TFTD

Luc de Clapier – “Patience is the art of hoping.”

TFTD

Those who know how to win are much more numerous than those who know how to make proper use of their victories. – Polybius

TFTDs

A few to peruse…

I think I’ve discovered the secret of life – you just hang around until you get used to it. – Charles Schulz

Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money. – Jules Renard

Going off the road just leaves me more time to be a writer. – Janis Ian

Fiction gives us a second chance that life denies us. – Paul Theroux

I don’t believe in God, but I’m afraid of Him. – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I like my body when it is with your body. It is so quite new a thing. Muscles better and nerves more. – e.e. cummings

Every man is the son of his own works. – Miguel de Cervantes

Everyone is necessarily the hero of his own life story. – John Barth

What the United States does best is to understand itself. What it does worst is understand others. – Carlos Fuentes [hmmm....]

I’ll think about things for thirty or forty years before I’ll write it. – Richard Brautigan

There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.- Friedrich Nietzsche

I don’t necessarily agree with everything I say. – Marshall McLuhan (an introvert sometimes thinks this )

Patience is a tree with bitter roots that bears sweet fruit. — Chinese proverb

You have to go through the falling down in order to learn to walk. It helps to know that you can survive it. That’s an education in itself. – Carol Burnett

Every man is as heaven made him, and sometimes a great deal worse.- Miguel de Cervantes

Love can consign us to hell or to paradise, but it always takes us somewhere. – Paul Coelho

Dashing

On a clear morning
A quick dash of words
A quicker dash
Out the door

What’s odd

Why is it that when someone dies, particularly someone famous, people (me included) say we’re going to do X or Y differently? I’m not calling that wrong, but the shock jolts us out of the sleep we sometimes fall into.

The start of it all

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

hen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

http://www.ushistory.org/Declaration/document/

Look around you

This is a cool slideshow of a new attraction at the Sears Tower. You step out into a glass box 103 stories above Chicago, with nothing but glass keeping you from falling. I’d do that–for about three seconds. I think the CN Tower in Toronto (happy belated Canada Day) has a glass floor, too.

Children stand on “The Ledge” and look down through … – Yahoo! News Photos.

Riffs

I was reading this article on Ralph Ellison and invisibility, and a story about Tiger Woods and Jim Brown, and some thoughts come to mind…

One thing an introvert has to actively fight against is being invisible. We’re quiet and so that leads people to, frankly, ignore us. Part of that is on us–when the time demands it, we should speak up. And when we do, what we say has to count, have meaning. I think the military would call it economy of force–the least amount of words (or weapons or troops) to have the most impact.And when it counts, we need not worry if anyone will be listening.

*******

The Tiger/Jim Brown dustup is about race, and also about generations. Brown came of age in the Civil Rights era, and was (and still is) never afraid to assert his race–he felt like he had to in that time. Tiger grew up in another era, after the big battles had been won. He is a beneficiary of the battles Brown and countless others fought. Tiger is still fighting the battle, but differently, mainly through his foundation, but also by winning majors and being one of the toughest guys on the course.

Two men, two competitors. Two different approaches to social change. Which Tiger understands, but Brown doesn’t seem to understand that. Not everyone can–or should–fight the fight with the stridency and anger he has. Social consciousness is more than militancy.

And one note–Just because Tiger isn’t an angry black man doesn’t make him less valid. But that goes without saying…

Before

Before the cacophony
Of the alarm clock
There’s the stillness
The cool morning air
The glowing light
Of daybreak
There is me
Alone
With my thoughts
With my dreams
With my longings
Before the cacophony
Of the alarm clock

Somewhere else

I’m listening to WRTI, and some great trumpet music, and it’s a warm early summer night. I wish I was in…

Anyplace where I can sit outside, drink a drink, and watch the world pass by.

Taking stock

Let’s see. Over the span of seven days, we’ve seen…

The deaths of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson and Billy Mays.

A deadly train crash in Washington.

A governor throw a marriage and political career down the tubes and go AWOL from a state for a woman in Argentina.

And the ongoing turmoil in Iran.

I’m not a tinfoil-hat wearing conspiracy theorist, but this is just weird…

Awesome!

I know he got in trouble, but still…

N.C. State student accused of creating a ‘monster’ :: WRAL.com.

Wonderful post

I love the last six lines

Czeslaw Milosz: On Angels.

Rest in peace

I hope you’ve found peace.

Michael Jackson | The Official Site.

Understand me

The Atlantic article by Jonathan Rauch on introverts is a great piece, and so is this one. Now it doesn’t mean that we’re anti-social–we can party. The way we recharge is different…

How to Understand/Live With an Introvert | Living Introverted.

Where am I going?

