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2112 Wisdom

02/01/2012   We’ve taken care of everything The words you hear, the songs you sing The pictures that give pleasure to your eyes. It’s one for all and all for one We work together, common sons Never need… …

Reaganesque Wisdom

01/25/2012   “Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.” --Ronald Reagan Last night’s State of the Union address was chock full of bromides, class warfare and protectionism… …

Of Principle and Parties

01/18/2012   “There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle.” --Alexis de Tocqueville Men of principle are rare, and they are even rarer in politics. Keep… …

Remember, it's Still Government

01/11/2012   “My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.” --Thomas Jefferson The Republican presidential primaries are in full swing, and… …

On Quality and Success

01/04/2012   “Our goal is to make the best devices in the world, not to be the biggest.” --Steve Jobs The late, great Apple co-founder always focused first on making a quality product. That’s… …

Aristotelian Thoughts on Friendship

12/28/2011   “Perfect friendship is the friendship of men who are good, and alike in excellence; for these wish well alike to each other qua good, and they are good in themselves.” --Aristotle… …

Of Christmas and Conscience

12/21/2011   “A good conscience is a continual Christmas.” --Benjamin Franklin This time of year is replete with reflection on the past 12 months. It’s also a time when we prepare ourselves… …

On Being Cynical

12/14/2011   “The cynics are right nine times out of 10.” --H. L. Mencken The great journalist and veritable human quote machine, H. L. Mencken, had a knack for poignant and thought-provoking… …

An Infamous Date

12/07/2011   “Yesterday, December 7, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”… …

Be Ready for Opportunity

11/30/2011   “One secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.” --Benjamin Disraeli When you think of investing opportunity, you have to be ready… …

On Gratitude and Thanksgiving

11/22/2011   “Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.” --Henry Van Dyke… …

Decision by Committee

11/16/2011   “A committee is the only known form of life with a hundred bellies and no brain.” --Robert Heinlein. The brilliant science fiction writer wasn’t writing about the so-called… …

Success and Consequences

11/09/2011   “Success is a consequence and must not be a goal.” --Gustave Flaubert The great French novelist knew that “success” isn’t an objective, but rather the result… …

Fed Quotables

11/02/2011   “When the Fed is the bartender, everybody drinks until they fall down.” --Paul McCulley, former managing director, PIMCO I couldn’t resist using this quote today, as the… …

Thoughts on Grief and Words

10/26/2011   Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak whispers the o’er-fraught heart and bids it break. --William Shakespeare Today’s quote is personal for me, as I recently felt… …

On Paying Attention

10/19/2011   “To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.” --Mary Oliver, poet We all know how important it is to pay attention to the world around us. But sometimes, it takes… …

Dinging the Universe

10/12/2011   “I want to put a ding in the universe.” --Steve Jobs I was extremely saddened last week upon hearing about the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, a man who truly made a ding… …

The Seeds of Manipulation

10/05/2011   “When people learn no tools of judgment and merely follow their hopes, the seeds of political manipulation are sown.” --Stephen Jay Gould The late, great scientist Stephen Jay… …

The Sweet Sound of Results

09/28/2011   “I don’t care much about music. What I like is sounds.” --Dizzy Gillespie The great jazz musician is basically saying that results, or the byproducts of the musical process,… …

Prepare Yourself for Failure

09/21/2011   Save some time for sorrow Cause it will surely come your way Prepare yourself for failure It will give you strength someday --John Mellencamp, “Save Some Time to Dream”… …

Obsession Has to Have Action

09/14/2011   But dreams don’t need to have motion To keep their spark alive Obsession has to have action Pride turns on the drive --RUSH, “Mission” Everyone dreams about… …

Dreams and Desire Aren't Enough

09/07/2011   If dreams were thunder Lightning was desire This old house it would’ve burned down A long time ago -- John Prine, "Angel from Montgomery" The singer/songwriter and folk music icon… …

Voodoo Wisdom

08/31/2011   Well, I stand up next to a mountain And I chop it down with the edge of my hand Well, I pick up all the pieces and make an island Might even raise a little sand --Jimi Hendrix, “Voodoo… …

On Truth and Memory

08/24/2011   “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” --Mark Twain These words to live by from the prolific author actually have direct relevance to the financial… …

Grace Under Pressure

08/17/2011   “Courage is grace under pressure.” --Ernest Hemingway In perhaps one of his most famous pearls of wisdom, the great 20th century fiction master reminds us that only… …

On Fighting Forces

08/10/2011   “Don’t fight forces, use them.” --R. Buckminster Fuller One of the 20th century’s most interesting inventors, R. Buckminster Fuller realized that it’s better… …

If...

