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Maxims Quotes
Quotes tagged as "maxims"
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“Plants are more courageous than almost all human beings: an orange tree would rather die than produce lemons, whereas instead of dying the average person would rather be someone they are not.”
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“All sciences are vain and full of errors that are not born of Experience, the mother of all Knowledge.”
― Leonardo's Notebooks
― Leonardo's Notebooks
“You cannot be truly humble, unless you truly believe that life can and will go on without you.”
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“THE MAXIMS OF MEDICINE
Before you examine the body of a patient,
Be patient to learn his story.
For once you learn his story,
You will also come to know
His body.
Before you diagnose any sickness,
Make sure there is no sickness in the mind or heart.
For the emotions in a man’s moon or sun,
Can point to the sickness in
Any one of his other parts.
Before you treat a man with a condition,
Know that not all cures can heal all people.
For the chemistry that works on one patient,
May not work for the next,
Because even medicine has its own
Conditions.
Before asserting a prognosis on any patient,
Always be objective and never subjective.
For telling a man that he will win the treasure of life,
But then later discovering that he will lose,
Will harm him more than by telling him
That he may lose,
But then he wins.
THE MAXIMS OF MEDICINE by Suzy Kassem”
― Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem
Before you examine the body of a patient,
Be patient to learn his story.
For once you learn his story,
You will also come to know
His body.
Before you diagnose any sickness,
Make sure there is no sickness in the mind or heart.
For the emotions in a man’s moon or sun,
Can point to the sickness in
Any one of his other parts.
Before you treat a man with a condition,
Know that not all cures can heal all people.
For the chemistry that works on one patient,
May not work for the next,
Because even medicine has its own
Conditions.
Before asserting a prognosis on any patient,
Always be objective and never subjective.
For telling a man that he will win the treasure of life,
But then later discovering that he will lose,
Will harm him more than by telling him
That he may lose,
But then he wins.
THE MAXIMS OF MEDICINE by Suzy Kassem”
― Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem
“A relationship is likely to last way longer, if each partner convinces or has convinced themselves that they do not deserve their partner, even if that is not true.”
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“Some people avoid thinking deeply in public, only because they are afraid of coming across as suicidal.”
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“Some of us were brought into this troubled world primarily or only to increase our fathers’ chances of not being left by our mothers, or vice versa.”
― The Use and Misuse of Children
― The Use and Misuse of Children
“Life sometimes reminds us that it is sometimes heartless by giving something or someone we really need to someone who does not need or even want them or it.”
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“The most upsetting thing about Society’s attitude towards disabled people is that many millions of disabled people became disabled while trying to please Society, the very same bitch that secretly regards them as subhuman.”
― The Use and Misuse of Children
― The Use and Misuse of Children
“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the innumerable instances where one would have experienced pain.”
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“Life is a process during which one initially gets less and less dependent, independent, and then more and more dependent.”
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“We are loved way more by some of the people who have not contacted us in the last twelve or so months than we are loved by some of those who contact us every twelve or so days … or hours.”
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“We are way less likely to love someone just because they love us than we are to hate someone just because they hate us.”
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“Most sane human beings who are over the age of six usually act or react not as per what they genuinely feel or really think but in accordance with the expectations of those around them.”
― The Use and Misuse of Children
― The Use and Misuse of Children
“Most sane human beings’ chances of being alive in a thousand years’ time are a hundred times higher than their chances of being sincerely happy for at least ten consecutive days.”
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“Real love and Sun have something in common; they are so bright that they don't have shadows, they are free of darkness!”
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“The human population would probably be way less than a thousand, if ejaculation were not usually accompanied by an orgasm.”
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“If we were not impressed by job titles, suits, and jargon, we would demand that financial advisors show us their personal bank statements before they tell us what we could or should do with our own money.”
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“In reality most human beings are not, to most human beings, more important than money.”
― The Use and Misuse of Children
― The Use and Misuse of Children
“Walking does good to the fat and giving alms does good to the sinners; these both make one feel lighter!”
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“Of all our passions, that which is most unknown to ourselves is indolence. Although the injuries it causes are very imperceptible, no other passion is more ardent or more malignant. If we consider attentively its influence we shall see that on every occasion it renders itself master of our sentiments, our interests, and our pleasures; it is the remora which arrests the course of the largest vessels, a calm more dangerous to the most important affairs than rocks or tempests. The repose of indolence is a secret spell of the mind which suspends our most ardent pursuits and our firmest resolves.”
