Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.

Posted on 13 October 2011 by philosiblog

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. – Oscar Wilde

Be Yourself. Even if it is a little bit different - like carving a pumpkin with an emoticon smiley face! (I wish I thought of that!)

What does that mean?
To me, this quote is about individuality and uniqueness of each of us. We are each unique, even identical twins. While they may act like each other, each one has their own wants and desires, making them different.

Everyone else is already taken, the quote finishes. This reminds us that we shouldn’t try too hard to be “just like” someone else, because being that person, well that’s someone elses’ job. If someone really wanted to be just like Mythbusters co-host Adam Savage, you could say someone already has that position filled, right?

Why is being yourself important?  Continue reading →

Posted in belief, goals, individuality, originality, self improvement, self knowledge | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

To see the right and not to do it is cowardice

Posted on 12 October 2011 by philosiblog

To see the right and not to do it is cowardice. ~ Confucius

What should your response be? "Awwwww, how cute!" or "Step away from the cookie jar with your hands in the air!"

What does that mean?
To me, this quote sounds a little clunky. I presume it has to do with how and when it was translated. I would reword it to say “To see and know what the correct thing to do is and to refuse to do it; that is cowardice.” Does that make it a little clearer? At least that’s what it sounds like to me. I believe that the meaning is unchanged.

He councils us to do what is right when we see it. He also warns us that to knowingly refuse to do what is right is, by his definition, cowardice. As an example, if you saw someone taking something that wasn’t theirs, but you remained silent, that was cowardice.

Why is doing the right thing important?  Continue reading →

Posted in chocolate, courage, habits, ideals, self resepct, setting an example | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence

Posted on 11 October 2011 by philosiblog

Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence. – Vince Lombardi

Even if you recreate the work of a master, it's still just a copy. This might be good for learning, but to pursue perfection, you must forge your own path. (this is an Ansel Adams tribute photo)

What does that mean?
Perfection is one of those words we use too lightly. Almost nothing is perfect. We look at something we like (perhaps a great work of art) and call it perfection. A pitcher throws a perfect game if no one gets on base, but is that truly perfection? Is there such a thing as the perfect wine to go with a meal? A perfect pair of shoes to go with an outfit? To me, the answer is no to all of these. There is no perfect here. Nothing we touch will ever be perfect.

That said, we should still try to attain perfection. We should do what we can to perfect ourselves in body, mind and spirit. We should do what we can to chase after freedom and justice, even if we know that both are flawed here on Earth. However, in our pursuit of perfection, we can become better. As we pursue perfect justice (and while we fail), we come closer and closer to perfection. And in the end, we manage to catch excellence in justice.

Why is the pursuit of perfection important?  Continue reading →

Posted in beauty, direction, effort, goals, habits, motivation | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic

Posted on 10 October 2011 by philosiblog

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. – Arthur C. Clarke

Using your imagination can help you get 'ahead' in life... 8)

What does that mean?
This is the age-old truth of mankind. Was the horseless carriage powered by magic, or a small steam engine? What kind of magic made the telegraph work? What about the magic box that repeated what others said miles away (radio or telephone)? How did that box figure out the answer to the math question (first adding machines, then calculators, now computers, next …)?

That’s just the last hundred years or so. Imagine what less advanced cultures thought of mirrors, firearms, even metal (think Meso-American cultures). Even the wheel, arguably one of the oldest of mankind’s inventions is unknown in some primitive societies. How many of you can explain what a GPS (Global Positioning System) is and how it works – or is it magic by another name? And what would we think of space aliens and their technology?

Why is imagination important?  Continue reading →

Posted in creativity, discovery, dream, imagination, innovation, vision | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

We must generate courage equal to the size of the difficulties we face

Posted on 9 October 2011 by philosiblog

We must generate courage equal to the size of the difficulties we face. – Dalai Lama

Where does your courage come from?

What does that mean?
To me, this speaks about rising to the challenge. If our difficulties become greater, we must bring our courage up to match it. When we don’t have courage that is equal to the difficulty that we are facing, we are far less likely to succeed. We have less certainty, and may even hedge our bet or (worst case) bet against ourselves.

The quote says we must generate courage. Courage comes from within, and is generated by your love for someone or some ideal. The courage to rush into a burning building is easy for a parent. Others use their love of their fellow man to help motivate them do so.