08/03/2011   “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs…” --Rudyard Kipling, “If” I don’t think it takes too much reflection to see why I picked… …

On Ignorance and Confidence

07/27/2011   “All you need is ignorance and confidence and the success is sure.” --Mark Twain The iconic writer provides us with a humorous, yet quite profound piece of advice in the above quip… …

On Public Trust

07/20/2011   “When a man assumes a public trust he should consider himself a public property.” --Thomas Jefferson I would venture to say that today’s political elite have largely forgotten… …

On Debt and Slavery

07/12/2011   “Debt is the slavery of the free.” --Publilius Syrus It seemed appropriate to quote the 1st-century B.C. Roman author here, because even 2,000-plus years ago, wise men knew of the pitfalls… …

The Wisdom of Life and Time

07/06/2011   “If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” --Bruce Lee We’re all guilty of wasting a bit of time here and there, but what the great martial arts… …

The Sweet Sound of Rule Breaking

06/29/2011   “I don’t care about the rules. In fact, if I don’t break the rules at least 10 times in every song then I’m not doing my job properly.” --Jeff Beck One of the greatest… …

Our RUSH to Wisdom

06/22/2011   “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” --RUSH, “Freewill” It is amazing how one lyric written decades ago by a Canadian rock band can apply so directly to… …

Gipper Wisdom

06/15/2011   “Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.” --Ronald Reagan In just this quick quip, one of the country’s greatest presidents explains the pernicious nature of government… …

Your Problems are Your Own

06/09/2011   “The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own… …

On Courage and Fear

06/01/2011   “Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.” --George S. Patton Perhaps the greatest military leader in American history, General Patton, knew that all of us feel fear when embarking… …

A Darwinian Warning?

05/25/2011   “It is a cursed evil to any man to become as absorbed in any subject as I am in mine.” --Charles Darwin I certainly empathize with the sentiment here expressed by Darwin in the… …

On Striving For Perfection

05/18/2011   “Perfection is impossible. However, striving for perfection is not. Do the best you can under the conditions that exist. That is what counts.” --John Wooden The wisdom output from the great… …

Wisdom of a Bull Rider

05/11/2011   “Bear down, try hard and never quit. NEVER!” --Tuff Hedeman, World Champion Bull Rider There’s perhaps no sport that requires more grit, determination and mental and physical toughness… …

Thoughts on Justice

05/04/2011   “The administration of justice is the firmest pillar of government.” --George Washington Our first president knew that the main reason for government’s existence was to make sure justice… …

Thoughts on Sound Money

04/27/2011   “The first requisite of a sound monetary system is that it put the least possible power over the quantity or quality of money in the hands of the politicians.” --Henry Hazlitt On this… …

Call Me an Idealist

04/20/2011   “An idealist is a person who helps other people to be prosperous.” --Henry Ford Given the profession I’ve chosen, you better believe that I like these wise words from the great Henry… …

Wisdom from a Country Legend

04/13/2011   “You don’t paddle against the current, you paddle with it. And if you get good at it, you throw away the oars.” --Kris Kristofferson I doubt the country music legend was referring to… …

Franklin on Passion and Reason

04/07/2011   “If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.” --Benjamin Franklin Every time I read the pearls of wisdom from one of our founding fathers, I feel extremely fortunate that I was born… …

Wisdom of a SEAL

03/30/2011   “We all knew there was just one way to improve our odds for survival: train, train, train. Sometimes, if your training is properly intense it will kill you. More often -- much, much more often --… …

Wisdom from a Master Horseman

03/24/2011   “An amateur will practice until she gets it right; a professional will practice until she can’t get it wrong.” --Monty Roberts Master horse trainer Monty Roberts, also known as the “Horse… …

Thoughts on Courage

03/16/2011   “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.” --Aristotle Courage in the face of horrific events is precisely what we’ve seen coming… …

