Forgetting our objectives. – During the journey we commonly forget its goal. Almost every profession is chosen and commenced as a means to an end but continued as an end in itself. Forgetting our objectives is the most frequent of all acts of stupidity. FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE, 1844.
The Athenians were one of the most eminently practical people in history, and they made the most practical argument they could with the Melians: When you are weaker, there is nothing to be gained by fighting a useless fight. No one comes to help the weak – by doing so they would only put themselves in jeopardy. The weak are alone and must submit. Fighting gives you nothing to gain but martyrdom, and in the process a lot of people who do not believe in your cause will die.
Chance favors only the prepared mind.
Your greatest power in seduction is your ability to turn away, to make others come after you, delaying their satisfaction.
The more Coriolanus said, the less powerful he appeared – a person who cannot control his words shows that he cannot control himself, and is unworthy of respect.
Do not think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible; and if it is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach. – MARCUS AURELIUS.
The vast majority of people conform to whatever is normal for the time.
Hesitation creates gaps. Boldness obliterates them.
In the end, the money and success that truly last come not to those who focus on such things as goals, but rather to those who focus on mastery and fulfilling their Life’s Task.
Our continual connection to social media makes us prone to new forms of viral emotional effects. These are not media designed for calm reflection.
Anger is the most destructive of emotional responses, for it clouds your vision the most.
What draws attention draws power.
Your days are numbered. Will you pass them half awake and halfhearted or will you live with a sense of urgency?
Man will only become better when you make him see what he is like. – Anton Chekhov.
The key to staying unintimidated is to convince yourself that the person you’re facing is a mere mortal, no different from you – which is in fact the truth. See the person, not the myth. Imagine him or her as a child, as someone riddled with insecurities. Cutting the other person down to size will help your keep your mental balance.
A false path in life is generally something we are attracted to for the wrong reasons – money, fame, attention, and so on. If it is attention we need, we often experience a kind of emptiness inside that we are hoping to fill with the false love of public approval.
Power is essentially amoral and one of the most important skills to acquire is the ability to see circumstances rather than good or evil. Power is a game – this cannot be repeated too often – and in games you do not judge your opponents by their intentions but by the effect of their actions.
Commit harmless mistakes that will not hurt you in the long run but will give you the chance to ask for his help. Masters adore such requests. A master who cannot bestow on you the gifts of his experience may direct rancor and ill will at you instead.
Our levels of desire, patience, persistence, and confidence end up playing a much larger role in success than sheer reasoning powers.
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. – ALBERT EINSTEIN.