Why is courage important?  Continue reading →

Posted in courage, freedom, love, obstacles, struggle, victory | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on We must generate courage equal to the size of the difficulties we face

If you would judge, understand.

Posted on 8 October 2011 by philosiblog

If you would judge, understand. – Seneca

You'd want a judge that understood your breed of dog, right?

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 he was a minimalist, but so many of these quotes are just so terse it almost hurts!

This quote goes hand-in-hand with the quote “If you judge, investigate.” (another painfully terse quote). They say that if you are going to pass judgement on a situation or person, you should know what you’re talking about. You need to understand the situation and that is done by investigation. Asking questions, finding answers. Then you have a basis by which you can consider judging.

Why is understanding important?  Continue reading →

Posted in discovery, honest, judgement, knowledge, skepticism, understanding | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on If you would judge, understand.

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage

Posted on 7 October 2011 by philosiblog

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. – Dale Carnegie

Are you an Action Hero or an Inaction Hero?

This is a twitter-friendly quote, part of a longer quote: “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

What does that mean?
I think that this quote is fairly self explanatory. He says that if you sit and wait, your doubts and fears will come to the fore, and you will become those emotions. The longer you wait, the more time your mind has to manufacture doubts and fears, and to pile them one atop the next. This tends to be a feed-back loop, in that fear and doubt lead to inaction, and that inaction in turn, leads to more fear and more doubt.

The other half of the quote is that action breeds confidence and courage. Doing will help to silence the doubter, and in that, breed confidence. Courage comes from facing your fears, and that’s what action is all about. You won’t always succeed, so be careful of doubts and fears, they don’t need much of an opening to sneak back into your mind.

Why is action important?  Continue reading →

Posted in action, confidence, courage, doing, fear, procrastination | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.

Posted on 6 October 2011 by philosiblog

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. – Thomas Jefferson

"Do you swear to tell the truth?"

What does that mean?
Here, I think he is saying that it’s hard to be wise if you are a liar. If you are a liar, how could anyone believe you even if you somehow managed to become wise? I say that because I would think that a wise person would figure out that honesty is necessary for both learning and teaching wisdom.

This quote also points out that honesty is not only necessary for wisdom, but as the first chapter in the book, it is the foundation of wisdom. Think about it for a moment, if you cannot be honest with others, how honest will you be with yourself?

Why is honesty important?  Continue reading →

Posted in conscience, deception, self knowledge, struggle, truth, wisdom | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Those that are most slow in making a promise are the most faithful in the performance of it

Posted on 5 October 2011 by philosiblog

Those that are most slow in making a promise are the most faithful in the performance of it. – Rousseau

"Ale! Ale! The gang's all here!" A gregarious group, but will they remember their promise of assistance come the morning?

What does that mean?
To me, this is as much a cautionary statement as anything. It cautions us to be wary of those who would quickly make promises, as they may back out of them as quickly as they were made. Those who took the time to think about the task and make sure they could keep the commitment, they are the ones who tend to be most faithful completing the task promised.

Back in his day, a lot of mingling and friendly meetings occurred at the local pub or ale house, and often a quick promise was prompted more by the drinks consumed than by sincere interest in completing the task promised. A delay, for heads to clear and consideration to be made, this quote implies, is preferable.

Why is analysis important?  Continue reading →

Posted in caution, contemplation, loyalty, motivation, preparation, thinking | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.

Posted on 4 October 2011 by philosiblog

Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others. – Saint Augustine

What does that mean?
To me this speaks to the root of charity, and charity is part of giving with love. We all have areas where we have more than we need, and areas where we have need. We then try to give our excess to those who need what we have an excess, and find the people who have the excess of which we are in need.

This is obviously a religious quote, but even for those of other faiths or who believe in nothing, it still works. Even if what you have doesn’t come from God, you still have some excess, and some need. Charity is about giving from your excess to those with need. In this, we are all the same. We all have some excess and some need.

Why is charity important?  Continue reading →

Posted in chocolate, compassion, giving, hope, love, money | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Find out how much God has given you and from it take what you need; the remainder is needed by others.

One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving.

Posted on 3 October 2011 by philosiblog

One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving. – Amy Carmichael

A flower for you... with my love.

Similarly stated as “You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving.” to Robert Louis Stevenson.

