"The loftier the building, the deeper must the foundation be laid." - Thomas Kempis I heard the whistle of an interesting train of thought while listening to a podcast the other day about the life of Michael Page, an Olympic-medal winning American equestrian. The interviewer asked Page which horseman had influenced his riding career most …
Tag: greg hake
Fair and Right
The notion that the right thing to do is always fair or that fairness is always right is utterly false. Right and fair occasionally align, but assuming that they do in all cases is an incredibly limiting perspective. The idea that anything right must also be fair is one of the many unfortunate by-products of …
A Fine Person
"The best effort of a fine person is felt after we have left their presence." - Ralph Waldo Emerson If I were to interview everyone you interacted with yesterday, would they all say the you left them uplifted or downcast or would it be a mix of both? If it is all one or the …
Individual Initiative
The future of the world hangs upon the initiative of the individual. As with our physical bodies, individuals cluster and coordinate into groups of individuals and groups of individuals organize into larger systems, but the health of the body of humanity depends upon the health of its individual members, just as the health of a …
My Best Teachers
"If you treat an individual...as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe One of the greatest privileges in life is that of teaching, coaching, mentoring or leading others in any setting or of any age. …
The Crowning Reward
"Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art." - Frederic Chopin Whether life imitates art or art imitates life I cannot be sure, but one thing I do know is that simplicity is the pinnacle …
High Quality
"Quality is not an act, it is a habit." - Aristotle I've had the good fortune to make the acquaintance of a number of high quality people over the years. Such people live uncommon lives, where every aspect of their living is reflective of a commitment to quality. How they carry themselves in public and …
Causa Causam
"For me, one of the major reasons to move beyond just the planting of trees was that I have tendency to look at the causes of a problem. We often preoccupy ourselves with the symptoms, whereas if we went to the root cause of the problems, we would be able to overcome the problems once …
Unexpected Moments
“Nothing is lost upon a man who is bent upon growth; nothing wasted on one who is always preparing for - life by keeping eyes, mind and heart open to nature, men, books, experience - and what he gathers serves him at unexpected moments in unforeseen ways.”- Hamilton Wright Mabie One of the most profound …
The Question
"The question for each man to settle is not what he would do if he had means, time, influence, and educational advantages, but what he will do with the things he has." - Hamilton Wright Mabie Insufficient means, the lack of time, the absence of influence and insufficient education are often used as scapegoats for …
Gregory Hake 