Off Topic - Quote of the Day

Things are only impossible until they're not.

- Jean-Luc Picard

quote of the day

"Nothing is impossible. Some things are just less likely than others."

- Jonathan Winters


This quote goes well with my all time favorite, and life moto:

"Do, or do not. There is no try."

- Master Yoda

Quote of the Day

'Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.
- Abraham Lincoln

Some of my Favorite Quotations

I love quotes. I have collected some over the past few years. Here are some of them:

"It was on my fifth birthday that Papa put his hand on my shoulder and said,
'Remember, my son, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of
your arm.'"
- Sam Levenson
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The above quote from Sam Levenson is one of my favorite. I try to live by this. I hate depending on others for my well being. If I fail, that's ok, but If I fail because of the actions (or inaction) of others, then that is not ok with me. If you want something or need something in life, it is up to you to see that it is done. You are no bodies responsibility. You are your own responsibility. Depending on others for your well being will leave you wanting.


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After the last of 16 mounting screws has been removed from an access cover, it will
be discovered that the wrong access cover has been removed.
- De La Lastra's Law
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"Once the game is over, the King and the pawn go back in the same box."
- Italian Proverb
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This is another one of my favorites. We are all equal in rights and acountability to our creator. During life, we are not equal in power, abilities, or resources. None of us are equal. I can do things that others can't, there are many things others do that I can not. Therefore we are not all equall in abilities. I do believe that we all should have equal opportunity to use our abilities to the fullest, being limited by nothing that ourselves.

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Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.
- Bertolt Brecht
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Needing someone is like needing a parachute. If they aren't there the first time,
chances are you won't be needing them again.
-Unknown
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Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
-Will Rogers
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I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.
- Pablo Picasso
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How else are you going to make progress in your life?

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Engineering is a great profession. There is the satisfaction of watching a figment of
the imagination emerge through the aid of science to a plan on paper. Then it moves
to realization in stone or metal or energy. Then it brings homes to men or women.
Then it elevates the standard of living and adds to the comforts of life. This is the
engineer's high privilege.
Herbert Hoover
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It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required.
Sir Winston Churchill
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the 16 rules I try to live by

The following "rules for survival" is included with the permission of Bob Parsons (http://www.bobparsons.com) and is Copyright © 2004-2006 by Bob Parsons. All rights reserved.

Bob Parsons is the founder of Parsons Technology and Go Daddy. These are his 16 rules to live by and to do business by.


Here are the 16 rules I try to live by:

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."

2. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted. Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.

3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think. There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be. Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."

5. Focus on what you want to have happen. Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."

6. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward. Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide. Remember what General George S. Patton said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."

9. Measure everything of significance. I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around. In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.

13. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn't fair. You make your own breaks. You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems. You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don't take yourself too seriously. Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.

16. There's always a reason to smile. Find it. After all, you're really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We're not here for a long time; we're here for a good time."