Failed Justice

The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. - Abraham Lincoln

Failure in a just cause is far superior to success in an unjust one because injustice can rarely be undone but failure does not prevent you from trying again.

Art Defined

There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun. - Pablo Picasso

That's the difference between graphic art and art.

Individual Rights

Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual). - Ayn Rand

The founders of this country knew this - the majority could be wrong. The Constitution (as it was written) limited the majority but the amendments and interpretations soon morphed it into what it is today.

Predudicial Priorities

A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices. - William James

One premise is as important as another, so the order is not important. What is important is whether it is correct or not.

Common Premises

Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen. - Albert Einstein

I think "premises" would be a better word than "prejudices" and, as we know - always check your premises.

In Awe

The first twenty-five years of your life, you're in awe of others. For the next twenty-five, you want others to be in awe of you. After that, you could hardly give a damn. - Arthur Lotti

It's not that you don't give a damn - you just learn who it is important to impress - yourself.

Survival of the Flexible

The key word is flexibility, the ability to adapt constantly. Darwin said it clearly. People thought that he mainly talked about survival of the fittest. What he said was that the species that survive are usually not the smartest or the strongest, but the ones most responsive to change. So being attentive to customers and potential partners is my best advice--after, of course, perseverance and patience. -Philippe Kahn

But be sure that the change your customer seeks is not an evolutionary dead end.

Aligned Rewards

How you define rewards ought to align with your goals and how you define success. - Lisa Haneberg

Money is not the only reward - other rewards may be better. Sometimes a kind word is better aligned with the recipients goal.

Conspiracy Theory

America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy. - John Updike

Now that's my kind of conspiracy theory.

The Right Place

Fortune may find a pot, but your own industry must make it boil. – John Gay

Bill Gates was in the right place at the right time but without his talent and hard work we wouldn't know his name. In fact we, or he, would never know he was once in the right place at the right time.