much more. Just showing up will not cut it.” – Thomas Friedman (source)
“The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” – Ralph Nader
“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” – Bill Gates
“The goal for any leader of any organization is to find balance. When dopamine is the primary driver, we may achieve a lot but we feel lonely and unfulfilled no matter how rich or powerful we get. We live lives of quick hits, in search of the next rush. When we live in a hippie commune, the oxytocin gushing, but without any specific measurable goals or ambition, we can deny ourselves those intense feelings of accomplishment. No matter how loved we may feel, we may still feel like failures. The goal, again, is balance.
When the system is in balance, however, we seem to gain supernatural ability. Courage, inspiration, foresight, creativity, and empathy, to name a few. When those things all come to bear, the results and feelings that go with them are simply remarkable.” – Simon Sinek, Leaders Eat Last
“Success is… knowing your purpose in life, growing to reach your maximum potential, and sowing seeds that benefit others.” – John C. Maxwell
“There is a vast difference between activity and productivity.” – Kevin Conway
“Misfortune shows those who are not really friends.” – Aristotle
“Man is made and unmade by himself. In the armory of thought he forges the weapons which will destroy him. He also creates the tools with which he will build for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peach. Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and their master.” – James Allen, As A Man Thinketh
“What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.” – Brené Brown
“If a fellow isn’t thankful for what he’s got, he isn’t likely to be thankful for what he’s going to get.” – Frank A. Clark
“The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.” – William James
“How far you go in your life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of those.” – George Washington Carver
“Character is proportionate to N, the number of consecutive failures without being discouraged, or equivalently, the number of successive rejections without being intimidated.” – Nassim Taleb
“He that gives should never remember. He that receives should never forget.” – Hebrew Proverb
