To read, write, and converse in due proportions, is, therefore, the business of a man of letters.
Keep your friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent
Understand: you are one of a kind. Your character traits are a kind of chemical mix that will never be repeated in history. There are ideas unique to you, a specific rhythm and perspective that are your strengths, not your weaknesses. You must not be afraid of your uniqueness and you must care less and less what people think of you.
Understand: people will constantly attack you in life. One of their main weapons will be to instill in you doubts about yourself – your worth, your abilities, your potential. They will often disguise this as their objective opinion, but invariably it has a political purpose – they want to keep you down.
You must always be prepared to place a bet on yourself, on your future, by heading in a direction that others seem to fear.
Never waste valuable time, or mental peace of mind, on the affairs of others—that is too high a price to pay.
You have the power to think differently about who you are. You have the ability to turn off the critical voice inside of you. That's not you. That's coming from the culture. That's coming from the outside of you. You've internalized the voice of your parents, your teachers, your friends.
Ruthless is not necessarily the word I would use, but tough, resolute, understanding what the problems are, and understanding that the job of the president of the United States is to protect the people of this country and to do what is necessary in order to get it done.
If culture was a railroad, I can see the tracks running from the Spirituals to the Hip Hop Nation.
All wars signify the failure of conflict resolution mechanisms, and they need post-war rebuilding of faith, trust and confidence.
One of the main coaching points I've heard throughout my entire life is, 'How you respond to difficult situations defines your character,' and I think it's a good saying. I also think it applies to more than just the players.