"It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who …
Category: Observations on Life
Chivalry’s Sensible Legacy
"Though the practice of chivalry fell even more sadly short of its theoretic standard than practice generally falls below theory, it remains one of the most precious monuments of the moral history of our race, as a remarkable instance of a concerted and organized attempt by a most disorganized and distracted society, to raise up …
Quiet Courage
"Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage." ~ Maya Angelou My father is a man of quiet courage. I've always admired his graciousness and desire to help others, his love of family …
Tilting at Windmills
Politics is the gizzard of society, full of grit and gravel, and the two political parties are its opposite halves - sometimes split into quarters - which grind on each other. Not only individuals but states have thus a confirmed dyspepsia. ~ Henry David Thoreau One of the microphones came on prematurely during a performance …
The Power of the Master Mind
I've been giving a good deal of consideration to what makes our company such a dynamic and enjoyable place to work and I came across a wonderful post on the Art of Manliness that described in a variety of well-researched ways one of the central keys to building an uncommonly appealing corporate culture: the power …
Light gives of itself freely
Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe. It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished. ~ Michael Strassfeld My son's school had its annual "Candlelight" assembly yesterday evening, a ceremony that celebrates the coming holiday season …
How to Put an End to our Nation’s Health Crisis
The other day someone mentioned to me that America's health crisis could be largely resolved if people would avoid everything in the middle of the grocery store and only buy items currently on the outer walls. I had to think about the statement for a moment, but once the picture of the last grocery store …
Continue reading How to Put an End to our Nation’s Health Crisis
If I can, so can you!
I had the pleasure of watching Cirque du Soleil's "Ovo" in Atlanta yesterday evening. What a remarkable display of human capability! I almost wrote human "physicality" but to limit what they did to mere physical acts would likely understate what was involved in their performance. To do what they do must take enormous mental focus …
On Maturity and Priority
One of the most valuable lessons I learned as an adolescent was to take care of what needed to be done before I undertook what I wanted to do. Sometimes the two coincided but more often than not something I wanted to do had to wait. The ability to prioritize in this way requires a …
November Evening
I take the time every night to review my day, to tie up any loose ends and to set the stage for the day to come. Some days end like a neatly wrapped package at Christmastime. Others end like a pile of fall leaves, tumultuous and disorderly with little hope of settling into order. No …
Gregory Hake 