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

A Pile Driver is the loud machine that takes the long pipes at the lower right of the screen, and pounds them into the ground, as seen in the lower middle. Big impacts, loud noises, impossible to miss, or to misunderstand.

What does that mean?
This is Sir Winston at his finest. It is part of a longer quote, which goes into detail as to how to properly use a pile driver to make your point. Sir Winston may not have been a poet, but he certainly did have a way with words. We will stick with the heart of the quote for the purposes of this post.

Sometimes subtle or clever has a place, but then, so does the pile driver.  When the point is sufficiently important, you cannot afford to allow the vagueness of a subtle or clever phrase obscure your true intent. When your point is that important, be direct and be forceful, make sure you are clear and clearly understood.

Why is clarity important? Continue reading →

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Wonderful spiritual qualities, such as unbounded love and compassion, are present as potentials in all our minds.

Posted on 28 August 2011 by philosiblog

Wonderful spiritual qualities, such as unbounded love and compassion, are present as potentials in all our minds. – Dalai Lama

In this post, I have focused on Love and Compassion between Humans. But there are others with whom we give and receive Love and Compassion. Think of them as well.

What does that mean?
Spiritual qualities, or just about anything else, exist in our minds as potential. We can be great or small in so many different aspects of our lives, spiritual or otherwise. We can also be great in the direction of good or in the direction of evil. All of these lie as potential within us.

In this quote he is concentrating on the “wonderful” qualities of the spirit, specifically love and compassion. The more interesting point, to me, is that he attributes them to potential of the mind, not of the heart.

Why is potential important? Continue reading →

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Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.

Posted on 27 August 2011 by philosiblog

Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body. – Seneca

Even a First Person Shooter has a mental aspect, as you try to not get shot...

What does that mean?
What he is saying that muscles are built by labor (overcoming physical difficulties), and the mind is built by overcoming difficulties (of a mental nature). This includes learning of any sort, including games involving strategy or puzzles.

If I may be so bold, I would say that moral difficulties (temptation in specific) help you build your character. Like the other two (body and mind), repetitions and resistance will help you get better and stronger.

Why is mental effort important? Continue reading →

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If money is your hope for independence you will never have it.

Posted on 26 August 2011 by philosiblog

If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. – Henry Ford

An old couple, visiting Warwick Castle.

What does that mean?
This is another Twitter-friendly short quote. The full quote is : “If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability.”

What is this? A rich industrialist stating that money won’t bring you independence? What’s next, will he declare that you can’t buy happiness?

All kidding aside, it makes sense when you think about it. If you are relying on money for independence, you have instead become dependent on money, haven’t you? No matter how much money you have, you will run out of it eventually. And if money is your only hope for independence, it will only last for as long as the money lasts.

Why is money important? Continue reading →

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If God forgives us we must forgive ourselves otherwise its like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him.

Posted on 25 August 2011 by philosiblog

If God forgives us we must forgive ourselves otherwise its like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him. – C.S. Lewis

Forgiveness offered. Forgiveness accepted.

What does that mean?
Like many of his quotes, this is a very religiously oriented quote. In this context, he is stating that if we are forgiven by God, we must accept the forgiveness. To reject God’s forgiveness is to say that we are a higher authority than God. For the devout, that is obviously not a proper thing to do.

For the less religious, this quote still has an application. We have seen movies where one of the characters has done something and, despite being forgiven by others, refuses to forgive themselves. By doing so, they are saying that they are not subject to the rules of their fellows, and that their forgiveness is unimportant, even useless. In most movies, things don’t usually end well for this person, do they?

Why is accepting forgiveness important? Continue reading →

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Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

Posted on 24 August 2011 by philosiblog

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. – Lao Tzu

A nice image of a small bird chasing off a much larger bird. Was it love that gave the little bird courage?

What does that mean?
To me, his quote talks of the two faces of love. Love can be out-going (love from you to another person) and love can be inbound (love from another person to you). Each of these types of love have their own characteristics, and each of them smile on us in a different manner.

In the case of love inbound, it gives you strength. You know some one loves you, and you are able to handle tougher situations, be more energetic in your life and move the unmovable. This is because with this love, all things are possible.

