PART II.

“… there was formerly in man a true happiness,
of which there remains to him now only a mark,
a trace wholly void, which he vainly tries to fill
with all that surrounds him, seeking
from things absent the succor which he cannot obtain
from things present, but which are incapable of it,
because this infinite abyss cannot be filled
but by an infinite and immutable object,
that is, but by God himself.”

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), French mathematician, physicist, religious philosopher. The Thoughts, Letters, and Opuscules of Blaise Pascal, p. 246-7.

PART I.

“All men seek to be happy; this is without exception.
Whatever different means they may employ,
they all tend to this end. This is why some go to war,
and why others do not, that both parties
have the same desire, accompanied by different views.
The will never takes the least step but towards this object.
It is the motive of all the actions of all men,
even of those who hang themselves.”

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), French mathematician, physicist, religious philosopher. The Thoughts, Letters, and Opuscules of Blaise Pascal, p. 246.

“Every man dies – Not every man really lives.”

William Wallace, Brave Heart.

“I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God
who is sending a love letter to the world.”

Mother Teresa (1910-1997), Roman Catholic nun with Indian citizenship.

“Management is doing things right;
leadership is doing the right things.”

Peter Drucker (1909-2005), writer, management consultant.

“What leads to unhappiness,
is making pleasure the chief aim.”

William Shenstone (1714-1763), English poet.

“Success can only be achieved
through repeated failure and introspection.”

Soichiro Honda (1906-1991), founder of Honda Motor Company.

“…a proven motivator will make it to the top
before a proven genius.”

Alan Loy McGinnis, psychotherapist, author,
Bringing Out the Best in People, p. 22.

“Winning requires you to be world class at doing the basics.”

Ed Gubman, author, consultant.

“Giving money and power to government
is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.”

P.J. O’Rourke (1947- ), American political satirist.