Quote
“Nothing else in the world…not all the armies…is so powerful as an idea whose time has come.” – Victor Hugo, The Future of Man.
“There is food for everyone, but not everyone can eat, while food continues to be wasted and thrown away: this is “the paradox of abundance”.
- Pope Francis
Morning reading from Ego Is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday.
- It’s impossible to learn what you “already know” (yup. I’ve fallen into that trap)
- It’s never been easier to get a teacher.
“To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school…it is to solve some of the problems of life not only theoretically, but practically.”
- Henry David Thoreau
🔗 There are six seasons instead of four — Kottke
🔗 Kurt Vonnegut quoted by Jason Kottke
Here is the truth about the seasons: Spring is May and June. What could be springier than May and June? Summer is July and August. Really hot, right? Autumn is September and October. See the pumpkins? Smell those burning leaves? Next comes the season called Locking. November and December aren’t winter. They’re Locking. Next comes winter, January and February. Boy! Are they ever cold!
What comes next? Not spring. ‘Unlocking’ comes next. What else could cruel March and only slightly less cruel April be? March and April are not spring. They’re Unlocking.
Seems to work for Poland as well.
“You see how much time you have,” Gustie Herrigel writes in Zen in The Art of Flower Arrangement, “only when you stop thinking you have none.”
From Ryan Holiday’s newsletter “Daily Dad”
“Often kids find more joy in playing with old pots and pans than with the latest space set.”
- Richard Foster — Celebration of Disciple
My daughter certain confirms to this statement. She has some fancy electronic toys that’s she doesn’t care for, but give her some bottle tops and she’s happy as Larry.
“Sometimes the best thing to do is just practice writing things”
I just found this in my commonplace book but not sure on the source. Still it’s a good point.
“Twitter when everyone says they’re smarter than you are and Instagram where everyone says they’re more fabulous than you are.”
- David Brooks on The Art of Manliness Podcast
Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a great number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.
- Richard Foster in Celebration of Discipline
This is the opening of Richard Foster’s classic book Celebration of Discipine, originally published in 1979. True then, at least as true now.
“Use the simplest program for the task…keep your tools simple it allows you to focus on what’s important, creating.” - Leo Babauta The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life
Humour is an essential part of the creativity we need to solve problems, no matter how serious they may be.
- John Cleese
There are 4 types of wealth:
- Financial wealth (money)
- Social wealth (status)
- Time wealth (freedom)
- Physical wealth (health)
Be wary of jobs that lure you in with 1 and 2, but rob you of 3 and 4.
The internet, unfortunately, is no longer a safe space to do any kind of experimental thinking, particularly for somebody with any kind of “brand.” … No, if you’re going to change your mind, you might have to go off-brand, and offline is the best place to be off-brand. Your bliss station, your studio, a paper journal, a private chat room, a living room full of trusted loved ones. These are the places to really think.
“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”
― Theodore Roosevelt