In the case of love out-going, it gives you courage. You know your love for someone will sustain you and can help you face danger, deal with threatening situations, and sustain yourself against impossible odds. This is because with this love, you are emboldened and confident.

Why is loving and being loved important?  Continue reading →

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You cannot make progress without making decisions.

Posted on 23 August 2011 by philosiblog

You cannot make progress without making decisions. – Jim Rohn

What does that mean?
This is another Twitter-friendly short quote. The full quote is as follows : “It doesn’t matter which side of the fence you get off on sometimes. What matters most is getting off. You cannot make progress without making decisions.”

How do you move forward in life? By making decisions. What to wear, what to eat, what to do, when to do it. All are decisions. It is part of what we are and how things happen as humans.

Yes, we may be tribal, and follow leaders up to a point, but we are not (usually) herd animals, where one makes a decision and all follow blindly. Decisions, that is how life moves forward. So get off the fence and do something already!

Why is making a decision important? Continue reading →

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Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy.

Posted on 22 August 2011 by philosiblog

Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. – Tony Robbins and here

Can a one-armed man compete in a ten mile race? How about a guy with two artificial legs? They believe they can, and they are doing it. What do you believe you can do?

What does that mean?
This is another short-form, Twitter friendly quote, the entirety of which reads : “Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives.”

This quote is all about beliefs, and the power they have. Beliefs can hold incredible power. How would you like to be in a life-or-death struggle with someone who believed the only way to go to their version of heaven was to die in battle? That belief is part of why the Vikings were so feared, as they had no fear of death (in fact, a glorious battlefield death was considered quite a promotion).

The belief that all is lost, and consequently giving up is referred to in the medical community as “failure to thrive” and can be fatal. The belief of “I can survive” vs “I cannot possibly survive” is often the only explanation for why one person survived and others did not in the exact same disaster.

Some beliefs are sometimes internally based (faith), but many beliefs are based on observations of past events. If you have failed every time you tried something, pretty soon you might start to believe it cannot be done. Good thing Thomas Edison didn’t believe that, or you’d be reading this by candle light, right? No, not really.

Why are beliefs important? Continue reading →

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We have the ability and the responsibility to choose whether our actions follow a virtuous path or not.

Posted on 21 August 2011 by philosiblog

We have the ability and the responsibility to choose whether our actions follow a virtuous path or not. – Dalai Lama

What does that mean?
This is an interesting compound sentence. We as humans have both the ability and the responsibility to choose our actions. With our action, we choose to follow a virtuous path or to follow a less than virtuous path.

Even in the presence of a totalitarian regime, we have the ability to choose our actions. There might be consequences, but we can still choose. We have the responsibility to to choose our actions. Our actions impact others, and provide an example to anyone watching. Even random actions have consequences.

The choice to take the path of virtue or to take another path is also up to us. This is an important responsibility, as the actions we take impact and influence other people. By choosing a virtuous path, our impact and influence are for the betterment of ourselves and others.

Why is virtue important? Continue reading →

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One must steer, not talk.

Posted on 20 August 2011 by philosiblog

One must steer, not talk. – Seneca

Not only was he talking & driving, he's now blinded by the flash!

What does that mean?
While I doubt Seneca had cellphones and driving in mind when he put this together, it does seem to apply fairly well, doesn’t it? However, given the century, my guess is that he was probably talking about a boat and the navigation thereof.

So, while the humans are busy talking among themselves, what is a boat doing, out at sea? It is drifting without direction, that’s what it’s doing. The humans are supposed to be giving it directions (steering), and if they are talking (perhaps arguing) instead, then things are not going to end well. While there may be a time for talking, when you are out at sea, your job is to do something, to steer the boat.

Why is ‘doing’ important? Continue reading →

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The process of learning requires not only hearing and applying but also forgetting and then remembering again.

Posted on 19 August 2011 by philosiblog

The process of learning requires not only hearing and applying but also forgetting and then remembering again. – John Gray

The ref is keeping a close eye on the feet...

