Updated when something is worth adding
Last updated - 30th April 2024
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If you want to get in contact, email me on michaelv@fastmail.com.au. I check this about once a week so don't expect a speedy response.
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Keep the following in mind when reading these. Life is better when you don't have to think about it TOO much.
Don't take anything here to seriously - these are ideas, not doctrine to be obeyed. And yes, there are contradictions in here - again don't take them too seriously. Life is full on contradictions, and you have to twist yourself in knots to set it all straight.
Nobody will agree with everything here. One shouldn't! Be your own person. There can be fair criticisms to be made of many points here.
These are ideas, not maxims.
These idea are intentionally kept as concepts rather than spelled out things. It is better to be a farmer of ideas that grow into fruitful trees than to have answers handed to you like processed food.
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1.
When the wind blows, the leaves fall. Some are young and some are old. This is the way of life and death.
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2.
We relax not knowing who grows the food, makes the bowl or builds the bridge. We can relax not knowing what makes existence.
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3.
We are but waves of the universe. Like the flowers every cycle. As they are born, grow and die - So to do people, civilisations, and the stars.
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4.
The brightest lights, cast the darkest shadows.
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5.
You can imagine a thousand potential futures, maybe only one will come true.
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6.
Thru darkness - light is acknowledged. Thru light - darkness is acknowledged
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7.
Happiness is transient. Do not try to cling to it. Contentment is eternal.
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8.
You are Good, Bad, Divine, Evil. A marbled being that is capable of all these things. Only you can be the agent that chooses a path.
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9.
Take it easy. On deepest time, there is nothing important to do.
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10.
Virtue cannot know itself. The most evil acts of people have been done by those who believed they were doing good.
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11.
For life to be fulfilling, there are elements of negative within the positive. When food is nothing but sweet, a little bitter makes it all the more desirable.
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12.
When hard times arise. Help others, while simultaneously embracing the absurdity of the times.
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13.
Do not envy others, merely ensure they have enough.
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14.
An Elders comes not from their age - but from their actions.
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15.
Things cannot fill the void of the soul.
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16.
Hold life like a bar of soap. If you squeeze it for control, it will slip away. If you hold it gently, you can savour it.
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17.
The past and the future are merely projection onto now. The only thing that is real is Now.
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18.
Power is weakness disguised as strength.
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19.
One can have many tragedies in their lives, some of them actually happen.
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20.
There is a little evil in good. A little good in evil. It is impossible to balance the world into a single state. The essence of Yin and Yang.
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21.
A star on the void of space makes the space ever more present.
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22.
Good legacy is earned through good deeds, not by direct intent or power.
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23.
Any change made by violence, will itself be overthrown by violence.
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24.
Unless you teach the reasoning of change, any forced change will be undone in time.
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25.
Sometimes to do good, you must walk with the devil.
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26.
Do not mistake talk for action. Do not waste time merely on talk. Be the action.
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27.
There is much more that unites us than divides us.
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28.
Failure is an emergent property of complexity.
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29.
Power does not always corrupt. The fear of loss of power corrupts.
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30.
Unchecked, people will become the thing they fear the most.
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31.
The raindrop does not blame itself for the flood. An individual may feel small but collectively they can have large impact.
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32.
When drowning, people will grasp at anything to prevent sinking. Similarly, civilisations in decline will try anything regardless of how futile.
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33.
In a million years, the waves will still crash, the clouds will still look the same. On deep time, your problems and desires are insignificant compared with the flows of the world.
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34.
Be wary of those that appoint themselves titles. The self-appointed have not earned their titles. One is a teacher if they have students. One is a Guru if they have followers.
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35.
Happiness, while fleeting, is the gap between expectation and reality
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36.
It is easier to lower your wants and needs than to feed ever growing desires.
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37.
The sun will rise whether you are here or not
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38.
Do not emulate those that have wronged you.
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39.
Do not envy the rich. If they were happy, they would not need to hoard wealth.
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40.
To go with life is like a surfer on a wave. The wave comes, they ride it - it is enjoyed, and then the wave goes. Nothing more, nothing less.
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41.
Change is the only permanent thing. Nothing has survived the test of time. This is neither good nor bad.
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42.
