Recent Philosophical Favorites
I don’t usually do the whole inspirational quote thing, but I’ve always appreciated perspective from people I respect—either because they’re masters of their craft or because they’re close to me. While I firmly believe discipline trumps motivation every single time, we all need a little kickstart now and then.
Here are a few favorites that have been on my radar recently.
1- Kobe Bryant: “At the end of every day, you look yourself in the mirror and you ask yourself, ‘Did I get better today?’ If the answer is yes, and you do that for five years, 10 years, 15 years, how much better are you going to be? … It’s the process of getting better every day and doing that for a period of years that then creates the masterpiece.”
2- “Success is most often a series of small, incremental daily discipline that slowly compounds along with an 1-2 annual 2-3 week obsessive sprints. Like a harvest.” -Some guy I meet for coffee at a conference 15 years ago
3- “An army of sheep led by a lion is better than an army of lions led by a sheep.” – Dan Hurley, UConn basketball coach
4- “You can be happy in the DMV line & be miserable at Disney world. The attitude you choose beforehand determines how the event unfolds.” -Sam Demma
5- “Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?” -Mom
6- “Fat, drunk, & stupid is no way to go through life son.” – Dean Wormer, Animal House
7- “Perfection is impossible, but striving for perfection is not. Do the best you can. That is what counts.” – John Wooden, former UCLA basketball coach
8- “We Not Me”- Scotty Bowles
9- “Son you best quit wasting time. You are burning up your daylight”- Dad
10- Some Clint Eastwood
On Self-Respect: “Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline…”
On Persistence: “I don’t believe in pessimism. If something doesn’t come up the way you want, forge ahead.”
On Perspective: “I’m interested in the fact that the less secure a man is, the more likely he is to have extreme prejudice.”
Currently Reading: One Last Strike by Tony La Russa
Recent podcasts favorites:
-A Bit of Optimism, with Simon Sinek
-How to Take Over the World, with Ben Wilson (title is misleading)