Let us be of cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never come

Posted on 9 February 2012 by philosiblog

Let us be of cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never come. – Amy Lowell

Here is an example of Ben's method, with weights associated with each pro or con.

What does that mean?
The quote starts on a high note, urging us to be ‘of cheer’ or happy. The reason why we should be cheerful? The rest of the quote says that we should be cheerful because we usually imagine the worst, and end up with a situation that is nowhere near as bad as we had feared.

It says the misfortunes that are hardest to bear are the ones which never come. This dread of the unlikely, but possible, is what I have seen paralyze many people. They worry about the worst possible case, even if it is almost impossible, and refuse to take action that is overwhelmingly beneficial to them.

Yes, one needs to be diligent about possible outcomes, but all outcomes must be ranked, weighted, and analyzed. Then you decide. If you decide to not act, then let it go and move on. Please don’t wallow in the low place between hope and despair, of hope for the best outcome, and fear of the worst. Make your decision and take action.

Why is making a decision important?  Continue reading →

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Only the gentle are ever really strong.

Posted on 8 February 2012 by philosiblog

Only the gentle are ever really strong. – James Dean

I believe this quote applies to everyone, not just people.

What does that mean?
This quote is interesting in that it is an apparent contradiction on it’s face. Generally, the strong, manly types are (stereotypically) the exact opposite of gentle. In Hollywood, they often go to great lengths to make the strong characters as un-gentle as possible, unless it’s the hero.

However, for some reason in Hollywood, the heroes are occasionally allowed to be both gentle and strong. They are often portrayed as drawing their strength from their gentleness. In this, I believe Hollywood has it right. All of the truly strong people (both male and female) I have known were all gentle people inside. They might be a little gruff and prickly on the outside, but all have been truly gentle inside.

Why is gentleness important?  Continue reading →

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Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.

Posted on 7 February 2012 by philosiblog

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. – Franklin D. Roosevelt

It feels great to win. It's also a great achievement to beat your prior best time.

What does that mean?
This is a quote about the author’s definition of happiness. The quote says that the joy of achievement is one pathway to happiness. How do you feel when you achieve something? It tends to help me feel happy, especially when it was an achievement which meant something to me.

The quote also mentions the thrill of creative effort as another path to happiness. Do you enjoy the creative process, and the effort involved? I believe this is at least half the reason I do software. The quote talks about these two paths in specific. What other paths do you use in your path towards happiness?

Why is happiness important?  Continue reading →

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Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character.

Posted on 6 February 2012 by philosiblog

Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character. – Horace Greeley

"Honest Abe" - the name says it all. Character is that important.

What does that mean?
This is a pile-driver way of pointing out the obvious. Fame has no endurance, just think of sports or Hollywood stars who have come and gone. Popularity isn’t really reliable either, if you can recall your days in High School. As for riches, for those who have a 401k or any investments in the market, you know just how fast things can change.

The quote ends with the comment that the only thing that actually endures is character. At theFreeDictionary.com, character is defined as “Moral or ethical strength.” and “Public estimation of someone; reputation.” What you do, repeatedly, is what you become, and that is eventually noticed by others. Even in death, your reputation may well follow you. Honest Abe, anyone?

Why is character important?  Continue reading →

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It is because of my wish to be helpful that I share my ideas and experiences; being helpful to even one person is valuable

Posted on 5 February 2012 by philosiblog

It is because of my wish to be helpful that I share my ideas and experiences; being helpful to even one person is valuable. – Dalai Lama

Even bad experience can be helpful to others, when shared. Consider this example, and how to take a picture without getting your shadow in the middle of it.

What does that mean?
This was a great quote for me, as it explains, at least in part, why I do this blog. The author of the quote has written many books, many messages (do his official messages have a name or title?) and is quoted world wide for his wit and wisdom. I’m not that famous or wise, but I still try to be helpful.

The purpose of this blog is to get people to think about their lives, and what, why, and to what end they do what they do. Quotes, old and new, common and obscure, are used in an attempt to entice the reader to examine their life and consider how they might either improve it, or at least make purposeful decisions regarding it. Therein, I believe, lies the value of this blog.

Why is sharing knowledge important?  Continue reading →

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The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.