Be about building bridges, not burning them.
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43.
When it comes to communication. Make the words count, don't count the words.
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44.
Those that look ahead, get ahead.
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45.
Those in power - shouldn't be. Those who should - don't want to.
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46.
You cannot wear out your shoes if you don't wear them.
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47.
The more complex a system becomes, the more fragile it becomes.
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48.
Society develops antibodies against repeat extreme actions.
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49.
Try to be aware of fundamentals of anything. Be it politics, economics, social issues. Fundamentals deliver the larger overall shape of a subject.
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50.
Use what you have, use it up. Make do or do without. - NOTE: Not mine but a good one.
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51.
Strong people make easy times. Easy times make soft people. Soft people make hard times. Hard times make strong people.
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52.
Do not yearn for praise but be content in your own approval. Awards are for those that cannot be pleased with their own action alone.
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53.
Death is the cost of entry that you pay on exit. - NOTE: Not sure if I came up with this one.
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54.
The rich know a feeling that is similar to being a robber.
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55.
People are both products of nature and nurture. They are all behaving exactly as their circumstances have dictated.
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56.
To remove all things of displeasure and resistance is to make hell on earth.
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57.
There is no rush to form an opinion.
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58.
You do not have to form an opinion on everything.
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59.
When it comes to bold statements ask. Who said it? Why did they say? Why do you believe them?
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60.
There is no destination, only the journey.
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61.
Live with regrets. Do not live in regrets.
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62.
You do not have to excel at anything. To be content in the mediocre, especially in relaxation time - this is a trait to be admired.
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63.
Be cautious of those that change language in accordance with ideology. Erosion of speech patterns can lead to erosion of integrity.
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64.
Before you act - Question if you are the liberator or oppressor.
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65.
The smallest person makes the most noise.
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66.
Those with the most wealth are usually the poorest people.
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67.
The mightiest flower will die in the shadow of the oak tree. The same is with people and opportunity.
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68.
Be good to others and hope they return the favour. Do not expect it.
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69.
Without change, nothing can happen.
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70.
"I don't know" is the single most useful statement one can make. Saying I don't know to something is absolutely acceptable in almost all situations.
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71.
When it comes to high success. Opportunity and luck are a major influence, not just effort. In a lot of situations, good hardworking people have got nowhere due to a lack of opportunity and pure luck.
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72.
When you make a mistake remember A.F.L. Acknowledge the mistake. Forgive yourself. Learn the lesson.
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73.
Do not carry worry around well after it is necessary. Put it down and leave it were it was.
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74.
For a rumour to fly, people must want to believe in it advance of the rumour.
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75.
For most people. If they can, they will.
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76.
The wise do not talk. They act. They do not command, they lead.
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77.
Never underestimate the restless and relentless mind of those that seek power.
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78.
Right or wrong. Standing on a moral high ground is a precarious place to be.
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79.
The wind does not blow forever, and neither should you.
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80.
Those in power will always fade away. Power never lasts.
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81.
Try to be like a tree in the wind. You can have firm roots but also bend and sway with the events and pressures of the time.
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82.
The water drops while individually weak can erode a mountain with enough time.
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83.
Some folks try to brute force the world around them. Long term it is a path of folly.
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84.
One cannot write the history of a rain drop yet alone the history of a person or a society. All history is an artwork of interpretation.
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85.
Be wary of those that live in a collective like a church or monastery. They can push a falseness and pretentiousness rather than living the principals they teach.
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86.
The more one tries to appease the masses, the more boring the result will be. This is not a fault of the people but the fault of broad aspiration.
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87.
Do not frame people in the form of institutions.
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88.
Smart people are attracted to complexity, but rarely can they manage it.
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89.
As much as one can slack, it shouldn't be on the back of others efforts. Don't use others to be lazy.
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90.
No matter how far into doing something wrong, you can always turn back.
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91.
Society reflects us.
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92.
You don't overthrow the power by force. You suffocate it.
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93.
Just because you cannot sense the top of the trees like the tips of your fingers, does not mean you are not one and the same.
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94.
Community is key. We cannot do life alone.
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95.
We are the earth dreaming of itself. A continuation of the universe and the big bang manifest.
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96.