I’m in the airport, which seems a lot like a church, with its bright natural lights and its high ceilings. i look up at the flight board and wonder where my plane home is. I rifle through my bag, then head off to the bathroom. I come back and the flight is being called. I bound over the gate, trying to find the ticket. In a panic, I start racing around the terminal trying to find it. Ah, there it is, on the table where I left it. I race back to the gate, getting them to hold the plane.

Is this dream, where was I going?

Storm clouds

Every so often in the summer here in New Jersey, the evening sky turns this otherworldly orange tint that gives the landscape an odd, vaguely scary feel. Tonight, I was lucky enough to catch it on camera…

What’s beautiful

The rain falls
On the first night of summer
A clarion call
Of peace and soothing
A reminder from nature
That nourishment
Is never far away

Not happy with this

I see stuff like this, and it makes my blood boil. Basically, you buy the CD or MP3, listen to it, and you’ll magically turn from a lonely, desperate, anti-social introvert into a lively, outgoing, social extrovert.

As if there is something wrong with being an introvert. I don’t feel like having to defend myself from stuff like this. It’s obnoxious to think that I’m ill or deficient to the point where I need to listen to this. Unfortunately, some people will see it and think it’ll be the cure for their “problems.” What they should realize is that they are ok on their own. As they are.

What if I came up with a similar scheme to turn extroverts intro introverts?

Hmmm, maybe the world would benefit from that…

Bearing witness

Standing up to tyranny
Standing up to repression
The masses gather
To say no to a farce

The armies gather
The leaders huddle
To beat back
The gathering clouds

Yet they know
The die has been cast
The revolution has begun

The streets bear witness
To the years of charades
And false words
That fail to reflect
What lives in the hearts
And the souls of the people

Apology accepted

I don’t need the money from reparations; this will do just fine.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheat-sheet/item/senate-apologizes-for-slavery/our-mistake/

Passing along

This poem from Rumi is making the rounds on the web. It has special resonance given what is going on in Iran. It’s well worth reading.

Sunlight: [Sunlight] A Green-Winged Longing — Ghazal 1713.

Waypoints

Introverts have to be careful. We can be so inner-directed (with the rich inner lives that we have ) that what makes us unique and special can become issues, and not good ones. Maybe more than other people, we have to be more aware of who we are, where we are and what we are. If not, we lose ourselves and we lose what makes us, us.

When Introverted Personality Traits Become Problematic | Quips and Tips for Achieving Your Goals.

Remind me again

What this word–namaste–means?

The God Spirit within me recognizes and honors the God Spirit within you.

Ah yes.

Namaste

More photos from Iran

Worth a look and an appreciation…

#iranelection – a set on Flickr.

Utterly stunning

What is taking place on the other side of the world from me is stunning. These pictures are well worth a look.

Iran’s Disputed Election – The Big Picture – Boston.com.

Sandprints

The moon launches its journey
The stars guide its way
I walk along the sands
With the ocean lapping at my feet
The sound of the water
Draws me into a state
Of calm and bliss
I walk from the shore
And my footprints
Wash into the sea

What’s important

Tonight, half a world away from here, kids are getting the shit kicked out of their asses because they saw injustice and refused to be silent. They said no.

God bless them for their act of defiance.

There’s more where that came from

Following the post below, here is the entire album from yesterday’s walk, with some random skyline photos…

Photo tour: The High Line

Yesterday I went to New York and toured the High Line, the new park that opened last week. For years it was nothing more than an abandoned rail line (and sometime-host for rogue parties), until a couple of guys thought it would be cool to build a park there. It was inspired by the Promenade Plantee in Paris, an abandoned viaduct. Here are some snaps…

The south end of the park. The building in the background is the Standard Hotel. The High Line will be a boost to that part of New York.

The planners planted all sorts of plants and flowers in the abandoned rail bed.

The High Line runs through a couple of buildings, and the planners used the chance for art installations. This one is at the Chelsea Market.

The first weekend the park was open to the public. This will be a popular place.

The view to Hoboken, New Jersey

I loved the dichtomy of this sign

The 10th Avenue Square. You can sit in the small ampitheater and watch the traffic zoom uptown

Looking back onto the space above 10th Avenue

Flora above the city

Looking out to Midtown

End of the line. This is 20th St. The plan is to open the second section to 30th St. next year; a third section about the Hudson Rail Yards is in discussions.

Just us chickens

Extravert / Introvert Cartoon | Savage Chickens – Cartoons on Sticky Notes by Doug Savage.

TFTD

To persevere is always a reflection of the state of one’s inner life, one’s philosophy and one’s perspective. David Guterson

as seen on twitter

Whole cloth

Sometimes you wake up happy. I’ve woken up happy this morning because I’ve realized–yet again–that I am better whole than in pieces.

Rise and shine

Events like yesterday in Washington serve as a reminder–the heart and the soul and the mind have to be constantly nourished with good ingredients. And must be kept awake and vigliant.