Posted on 4 February 2012 by philosiblog

The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it. – Niccolò Machiavelli

How well can you see?

What does that mean?
This is a polite way of saying that old people rule! Seriously, it is a call to everyone to listen to their experience and use it to become wise. As we age, we do things, we make mistakes and we gain experience. But it is up to us to actually learn from what we have done.

Wisdom doesn’t come from making mistakes, but from learning from those mistakes. As we age, hopefully we also learn, and hopefully we begin to see more clearly. The quote goes back to the hourglass metaphor by saying as the sand slips thru, the more clearly we should be able to see the lessons of life through it.

Why is learning from our mistakes important?  Continue reading →

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The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.

Posted on 3 February 2012 by philosiblog

The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. – William James

Behold the mighty light bulb! It has changed our lives!

What does that mean?
What do we do with our lives? Yes, we eat and work and sleep and play, but when it is all said and done, what do we leave behind? To me, this is the point of the quote. What we wish to leave behind should regularly occupy our minds, if not completely dominate them.

When we die, what do we leave behind? Yes, we can make buildings, but buildings are regularly torn down to make room for newer buildings, obliterating their legacy. Instead, I would suggest that the way to make something that will last beyond our lives is to find ways to improve the human condition.

Whether it’s scientific research, new techniques and methods, or new materials, the impact can reach well beyond your lifetime. In my opinion, helping people also qualifies as something that will outlast our lives. And it may be the greatest gift we can give to the future.

Why is helping others important?  Continue reading →

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Nothing is work unless you’d rather be doing something else.

Posted on 2 February 2012 by philosiblog

Nothing is work unless you’d rather be doing something else. – George Halas

Anyone can have a passion for the sport.

What does that mean?
Have you ever been doing something you really enjoy, then suddenly realize that you’ve lost track of time? This is what I believe the quote is talking about. It can be done watching TV, playing games, working on a project, and even manual labor.

When time is dragging, when it seems to take forever for the second hand on the clock to tick forward to the next second, that’s the other side of the quote. In this case, you really want to be doing something else. Time seems to take forever to move forward.

If you’re doing something you love, is it really work? Even those things you really enjoy, but don’t necessarily love, they count, right? I believe they do, because you aren’t thinking you’d rather be doing something else.

Why is passion important?  Continue reading →

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Hold fast to your dreams, for without them life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.

Posted on 1 February 2012 by philosiblog

Hold fast to your dreams, for without them life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly. – Langston Hughes

Spread your wings and fly!

What does that mean?
This quote urges us to hold on to our dreams. In this context, I believe dreams is more of the ‘inspiration’ or ‘lofty goals’ connotation than the ‘fantastic daydream’ one. When you know what you truly want to do, what your dream is, the quote urges us to hold fast, or hold on tightly, to them. There is also, I presume, the implication to not let go.

The analogy the quote provides is that a life without dreams is like a bird with an injury that prevents flight. I believe the analogy says that the single biggest distinction of birds is their ability to fly (certain birds excluded, of course – I’m looking at you, penguins, ostriches, and emus). Similarly, the ability to dream is the single biggest distinction of humans. Without our dreams, we are as lost as a bird who has lost the gift of flight. And that is a very sad thought indeed.

Why is having a dream important?  Continue reading →

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A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.

Posted on 31 January 2012 by philosiblog

A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives. – Jackie Robinson

Does your neighbor need some help freeing their car, or even clearing the sidewalk? What can you do to help?

What does that mean?
It can be kind of hard to admit, but with over 6 Billion other humans on the planet, we’re not all that significant in the overall scheme of things. To me, that is what the quote is saying. We don’t matter, we’re not important, with one significant exception, according to the quote’s author.

The quote states that the one thing that actually matters is the impact we have on the lives of others. That is the closest thing to immortality we as humans can achieve. To help others live better, to improve their condition, to help them believe in themselves, to help them achieve more than they thought they could. That is what is truly important.

Why is helping others important?  Continue reading →

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Take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly, and try another. But by all means, try something.

Posted on 30 January 2012 by philosiblog

Take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly, and try another. But by all means, try something. – Franklin D. Roosevelt

"What could possibly go wrong?" Sometimes failure is easy to recognize.