― Maxims and Moral Reflections
― Maxims and Moral Reflections
“Maxims
If you work harder and look more closely, there's always something you can whittle away. It's when you get to the essence of your idea that you'll have something to be proud of. 196
Blunt is Simplicity. Meandering is Complexity. 13
The simplest way isn't always the easiest. 2
You can't let yourself be talked into going along with something when you know there's something better. Ever. 15
Apple encourages big thinking but small everything else. 25
Simplicity's best friend: Small groups of smart people. 26
Great ideas travel with a degree of risk. 39
Just get rid of the crappy stuff and focus on the good stuff. ~ Steve Jobs's advice to Nike. 51
The less the merrier. 54
Simplicity never stands till. 70
To accomplish great things two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time. ~ Leonard Bernstein, 72
Aim realistically high. 72
Never stop moving. 73
As long as you've got new ideas to share, you are free to re-present the old ones. 110
Simplicity gains power through brevity. 133
Simplicity is in a hurry. 134
Simplicity has universal appeal. 161
It's really hard to design things by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them. ~ Steve Jobs, 164
Take advice, not orders. 166
So it must become your nature never to relent. You never want to come out even, because in this game a tie goes to Complexity. 192”
― Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success
If you work harder and look more closely, there's always something you can whittle away. It's when you get to the essence of your idea that you'll have something to be proud of. 196
Blunt is Simplicity. Meandering is Complexity. 13
The simplest way isn't always the easiest. 2
You can't let yourself be talked into going along with something when you know there's something better. Ever. 15
Apple encourages big thinking but small everything else. 25
Simplicity's best friend: Small groups of smart people. 26
Great ideas travel with a degree of risk. 39
Just get rid of the crappy stuff and focus on the good stuff. ~ Steve Jobs's advice to Nike. 51
The less the merrier. 54
Simplicity never stands till. 70
To accomplish great things two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time. ~ Leonard Bernstein, 72
Aim realistically high. 72
Never stop moving. 73
As long as you've got new ideas to share, you are free to re-present the old ones. 110
Simplicity gains power through brevity. 133
Simplicity is in a hurry. 134
Simplicity has universal appeal. 161
It's really hard to design things by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them. ~ Steve Jobs, 164
Take advice, not orders. 166
So it must become your nature never to relent. You never want to come out even, because in this game a tie goes to Complexity. 192”
― Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success
“Maxims & Other Quotes
If you need an adjective or adverb, you're still fishing for he right noun or verb. 34
Was this a true story? It seemed somehow unimaginable, a fantasy of some kind. But he told it with such conviction that, against my own wishes, I believed him.
Was this indeed the essence of storytelling? Did one simply have to relate a tale in a believable fashion, with the authority of the imagination? 36
Memory is a mirror that may easily shatter. 81
Readers become invisible even to themselves. Only the story lives. It’s the fate of the writer, yes, as well, to disappear. ~ Alastair Reid 83
‘There is only now,’ Borges exclaimed with unstoppable force. ‘Act, dear boy! Do not procrastinate! It’s the worst of sins. I’ve thought about this, you see: the progression toward evil. Murder, this is very bad, a sin. It leads to thievery. And thievery, of course, leads to drunkenness and Sabbath-breaking. And Sabbath-breaking leads to incivility and at last procrastination. A slippery slope into the pit!’ 98
Borges: I no longer need to save face. This is one of the benefits of extreme age. Nothing matters much, and very little matters at all. 100
Borges: Believe me, you will one day read Don Quixote with a profound sense of recollection. This happens when you read a classic. It finds you where you have been. 102
Parini: I try not to think of the phallus, except when I can think of nothing else, which is most of the time.
Borges: This is the fate of young men, a limited focus. One of the few advantages of my blindness has been that I no longer focus my eyes on objects of arousal. I look inward now, though the mind has mountains, dangerous cliffs. 105
Borges: Writers are always pirates, marauding, taking whatever pleases them from others, shaping these stolen goods to our purposes. Writers feed off the corpses of those who passed before them, their precursors. On the other hand they invent their precursors. They create them in their own image, as God did with man.108
Borges: Nobody can teach you anything. That’s the first truth. We teach ourselves. 115
Borges: One should avoid strong emotion, especially when it interferes with the work at hand. We have European blood in our veins, you and I. Mine is northern blood. We’re cold people, you see. Warriors. 125
Borges: The influence of Quixote was such that Sancho acquired a taste for literary wisdom. Such wisdom in his aphorisms! ‘One can find a remedy for everything but death.’ Or this: ‘Make yourself into honey and the flies will devour you.’ 151
Borges: You see, I designed my work for the tiniest audience, ‘fit company though few.’ A writer’s imagination should not be diluted by crowds! 151
Borges: If you don’t abandon the spirit, the spirit will not abandon you. 181”
― Borges and Me: An Encounter
If you need an adjective or adverb, you're still fishing for he right noun or verb. 34
Was this a true story? It seemed somehow unimaginable, a fantasy of some kind. But he told it with such conviction that, against my own wishes, I believed him.
