05th November 2007
"How many apples fell on Newton's head before he took the hint? Nature is always hinting at us. It hints over and over again. And suddenly we take the hint." -- Robert FrostHints are a good thing, especially if you are patient enough to get the point. App...
05th November 2007
"We have found that the most effective persuaders use language in a particular way. They supplement numerical data with examples, stories, metaphors, and analogies to make their positions come alive. That use of language paints a vivid word picture and, i...
10th October 2007
"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." -- Frederick DouglasWhether this is true or not is certainly less than obvious. The lack of clarity starts with the meaning of "strong children" and "broken men." The ambiguity extends to ...
08th October 2007
"Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero." = "Seize the day, put no trust in tomorrow." -- HoraceAlong with "Carpe diem," Horace said, "He has the deed half done who has made a beginning." Indira Gandhi also thought that getting on with getting on is the...
28th September 2007
The toothpaste won't go back into the tube.I learned this important fact when I was about 6. I don't remember how I managed to get the toothpaste out of the tube and all over me, the bathroom, and my new shirt. But I sure do remember that there was no way...
27th September 2007
"When one ceases from conflict, whether because he has won, because he has lost, or because he cares no more for the game, the virtue passes out of him." -- Charles Horton CooleyThere are three concepts here that represent an unusual juxtaposition: "confl...
25th September 2007
"Public virtue is a kind of ghost town into which anyone can move and declare himself sheriff." -- Saul BellowThis is no more true than when the would be sheriffs draw down with their verbal six-shooters on television. For example, "If we are forced, at e...
07th September 2007
"If you will think about what you ought to do for other people, your character will take care of itself. Character is a by-product, and any man who devotes himself to its cultivation in his own case will become a selfish prig." -- Woodrow WilsonAs you thi...
31st August 2007
"My true-love hath my heart, and I have his, by just exchange, one for the other given: I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss, there never was a better bargain driven." -- Sir Philip Sidney
You are about to learn the secret recipe for the tie that b...
28th August 2007
"Children are one third of our population and all of our future." -- Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health - 1981
A frequent variation on the theme is, "Children are our most important resource." This is usually simply asserted as a given, wit...
26th August 2007
"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you will help them to become what they are capable of being." -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
There are many theories that attempt to account for leadership excellence. The opening quote is, perhap...
23rd August 2007
"It seemed rather incongruous that in a society of supersophisticated communication, we often suffer from a shortage of listeners." -- Erma Bombeck
You have many conversations under a variety of circumstances. Some are pleasant and others are challengi...
20th August 2007
"I argue very well. Ask any of my remaining friends. I can win an argument on any topic, against any opponent. People know this, and steer clear of me at parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, they don't even invite me." -- Dave Barry
This s...
16th August 2007
There are many behaviors and approaches that enhance your ability to work successfully with people, especially if you are in management or supervision. As you know, they also work well within families, with your friends, and as you participate in your com...
10th August 2007
The monkey bridge loomed monstrously between us and success. If perchance you do not know about monkey bridges, picture and learn.
Jim and I were twelve and had our sights on being Eagle Scouts. Back then, you could not get there without a hiking merit...
