Events in life mean nothing if you do not reflect on them in a deep way, and ideas from books are pointless if they have no application to life as you live it.
Without enemies around us, we grow lazy. An enemy at our heels sharpens our wits, keeping us focused and alert. It is sometimes better, then, to use enemies as enemies rather than transforming them into friends or allies.
Power is a game, and in games you do not judge your opponents by their intentions but by the effects of their actions.
A man said to a Dervish: “Why do I not see you more often?” The Dervish replied, “Because the words ‘Why have you not been to see me?’ are sweeter to my ear than the words ‘Why have you come again?
Everything that happens to you is a form of instruction if you pay attention.
It is your own bad strategies, not the unfair opponent, that are to blame for your failures. You are responsible for the good and bad in your life.
Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good.
You cannot repress anger or love, or avoid feeling them, and you should not try.
Sometimes any emotion is better than the boredom of security.
It is not much good being wise among fools and sane among lunatics.
Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.
Image: An Oak Tree. The oak that resists the wind loses its branches one by one, and with nothing left to protect it, the trunk fi nally snaps. The oak that bends lives long er, its trunk grow ing wider, its roots deeper and more tenacious.
But the greatest battle of all is with yourself – your weaknesses, your emotions, your lack of resolution in seeing things through to the end. You must declare unceasing war on yourself.
You must avoid at all cost the idea that you can manage learning several skills at a time. You need to develop your powers of concentration, and understand that trying to multitask will be the death of the process.
Do not wait for a coronation; the greatest emperors crown themselves.
At your birth a seed is planted. That seed is your uniqueness. It wants to grow, transform itself, and flower to its full potential. It has a natural, assertive energy to it. Your Life’s Task is to bring that seed to flower, to express your uniqueness through your work. You have a destiny to fulfill. The stronger you feel and maintain it – as a force, a voice or in whatever form – the greater your chance of fulfilling this Life’s Task and achieving mastery.
You must be the mirror, training your mind to try to see yourself as others see you.
Learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.
Learn the lesson: Once the words are out, you cannot take them back. Keep them under control. Be particularly careful with sarcasm: The momentary satisfaction you gain with your biting words will be outweighed by the price you pay.
Too much respect for other people’s wisdom will make you depreciate your own.