Was this indeed the essence of storytelling? Did one simply have to relate a tale in a believable fashion, with the authority of the imagination? 36
Memory is a mirror that may easily shatter. 81
Readers become invisible even to themselves. Only the story lives. It’s the fate of the writer, yes, as well, to disappear. ~ Alastair Reid 83
‘There is only now,’ Borges exclaimed with unstoppable force. ‘Act, dear boy! Do not procrastinate! It’s the worst of sins. I’ve thought about this, you see: the progression toward evil. Murder, this is very bad, a sin. It leads to thievery. And thievery, of course, leads to drunkenness and Sabbath-breaking. And Sabbath-breaking leads to incivility and at last procrastination. A slippery slope into the pit!’ 98
Borges: I no longer need to save face. This is one of the benefits of extreme age. Nothing matters much, and very little matters at all. 100
Borges: Believe me, you will one day read Don Quixote with a profound sense of recollection. This happens when you read a classic. It finds you where you have been. 102
Parini: I try not to think of the phallus, except when I can think of nothing else, which is most of the time.
Borges: This is the fate of young men, a limited focus. One of the few advantages of my blindness has been that I no longer focus my eyes on objects of arousal. I look inward now, though the mind has mountains, dangerous cliffs. 105
Borges: Writers are always pirates, marauding, taking whatever pleases them from others, shaping these stolen goods to our purposes. Writers feed off the corpses of those who passed before them, their precursors. On the other hand they invent their precursors. They create them in their own image, as God did with man.108
Borges: Nobody can teach you anything. That’s the first truth. We teach ourselves. 115
Borges: One should avoid strong emotion, especially when it interferes with the work at hand. We have European blood in our veins, you and I. Mine is northern blood. We’re cold people, you see. Warriors. 125
Borges: The influence of Quixote was such that Sancho acquired a taste for literary wisdom. Such wisdom in his aphorisms! ‘One can find a remedy for everything but death.’ Or this: ‘Make yourself into honey and the flies will devour you.’ 151
Borges: You see, I designed my work for the tiniest audience, ‘fit company though few.’ A writer’s imagination should not be diluted by crowds! 151
Borges: If you don’t abandon the spirit, the spirit will not abandon you. 181”
― Borges and Me: An Encounter
“Maxims & Other Quotes II
Exactly how we deal with our souls was at this moment the only question I thought worth asking. 181
Borges: What I most admire about Whitman is that he created Walt Whitman, an ideal projection not of himself but someone like him, a character every reader could find in his heart and admire. 184
Borges: Mythos, in Greek, is not a story that is false, it’s a story that is more than true. Myth is a tear in the fabric of reality, and immense energies pour through those holy fissures. Our stories, our poems, are rips in these holy fissures, as well, however slight. 193
Borges: Don’t question survival, mine or yours. More powers lie at your disposal than you realize. 194
Parini: I just don’t know enough.
Borges: Nor I. But we all proceed on insufficient knowledge. 195
Borges: I’ve found a name for myself. Borges the Reenactor! The problem is, one never wins old battles. The losses only mount. 250
Borges: Remember that the battle between good and evil persists, and the writer’s work is constantly to reframe the argument, so that readers make the right choices. Never work from vanity. … What does Eliot say? ‘Humility is endless’ … We fail, and we fail again. We pick ourselves up. I’ve done it a thousand times, Guiseppe. Borges only deepens. 251”
― Borges and Me: An Encounter
Exactly how we deal with our souls was at this moment the only question I thought worth asking. 181
Borges: What I most admire about Whitman is that he created Walt Whitman, an ideal projection not of himself but someone like him, a character every reader could find in his heart and admire. 184
Borges: Mythos, in Greek, is not a story that is false, it’s a story that is more than true. Myth is a tear in the fabric of reality, and immense energies pour through those holy fissures. Our stories, our poems, are rips in these holy fissures, as well, however slight. 193
Borges: Don’t question survival, mine or yours. More powers lie at your disposal than you realize. 194
Parini: I just don’t know enough.
