When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, spoken by Sherlock Holmes Short answer: It’s Sherlock Holmes’s rule for solving a mystery: rule out every explanation that can’t be true, and whatever is left must be the answer, even if it seems unlikely. Arthur…
When I work fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, I get lucky. – Armand Hammer What does that mean? While the exact circumstance of the quote is unknown to me, the work ethic of Armand and his brothers. That is well known to many. As the quote says, he worked very long hours, and rarely took time off. If he did at least twice as well as…
Whenever I meet someone I try to look for their positive qualities, which immediately gives me a feeling of connectedness with them.– Dalai Lama What does that mean? When you meet someone, either a new person, or a person you have known for some time, you have a choice. You can look for all their negative…
Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are. – Niccolò Machiavelli What does that mean? While the translation I used wasn’t exactly the same, it’s close enough for what we are doing. This quote was from The Prince, where the author is giving advice for how a Prince should craft his…
Men of genius are admired, men of wealth are envied, men of power are feared; but only men of character are trusted. – Alfred Adler What does that mean? People of genius, like Albert Einstein and Marie Curie are admired or held in high esteem, both for their abilities as scientists as well as for what they actually achieved. People of wealth, like Bill Gates or Oprah Winfrey are envied or looked at with covetous…
It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it’s the grain of sand in your shoe. – Robert W. Service What does that mean? Humans are odd creatures. They can endure some of the most incredible hardships with hardly a peep, but will get all upset over something tiny by comparison. To me, that’s what…
When people don’t believe in you, you have to believe in yourself. – Pierce Brosnan What does that mean? Our belief in ourselves, our ability to get things done, is central to our self worth and key to our ability to remain motivated when times get tough. It’s not uncommon for others to not believe in…
Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore. – L. Frank Baum (as spoken by Dorothy in his masterpiece The Wizard of Oz) What does that mean? This saying has become a cultural metaphor in English speaking countries (and perhaps other places as well) which means we are not in a place with which we are…
You simply have to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Put blinders on and plow right ahead. – George Lucas What does that mean? Life is an interesting thing. By that, I mean that there is always something interesting going on. Plenty of distractions. “Ooooh! Something Shiny!” and “Squirrel!” they are all around…
Fear, hatred, and suspicion narrow your mind – compassion opens it. – Dalai Lama What does that mean? This is one of his central themes, the building or presence of compassion. In this quote, he focuses on what happens within ourselves when compassion is present or absent. In this case, when compassion is absent, he warns…
I’m not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.– Niccolò Machiavelli What does that mean? This is a famous misquote, but an interesting one none the less. In his day, and in his trade, change was necessary for business to be good. His job was to change that which was the status…
If you can dream it, you can do it. – Walt Disney What does that mean? To me, this means pretty much what it says. Now like most simple quotes, there’s a lot more going on. But on the surface, it’s pretty straight forward. The first part, “If you can dream it,” to me says…
A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices. – William James What does that mean? At theFreeDictionary.com, prejudice is defined as “An adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge or examination of the facts.” and “A preconceived preference or idea.” So rephrasing the quote, “a great…
If you are not doing what you love, you are wasting your time. – Billy Joel What does that mean? Face it, you’re either doing something you love, or you aren’t. Actually, for most of us, it’s a mix, and some days are better than others. For those who aren’t loving what they are doing, most of…
A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties. – Harry S Truman What does that mean? There are two kinds of people in the world, those who divide everything into two groups, and everyone else. But seriously, while we may slip between camps from…
