Category Archives: understanding

Silence is one of the great arts of conversation

Posted on 31 October 2011 by philosiblog

Silence is one of the great arts of conversation. – Cicero What does that mean? To me, it basically says “Shut up already!” We know that you can’t have a conversation with both (or all) of the people talking at … Continue reading →

Posted in anger, communication, listening, patience, reflection, understanding | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Disturbing emotions not only disturb our own state of mind, they also disturb the minds of others.

Posted on 30 October 2011 by philosiblog

Disturbing emotions not only disturb our own state of mind, they also disturb the minds of others. – Dalai Lama What does that mean? Our lives intersect the lives of others. When we are with others, if we have any empathy at … Continue reading →

Posted in anger, emotion, forgiveness, setting an example, struggle, understanding | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

If you would judge, understand.

Posted on 8 October 2011 by philosiblog

If you would judge, understand. – Seneca What does that mean? I would expand this slightly to state “If you would judge, first you must understand.” I don’t know if he was carving all his quotes into stone, or if … Continue reading →

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If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver.

Posted on 29 August 2011 by philosiblog

If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. – Winston Churchill What does that mean? This is Sir Winston at his finest. It is part of a longer quote, which goes … Continue reading →

Posted in clarity, communication, focus, repetition, simplicity, understanding | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom.

Posted on 15 August 2011 by philosiblog

The general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom. – Sun Tzu What does that mean? Obviously, this … Continue reading →

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There is no delight in owning anything unshared.

Posted on 2 July 2011 by philosiblog

There is no delight in owning anything unshared. – Seneca What does that mean? This seems fairly straight forward, doesn’t it? How many things have you ever purchased that you deliberately hid from the world, that nobody else knew about? … Continue reading →

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Time heals what reason cannot.

Posted on 25 June 2011 by philosiblog

Time heals what reason cannot. – Seneca What does that mean? “Be reasonable about it.” You’ve heard this before, I’d imagine. Something has happened, and you are upset. You eventually calm down and think through the problem. Most of the … Continue reading →

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Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.

Posted on 26 April 2011 by philosiblog

Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding. – Albert Einstein What does that mean? If two people (or two countries – this saying seems to scale fairly well) don’t understand one another, there cannot … Continue reading →

Posted in communication, honest, motivation, peace, strength, understanding | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.

Posted on 9 April 2011 by philosiblog

If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. – Albert Einstein What does that mean? To me, it talks about the straight forward answer.  E=mc2.  Simple, elegant and still holding true over a century later.  Some … Continue reading →

Posted in communication, education, intelligence, knowledge, simplicity, understanding | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Anger: an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.

Posted on 27 March 2011 by philosiblog

Anger: an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. – Lucius Annaeus Seneca (Seneca the Younger) What does that mean? This phrase, in a slightly … Continue reading →

Posted in anger, contemplation, delay, forgiveness, reflection, understanding | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.

Posted on 19 March 2011 by philosiblog

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe What does that mean? Well, most people are really nice to the people who can … Continue reading →

Posted in attitude, character, empathy, judgement, reflection, understanding | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.

Posted on 12 March 2011 by philosiblog

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding. – Mohandas Gandhi What does that mean? While the term “correct under-standing” shows up repeatedly in Buddhist writings, I am told by a reliable source (a Zen Assistant-Priest) that the English … Continue reading →

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