Hmmm…

I see the picture here, and I go–yep, this man’s an introvert. Birds of a feather, I suppose

The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan.

Awe. Some.

I loved this post. Sometimes we are underestimated, thought to be weak, and ripe for being taken advantage of. Then something happens, and blows all that nonsense away. Loved these takeaways…

Without some measure of self definition and defiance, most introverts would have been crushed long ago.

Life under the shimmering surface of society is not for weaklings.

We have more strength than can be readily seen…

The Myth of Introvert Weakness « Kingdom of Introversion.

Mojo

If I could seduce women the way Apple seduces its customers, I’d make Casanova look like Steve Urkel.

Apple Unveils Cheap New iPhone – The Daily Beast.

No guilt–sometimes…

Yeah, there are times where I feel guilty about being introverted, but those have gotten fewer and farther between. As usual, a work in progress…

Do You Feel Guilty About Being Introverted? | Living Introverted.

FAQ

I’ve been blogging for two years, through about 2,500 posts, and figured it was past time to post an FAQ…

Who are you?

I am a bunch of things, a walking bundle of humanity. But really, I am a black guy (yes, I say black and not African-American–I’m old-school), mid-30s, living in New Jersey.

Why are you writing?

I write to write and write to live. I had no real grand plans for this, but it has become a place for me to plant my flag and say who I am and who I am becoming.

Your writing seems intensely personal.

It is. Something happened to me about two years (ok, ok, I got my heart broken), and instead of closing up shop and shriveling into a corner, I wrote what I felt. And I’m still doing that. And in the bargain, a strong guy (internally) has become stronger. I write what I feel and often my heart feels strong. This is where I write from, or try to.

Forgive me, but black guys usually don’t do this–write from the heart and all that.

I forgive you, but you’re wrong I once had a friend say that she doesn’t see stereotype. That’s great, but the problem is everyone else does. And that notion is one of them. I know who I am, and make no apologies for that. I am used to swimming against the tide, and that’s more fun than swimming with the pack. Were you to meet me, you’d be surprised. Pleasantly so

Ok, I stand corrected. What do you do for a living?

I’d tell you, but, well, you know…

Not even a hint?

It’s a creative enterprise.

You’re not gonna say.

No.

Ok, that explains the nom de plume. What’s the origin?

It’s an homage to Ralph Ellison’s essay, “The Little Man at Chehaw Station.” Basically, it says you have to be your best at any time, even for an old guy cleaning a train station.

Cool. So are you gonna write a book based on this blog?

Maybe. I’ve got the material.

Final thoughts?

I’m an introvert (again, going against type), and we are often slammed for being distant and not being passionate. Take a walk through this blog. I reject the charge. Categorically.

Short take–Philadelphia

I live close to Philadelphia (actually, between Philly and New York), and a couple of weeks ago I went tromping through Center City. Normally when I go I roam through the west part of downtown, hanging out around Rittenhouse Square. This time, I went through the eastern part, going down to South Street, one of the funkier areas of the city (Manayunk is another cool place). Though, South Street has changed. When I went there in the mid-90s, there was a seediness to it that made it vaguely sketchy–even with a Starbucks. Now, there are two Starbucks and Whole Foods. And the bookstore I used to wander through is now a clothing store.

There's still some funkiness in the area

These give the neighborhood a fun, laidback groove

There are tons of murals in Philly, usually painted in blighted areas. South Street isn't blighted, but this is a great example of what you'll is in the city.

A fair at the Headhouse Market

Streetscape. Some of the homes in the eastern part of Center City are more than 200 years old. The quiet streets are a contrast to the hurly burly of the city (and the interstate a couple of blocks away).

I didn't catch the name of this sculpture

Independence Hall--where the great experiment called the United States began

Don’t be that guy

There are times, when I hear, read and see things, and wonder–why are we men such goddamned jackasses? All I want to do sometimes is not be that guy. But be smarter, think and not be a bloody idiot.

Dream-like storm

It usually happens about once a year. I wish it happened more, but if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

I live in New Jersey, and sometimes thunderstorms rumble through in the middle of the night. And there I was last night, sound alseep, when the rumbles came through. I don’t know what time–I couldn’t be bothered to look at the clock. I seemed to stay as the rumbles and claps of thunder got stronger and pierced through the night. I barely noticed any lightning–my eyes stayed closed, but my ears remained open. Then the rains came, beating their ryhthm on the window and the trees.

It was almost a dream, a lush, warm blanket to wrap myself in. At least, it was better than the strange dream I had later about a beach house…

Test-taker

I have been taking a test, a test of mind, strength and courage. And, without a hint of arrogance, I think I’m passing it.

TFTD

For every mountain to climb there is a hill to descend.

