Words of Wisdom: Part II

It is up to you to decide if the words you read or hear make sense to you. Never accept an idea just because it sounds good. Read dozens of the greatest words of wisdom of our time.

Almost every wise saying has an opposite.  For example, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" and its opposite "the nail that sticks up gets nailed down".  Both sayings sound good and are persuasive in communication; that is why some of these sayings have survived since the beginning of recorded history. It is up to you to decide if the words you read or hear make sense to you.  Never accept an idea just because it sounds good.

Choices / Decision

• Every path leads two ways
• He who follows another is always behind
• It takes just one decision to change your life forever
• Your head must take your heart into consideration when making decisions
• It is OK to change your mind
• Either lead, follow, or get out of the way

Commitment

• Don't make commitments you don't plan to keep

Courage

• It is better to be a coward for a minute than dead for the rest of your life

Communication

• Don't criticize, condemn, or complain
• You have two ears and one mouth; use them in the same proportion
• Silence is the hardest argument to refute
• Think why you are saying no before saying no
• Think why you are saying yes before saying yes
• If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all
• Call people by name
• Words have the power to destroy or heal
• Give honest and sincere appreciation
• Don't try to top others' stories
• Talk less and say more
• When you have nothing to say, say nothing
• Silence is sometimes the best answer
• Encourage others to talk about themselves
• The key to communication is saying something so that your audience can understand it
• Ask questions that other people will enjoy answering
• If little ears should not hear it, then big mouths should not say it
• Stack two layers of praise around every critique
• Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people
• Be interested and you will be interesting
• Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing those of another person
• Criticize the behavior, not the person
• Diplomacy is thinking twice before saying nothing
• The answer depends on the question

Competition

• Do not disparage your competitor

Death

• There is only one way to enter this world, but many ways to exit it

Destiny

• Take charge of your own destiny
• Assume responsibility for the quality of your own life
• Decide who you want to become
• The past does not determine the future
• Successful people believe that they are destined for great things
• Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is matter of choice

Excellence

• Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well
• If it isn't broken, improve it

Excuses

• Being human is a privilege, not an excuse

Experience

• Experience is what you get when looking for something else

Failure

• Do not be ashamed to fail
• If God wanted us to accept failure as "His will", He wouldn't have given us persistence.
• The key to failure is trying to please everybody
• When something in your life breaks down, put it back together again
• You never really lose until you quit trying
• Failure isn't falling down, it's staying down

Fairness

• Life isn't fair

Giving

• Our own success should contribute to the success of others
• Helping other people with their troubles helps you to forget your own
• You always help yourself by helping others
• You get out of the world just what you put into it

Genius

• A genius is a crackpot whose crazy idea actually works

Goals

• If you aim at nothing, you usually get it

Happiness

• The world likes a happy person
• Be responsible for your own happiness
• Happiness does not consist in things, but in thoughts
• Create rituals of things you look forward to doing on a regular basis
• Be happy with what you have while working for what you want
• Get what you want, then enjoy it
• Relish small pleasures
• Some pursue happiness - others create it
• Do not rely on others for your happiness
• The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts
• Find joy in what you have
• Authentic happiness is always independent of external conditions
• Work enjoyed is as much fun as leisure
• Love and work are two of the most important ingredients of a happy life
• Happiness is hard to find in ourselves and impossible to find anywhere else
• Live beneath your means
• Nothing in excess

Health

• Become addicted to good and healthy ways
• Health is the greatest of human blessings
• Have enough reasons for wanting to stay healthy
• Cheerfulness is the principle ingredient in health
• Get in shape and stay there

Hope

• Never take away hope from another

Humor

• Humor is the best ice-breaker
• Lighten up

Individuality

• Think for yourself
• Leave the herd and think for yourself
• It is harder to stand up against a crowd than to go along with it
• Treat other people as individuals
• Don't expect other people to solve your problems

Management

• Ask questions instead of issuing orders

Meaning of Life

• Use your life to make something that will outlast it
• Your achievements live longer than you do
• The meaning of life is to find meaning
• Play the hand that's dealt you
• Find your own philosophy

Miscellaneous

• Even logic has its limits
• Hunger is the first course to a good dinner
• Seek and ye shall find
• Dramatize your ideas
• Never ask a barber if you need a haircut
• Age is only important if you are cheese
• The nail that sticks up gets nailed down
• Always leave them wanting more
• All the negatives of politics do not come close to outweighing the few positives

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