If someone overreacts at being told the truth, they can expect lies in the future.
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97.
To take down a big player is to use their own scale against them. This is Aikido in action.
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98.
Life doesn't start and stop as you please. It just keeps moving regardless of intent.
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99.
The only peace you find in a location is the peace you bring with you.
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100.
There is nothing wrong with pleasure. It is when it is the only goal that it becomes an agent of trouble.
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101.
You cannot take what one does not have.
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102.
If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything.
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103.
If life is a race, it is to merely run 100 meters at any speed. Others are convinced the 100-meter finish line is not real and that it is a marathon. If they will eventually find there is no other finish line, all the while trying to convince you that there is.
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104.
Everyone is smart in their own way. It is by what measure they are judging themselves or are judged by others that their self-worth is derived.
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105.
There is genuine pride in being poor but honest. To be an elegant pauper.
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106.
Be aware of what are your needs and what are your wants.
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107.
Most of the time, the opposite of one bad idea is another bad idea.
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108.
A civilisation of 'We' is more resilient than one of 'I'.
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109.
To call it 'Nature' is to believe that it is something other than yourself.
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110.
Amateurs talk strategy. Professionals talk logistics.
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111.
Just before we let go of something is when we hold on the tightest.
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112.
You cannot race towards wisdom. It is earned through hard work and time.
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113.
When you think about things too much, it makes them impossible. One can be a skilled individual but that will vanish the instant one thinks about it too much.
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114.
All psychoactive drugs are time machines for emotions. They take from the future to be used today but there is always pay back in future. In the same way all monetary loans must be paid back. Thru this lens, money can be seen as the drug of society.
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115.
The most successful in crime are usually those that appear the most honest.
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116.
Do not chase what is not there. It can lead one to make mistakes for no reason.
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117.
Many wish to change the world but they will not change themselves.
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118.
When one setups up opposition, they must constantly tend to it.
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119.
If there is no direct target of major issues, people will fight among themselves.
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120.
No is a complete sentence.
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121.
Motivation without intelligence to guide it is a dangerous thing.
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122.
Beware of those that have 'reverse imposter syndrome'. Those that think they are great at everything but have no clue.
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123.
No matter the period. It is generally thought that the people now are smarter than those in the past and wiser than those in the future. None of this is true.
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124.
Expectations are like an itch, the more you scratch it the worse it gets later.
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125.
Philosophy, art and science are all trying to explain the solve the same thing. Life itself.
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126.
It can be business or people. Those that have dark patterns, have dark hearts.
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127.
Better to be uninformed than misinformed.
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128.
Don't judge others if your perspective of life is clouded by anger, jealousy, negativity, or unfulfilled desires.
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129.
People are always rushing around certain there is something that must be done, but the real question is if there is anything that really needs to be done at all.
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130.
Beliefs are thoughts, merely activities for the mind.
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131.
Be comfortable in not knowing. This does not mean embrace ignorance, but you cannot know even .01% of everything.
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132.
History is merely a concept of a story to explain the how of now. It is selective in the details to make the past seem a knowable constant, but this is a foolish quest. We can learn from the past, but it is essentially an unknown.
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133.
If you see others as yourself, you know how to treat them.
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134.
Once created, you cannot be uncreated. You can die but you can never undo the initial event.
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135.
There is no winning move if you want to set everything straight. The rich people want the poor people have. The poor people want that the rich people have.
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136.
When it comes to the path society is taking, it can feel like fighting the wind. It doesn't mean, do not try, but do not be surprised when you experience failure.
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137.
Many fight what they do not want but also do not build what they do want.
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138.
Dependence on some drugs are bad solutions to bad problem.
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139.
Some people come to do good but stay to do well.
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140.
Those that know a lot are less likely to learn any more. Those that know nothing could learn anything.
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141.
Do not follow the wealthy because they have monetary success. They also do not have a long game plan.
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142.
Build communities, not bunkers.
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143.
Don't have argumentative debate but a shaping of views.
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144.
Be wary of those that cannot laugh at themselves.
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145.
Stop trying to be likeable and people will like you.
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146.
Throw out the ruler, stop comparing yourself to others.
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147.
