Was taking a walk on this very beautiful early fall day and thinking about some of my core concepts. I took a few minutes to write them down in my notebook. Will try to refine them. I do not say that they are original. (I put in quotes when I think it is direct.) In fact, one of my aphorisms is that nothing is original. A good education means that we can borrow or steal from superior minds. They are not in any special order but as they came to mind, so they are sometimes related to those near.
- All success starts with failure
- All greatness is based on contradictions
- Diversity is not compatible with equality
- Nobody has a really original idea
- All history & culture is the common heritage of humanity
- Avoidance & denial are valid strategies
- Your past does not determine your future
- You cannot control what happens to you but you can control your response.
- If you want to do something for the long term, make haste slowly
- Don’t care what people were. Ask what they are now and what they can do in future.
- You do not always need to know where you are going to get there.
- A good process is better than a detailed plan
- Most people are good, but all people are flawed. Reach for their better angels
- Lighten up
- “You cannot step twice into the same stream”
- You know less than you think but usually enough
- Don’t spend a dollar to make a dime decision
- Act decisively even when in doubt
- Make decisions iteratively – think, do, reflect, do better
- Resilience is better than strength
- History has no direction. It emerges.
Will think of more later, but would welcome suggestions.