Axel Deussen

In all his talks, Kofi Annan always kept a white porcelain elephant on the table to remind himself that there are always certain issues that everyone sees but cannot be addressed; for fear of spoiling the conversation, spoiling the atmosphere, or causing the discussion to escalate.

“Nations that went down fighting rose again, but those who surrendered tamely were finished.“ ~ Winston Churchill

“To live life you need problems. If you get everything you want the minute you want it, what's the point of living?” “Dude, sucking at something is the first step toward being sort of good at something.” ~ Jake, Adventure Time

“Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.” ~ Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

“Follow your bliss and doors will open where there were only walls.” “The magic you're looking for is in the work you're avoiding.”  ~ Joseph Campbell

Charlie Munger: “I have a pile on my desk that solves most of my problems. It's called the Too Hard pile. And I just keep shifting things to the Too Hard pile.” “Every once in a while, an easy decision comes along and I make it. That's my system. Everything goes to the Too Hard pile, except for a few easy decisions which I make promptly.”

“The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavourable. Favourable conditions never come.” ~ C.S. Lewis

“There's a quick and easy way to test whether an activity involves skill: ask whether you can lose on purpose.” “When luck plays a part in determining the consequences of your actions, you don't want to study success to learn what strategy was used but rather study strategy to see whether it consistently led to success.” “When most people come to believe the same thing, large gaps open up between price and value.”  ~ Michael J. Mauboussin, The Success Equation