The analysis part

Writing itself makes you realize where there are holes in things. I’m never sure what I think until I see what I write. And so I believe that, even though you’re an optimist, the analysis part of you kicks in when you sit down to construct a story or a paragraph or a sentence. You think, ‘Oh, that can’t be right.’ And you have to go back, and you have to rethink it all.

~ Carol Loomis

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Your mission

If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn’t plan your mission properly.

~ David Hackworth

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Anything at all

It would be wrong for anything to stand between you and attaining goodness—as a rational being and a citizen. Anything at all: the applaus of the crowd, high office, wealth, or self-indulgence. All of them might seem to be compatible with it—for a while. But suddenly they control us and sweep us away.

~ Marcus Aurelius

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Personal responsibility

I took personal, public responsibility. I apologized profusely and repeatedly. I did the best I could to make things right. And most important, I relearned a lesson I thought I already knew: Never compromise your integrity. It’s all you have.

~ Strauss Zelnick

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Evict it

The great majority of that which gives you angst never happens, so you must evict it. Don’t let it live rent-free in your brain.

~ Peter Guber

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Wait to respond

I have often regretted acting impulsively when I am feeling angry or frustrated. Now, when I feel that familiar urge to respond defensively or say things I don’t really mean or bang out a wounded response via email or text, I wait. I force myself to breath, take a step back, and wait to respond. Just an hour or two or an overnight retreat makes a world of difference. And if all else fails, I try to obey this message I got in a fortune cookie: Avoid compulsively making things worse.

~ Debbie Millman

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The beginning

Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.

~ Fred Rogers

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Slowly

Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.

~ Mae West

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Listen to the answer

Always ask: What am I missing?
…and listen to the answer.

~ Strauss Zelnick

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Fear

Don’t let the weight of fear weigh down the joy of curiosity. Fear is really false evidence appearing real.

~ Peter Guber

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