hum

My mom used to say it to me, and my wife says it now. There’s even a slogan that says it! “Approach all situations with a joyful mind.”

One December evening the cry of ‘Fire!’ echoed through the plant. Spontaneous combustion had broken out in the film room and within moments all the packing compounds, film and other flammable goods had gone up with a whoosh…

When I couldn’t find Father, I became concerned. Was he safe? With all his assets going up in smoke, would his spirit be broken? He was 67, no age to begin anew. Then I saw him in the plant yard, running toward me.

‘Where’s Mom?’ he shouted. ‘Go get her! Tell her to get her friends! They’ll never see a fire like this again!’

At 5:30 the next morning, when the fire was barely under control, father called his employees together and announced: ‘We’re rebuilding!’ One man was told to lease all the machine shops in the area. Another, to obtain a wrecking crane from the Erie Railroad Company. Then, almost as an afterthought he added, ‘Oh, by the way. Anybody know where we can get some money?”

Later on he explained, ‘You can always make capital out of disaster. We’ve just cleared out a bunch of old rubbish! We’ll build bigger and better on these ruins.’ With that he rolled up his coat for a pillow, curled up on a table and immediately fell asleep.

Charles Edison

My most significant discovery so far in my life was the result of one single decision, my decision to join Apple […] the best decision that I ever made […] I listened to my intuition, not the left side of my brain […]
I am where I am in life because my parents sacrificed more than they should have, because of teachers, professors, friends and mentors who cared more than they had to, and because of Steve Jobs and Apple.

If England’s youth don’t have jobs, it’s because both the private and public sectors have put too much emphasis on higher education and not enough on teaching skills and creating an environment where people can perform those tasks with a sense of pride and dignity.

Tyler Brûlé

“How would you explain it, Pooh?”
“With a song,” he said. “A little something I just made up.”
“Go ahead.”
“Certainly … (cough).”

How can you get very far,
If you don’t know Who You Are?
How can you do what you ought,
If you don’t know What You’ve Got?
And if you don’t know Which To Do
Of all the things in front of you,
Then what you’ll have when you are through
Is just a mess without a clue
Of all the best that can come true
If you know What and Which and Who.

“That’s it,” he said, leaning back and closing his eyes.
“A Masterpiece.”
“Well, better than average, maybe.”

Sooner or later, we are bound to discover some things about ourselves that we don’t like. But once we see they’re there, we can decide what we want to do with them. Do we want to get rid of them completely, change them into other things, or use them in beneficial ways? The last two approaches are often especially Useful, since they avoid head-on conflict, and therefore minimize struggle. Also, they allow those transformed characteristics to be added to the list of things we have that help us out.

In a similar manner, instead of struggling to erase what are referred to as negative emotions, we can learn to use them in positive ways. We could describe the principle like this: while pounding on the piano keys may produce noise, removing them doesn’t exactly further the creation of music. The principles of Music and Living aren’t all that different, we think.

“Wouldn’t you say, Pooh?”
“Say what?” asked Pooh, opening his eyes.
“Music and Living —”
“The same thing,” said Pooh.

The Tao of Pooh

Judge: So, young oaf. You are accused of getting a bit drunk and setting up a Facebook group to start trouble. How do you plead?

Wannabe looter: Guilty, m’lud. Though I’d like to point out that me and my mates were so pissed that we fell asleep, so none of us turned up for the ruck.

Judge: That only makes it worse. You are typical of the work-shy youth of today who is unable to stick to his promises. In my day, if you said you were going to do something, you did it. Four years.

John Crace

First date ended with him running to a bus stop shouting “I have to go to my friend’s cat in Tottenham”. We were outside his flat.

I am clear that I no longer wish to continue to live and hope that people can respect this wish and now allow me to die. I want it over with without delay.

Be my lov manager

You may find yourself approaching a senator, someone with money, and asking him: ‘Do you know, sir, to whom you have entrusted the care of your horses?’
‘I do.’
‘Is it some random person with no knowledge of horses?’
‘Of course not.’
‘What about your money and clothes?’
‘I don’t hand them over to just anyone either.’
‘And as to your body, you’ve already found someone to entrust with its care?’
‘Naturally.’
‘An expert, obviously, in either exercise or medicine?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are these the things you value most, or have you got something better than them all?’
‘And what would that be?’
‘The faculty that uses all of them, and assigns each their place and value.’
‘You mean the soul?’
‘Good guess; that’s precisely what I mean.’
‘Absolutely, I think that is far and away a more precious possession than the others you mentioned.’
‘So, then, tell me the steps you’ve taken to care for the soul. As intelligent as you are, and as politically prominent, surely you would not casually look on and allow the most prized of your possessions to be neglected and go to ruin.’
‘No, of course not.’
‘Well, if you have looked after it personally, did you learn how from another person, or discover the means yourself?’
At this point you run the risk of him saying, ‘What business is that of yours, sir? What are you to me?’ Pester him further, and he is liable to punch you in the nose. I myself was once keen for this sort of discourse, until I met with just such a reception.