Dream Like the Rolling Stones

03/09/2011   “Lose your dreams and you will loose your mind. Ain’t life unkind?” --The Rolling Stones, “Ruby Tuesday” No matter how successful you may be, there’s always more to… …

The Wisdom of de Tocqueville

03/02/2011   “In a revolution, as in a novel, the most difficult part to invent is the end.” --Alexis de Tocqueville As the turmoil in the Middle East rages on, let’s be cautious here and remember… …

Beyond the Very Extreme of Fatigue

02/23/2011   “Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own; sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the… …

Wisdom of Paine

02/16/2011   “The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.” --Thomas Paine The wisdom from this Founding Father never ceases to amaze. Anyone with even a passing… …

Jefferson on Central Banks

02/09/2011   “I sincerely believe that banking institutions are more dangerous than standing armies; and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity... is but swindling futurity on a large scale.”… …

Jeffersonian Thoughts on Tyranny

02/02/2011   “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.” --Thomas Jefferson There is perhaps no man alive who has uttered as many profound thoughts as the… …

The Wisdom of Choosing Strength

01/26/2011   “We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.” --Carlos Castaneda These profound words by the anthropologist/author come in handy when deciding… …

Wisdom of Simplicity from a Genius

01/19/2011   “Out of clutter, find simplicity.” --Albert Einstein When you’re dealing with the equity markets, it’s easy to get bogged down in the constant flood of disparate data. But one… …

The Wisdom of Pablo

01/12/2011   “The more technique you have, the less you have to worry about it.” --Pablo Picasso The master artist reminds us that acquiring technique in any field is essential. Well, this idea is no different… …

Socratic Wisdom

01/05/2011   “Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued.” --Socrates Although life itself can be considered the standard of value, a good life is what we all must strive for if we want to achieve… …

A Little Holiday Humor

12/22/2010   “The proper behavior all through the holiday season is to be drunk. This drunkenness culminates on New Year’s Eve, when you get so drunk you kiss the person you’re married to.”… …

On the Importance of Friends and Family

12/15/2010   “Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god.” --Aristotle The holiday season is time for friends and family, and the importance of this cannot be understated. You see,… …

On Courage and Saddling Up

12/08/2010   “Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway.” --John Wayne The wisdom here in The Duke’s proclamation is hard to argue with, but what I want you to realize is that courage… …

Presidential Discipline

12/01/2010   “Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.” --George Washington The nation’s first president also was a great… …

The Hands of an Artist

11/23/2010   “A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist.” --… …

On Government and Disease

11/17/2010   “When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads.” --Ron Paul Whether you love Texas Congressman Ron Paul, or whether you hate him, one thing for sure is that… …

Wisdom Wears Chanel

11/10/2010   “How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone.” --Coco Chanel The classic fashion icon became world renowned for designing unique, elegant and sophisticated… …

Of Elections and Stolen Goods

11/03/2010   “Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods.” --H. L. Mencken The great journalist died many decades before politicians promoted their latest round of fiscal stimulus,… …

On Man's Noble Nature

10/27/2010   “Whatever their future, at the dawn of their lives, men seek a noble vision of man’s nature and of life’s potential.” --Ayn Rand, “The Fountainhead” This noble sense… …

Profound Proverbs

10/20/2010   “The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.” -- Proverbs 21:5 This verse from Proverbs (New King James Version) extols the virtue… …

Rejoice in Discovery

10/13/2010   “Isn’t it sad to go to your grave without ever wondering why you were born? Who, with such a thought, would not spring from bed, eager to resume discovering the world and rejoicing to be part… …

Shakespearean Thoughts on the Climb

10/06/2010   “To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first.” --Shakespeare If you’re just starting out on your investing journey, it’s important to remember that you have to begin slowly… …

Dali on Ambition

09/29/2010   “Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.” --Salvador Dali One of the 20th century’s most influential artists, Salvador Dali, also is known for some rather artfully put… …

Pithy Rothbardian Wisdom

09/22/2010   “There is one good thing about Marx: he was not a Keynesian.” --Murray Rothbard The great Austrian School economist makes crystal clear his disdain for Keynesian economic theory in this one… …

