I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot,
or the look or the words,
which laid the foundation.
It is too long ago.
I was in the middle
before I knew that
I had begun.
~ Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

What is success?  To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate the beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social ( Read more... )

You are never dedicated to something you have complete confidence in. No one is fanatically shouting that the sun is going to rise tomorrow. They know it's going to rise tomorrow. When people are fanatically dedicated to political or religious faiths or any other kinds of dogmas or goals, it's always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt ( Read more... )

Foresight isn't
a mysterious gift bestowed at birth.
It is the product of particular ways of thinking,
of gathering information,
of updating beliefs.
These habits of thought can be learned and cultivated
by any intelligent, thoughtful,
determined person.
--Philip E. Tetlock and Dan Gardner on page 18 in
Superforecasting; the Art and Science of ( Read more... )

A man who is not afraid of the sea
will soon be drowned, he said,
for he will be going out on a day he shouldn't.
But we do be afraid of the sea,
and we do only be drownded now and again.
~John Millington Synge

Life is a journey,

not a destination.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Don't ask what the world needs.
Ask yourself what makes you come alive
and then go do that.
Because what the world needs
is people who have come alive.
--Howard Thurman, civil rights leader

( to live by )

Idle words are characterless and die upon utterance. Evil words rankle for a while, make contentions, and then die. But the hopeful, kind, cheering word sinks into a man’s heart and goes on bearing fruit forever. How many beautiful written words-words in book and song and story-are still inspiring men and making the world fragrant with their beauty ( Read more... )

Here are the 5 skills that set serial entrepreneurs apart from everyone else.  Based on these one can predict with 90% accuracy who will become a serial entrepreneur:

1) Persuasion (get others to say yes)

2) Leadership (get others do do stuff)

3) Personal accountability (takes charge and takes responsibility)

4) Goal orientation (works toward ( Read more... )