Inspirational Quotes 84

Violence never solved anything. Don't fit in – stand out! It's fine to be single. Just believe in yourself. Live the dream. Yeah.

Where I came from, violence was the norm. People respected the gang leaders and those who could fight. (Footballer interviewed in Times, 2015-08-01)

It’s uncomfortable to be the odd man out or the odd woman out. So if everybody else has an iPhone, then it’s sort of uncomfortable for you not to have an iPhone as well. You may feel like a social outcast. (npr.org)

So many animals choose to pair up. (Animal Super Parents)

Old theories don’t die, just those that cling to them. (Max Planck)

Many entrants are glorified and egged on by their parents and friends, and think very highly of themselves and become so big headed they believe they can do anything. (MJ)

All cities contain their own eventual ruins. So too do lives. (Darran Anderson, Imaginary Cities)

Things get worse before they get even more worse. (‏@leftoutside)

I heart ethnography because it shows us what people are actually doing not what we think they should be doing. (Andy Priestner ‏@andytraining)

Having a full social life at university can benefit your wellbeing for decades, a 30-year study by American researchers has concluded. People who were very socially active at the age of 20 were likely to have better emotional health in their 50s... Considering everything else that goes on in life over those 30 years – marriage, raising a family and building a career – it was extraordinary that there appeared to be a relationship between the kinds of interactions students and young adults have, and their emotional health later in life [said the author of the study].

A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true. (Greg S. Reid)

When I was younger I really did think we were on our way to a better world and when I look at it now, it is in a worse state than I have known it, particularly for women and I find that very disturbing and sad. (Emma Thompson)

If someone hit you last time, be prepared to duck next time. (Matthew Parris on forgiveness)

99% of racism is everyday microaggressions; the paper cuts that remind people of their different, and lower, value in society. (@MariaWNorris)

Charm. The most insidious weapon in all the human armoury. (Josephine Tey, A Shilling for Candles)

There are the charmers that relay misheard info to wow friends and potential partners, retelling a story they once heard and passing it off as their own or exaggerating the details of a dull anecdote. These are in pursuit of admiration and popularity, both of which can be achieved if the fibs are delivered with confidence. In general we don’t mind these bullshitters so much, they’re common and we’ve probably all been guilty of similar white-lying at some point. (huffpost tells us how to make friends and influence people)

In his recent book Give and Take, the psychologist Adam Grant notes that being a “giver” rather than a “taker” can be surprisingly effective. Seeking advice from the person you are dealing with, using tentative rather than assertive ways of speaking, seeing things from the other person’s point of view, all work to secure better sales, bigger promotions and higher salaries. (Daniel Finkelstein Times July 15 2015)

More here, and links to the rest.
Unhelpful Platitudes here.