What does that mean?
To me, this is about how we, as humans, actually learn things. We hear (and read and observe and …) and we attempt to do (to apply). But by allowing something to slip our minds, and then remembering it again, we are learning it again. Driving the groove in our mind a little deeper.

Repetition is the mother of skill. That’s why, as kids, we went over the letters of the alphabet and our addition tables so often. And by the next morning, we had forgotten most of what we learned the prior day, so we do it again and again and again. Eventually, we get the hang of it, and more and more of it stays with us. And that’s how most of us learn.

Why is repetition important? Continue reading →

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Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success.

Posted on 18 August 2011 by philosiblog

Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success. – Charles F. Kettering

"Cookie Fail! Quick, eat the evidence!" So what did we learn from this? We learned that mistakes can be very tasty!

What does that mean?
This is another Twitter-friendly shortened quote. The full quote is : “Every great improvement has come after repeated failures. Virtually nothing comes out right the first time. Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success. ”

To me, this is another fundamental truth of life. Only the most trivial of endeavors (or the luckiest) work perfectly the first time. You have to work to get it right. Each time, you try something a little different, and see if it gets better or worse, make another adjustment and observe again.

To me, this applies to almost everything we do or have done. Learning to crawl. Learning to walk. Learning to talk. Learning to cook (ask me about the time I burned water, yes really!). Learning to ride a bicycle. Learning to drive a car. Learning a foreign language. Learning to solve math problems. You could probably add a few things to this list.

Why are failure and success important? Continue reading →

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The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it.

Posted on 17 August 2011 by philosiblog

The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. – Jim Rohn

Where can you go to learn something new or master a new skill? There are clubs and organizations, formal schooling and mentors. The list is almost endless!

What does that mean?
This the first half of a longer quote (which is too long for Twitter) : “The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get.”

Using the longer version of the quote, I can think of so many things that this could apply to in my life. If you set a goal that you can easily achieve, that’s a step. But to me, a goal should take you beyond your comfort zone, and beyond your present skill level. It should help you grow and help you learn something new.

You can always make your goal to do the same thing you did last week (presuming you did things correctly last week). But you’ve already done that, so where’s the challenge? That is what, in my opinion, what this quote is about. Setting goals that stretch your limits, and help you become more than you presently are.

Why is growth important? Continue reading →

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If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, its yours forever. If it doesn’t, then it was never meant to be.

Posted on 16 August 2011 by philosiblog

If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, its yours forever. If it doesn’t, then it was never meant to be. – Unknown

Twoo Wuv. I mean “True Love.” From the movie The Princess Bride.

What does that mean?
To me, this quote is speaking of the most fundamental rule of the universe. Love isn’t owned and cannot be taken. It can only be given. This quote talks about mutual love and of the only valid test. If you love someone, you have to give them the freedom to choose for itself.

The freedom to choose is important, as sometimes a love is out of duty, loyalty, fear (of loneliness or retaliation) or for some other reason. In each of these cases, the love (true love) is only in one direction, the other direction of love is tainted by the reason for the love (something other than true love).

By turning the other person loose, they if they come back, it is (one hopes) because they love you, and the feeling is mutual. If they don’t come back, you would only have been fighting a losing battle to hold on to them. That is a battle that you will eventually lose, so lose it early and get on with your life.

Why is love (true love) important? Continue reading →

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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 are you willing to do for your family, your friends, your neighbors, your community, or your country?

What does that mean?
Obviously, this quote is a little longer that can be posted on Twitter, so the tweet is usually presented in a shortened version. I chose to go straight to the full version of the quote for this post.

Here, Sun Tzu is talking about a general and their worth to a kingdom. I would postulate that it is equally applicable to any group of people, all the way down to the family level. For a general, advancing is generally considered better than retreat. But a wise and prudent general will do whichever is appropriate for the circumstances.

The comments about desiring fame or fearing disgrace are equally important, as a general who fears disgrace might choose not to retreat when it is the proper course of action, and loose not only a battle, but many warriors, and endanger the future of the kingdom. Therefore a general who retreats without fearing disgrace is a good thing. Better one person suffer disgrace than hundreds or thousands die, or the kingdom fall.

Why is understanding important? Continue reading →

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