To Quote or Not to Quote
June 2, 2009
“By necessity, by proclivity, and by delight, we all quote.” Quotation and Originality 1876 Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American poet and essayist
Should we express our own thoughts in our own words? Or should we delight in repeating the sentiments of others? Disraeli, Johnson, Behan, Churchill, Wilde, and Emerson all voice their opinions in quotes on quotes. Even the book of Proverbs stakes out a position.
* “The wisdom of the wise, and the experience of ages, may be preserved by quotation.” Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) British politician and statesman
* “Classical quotation is the parole of literary men all over the world.” Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, critic
* “A quotation in a speech, article or book is like a rifle in the hands of an infantryman. It speaks with authority.” Brendan Francis Behan (1923-1964) Irish author and poet
* “It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations.” Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, soldier, and author
* “Every quotation contributes something to the stability or enlargement of the language.” Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, critic
* “Next to the originator of a good sentence is the first quoter of it.” Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American poet and essayist
Happiness - Cause and Effect
June 1, 2009
Your reaction to the events around you determines how you feel and how you affect those you come into contact with. Consider the following example:
Jane, a bank executive, got caught in traffic on her way to an important presentation at a board of directors meeting. As a result, she was forty-five minutes late for her presentation. After the meeting Jane was in a really bad mood. Upon returning to her office she discovered that several expected reports were not there.
Jane called Kevin, her administrative assistant, into her office and reprimanded him for not ensuring the reports had arrived on time. Another department was preparing the reports. Kevin had no control over when they would be delivered. Jane was in a foul mood and she didn’t want to hear any excuses.
Upset and stressed, Kevin called Donna, the secretary for the department preparing the reports. He started yelling at her that the reports that he had requested had not arrived. Although this was the first Donna had heard of the reports, Kevin didn’t care. He was upset and took his anger out on Donna.