What does that mean?
I like this quote, as it talks about human learning. We get an idea in our head, and we think about how we might accomplish this thing. We come up with an idea, likely based on prior experience or presumption based on observation or something we read. We then take that method and use it, to the best of our abilities. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes the method fails, and sometimes we fail because we cannot execute the method properly.

The next step, per the quote is to assess the situation. If you failed, be honest and say so, then find another method to try. This is succeeding by successive approximation. Learn from each failure, and build on it. The final part of the quote is truly the most important, to do something. Yes, there’s a time for thinking. But there is also a time for doing. And that is what the quote is truly about. Problems rarely work themselves out without our effort.

Why is recognizing failure important?  Continue reading →

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It is important that when pursing our own self-interest we should be “wise selfish” and not “foolish selfish”

Posted on 29 January 2012 by philosiblog

It is important that when pursing our own self-interest we should be “wise selfish” and not “foolish selfish”. – Dalai Lama

The note says: "Please feel free to start a fresh pot, rather than letting your colleagues account for you taking the last drop. Thanks!"

What does that mean?
This is another Twitter-friendly shortened quote. The full quote is:

It is important that when pursing our own self-interest we should be “wise selfish” and not “foolish selfish”. Being foolish selfish means pursuing our own interests in a narrow, shortsighted way. Being wise selfish means taking a broader view and recognizing that our own long-term individual interest lies in the welfare of everyone. Being wise selfish means being compassionate.

That is an interesting point, the differentiation between foolish and wise selfishness. In the quote, it is admitted that we often act in a manner that promotes our own self-interest. The point of difference is to be wise, to consider the impact of our actions on others, or to be other-than-wise.

It is one thing to act in our own self-interest, but if in doing so we harm others, I would place that action in the “foolish selfish” category. If what you do helps others as well as yourself, I would place that action in the “wise selfish” category. There is a wide range of behaviors between these extremes, but I would try to keep more on the “wise” end of things and avoid the “foolish,” or greedy, end of things.

Why is being considerate important?  Continue reading →

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It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles

Posted on 28 January 2012 by philosiblog

It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles. – Niccolò Machiavelli

What did you have to become to be worthy of the title?

What does that mean?
Think about it for a moment. When you are given a title or an award, is that thing honoring you? Or would it be more appropriate to say that you were honoring the title or award with your actions? Would a title have any value if it was given out to practically anyone for almost any little thing?

To me, that shows that the title does not honor the person, as the title is only worth what everyone has put into them. Thus, I would say the people honor the title, by being worthy of them. While the title may have requirements to attain it (and help in the prevention of dilution of the honor), it is only a reflection of what the recipients of the title have done.

Why is being worthy important?  Continue reading →

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If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.

Posted on 27 January 2012 by philosiblog

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. – John Quincy Adams

Mentoring kids? It's just a day at the beach!

What does that mean?
Many people have a very narrow definition of what leadership is. In this quote, a great leader (read his bio for some of his accomplishments) reminds us that we often sell ourselves short. We must keep in mind what true leadership is, and how we should define that term.

In the quote, leadership is defined in terms of your actions, and what they inspire. If you actions inspire people to dream for (or dream up) better things, if your actions inspire people to learn more, if your actions inspire people to become more active and do more (towards whatever ends their dreams or education may direct them), or if your actions inspire people to become more (to improve themselves), then the quote believes you are a leader. And I would urge you to become comfortable with that term.

Why is leadership important?  Continue reading →

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Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul.

Posted on 26 January 2012 by philosiblog

Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul. – Douglas MacArthur

"An elephant is as wrinkled as wrinkled can get, but he always finishes and never forgets!" Or should I quit trying to write poetry? 8)

What does that mean?
This was another neat quote. I think it is a bit odd, but makes it’s point quite well. It’s also not the most appealing analogy I had ever heard, either. A wrinkled what? But if you consider wrinkles in the skin as signs of aging and infirmity, then the quote makes a little more sense.

What I believe the quote is saying is that as age will cause infirmity in the body, so will constant (and consistent) quitting cause infirmity in the soul. Obviously, the quote is urging us not to follow in that path, to keep things going, to keep working until you succeed, to never quit. Because nobody wants to have a wrinkled soul, right?

Why is perseverance important?  Continue reading →

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