Quotes, Poems, & Sayings...

[Leader]

Originally Posted by Jet

Desiderata
by Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and
lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

I found that in high school and memorized it.... but haven't thought about it in years. Thanks for posting this.

[JakeTulane]

"I am doing things that are true to me. The only thing I have a problem with is being labeled." - Johnny Depp

[JakeTulane]

“If you hear that someone is speaking ill of you, instead of trying to defend yourself you should say: "He obviously does not know me very well, since there are so many other faults he could have mentioned"" - Epictetus

[JakeTulane]

“Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us.” - Marianne Williamson

[Kätzchen]

Reference:

O'Toole, J. & Bennis, W. (2009, June issue). What's needed next: A culture of candor. The Harvard Business Review (pp. 54-61). www.hbr.org


"We won't be able to rebuild trust in institutions until leaders learn how to communicate honestly - and create organizations where that's the norm,"
-James O'Toole & Warren Bennis


(Excerpt from their article on 8 ideas on how to promote the Culture of Candor):

1. Tell the Truth (We all have an impulse to tell people what they want to hear. Wise executives tell everyone the same unvarnished story. Once you develop a reputation for straight talk, people will return the favor).
2. Encourage people to speak truth to power (It's extraordinarily difficult for people lower in a heirarchy to tell higher-ups unpalatable truths - but that's what the higher-ups need to know because often their employees have access to information about problems they don't. Create the conditions for people to be courageous).
3. Reward contrarians (Your company won't innovate successfully if you don't learn to recognise, then challenge, your own assumptions. Find colleagues who can help you do that. Promote the best of them. Thank all of them).
4. Practice having unpleasant conversations (The best leaders learn how to deliver bad news kindly so that people don't get necessarily hurt. That's not easy -- so find a safe place to practice).
5. Diversify your sources of information (Everyone's biased. Make sure you communicate regularly with different groups of employees, customers, and competitors, so that your own understanding is nuanced and multifaceted).
6. Admit your mistakes (This gives everyone around you permission to do the same).
7. Build organizational support for transparency (Start with protection for whistle-blowers, but don't stop there. Hire people because they created a culture of candor elsewhere - not because they can out-compete their peers).
8. Set information free (Most organizations default to keeping informations confidential when it might be strategic or private. Default, instead, to sharing information - unless there's clear reason not to).

Note: The above ideas are valuable for the way we conduct ourselves in our ordinary life relationships with others. To me, this is great way to increase our ability to be effective communicators in any type of environment - whether it is in the workplace or at home in our family arrangements (a partner/lover or especially with children - no matter their age - and with our beloved pets)!!!


Wellness wishes for all,
~ALK

[jenny]

"I need some time to figure out if you're the love of my life or a pathological liar." ~ Jackie, "Nurse Jackie"

[Fancy]

Scratch most feminists and underneath there is a woman who longs to be a sex object, the difference is that it is not all she longs to be.

-Betty Rollins

[Laerkin]

Hmmm. Definitely thought provoking. I certainly consider myself a feminist though I know we come in all kinds of flavors.

I think the quote is true of most of the strong, independent women that I know, but I worry that there is an assumption lurking underneath that says feminists are anti-sexuality and anti-sexual expression. Or I could be reading too much into it (more likely the case).

Great post, Fancy. Lots to chew on and marinate in.

My totally non-thought provoking contribution is:

If you use the electric vibrator near water, you will come and go at the same time. ~Louise Sammons

Originally Posted by Fancy

Scratch most feminists and underneath there is a woman who longs to be a sex object, the difference is that it is not all she longs to be.

-Betty Rollins

[The_Lady_Snow]

"Prejudices are the chains forged by ignorance to keep men apart."

[Fancy]

Originally Posted by Laerkin

Hmmm. Definitely thought provoking. I certainly consider myself a feminist though I know we come in all kinds of flavors.

I think the quote is true of most of the strong, independent women that I know, but I worry that there is an assumption lurking underneath that says feminists are anti-sexuality and anti-sexual expression. Or I could be reading too much into it (more likely the case).

Great post, Fancy. Lots to chew on and marinate in.

My totally non-thought provoking contribution is:

If you use the electric vibrator near water, you will come and go at the same time. ~Louise Sammons

Yeah, I'm over thinking it, too. Something about stereotyping a group and how that often backfires keeps coming to mind.

But, darn that quote you added was funny!

[Mister Bent]

"I'll show my weiner on your website." - Jason Stackhouse


"Don't blame the Ferrari just because yo' ass can't drive." - Lafayette

[jenny]

"I always wanted to invent something that would move around & make funny noises & would change the world as we know it & I forgot all about that until we had kids & now I see I came pretty close." ~ Brian Andreas, "Storypeople"

[afixer]

If people did not indulge in such abject evasions as the claim that some contemptible liar “means well”—that a mooching bum “can’t help it”—that a juvenile delinquent “needs love”—that a criminal “doesn’t know any better”—that a power-seeking politician is moved by patriotic concern for “the public good”—that communists are merely “agrarian reformers”—the history of the past few decades, or centuries, would have been different.
- Ayn Rand

[jenny]

"Evil shrieks loudly while goodness clothes the world in silence." ~ Wafa Sultan

[jenny]

"We are born naked. After that, it's all drag." ~ RuPaul

[turasultana]

“Your highness, when I said that you are like a stream of bat's piss,
I only mean that you shine out like a shaft of gold when all around it is dark”

--Monty Python

[BestButchBoy]

Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Jesse]

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. ~Lao Tzu

[Fancy]

"Mooooom, stop calling me food!"

-Bear

[SmoothButch]

"God put me on Earth for three reasons - to make loud music, gay videos and make a damn ruckus!" ~ Lady Gaga







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