The Wisdom of Johnny Cash

09/15/2010   “Success is having to worry about every damn thing in the world, except money.” --Johnny Cash The iconic musician puts the prospect of success into keen light in the above quote. Sure, having… …

Buffett on Vision

09/08/2010   “In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield.” --Warren Buffett Arguably the world’s greatest investor, Warren Buffett, has seen his share of rearview… …

On Analyzing the Obvious

09/01/2010   “It requires a very unusual mind to undertake the analysis of the obvious.” --Alfred North Whitehead The English mathematician and philosopher brilliantly points out that sometimes, we need… …

On the Root of Money

08/25/2010   “Money is a tool of exchange, which can’t exist unless there are goods produced and men able to produce them. Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one… …

On Transitory Achievement

08/18/2010   From first to last The peak is never passed Something always fires the light that gets in your eyes One moment’s high, and glory rolls on by Like a streak of lightning That flashes and fades in… …

On How to Learn to Live

08/11/2010   You gotta live to learn You gotta crash and burn You gotta make some stances And take some chances You gotta live and love And take all life has to give You gotta live and learn So you can learn to live… …

On Training to Survive

08/04/2010   “We all knew there was just one way to improve our odds for survival: train, train, train. Sometimes, if your training is properly intense it will kill you. More often -- much, much more often --… …

On Grasping Principles

07/28/2010   “As to methods there may be a million and then some, but principles are few. The man who grasps principles can successfully select his own methods. The man who tries methods, ignoring principles,… …

The Inconveniences of Liberty

07/21/2010   “I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.” --Thomas Jefferson Yes, liberty isn’t all fun and games… …

The State vs. the Individual

07/14/2010   “The more the state plans, the more difficult planning becomes for the individual.” --Friedrich von Hayek The brilliant economist reminds us all of the consequences of action taken by the… …

The Errant Pursuit of Equality

07/07/2010   “Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom.” --Alexis de Tocqueville About 150 years ago, the great thinker Alexis de Tocqueville… …

The Virtue of Confidence

06/30/2010   “If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence, you have won even before you have started.” --Marcus Tullius Cicero The ancient Roman statesmen… …

The Peril of Good Taste

06/23/2010   “Good taste is the worst vice ever invented.” --Edith Sitwell The British poet reminds us that the finer things in life can indeed become addictive. Our solution to that, of course, is to… …

Hugoesque Wisdom

06/16/2010   “Life is the flower for which love is the honey.” --Victor Hugo Few men understood -- or could write more powerfully about -- the human condition as well as the great French author. Here his… …

Country Wisdom

06/09/2010   Looking back now on my life I can’t say I regret it And all the places that I ended up, not the way Ma woulda had it But you only get one chance at life to leave your mark upon it And when a pony… …

Character, Carbon and Steel

06/02/2010   “Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to steel.” --Napoleon Hill Some people have a beautiful knack for putting together pithy pearls of wisdom, and there is nobody better at… …

Stuck in a Storm? Do a Rain Dance

05/26/2010   Well I’m living in the desert with a one eyed dog You could lead a blind man out of Vietnam Cause everybody’s begging, everybody wants a chance When you’re stuck in a storm, well do… …

The Body Sovereign

05/19/2010   “Over himself and over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.” John Stuart Mill, “On Liberty” There is perhaps no more basic proposition that as an individual, you… …

Crazy Heart Wisdom

05/12/2010   And this ain’t no place for the weary kind And this ain’t no place to lose your mind And this ain’t no place to fall behind Pick up your crazy heart and give it one more try --Ryan Bingham,… …

To Live Is to Fly

05/05/2010   We all got holes to fill And them holes are all that’s real Some fall on you like a storm Sometimes you dig your own The choice is yours to make Time is yours to take Some dive into the sea Some… …

A Magician's Business Wisdom

04/28/2010   “I’m a big fan of huge populations of people, so you’d think with 300 million people in the country, you don’t even have to please 1% to be phenomenally successful.” --Penn… …

Private Equals Voluntary, Public Equals Coercion

04/21/2010   “The ‘private sector’ of the economy is, in fact, the voluntary sector; and the ‘public sector’ is, in fact, the coercive sector.” --Henry Hazlitt The libertarian economist… …

