I never heard of Robert W. Service until I came across something he said and looked him up.

The quote that caught my interest was this, “It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out; it’s the grain of sand in your shoe.” You have to admit that along with the obvious accuracy of the statement there is a good deal of wisdom there also.

I certainly didn’t connect Service with his main claim to fame, but if you are old enough you, too, have probably heard this line from his most famous poem, “Pitched on his head, and pumped full of lead, was Dangerous Dan McGrew, While the man from the creeks lay clutched to the breast of the lady that’s known as Lou.” For those of you unfamiliar it’s called The Shooting of Dan McGrew and you can read it here.

Service believed in the value of shutting up or, to use his more polite wording, “Be sure your wisest words are those you do not say.”

Lastly, a bit of wisdom that is well worth adding to your life guidance principles, “A promise made is a debt unpaid.”

See you all tomorrow; have a wonderful day.

Image credit: Wikipedia

Of course today is about mom, but most of the quotes are so saccharine I couldn’t make myself use them, so I decided to focus is on the thing without which there would be no moms—kids.

Right away I want to say that “mom” is a concept, not the female half of a marriage or, as Oprah Winfrey said, “Biology is the least of what makes someone a mother.”

An anonymous quote makes clear something else about mothers that is frequently ignored, “All mothers are working mothers.”

Aristotle’s words not only predate DNA testing, but the attitude of many modern males, “Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own.”

Peter De Vries makes a nice point that is equally true for urban and rural moms as it is for those who live in suburbia, “A suburban mother’s role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after.”

I heard Sam Levenson’s comment many years ago and find it just as amusing (and true) now as then if not more so, “Insanity is hereditary; you get it from your children.”

John J. Plomp noticed something that every parent, especially new ones, is very cognizant of, “The one thing children wear out faster than shoes is parents.”

And while we’re on that subject, we’ll let Lionel Kauffman have the final word today, “Children are a great comfort in your old age – and they help you reach it faster, too.”

Image credit: Elvert Barnes

Unless you’ve been off-planet you’ve probably noticed that it’s election time again and if you think it’s been bad so far, well, as the man said, you ain’t seen nothing yet. That said, I thought a little levity now and then would relieve the tedium of listening to both sides lie over the next six months.

Aesop, he of the famous Fables, has a wonderful insight that certainly explains many of those who hold office—past, present and, sadly, future, “We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.”

Plato did a great job of explaining the difference between those who run and those who vote, “Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.”

Clarence Darrow summed up how many of us feel today when he said, “When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President; I’m beginning to believe it.”

While Mark Twain, in his inimitable style, handily summed up the Legislative Branch, “Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself.”

Finally, Milton Friedman succinctly sums up everything, “If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there’d be a shortage of sand.”

Watch for Politics 2 coming sometime soon.

Flickr credit: Jack

Work; everyone works, one way or another, paid or not.

Some people work hard, while some hardly work; or as Sam Ewing said, “Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.”

According to Pearl Buck work is good for your health—at least is if you like it, “To find joy in work is to discover the fountain of youth.”

Teddy Roosevelt offered yet another view of why on the value of work, “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

Most successful people will tell you that if you do what you love the money will follow, but not everybody believes that.

I have a kind of mantra that I share with clients, ‘People who join you for money will leave for more money.’ Henry David Thoreau said something similar long before, “Do not hire a man who does your work for money, but him who does it for love of it.”

Joseph Campbell had another insight to the person who is only in it for the money, “I think the person who takes a job in order to live – that is to say, for the money – has turned himself into a slave.”

But even when we love our work we all like a pat on the back and having our work appreciated, but rather than trying to force the acknowledgment take a tip from Henry J. Kaiser, “When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.”

Finally, it’s Stevie Wonder who sums it all up perfectly, “Ya gots to work with what you gots to work with.”

stock.xchng image credit: hisks

April 15; day of dread—or not, depending on whether you’re due a refund or not. And believe it or not, I even managed to avoid blah blah tax quotes from politicians. Are you impressed?

Taxes go way back as does the difference between who pays; as Plato said, “Where there is an income tax, the just man will pay more and the unjust less on the same amount of income.”

Ben Franklin’s words are probably the most famous and repeated tax commentary ever said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

Arthur Godfrey summed up most of our feelings when he said, “I am proud to be paying taxes in the United States. The only thing is—I could be just as proud for half the money.”

According to common wisdom, “People who complain about taxes can be divided into two classes: men and women.”

John Maynard Keynes seems to have a philosophical view of tax cheats, “The avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual pursuit that still carries any reward.”

Whereas Jean Baptiste Colbert perfectly defines the politics of taxation, “The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest amount of feathers with the least possible amount of squawking.”

Russell B. Long was a U.S. Senator and offers the only perfect, non-partisan description of the loopholes that riddle the US tax code, “A tax loophole is “something that benefits the other guy. If it benefits you, it is tax reform.”

Finally, Leona Helmsley’s comment perfectly describes many of the 1%, as well as the Dirty Thirty, “We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.”

Image credit: 401K

It’s spring, although you wouldn’t know it here in the Pacific Northwest, but most parts of the country seem luckier. Spring is considered a time of new beginnings, which are especially noticeable in the garden. But, actually, spring is any time you want; new beginnings are a state of mind.

Maria Robinson didn’t believe in new beginnings, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

Centuries before Maria shared her insight the Roman philosopher Seneca said something similar, “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”

W. Clement Stone provides a concise explanation of what prevents new beginnings, “So many fail because they don’t get started – they don’t go. They don’t overcome inertia. They don’t begin.”

