Flunking

The teacher pretended that algebra was a perfectly natural affair, to be taken for granted, whereas I didn't even know what numbers were. Mathematics classes became sheer terror and torture to me. I was so intimidated by my incomprehension that I did not dare to ask any questions. - Carl Jung

Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. - Robert Heinlein

Smooth Heart

To keep the heart unwrinkled, to be hopeful, kindly, cheerful, reverent - that is to triumph over old age. - Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Keep your heart polished.

Going Gaga

Develop your eccentricities while you are young. That way, when you get old, people won't think you're going gaga. - David Ogilvy


Might drive your parents nuts though......

Few Rivals

He who is enamored of himself will at least have the advantage of being inconvenienced by few rivals. - Georg C. Lichtenberg


Being humble does not negate self-esteem.

Flirtin' With Fools

God created the flirt as soon as he made the fool. - Victor Hugo


It's kind of fun to play the fool, as long as you don't take the game seriously.

Good Morning

If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don't be surly at home, then go out in the street and start going 'Good morning' at total strangers. - Maya Angelou

..... Get real and stay that way; if you aren't, it shows and it ain't pretty.

Practice Makes Complete

One can acquire everything in solitude, except character. - Marie Stendhal


You develop your character through practice not rehearsal.

No Defense

Honor does not have to be defended. - Robert J. Sawyer


To yourself or others.

Self Control

Man has six organs to serve him and he is master only of three. He cannot control his eye, ear or nose, but can his mouth, hand and foot. - Leone Levi


  Inputs can't be controlled; outputs can. If you try to control inputs you will be known as a .......not very nice person.

World Views

The confidence which we have in ourselves gives birth to much of that which we have in others. - Francis De La Rochefourcauld


And the timid think everyone else needs to be cared for.

Heart of Gold

Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold -- but so does a hard-boiled egg. - Unknown

People cannot see your heart.

Looking at Friends

When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends - Japanese Proverb

Look at your friends and see if they reveal what you think your character should be.

Dealing With Anxiety

Accusing someone else of having what you consider a negative personality trait can help you feel less anxious about having that trait yourself. Life can be stressful at times, and people sometimes need to find ways to cope with anxiety. Some will turn to drugs or alcohol. Others might shop compulsively or gamble. Some, however, may turn to more subtle habits such as being critical of everyone else. - Michael J. Hurd

Find a non-destructive way of dealing with your anxiety.

Swagger, Conceit, Esteem

Self-esteem is different than conceit. Conceit is the weirdest disease in the world. It makes everyone sick except the one who has it. - Hartman Rector, Jr.

Swagger is the outward sign of conceit, which is a sure-fire symptom of low self-esteem.

 

Your Reputation

Self-esteem is the reputation we acquire with ourselves. - Nathaniel Branden


Self-esteem comes from within and is built over time, not from someone else or at an early age.

Creating Self

Some people say they haven't yet found themselves. But the self is not something one finds; it is something one creates. - Thomas Szasz


Good or bad.

Honor

Honor is self-esteem made visible in action. - Ayn Rand


I ran across this quote the other day and it started me thinking. First to define Honor in dictionary terms:

Dignity. Reputation. Dignified respect of character springing from probity (integrity, honesty),  principle, or moral rectitude (moral uprightness). 

It seems to me we don't use the concept or the word much these days. When was the last time you heard a politician use the word about themselves or a colleague? If they did I think they would be judged as "impractical" or "naive." I myself have been told many times "Oh, come on be practical" when trying to argue a point on moral grounds. The implication is we cannot know what is moral or not so we judge whether to do something on its practicability. So let's see where that takes us if we assume Miss Rand is correct.

If honor is self-esteem in action would you not assume that not acting honorably would damage your self-esteem? Note that I am using the word "self-esteem" in the "self-respect" sense not in the sense it is sometimes used where it refers to an unwarranted or undeserved self image. Isn't any damage done to your self-respect a slippery slope to personal disaster? Think about this the next time you decide to do something because it is the "practical" thing to do. Perhaps you should consider if it is the honorable thing to do.

Devil's Critic

The devil doesn't need an advocate. The brave need supporters, not critics. - Seth Godin 


Does it then follow that the meek need critics, not supporters?


(Other posts on Negativity) 

Create Yourself

Be yourself, because everyone else is already taken.- Oscar Wilde 


"Create yourself" might be more apt - it indicates you have a choice of who you are.


(Other posts on Character) 

Live With Integrity

Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you. - H. Jackson Brown, Jr. 


Likewise when you think of things you have done.


(Other posts on Character)