Temporary Means Permanent in Government Speak

04/14/2010   “Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.” --Milton Friedman The brilliant economist and free-market advocate reminds us that however temporary a government program sets… …

The Value of Information

04/07/2010   “As a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information.” --Benjamin Disraeli The late, great author and British Prime Minister always had a way of crystallizing… …

Poetic Thoughts on Work and Success

03/31/2010   “By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day.” --Robert Frost The great American poet pointed out quite beautifully that the more… …

Time for a Little Levity

03/24/2010   “A hospital bed is a parked taxi with the meter running.” --Groucho Marx In light of the heavy economic and political issues the country’s been grappling with lately, I decided to choose… …

Don't Let This Happen

03/10/2010   “A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.” --Thomas Paine There’s a lot of change going on in Washington these days, and some of it… …

Wisdom of Repetition

03/03/2010   "A baseball swing is a very finely tuned instrument. It is repetition, and more repetition, then a little more after that." --Reggie Jackson We've all heard the saying, "practice makes… …

I Know What I Want...

02/24/2010   I know what I want I say what I want And no one can take it away --Iron Maiden, “Journeyman” When you think of all of the brilliant statements of resolve that have come out of England, you… …

A Little Tax Humor

02/17/2010   “I’m proud to pay taxes in the United States; the only thing is, I could be just as proud for half the money.” --Arthur Godfrey The late, great humorist pretty much hit the nail on the… …

The Virtue of New Ideas

02/09/2010   “Be not astonished at new ideas; for it is well known to you that a thing does not therefore cease to be true because it is not accepted by many.” -- Baruch Spinoza The Dutch philosopher reminds… …

The Wisdom of On Liberty

02/03/2010   “If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would… …

The Great F.A. Hayek

01/27/2010   “If we wish to preserve a free society, it is essential that we recognize that the desirability of a particular object is not sufficient justification for the use of coercion.” --Friedrich… …

Orwellian Wisdom

01/20/2010   “There are some ideas so wrong that only a very intelligent person could believe in them.” --George Orwell The profundities emanating from the great George Orwell are nearly limitless. Here,… …

Hemingway, the Financial Advisor

01/13/2010   “Hesitation increases in relation to risk in equal proportion to age.” --Ernest Hemingway The great novelist stumbled upon a truism when it comes to investing. That truism is that as you get… …

Photographic Wisdom

01/06/2010   “Stare, pry, listen, eavesdrop. Die knowing something. You are not here long.” --Walker Evans The seminal 20th-century photographer reminds us all that to really learn anything, you have to… …

My Favorite 2009 Quote

12/30/2009   “The system worked.” -- Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano on the Christmas Day airliner attack These days, the absurdity that comes out of Washington is almost too common to notice… …

The Size of Your Christmas Tree

12/23/2009   “Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.” --Larry Wilde It's nice to be reminded that size doesn't always matter. In the case… …

Don't Give up Your Mind

12/16/2009   “When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon.” --Thomas Paine In one of his many brilliant and pithy quotes, the great Thomas Paine reminds us… …

Something Is Rotten in the State of Denmark

12/09/2009   “Alas, how many have been persecuted for the wrong of having been right?” --Jean-Baptiste Say On Monday, the big Copenhagen climate change conference got under way. I doubt, however, that… …

Thoughts on Victory

12/02/2009   "In war there is no substitute for victory." --Douglas MacArthur As our nation escalates the war in Afghanistan, let's hope that Gen. MacArthur's wise words aren't lost on the political powers… …

JFK on Gratitude

11/25/2009   “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” -- John F. Kennedy As the late president so poignantly put it,… …

'Paine'-ful Wisdom

11/18/2009   “Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.” --Thomas Paine I think the great Thomas Paine said it all with this famous quote, so… …

I Think, Therefore I Win

11/11/2009   While the enemy sleeps, I lay awake While he licks his wounds, I taste his scars As he waits for me to strike, I define my attack I will out think my enemy, Therefore I will win --Jim Woods, "I Think,… …

Happy Birthday, Carl

11/04/2009   "Each of us is a tiny being, permitted to ride on the outermost skin of one of the smaller planets for a few dozen trips around the local star... The longest-lived organisms on Earth endure for about… …