A child can be happy playing in the mud, but an Adult can be unsatisfied with access to the whole world. This behaviour is something most learn with time.
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148.
The higher you climb the mountain of understanding, the lonelier the view.
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149.
You can solve a problem quickly provided it isn't likely to be correct.
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150.
It is easy to look rich when you max out your credit card.
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151.
Wisdom is the difference between what we can do and what we should do.
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152.
Life is not a problem to be solved but a riddle to experience.
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153.
Complacency is complicity.
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154.
Don't confuse good luck with good strategy.
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155.
Many people are not shocked by some facts because one has to first willingly seek them out.
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156.
One needs privacy, not because one has questionable actions but because others have questionable judgement and intentions.
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157.
In the same way you need food to feed one self, so does anxiety, doubt and depression. If you can reduce a lot of what feeds these, it may not cure it but it will minimise it.
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158.
A lie will go around the entire world before the truth even begins it journey.
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159.
As a nation becomes unstable, people will talk more about "nationalism" and "patriotism".
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160.
When you prioritise praise, you must take the good and the bad.
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161.
The universe is an ink blot. The mind is the Rorschach test.
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162.
The answer to life is to look around. Beautiful isn't it.
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163.
For many, they believe one good deed offsets many bad ones.
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164.
Only the thieves are rich.
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165.
Confidence is not clarity.
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166.
Pick your battles. Don't pick every battle.
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167.
The violent do not die a natural death.
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168.
Stillness conquer heat. Inaction is a valid response to excess actions of the world.
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169.
It is hard for a stone to see its impact on a river.
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170.
Power reveals characters flaws once gained.
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171.
Big things are made from the little things.
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172.
Many are out to always define 'the other' as other people.
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173.
There is the fear that if we store the conquest of nature, it will return to chaos. And yet regardless of intention it will always appear to be chaos to us.
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174.
People would rather silence others rather than face the reality being spoken about. It is easier and quicker to silence someone than to do the long hard work of understanding.
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175.
Valuing the trait of ambition in others is to let others determine what desires we want.
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176.
If you fear who is in power, they have too much power.
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Humans think on a scale of seconds, minutes, hours, and days. Nature operates at a scale of years, decades, centuries, and millennia. This mismatch is our biggest problem.
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178.
We are not just hyper competitive apes, we can and do work together. But it would be wise to work together for all. Not just people but for the plants and the animals
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179.
In having a society the favours greed, it becomes self-fulfilling. We move fast in the face of uncertainty. Greed is a symptom of a sick society, not an inherent state if people.
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180.
Don't fight fire with fire if you want to save the forest.
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181.
The grass is greener where you water it.
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182.
If a solution works except for one thing, it isn't a solution.
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183.
It’s better not to write anything than to confuse people with your speculations.
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184.
The lakes of comedy are fed by the rivers of truth.
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185.
If you try to fight, you are already defeated.
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186.
If you aim for nothing, you can hit anything.
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187.
Anyone who tries to convince you to buy something needs your money more than you need what they are selling.
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188.
Any who demands your respect is unprepared to earn it.
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189.
As we ran out of physical space to conquer on earth, others have tried to conquer the inner mind via attention. For good and bad.
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190.
Don't confuse good people with being naive. You can be nice and aware of the scam.
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191.
Gold may be prized on earth, but trees are the rarest thing int he universe. (Not mine but a good one)
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192.
Consistency is a virtue of small minds.
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193.
Some Challenges are opportunities. Knowing which is viable is the problem.
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194.
The preacher sells delusions and then encourages other to become obsessed with it.
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195.
Be close with despair but do not give up on hope.
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196.
We tend to figure out what we want once we know what we don't want.
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197.
Know your limits. Really KNOW your limits.
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198.
To change the world work from the inside outwards.
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199.
Clouds, trees and waves always make the right decision. They can never act wrong as they behave exactly as they should.
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200.
Freedom isn't the ability to make a choice, but the absence of needing to choose anything at all.
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201.
The plants, the clouds and the waves do not have anxiety. They cannot, as don't have a mind on which to waver. When the action happens, it happens without any hesitation.
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202.
An acorn will never see the tree.
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203.
Technology without humanity is a disaster in waiting.
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204.
