Category Archives: decision

No man can swim ashore and take his baggage with him.

No man can swim ashore and take his baggage with him. – Seneca What does that mean? While this quote has a slightly different meaning in the context of the letter to Lucilius, the basic topic was the of the … Continue reading

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Be like the promontory against which the waves continually break, but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it.

Be like the promontory against which the waves continually break, but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it. – Marcus Aurelius What does that mean? This is about being the rock in the storm. It … Continue reading

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No person is free who is not master of himself.

No person is free who is not master of himself. – Pythagoras What does that mean? This quote is usually attributed to Epictetus, but found in works attributed to Pythagoras, and stated as: “None can be free who is a … Continue reading

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Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, & a hard-to-find alloy called guts.

Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, & a hard-to-find alloy called guts. – Dan Gable What does that mean? With the Winter 2014 Olympics in the news, it seems fitting to have the words … Continue reading

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A real decision is measured by the fact that you’ve taken a new action. If there’s no action, you haven’t truly decided.

A real decision is measured by the fact that you’ve taken a new action. If there’s no action, you haven’t truly decided. – Tony Robbins What does that mean? This is a quote I first heard years ago, and it … Continue reading

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When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.

When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on. – Franklin D. Roosevelt (also Thomas Jefferson & others) What does that mean? This quote is about not giving up. If all seems … Continue reading

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It’s hard to beat a guy when he’s got his mind made up that he’s going to win.

It’s hard to beat a guy when he’s got his mind made up that he’s going to win. – Muhammad Ali What does that mean? This quote is about the reason why. We all have things we want to do, and the … Continue reading

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People are rewarded in public for what they practice for years in private.

People are rewarded in public for what they practice for years in private. – Tony Robbins   What does that mean? This is another straight forward observation of human life. When people get rewarded in public, it is rarely for something they … Continue reading

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“Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?”

“Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?” – Robert Burns What does that mean? This is a line from an old Scottish poem and song. It is a traditional ‘ending’ song, asking the rhetorical question “what if we forgot … Continue reading

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Somebody should tell us right at the start of our lives that we’re dying, and we might live life to the limit…

Somebody should tell us right at the start of our lives that we’re dying, and we might live life to the limit… – Pope Paul VI What does that mean? This quote, like so many on Twitter, has been shortened to fit … Continue reading

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First we make our habits, then our habits make us.

First we make our habits, then our habits make us. – Charles C. Noble What does that mean? This is another excellent chiasmus. It reminds us of the power of repeated actions, of our habits and what they can do to … Continue reading

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Until we have begun to go without them, we fail to realize how unnecessary many things are.

Until we have begun to go without them, we fail to realize how unnecessary many things are. – Seneca What does that mean? This is a great minimalist quote. Not in that it is as brief as some of the famous … Continue reading

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Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the doorbell.

Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the doorbell. – Unknown What does that mean? I like this quote; it is so sassy! I could have sworn this was a quote from Mae West or one of her contem-poraries. But … Continue reading

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Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.

Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours. – John Locke What does that mean? The longer, twitter unfriendly version is as follows: This is that which I think great readers are … Continue reading

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Person who chases two rabbits catches neither.

Person who chases two rabbits catches neither. – Confucius or Romanian Proverb What does that mean? I was surprised that I hadn’t covered this quote yet, when I tried to reference this quote in a recent blog, but couldn’t. The reason … Continue reading

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