–a proverb

Stand still

More reasons to meditate.

Where is strength?

Strength can be found in uncertainty. Don’t believe me? Read on.

The tao of no

Usually on Saturday nights, I go out, either alone or with a friend. And as I was just about to walk out the door last night, something happened.

I said no.

I said, no, I don’t feel like going out. I’m not going out. So, I didn’t.

Instead, I changed my clothes, threw on my shorts and my Vans, climbed into the the car and rolled. I opened the moonroof and saw stars and a beautiful half-moon overhead. The cool night air felt wonderous after a bright, warm day. The ride through the night felt more liberating than being in a restaurant. More free.

And, as I said no, I thought about a situation, not too long ago, where I had said no to someone. It was hard to say it, because I care very deeply about this person. But now, as then, it was proper to say it. Though I don’t have what I want, I am stronger for saying no. I am stronger for being who I am.

*****

As I was driving home, I spied off in the distance fireworks. The local university was celebrating the graduation of the class of 2009. I was watching the sparklers reach into the night sky and was reminded of something–when the fireworks stop, the moon and the stars will still burn bright. And as night turns to dawn, the sun will be there. That trifecta will always be there. Follow the example.

The real rules…

Everywhere you go on the internet, you’ll see somebody’s rules for living. But it’s never in the rules themselves but the execution of them that is key. I like this set of rules derived from Eramsus. A big hat tip here…

ERASMUS’ TWENTY-TWO PRINCIPLES ON HOW TO BE STRONG WHILE REMAINING VIRTUOUS IN A DANGEROUS WORLD

First Rule
INCREASE YOUR FAITH.
Even if the entire world appears mad.

Second Rule
ACT UPON YOUR FAITH.
Even if you must undergo the loss of everything.

Third Rule
ANALYZE YOUR FEARS.
You will find that things are not as bad as they appear.

Fourth Rule
MAKE VIRTUE THE ONLY GOAL OF YOUR LIFE.
Dedicate all of your enthusiasm, all your effort, your leisure as well as your business.

Fifth Rule
TURN AWAY FROM MATERIAL THINGS.
If you are greatly concerned with money you will be weak of spirit.

Sixth Rule
TRAIN YOUR MIND TO DISTINGUISH GOOD AND EVIL.
Let your rule of government be determined by the common good.

Seventh Rule
NEVER LET ANY SETBACK STOP YOU IN YOUR QUEST.
We are not perfect – This only means we should try harder.

Eighth Rule
IF YOU HAVE FREQUENT TEMPTATIONS, DO NOT WORRY.
Begin to worry when you do not have temptation, because that is a sure sign that you cannot distinguish good from evil.

Ninth Rule
ALWAYS BE PREPARED FOR AN ATTACK.
Careful generals set guards even in times of peace.

Tenth Rule
SPIT, AS IT WERE, IN THE FACE OF DANGER.
Keep a stirring quotation with you for encouragement.

Twelfth Rule
TURN YOUR WEAKNESS INTO VIRTUE.
If you are inclined to be selfish, make a deliberate effort to be giving.

Thirteenth Rule
TREAT EACH BATTLE AS THOUGH IT WERE YOUR LAST.
And you will finish, in the end, victorious!

Fourteenth Rule
DON’T ASSUME THAT DOING GOOD ALLOWS YOU TO KEEP A FEW VICES.
The enemy you ignore the most is the one who conquers you.

Fifteenth Rule
WEIGH YOUR ALTERNATIVES CAREFULLY.
The wrong way will often seem easier than the right way.

Sixteenth Rule
NEVER ADMIT DEFEAT EVEN IF YOU HAVE BEEN WOUNDED.
The good soldier’s painful wounds spur him to gather his strength.

Seventeenth Rule
ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN OF ACTION.
So when the time comes for battle, you will know what to do.

Eighteenth Rule
CALM YOUR PASSIONS BY SEEING HOW LITTLE THERE IS TO GAIN.
We often worry and scheme about trifling matters of no importance.

Nineteenth Rule
SPEAK WITH YOURSELF THIS WAY:
If I do what I am considering, would I want my family to know about it?

Twentieth Rule
VIRTUE HAS ITS OWN REWARD.
Once a person has it, they would not exchange it for anything.

Twenty-first Rule
LIFE CAN BE SAD, DIFFICULT AND QUICK: MAKE IT COUNT FOR SOMETHING!
Since we do not know when death will come, act honorably everyday.

Twenty-second Rule
REPENT YOUR WRONGS.
Those who do not admit their faults have the most to fear.

Kinda sorta

Here’s a cool chart (to be taken tongue in cheek) comparing introverts and extroverts. Yeah, it’s sorta like this for us.

TFTD

“The sensible man does not feel proud because of revelations he experiences nor because of thoughts that come to him.”–Buddha