Depression-Era Historical Analysis

10/28/2009   "The Great Depression was a failure not of capitalism but of the hyperactive state." -- Paul Johnson, introduction to Murray N. Rothbard's, America's Great Depression Capitalism… …

Wisdom from "The Art of War"

10/21/2009   "If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles." -- Sun Tzu, "The Art of War" There is a ton of wisdom to be found in the Chinese military… …

Stinging Wisdom

10/14/2009   "Men go crazy in congregations. They only get better one by one." -- Sting, "All This Time" I believe that when people start thinking along with a group, they stop improving… …

A Comedic Revolution

10/08/2009   "Listen, the next revolution is gonna be a revolution of ideas." -- Bill Hicks, comedian and social commentator The late, great Bill Hicks made his living by making people laugh, but what he… …

The Heroism of Muscle

09/30/2009   “Muscle, throughout history, has been next of kin to the heroic, and the heroic is eternal.” --TC Luoma, fitness writer and humorist I try to stay in good physical shape,… …

The Wise Sound of Dolby

09/23/2009   "I think a lot of developments start with the desire of the developer to get what he really wants so that he can use it. It's not just the technical fascination or the business opportunity."… …

The Wisdom of the Wealth of Nations

09/16/2009   "Give me that which I want, and you shall have this which you want." --Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations In this brilliant and ultra-pithy statement,… …

On Overcoming Weakness

09/09/2009   "Weak points come from not doing the things you suck at doing. The difference between a successful athlete and a crappy one is they always do the things they have to do, not what they want to do."… …

Roll the Bones

09/02/2009   We go out in the world and take our chances Fate is just the weight of circumstances That's the way that lady luck dances Why are we here? Because we're here Why does it happen? Because it happens Roll… …

Our Enemy, The State

08/26/2009   "There are two methods, or means, and only two, whereby man's needs and desires can be satisfied. One is the production and exchange of wealth; this is the economic means. The other is the uncompensated… …

The Power of Ideas

08/19/2009   "In a battle between force and an idea, the latter always prevails." --Ludwig von Mises In one of his many, many brilliant observations, Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises succinctly… …

The Math of Money

08/12/2009   "Smart 2 = Money 3" --TC Luoma, Atomic Dog According to fitness writer and humorist TC Luoma, being smart "gives an individual the distinctly valuable trait of being able to conjure money… …

The Wisdom of Albert Jay Nock

08/05/2009   "...the most significant thing about [a man] is what he thinks; and significant also is how he came to think it, why he continued to think it, or, if he did not continue, what the influences were… …

The Wisdom of Southbound Pachyderm

07/29/2009   Watching the majesty blow past Speculating which will be the last Savoring my piece of pie And there is no reprise They're filling the sky Southbound Pachyderm --Primus, "Southbound Pachyderm"… …

The Manly Wisdom of H.L. Mencken

07/22/2009   Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. --H. L. Mencken Sometimes you get really fired up about the conditions around you, as… …

Boxer Wisdom

07/15/2009   I've squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles Such are promises, all lies and jest Still the man hears what he wants to hear And disregards the rest --Simon and Garfunkel, "The Boxer"… …

Tellerian Wisdom

07/08/2009   "A fact is a simple statement that everyone believes. It is innocent, unless found guilty. A hypothesis is a novel suggestion that no one wants to believe. It is guilty, until found effective."… …

The Wisdom of Aerials

07/01/2009   Aerials, in the sky When you lose small mind You free your life Aerials, so up high When you free your eyes Eternal prize --System of a Down, "Aerials" The rock band System of a Down hit on… …

Dead Language Wisdom

06/24/2009   Ubi dubium, ibi libertas (Where doubt is, there is liberty) There's nothing like a classic Latin quote to start the mental gears turning. In this profound quip, we realize that where there is the ability… …

It's Just a Theory -- Yeah, Right

06/17/2009   "I am afraid that the experiments you quote, Mr. Pasteur, will turn against you. The world into which you wish to take us is really too fantastic." --La Presse, 1860 The great scientist Louis… …

Wisdom from the Orchard

06/10/2009   "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works ." -- Steve Jobs, CEO, Apple I've been a long-time devotee of the innovative products put out by the brilliant Steve… …

