It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both. --Niccolo Machiavelli
No Regrets
People who say, “I have no regrets,” are not telling the truth. They should truthfully say either, “I avoid thinking about my regrets,” or, “I am content with the regrets I have chosen.” Every choice made in life excludes the opportunity for another experience, given the limits of time and resources. If I choose to go to the mountains this weekend, I cannot at the same time go to the beach. While I may prefer the benefits of going to the mountains, I am still missing out on the benefits of going to the beach. I may choose benefits of self employment, but I miss out on the opportunity to have the relative stability of being an employee of someone else. I may choose the benefits of not marrying, but I miss out on the opportunity of experiencing the depth of committed relationships of a spouse and children in a cohesive family. There is a price to be paid for every choice, an opportunity missed for every opportunity taken, a regret to be had for every regret avoided. The best we can do is to choose our regrets wisely. --Steven R. Hobbs
Secret of Life
The whole secret of life is to be interested in one thing profoundly and in a thousand things well. --Horace Walope
The Life We Have Planned
“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” --E.M. Forster
Great Man
“A man is great by deeds, not by birth.” --Chanakya
Cannot Do, Can Do
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” --John Wooden
I've Failed
“I’ve failed over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.” --Michael Jordan
Strong Soul
Permanence, perseverance, and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: it is this that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak. --Thomas Carlyle
Improving the Universe
There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self. --Aldous Huxley
Becoming and Being
“Always place your becoming above your current being.” ― Jordan B. Peterson
Essential Components
Three essential components of psychological health are 1. the ability to openly and honestly communicate thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with another, 2. the ability to honor agreements and disagreements, commonalities and distinctions, and 3. the ability to use personal resources to accomplish values-directed goals. --Steven R. Hobbs