Theodore Roosevelt tells us to just get on with it, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

The always savvy Anonymous reminds us, “Yesterday’s failures are today’s seeds that must be diligently planted to be able to abundantly harvest tomorrow’s success.”

G.R.Blair offers some wise words to keep your new beginnings on track, “Long-term planning is not about making long-term decisions, it is about understanding the future consequences of today’s decisions.”

But it is the brilliant Mary Shelley who serves up the five words you should repeat every morning when you wake, “The beginning is always today.”

Flickr image credit: M

Can you believe? Q1 is over, done, gone and all we have to show for it is a day especially for fools. So on this day dedicated to fools and foolishness I offer you up some foolish words of wisdom.

Way back in 1894 Mark Twain wrote a book in which the main character, Pudd’nhead Wilson, says, “This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three hundred and sixty-four.” A home truth if there ever was one.

If you plan on pulling any pranks today you might want to keep Will Shakespeare’s words in mind, “Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.”

Ben Franklin must have been thinking of politicians when he said “Wise men don’t need advice. Fools won’t take it.”

As usual, it’s Will Rogers who nails April Fool’s Day perfectly—not to mention the upcoming elections, “The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected.”

Finally, we can all see the truth in this old Welsh Proverb, “If every fool wore a crown, we should all be kings;” all we have to do is look in the mirror.

I wish you a wonderful day full of pranks, silliness and friends.

Happy April Fools Day!

Flickr image credit: Jonny Hughes

I ran into the following quote from Adam Smith and thought he’d be a good subject for today’s Quotable Quotes. It’s too bad that Smith, known as the godfather of free market capitalism, doesn’t carry more weight with our bankers and politicians, although Occupy Wall Street seems to get it.

“The disposition to admire and almost worship the rich and the powerful is the great and most universal cause of the corruption of our moral sentiments.”

All those bankers who have refused to provide the credit necessary for SMB to move forward might want to consider these wise words, “It is not by augmenting the capital of the country, but by rendering a greater part of that capital active and productive than would otherwise be so, that the most judicious operations of banking can increase the industry of the country.”

Sadly, the world has changed to the point where customer outrage has little to no effect, although Smith’s words still ring true for some, “The real and effectual discipline which is exercised over a workman is that of his customers. It is the fear of losing their employment which restrains his frauds and corrects his negligence.”

This struck me as a great truth considering the ideologues that pass for politicians these days, “I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good.”
It’s not fair to bash bankers and pols and let the corporate world off Smith’s hook, so here’s one just for them, “Consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production; and the interest of the producer ought to be attended to, only so far as it may be necessary for promoting that of the consumer.”

Conspicuous consumption was out of style, or at least underground, after the 2008 crash, but is back in full force now proving that Smith understood exactly what drives them, “With the greater part of rich people, the chief enjoyment of riches consists in the parade of riches.”

Finally, the so-called 1% would do well to remember this, “No society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which the far greater part of the members are poor and miserable.”

Image credit: Wikipedia

Ask anybody with a blog and they will tell you that while Akismet does a great job of catching spam, making sure that real comments weren’t also caught is a nuisance; especially if you let it go too long. Most spam comments are stupid, meaningless or boring, but lately one spambot has been leaving quotes, so I copied the last batch to share with you today; Plato’s and Asimov’s were pure serendipity from other places.

With the Republican primary in full throttle I thought this comment by Edward R. Murrow was very appropriate; note that it applies equally well to the Democrats, “When the politicians complain that TV turns the proceedings into a circus, it should be made clear that the circus was already there, and that TV has merely demonstrated that not all the performers are well trained.”

Politicians on all sides of the spectrum have been providing a constant supply of sexual peccadilloes and we can than Henry Kissinger for providing a succinct explanation of why, “Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.”

Throughout history sexual peccadilloes have been dominantly the province of men, which may have led to Lady Nancy Astor’s scathing judgment, “I married beneath me. All women do.”

Centuries apart, Plato and George Dorsey offered similar opinions on the same subject,

• Plato “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”
• George Dorsey: “Play is the beginning of knowledge.”

That’s an attitude that ties closely with Dale Carnegie’s thought, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”

Finally, whether globally or locally, humans had best take heed of Isaac Asimov’s words or nothing will be solved in time, “If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.”

Not bad for spam.

(My apologies, I forgot to click Publish!)

Image credit: arnold | inuyaki

150 years ago Walter Bagehot focus probably wasn’t on entrepreneurs, but that just goes to show that wise thoughts may have multiple applications.

To start with, Bagehot’s take on what work really is should resonate, “The real essence of work is concentrated energy,” especially with entrepreneurs.

“Anyone can start a company” is today’s mantra, but it’s also true that “No great work has ever been produced except after a long interval of still and musing meditation.” Notice that he says, ‘great’.

However, at some point thought needs to become action because, “What impresses men is not mind, but the result of mind.”

Ever wonder why people are willing to put up with 100 hours weeks and financial deprivation to follow a dream? Bagehot sums it up perfectly, “The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”

A common idea that runs throughout all history it that “One of the greatest pains to human nature is the pain of a new idea.”

Long before the advent of focus groups and experts telling entrepreneurs to get out of their office and talk to people Bagehot pinned down the result of not listening to your market, as well as why some people don’t, “The habit of common and continuous speech is a symptom of mental deficiency. It proceeds from not knowing what is going on in other people’s minds.”

Finally, for all of us who truly love what we do, in spite of what other think, “Business is really more agreeable than pleasure; it interests the whole mind … more deeply. But it does not look as if it did.”

Image credit: Wikipedia