Top Highlights

• Do you know someone you would like to change and regulate and improve? Good! That is fine. I am all in favor of it. But why not begin on yourself? From a purely selfish standpoint, that is a lot more profitable than trying to improve others—yes, and a lot less dangerous. “Don’t complain about the snow on your neighbor’s roof,” said Confucius, “when...
• If you and I want to stir up a resentment tomorrow that may rankle across the decades and endure until death, just let us indulge in a little stinging criticism—no matter how certain we are that it is justified.
• When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity.
• The secret of his success? “I will speak ill of no man,” he said, “… and speak all the good I know of everybody.”
• Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to understand and forgive. “A great man shows his greatness,” said Carlyle, “by the way he treats little men.”