The Wisdom of the Fortunate

06/03/2009   “Hardship makes the world obscure.” --Don DeLillo If we take the inverse of the great novelist’s words, we realize that fortune makes the world crystal clear. You see, when you have… …

Don't Tread On Me

05/27/2009   So be it Threaten no more To secure peace Is to prepare for war -- Metallica, "Don't Tread On Me" Understandably, over the last nine months most of America's attention has been rightly focused… …

The Wisdom of the Quest

05/20/2009   "For if we ever begin to suppress our search to understand nature, to quench our own intellectual excitement in a misguided effort to present a united front where it does not and should not exist,… …

The Wisdom of "Still"

05/06/2009   Lost in an abstract thought Dazed and distracted Winded yet still I'm caught With a fragment of doubt Slowed by reflection, but These moments will pass Still, halfway up the hill My fingers may bleed… …

Comedic Wisdom

04/29/2009   "Men who do things without being told draw the most wages." -- Rodney Dangerfield There's nothing funny about the humorous wisdom of the great Rodney Dangerfield. Here, he jokingly states a… …

Jeffersonian Science

04/22/2009   "Freedom is the first-born daughter of science." -- Thomas Jefferson Jefferson is, of course, best known as a learned writer, politician and Founding Father. But what we have to remember is… …

Tax Day Wisdom

04/15/2009   "Often the masses are plundered and do not know it." -- Frederic Bastiat The great economist and classical liberal theorist reminds us all that sometimes the citizenry is fleeced without even… …

The Wisdom of Science

04/08/2009   "Science, my lad, is made up of mistakes, but they are mistakes which it is useful to make, because they lead little by little to the truth." -- Jules Verne The great science-fiction writer… …

Churchillian Wisdom

04/01/2009   "The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries." -- Winston Churchill In his oh-so-British, statesmen-like… …

May the Force Be with You

03/25/2009   "Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try." -- Yoda, "The Empire Strikes Back" There's a lot of sage advice in the Star Wars film saga, but perhaps the best comes from the unforgettable… …

Passionate Pursuits

03/18/2009   "Without passion, you don't have energy; without energy, you have nothing. Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion." -- Donald Trump One of my foremost goals in life… …

New-School Positivity -- Viva Superchick!

03/11/2009   Some people you can never please You might as well just let them be They mock everything not their own From their imaginary throne But I won't bow down Even if the whole world thinks I'm crazy…… …

TV Talk Show Host Wisdom

03/04/2009   "Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness." -- Oprah Winfrey I must admit that I never thought I would be quoting a daytime TV talk show… …

Telegraphing Economic Hardship

02/25/2009   I used to like to go to work but they shut it down I got a right to go to work but there's no work here to be found Yes and they say we're gonna have to pay what's owed Were gonna have to reap from some… …

Latin For "Hero"

02/18/2009   Tu ne cede malis sed contra audentior ito (Do not give in to evil, but proceed ever more boldly against it.) -- Virgil, The Aeneid The above Latin verse from Virgil's Aeneid was adopted as a motto by… …

Pop Music and Market Wisdom

02/11/2009   Save it for later Don't run away and let me down Sooner or later You hit the deck, you get found out Save it for later Don't run away and let me down --The English Beat, "Save It For Later"… …

Wrestling with Life

02/04/2009   Have you ever seen a one-armed man punching at nothing but the breeze? If you've ever seen a one-armed man then you've seen me Then you've seen me, I come and stand at every door Then you've seen me,… …

Wise Advice for the Challenges Ahead

01/28/2009   My counterpart, my foolish heart A man must learn to rule his tender part A warming trend, a gentle friend A man must build a fortress to defend A secret face, a touch of grace A man must learn to give… …

Visionary Wisdom

01/21/2009   "If we have learned one thing from the history of invention and discovery, it is that, in the long run -- and often in the short one -- the most daring prophecies seem laughably conservative."… …

Humble Humor

01/14/2009   Oh Lord it's hard to be humble When you're perfect in every way I can't wait to look in the mirror 'cos I get better looking each day To know me is to love me I must be a hell of a man O Lord it's hard… …

Jedi Master Wisdom

01/07/2009   "Named must your fear be before banish it you can." --Yoda, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Are you spooked about putting money to work in 2009 after the disaster that was 2008? I don't blame… …

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