Wednesday, May 07, 2003

 

For people who see their lives as projects to be planned, rather than accidental events to be experienced, self fulfillment has replaced historical measures of lives well lived, such as respecting one's ancestors or pleasing the gods. The fear of missing out on all that life could offer has given the quest for self-enhancement a powerful moral dimension.

'Enhancement technologies' such as cosmetic surgery and 'lifestyle drugs' are used by Americans in search of self fulfillment - not to change themselves but to find themselves.

Carl Elliott, a bioethicist, as quoted in a book review in The Economist, Apr 26, 2003

Sunday, March 02, 2003

 

I can't tell if I have worked all my life or I have never worked a single day of my life.
Miguel deIcaza, Creator of GNOME, Founder of Ximian Inc., about doing what he loves

Money is like manure - it should be spread around to help young things grow.
Dolly Levi in musical Hello Dolly

You can not accumulate if you do not speculate.
P.G. Wodehouse, British author of humor, in 'Do Butlers Burgle Banks?'

Monday, February 10, 2003

 

The test of first rate intelliegnce is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, US Author

Saturday, February 08, 2003

 

Consulting is not a business but a profession. Like the best doctors and lawyers, consultants should
a) put the interests of their clients first,
b) conduct ethically and
c) insist on telling clients the truth, not what they want to hear.

Marvin Bower, Legendary leader and Managing Director of McKinsey & Co. from 1950-67

Tuesday, February 04, 2003

 

Two most successful economic inventions of 19th century
a) Commercial Banks
b) Investment Banks

Peter F. Drucker, Management Challenges for the 21st Century

Friday, January 31, 2003

 

A slave who has three masters is a free man.

Proverb of a Roman Law, quoted by Peter F. Drucker in one of his management essays about multiple reporting responsibilities in an oragnizational structure

Friday, January 03, 2003

 

Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.

Horace Mann, A Massachusetts Legislator, who initiated the 'common school' reform in 19th century

Thursday, December 05, 2002

 

The best way to predict future is to invent it.

Alan Kay, one of the founders of Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC)

Tuesday, December 03, 2002

 

It is not enough to believe you are right, even when you are. You have to take account of others' feelings.

Clementine to her husband Winston Churchill in 1916, asking him to avoid being arrogant and bumpy; Source: Winston Churchill by John Keegan

Saturday, November 23, 2002

 

Hope is a good thing and good things never die.

Character of Andy Dufresne, the protagonist, in the movie 'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994)

Thursday, October 31, 2002

 

The true entrepreneur does not see risk - he sees solutions. And has unending self-confidence.

Sam Zell; Controller of the largest commercial real estate in America; In Fortune Oct 28, 2002 issue

 

Failure is never quite frightening as regret.

Character of Cliff Buxton played by Sam Neill in the movie 'The Dish' (release year 2000)

Friday, September 27, 2002

 

Stop being in a hurry. Just think of a bottle of fine wine. You make the best bottle of wine you can, and what do you do with it? You don't sell it. You stick it down in your basement and give it a nice turn every year or so. If you take that bottle out 15 years from now, you'll say, "Wow." So what's the hurry?

John Bogle; Founder of Vanguard Group; On why shouldn't an innovator be in a hurry to reap profits; Reacting on being asked how he felt about the poor response to the launch of world's first index fund in 1976

You just can't be starry-eyed and go into a deal and say, 'Oh, it'll all work out.' If the motivations are not aligned, then it won't work.

Donna Dubinsky; ex-CEO of Palm Computing, Founder and CEO of Handspring Inc.; On how in its earlier days Palm Computing did not do a deal with Compaq to co-develop a PDA

Thursday, September 19, 2002

 

If I am not a different person in five years, I have fallen behind.

Larry Bossidy; Former Vice Chariman of GE, Former CEO of AlliedSignal and Honeywell; on Continuous Learning

 

To be successful in business life you need to be 2 sigma in seven or eight things that make up the management personality. There are a lot of people who have 3 sigma skills in some areas but are 1 sigma in others. What you need is the right balance among all those characteristics.

Arun Sarin; CEO of Accel KKR Telecom, Former CEO of Infospace

Saturday, September 14, 2002

 

Never hate your enemies - it affects your judgement.

Godfather III

 

A page of history is worth a volume of logic.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.; Former US Supreme Court Justice; on Law