Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people do that, but great people make you believe that you too can become great.
We find comfort among those who agree with us, and growth among those who don’t.
This past weekend I was inspired by a quote from PG’s latest essay, /todo.html. So my friend Dan suggested that I make a desktop wallpaper of it with the quote custom illustrated in some way. The passage itself goes:
I would like to avoid making these mistakes. But how do you…
Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.
Once you have something that grows faster than education grows, you’re always going to get a pop culture.
Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
The problem, often not discovered until late in life, is that when you look for things in life like love, meaning, motivation, it implies they are sitting behind a tree or under a rock. The most successful people in life recognize, that in life they create their own love, they manufacture their own meaning, they generate their own motivation.
For me, I am driven by two main philosophies, know more today about the world than I knew yesterday. And lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you.
An extravagant young Vine, vainly ambitious of independence, and fond of rambling at large, despised the alliance of a stately elm that grew near, and courted her embraces. Having risen to some small height without any kind of support, she shot forth her flimsy brunches to a very uncommon and superfluous length; calling on her neighbour to take notice how little she wanted his assistance. “Poor infatuated shrub, ” replied the elm. “how inconsistent is thy conduct! Wouldst thou be truly independent, thou shouldst carefully apply those juices to the enlargement of thy stem, which thou lavishest in vain upon unnecessary foliage. I shortly shall behold thee grovelling on the ground: yet countenanced, indeed, by many of the human race, who, intoxicated with vanity, have despised economy; and who. to support for a moment their empty boast of independence, have exhausted the very source of it in frivolous expenses.
FABLES,
Robert Dodslky.
1703-1764
The doubters said,
“Man can not fly,”
The doers aid,
“Maybe, but we’ll try,”
And finally soared
In the morning glow
While non-believers
Watched from below.
Don’t you have other things to do? Is your life so empty that you honestly can’t think of a better way to spend these moments? Or are you so impressed with authority that you give respect and credence to all that claim it? Do you read everything you’re supposed to read? Do you think every thing you’re supposed to think? Buy what you’re told to want? Get out of your apartment. Meet a member of the opposite sex. Stop the excessive shopping and masturbation. Quit your job. Start a fight. Prove you’re alive. If you don’t claim your humanity you will become a statistic. You have been warned.
Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.