Borges: Nor I. But we all proceed on insufficient knowledge. 195
Borges: I’ve found a name for myself. Borges the Reenactor! The problem is, one never wins old battles. The losses only mount. 250
Borges: Remember that the battle between good and evil persists, and the writer’s work is constantly to reframe the argument, so that readers make the right choices. Never work from vanity. … What does Eliot say? ‘Humility is endless’ … We fail, and we fail again. We pick ourselves up. I’ve done it a thousand times, Guiseppe. Borges only deepens. 251”
― Borges and Me: An Encounter
“Maxims Hidden in the Text
Try, fail, analyze, adjust, try again. John Maynard Keynes cycled through these steps ceaselessly. 178
An imperfect decision made in time is better than a perfect one made too late. 215-216
Plans are merely a platform for change. Israeli Defense Forces slogan. 222
If we ask many tiny pertinent questions, we can close in on an answer for the big question. 263”
― Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction
Try, fail, analyze, adjust, try again. John Maynard Keynes cycled through these steps ceaselessly. 178
An imperfect decision made in time is better than a perfect one made too late. 215-216
Plans are merely a platform for change. Israeli Defense Forces slogan. 222
If we ask many tiny pertinent questions, we can close in on an answer for the big question. 263”
― Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction
“Harnessing the Power of Simplicity
Think Brutal. No need to be mean, just brutally honest—and avoid the partial truths while you're at it. ... Positive or negative, make honesty the basis of all interactions.
Think Small. Small groups of smart people deliver better results, higher efficiency, and improved morale.
Think Minimal. The more you minimize your proposition, the more attractive it will be.
Think Motion. It's just a fact of life that a degree of pressure keeps things moving ahead with purpose.
Think Iconic. It will serve you well to crystallize your thinking by leveraging an image that can symbolize your idea or the spirit of it.
Think Phrasal. The best way to make yourself organization look smart is to express an idea simply and with perfect clarity.
Think Casual. Embrace the fact that you'll get more accomplished when you converse with people rather than present to them.
Think Human. Have the boldness to look beyond the numbers and spreadsheets and allow your heart to have a say in the matter.
Think Skeptic. Don't allow the discouragement of others to force compromise upon your ideas. Push.”
― Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success
Think Brutal. No need to be mean, just brutally honest—and avoid the partial truths while you're at it. ... Positive or negative, make honesty the basis of all interactions.
Think Small. Small groups of smart people deliver better results, higher efficiency, and improved morale.
Think Minimal. The more you minimize your proposition, the more attractive it will be.
Think Motion. It's just a fact of life that a degree of pressure keeps things moving ahead with purpose.
Think Iconic. It will serve you well to crystallize your thinking by leveraging an image that can symbolize your idea or the spirit of it.
Think Phrasal. The best way to make yourself organization look smart is to express an idea simply and with perfect clarity.
Think Casual. Embrace the fact that you'll get more accomplished when you converse with people rather than present to them.
Think Human. Have the boldness to look beyond the numbers and spreadsheets and allow your heart to have a say in the matter.
Think Skeptic. Don't allow the discouragement of others to force compromise upon your ideas. Push.”
― Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success
“...his methods of achieving his aim were a constant throughout his life:
• No matter how verbose the orders, render them down to simple aims.
• Know your enemy.
• Plan every move from the point of departure to the point of return. Keep the element of surprise in mind at all times. Plan boldly and act boldly (but not foolishly).
• Ask the question “What if . . . ” at every stage of the plan. Ask that question no matter how outlandish it may seem to be.
• Give honest orders and honest answers to the troops’ questions.
• Do not delegate a task unless prepared to do it yourself.
• Select the right equipment, but always remember that it is the man who counts.
• Rehearse, rehearse, and then rehearse again.
• Hope for—but do not expect—good luck. If good luck does appear to be with you, exploit it—fast.
No one will deny that the Meadows-detailed preparation and planning phases for any operation paid off. It is a technique still practiced throughout Special Forces.”
― The Quiet Professional: Major Richard J. Meadows of the U.S. Army Special Forces
• No matter how verbose the orders, render them down to simple aims.
• Know your enemy.
• Plan every move from the point of departure to the point of return. Keep the element of surprise in mind at all times. Plan boldly and act boldly (but not foolishly).
• Ask the question “What if . . . ” at every stage of the plan. Ask that question no matter how outlandish it may seem to be.
• Give honest orders and honest answers to the troops’ questions.
• Do not delegate a task unless prepared to do it yourself.
• Select the right equipment, but always remember that it is the man who counts.
• Rehearse, rehearse, and then rehearse again.
• Hope for—but do not expect—good luck. If good luck does appear to be with you, exploit it—fast.
No one will deny that the Meadows-detailed preparation and planning phases for any operation paid off. It is a technique still practiced throughout Special Forces.”
― The Quiet Professional: Major Richard J. Meadows of the U.S. Army Special Forces
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