Every battle one wins selects for its future failure. Those that survive will be better suited for the next battle. This goes for bacteria and nations.
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205.
For many, they see science as a servant to their desires rather than using it to help shape their desires.
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206.
Institutions will try to keep the problem of which they are the solution.
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207.
When you open an avocado, the seed can be big or small. It is only once opened that you know. This goes for all opportunities.
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208.
Be it a fight or a war. Everyone gets injured, some for life, some may die. Nobody knows which one they will be, but everyone loses.
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209.
The gentle outlasts the strong.
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210.
You aren't the only tree in the forest.
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211.
When a plant is done with the fruit it to rests until something needs to be done. We should be the same.
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212.
We are but guests in this world.
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213.
The ocean is created from rivers and streams. Societies are created from communities and people.
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214.
Those with smaller minds see consistency as a virtue.
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215.
To have the option to do something, that is privilege.
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216.
When being the change in the world. Ask how you can do this with little or no speaking.
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217.
Most information technology is like a wheelchair for the mind. Many just want to get up and walk by ourselves.
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218.
When leaders do not trust any people, they should not be trusted themselves.
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219.
There is no opinion that everyone will agree with.
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220.
If you want to know who tries to run a society, look to those that have the biggest buildings.
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221.
Many want the story that they can change the world by doing exactly what they are doing now.
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222.
If we are to make it long term, we need to learn from nature in both technique and scale. To observe the wisdom of the wild.
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223.
Money can buy happiness if the mean to be happy any other way has been removed.
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224.
Focus on your actions and not just the target.
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225.
At times one should be like a Sun dial and count the brightest hours only.
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226.
Just because you are living larger doesn’t mean other people have gotten smaller.
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227.
Friends do not just happen. You make them.
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228.
Friends do not just happen. You make them.
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229.
In trying to force change the world means you do not trust the world.
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230.
People hoard wealth because they fear there is no community to help them. Yet hoarding wealth destroys community.
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231.
Nature does not reminisce or plan. It just does.
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232.
The mind categorises, the world just is.
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233.
You, me and I are all categories of the mind. Not the world.
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234.
It is the repetition that makes the pattern seem stable.
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235.
There is pure reason and practical reason.
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236.
Anyone that says they have everything figured out, has not.
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237.
When you become the change in the world, ask how you can do these actions without speaking.
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238.
Most computer technology is a very comfy wheelchair. Yet, we just want to walk by ourselves.
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239.
Those that are toughest to love, need it the most.
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240.
Maybe we should cultivate the ability not to act.
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241.
If everyone cleaned their own house, the whole would be clean.
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242.
Idleness highlights the mundane.
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243.
Generally, those with lots of money probably shouldn't have it.
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244.
Giving up on the idea that need to survive, is the path to survival. When we stop fighting each other in order to survive, that will allow up room to continue.
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245.
Stillness is implied by the things that move.
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246.
People value privacy when they have something to lose.
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247.
It is wise to know the difference between a good fight and a selfish one.
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248.
If you had control of everything, there would be no you. Without the other there can be no difference.
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249.
When there is a win against an enemy or witness a fall from grace, we should not meet this with celebration and gloating but with a somber mourning. For having to push back aginst someone means that we failed to prevent the situation from arising in the first place.
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250.
Be it a flower or giant tree, they spring for life exactly the same regardless of time given to them.
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251.
The problem with interlectuals is that if it can be done they feel is should be done. Regardless of outcome. This is not anti-interlectual, but to hgihlight the issue with actions.
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252.
If you buy it cheap, you buy it twice.
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253.
Sometimes someone else can see your problems from another perspective you have not considered. Their point of view as another factor to consider even if you do not agree.
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254.
One can consider collapse is something that augur's failure of intent, only if you are subscribed to the idea that the system must go on.
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255.
Power is craved by those who have no wisdom to use it responsily, and best attained by those who do not respect what is does to others.
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256.
The wise can show us our ways of folly, but does not mean we will listen or correct for it.
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257.
The last thing many rich people want to do is admit they are rich to those who are not.
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258.
We can never know the totality of anything. We are always in the mode of our perspective. This go for everything. You can only ever see one side of the mountain at once.
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As always, get offline and just go with it.