What does that mean?
The first half of the quote says that one give without loving. I would agree with that. How many times have you grudgingly given to a solicitor, if only to get them to move on? There are also transactions that might or might not be “giving” that are definitely not done with love (I’m thinking of taxes and fees here).

The other half of the quote says one cannot love without giving. I would agree with that as well. Think of all the people and causes you love and consider to how many of them you have given time, money or other assistance. If you can think of a person or cause you state that you love, but have given nothing to, I would venture it is either a very new love, or a misnomer on your part. Do you agree?

Why is giving important?   Continue reading →

Posted in chocolate, contribution, giving, love, service, setting an example | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Anger cannot be overcome by anger. If a person shows anger to you, and you show anger in return, the result is a disaster.

Posted on 2 October 2011 by philosiblog

Anger cannot be overcome by anger. If a person shows anger to you, and you show anger in return, the result is a disaster. – Dalai Lama

He's angry again. How will you handle it this time?

What does that mean?
To me, this speaks to a fundamental truth of life. If you return anger for anger, you end up in a situation that can only get worse. Anger begets more anger, and anger will eventually escalate to violence. In this situation, even if you prevail, it’s hard to claim victory, as the issue that started the fight is still unresolved.

The response to anger needs to be something other than anger. Depending on your strength and the situation, you might use calm, kindness, compassion, or even love to help defuse the situation. Eventually, if you can continue to return something other than anger for their anger, you can help them become something that is other than angry. Once they are calm, you can begin a dialog, and try to resolve the situation.

Why is peaceful resolution of conflict important?  Continue reading →

Posted in anger, calm, compassion, kindness, love, peace | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

In war there is no prize for runner-up

Posted on 1 October 2011 by philosiblog

In war there is no prize for runner-up. – Seneca

So, who's thinking "I'm gonna come in 2nd place!"?

What does that mean?
This is an interesting quote, as time is showing this quote to have a few cracks in it. It used to be that in wars, there were two sides and when it was done, there was a clear winner and a clear loser. Today, there are often more than two sides, and often alliances are more of convenience than of conviction.

The aims of one faction might not be the same as those of another, and while the other side may end up with the military victory, it may end up losing the public relations war, or the economic war or some other aspect of the conflict.

This means that there may be a clear cut victor on the battlefield, but declaring them the winner of the war isn’t always as easy as it used to be. Today this quote applies equally well to business as to war. Does anyone out there own an IBM computer?

Why is victory important?  Continue reading →

Posted in belief, momentum, passion, self improvement, victory, work | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times.

Posted on 30 September 2011 by philosiblog

Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times. – Aeschylus

She looks stressed, but will she choose to be happy?

What does that mean?
From the Father of the Greek Tragedy, this is an interesting quote. He states that happiness is a choice. I believe this to be true. Things happen which we apply labels to, depending on how the event impacts us. Sometimes we decide to be happy, other times we decide this result should leave us sad.

This is the decision we make. Will we choose to be happy for someone who got the lover we wanted? If you truly loved them, then why wouldn’t you want them to be happy, even if it is without you? If someone you care for dies, you can be sad for all the fun they will miss, or you can be happy for the fun they had.

It is still a choice, although sometimes not an easy one.  The effort required to go against the flow and declare yourself happy in a situation that doesn’t normally generate a happy response can be substantial. But through repeated effort, it will become easier, and with practice, you can make happiness your default state.

Why is choosing happiness important?  Continue reading →

Posted in attitude, choice, effort, emotion, habits, happiness | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Be a good listener. Your ears will never get you in trouble.

Posted on 29 September 2011 by philosiblog

Be a good listener. Your ears will never get you in trouble. – Frank Tyger

Yes, they are talking. But are either of them listening?

What does that mean?
This one has been said many times by many people. Two ears, one mouth; use in proper proportions. I’m fairly certain that all of you have something like this at some point in your lives, and quite possibly said it a time or two yourself.

When you listen, it’s hard to get in trouble. Trouble is usually your mouth. Saying things, laughing, smirking, these are the activities that get you in trouble. If all you do is listen, it becomes very hard for that mouth thing to get you in trouble.

Why is listening important?  Continue reading →

Posted in discipline, habits, listening, repetition, self improvement, work | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Be a good listener. Your ears will never get you in trouble.