Quotations: JOHN ROBERTS 2
Following are selected quotations from drafts of the book in progress:
200 Personal Qualities: An Encyclopedic Guide for Parents, Teachers, Leaders and Personal Self-Development, by John Roberts. See: www.SupersonicBooks.com
Decisive
The decisive mind is a search engine that finds and sorts information required to choose among alternatives. It is not usually an easy question of good vs. bad; it is a question of subtle distinctions and the confidence of having good information tempered by experience. The decision-maker is Big Blue, the IBM chess computer that defeated a world champion by examining experience in order to foresee consequences.
Freedom
I am free, but I have to prove it every day, even to myself. Then, when someone tries to take away my freedom, I am ready to fight them in whatever way is necessary. It is one of my perpetual states of mind. It makes me a rough and rebellious member of the society I have risked my life to defend with the same spirit at a higher level. There are lines in the sand, all around me.
Habit
Have you ever thought how much energy is saved by having habits? Without the impetus of habit, half the work is just getting started. A person of many good habits is a very efficient machine, cruising effortlessly through life.
Love
Love for another requires benevolence and vulnerability, the willingness to subordinate self and take a chance on pain and tragedy in return for a lifetime of happiness. We tear down our defenses and say: “Here I am. Please take care. I will give you everything I have. I expect the same.”
Relationships
The quality of the few people you can select to play the largest roles in your life says a lot about the character and judgment you will apply to everything else. To a large degree they are you, and you will be judged accordingly.
Self-Respect
Self-respect is the essential beginning. You may have a sprinkling of good qualities, but you can’t build a well-developed and comprehensive character, deal with the world in a mature and self-confident way or expect the real world to take you seriously in return, unless you believe in yourself, unless you are truly proud of what you have built through your own effort and lifetime. With that unshakeable foundation of esteem, you will have no trouble in meeting the challenges to your integrity and positive attitude that will assault you throughout your life.
Spirit
The spirit within us, whatever the source, is something greater than mere determination, fortitude and enthusiasm. It comes from a major fountain of energy and motivation, perhaps even from another world. It creates a fire in the individual, not just intellectual optimism and drive, but an emotional power and belief that can work minor miracles of accomplishment.
Superiority
Superior beings are essential in a Darwinian world. They give birth to excellence and advancement. They are motivated to raise their species, their cultures, their companies and themselves to new levels in order to combat the Huns on the other side of the wall.
The decisive mind is a search engine that finds and sorts information required to choose among alternatives. It is not usually an easy question of good vs. bad; it is a question of subtle distinctions and the confidence of having good information tempered by experience. The decision-maker is Big Blue, the IBM chess computer that defeated a world champion by examining experience in order to foresee consequences.
Freedom
I am free, but I have to prove it every day, even to myself. Then, when someone tries to take away my freedom, I am ready to fight them in whatever way is necessary. It is one of my perpetual states of mind. It makes me a rough and rebellious member of the society I have risked my life to defend with the same spirit at a higher level. There are lines in the sand, all around me.
Habit
Have you ever thought how much energy is saved by having habits? Without the impetus of habit, half the work is just getting started. A person of many good habits is a very efficient machine, cruising effortlessly through life.
Love
Love for another requires benevolence and vulnerability, the willingness to subordinate self and take a chance on pain and tragedy in return for a lifetime of happiness. We tear down our defenses and say: “Here I am. Please take care. I will give you everything I have. I expect the same.”
Relationships
The quality of the few people you can select to play the largest roles in your life says a lot about the character and judgment you will apply to everything else. To a large degree they are you, and you will be judged accordingly.
Self-Respect
Self-respect is the essential beginning. You may have a sprinkling of good qualities, but you can’t build a well-developed and comprehensive character, deal with the world in a mature and self-confident way or expect the real world to take you seriously in return, unless you believe in yourself, unless you are truly proud of what you have built through your own effort and lifetime. With that unshakeable foundation of esteem, you will have no trouble in meeting the challenges to your integrity and positive attitude that will assault you throughout your life.
Spirit
The spirit within us, whatever the source, is something greater than mere determination, fortitude and enthusiasm. It comes from a major fountain of energy and motivation, perhaps even from another world. It creates a fire in the individual, not just intellectual optimism and drive, but an emotional power and belief that can work minor miracles of accomplishment.
Superiority
Superior beings are essential in a Darwinian world. They give birth to excellence and advancement. They are motivated to raise their species, their cultures, their companies and themselves to new levels in order to combat the Huns on the other side of the wall.
posted by John Roberts @ 12:41 PM
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