“I’m instantly mortified by my fat, uncontrollable mouth, but that’s when it occurs to me that my humor is a self-defense mechanism. Even though I may come off like a stark raving asshat, being funny is the most important tool I have to stay sane. The ability to say what I think is the key to allowing me to feel in control.” ThinkingFeelsMayImportantSelfAbilityKeysMouthsToolsDefenseFatsAllowingMechanismSaneSelf DefenseStarksBeing FunnyUncontrollableDefense Mechanisms Author:Jen Lancaster
“This ability to incorporate the past gives the sharpest diagnostic tool, if one asks whether a body of knowledge is a science or not. Do present practitioners have to go back to an original work of the past? Or has it been incorporated? ... Science is cumulative, and embodies its past.” IfsKnowsGivingBodyPastScienceAsksAbilityKnowledgeToolsAccountsOriginalsCumulative Author:C.P. Snow
“Whenever we pride ourselves upon finding a newer, stricter way of thought or exposition we lose something of the ability to think new thoughts. And equally, of course, whenever we rebel against the sterile rigidity of formal thought and exposition and let our ideas run wild, we likewise lose. As I see it, the advances in scientific thought come from a combination of lose and strict thinking, and this combination is the most precious tool of science.” ThinkingWayIdeasRunningCoursesLosesAbilityPrideFindingsToolsCombinationRebelFormalStrictNew ThoughtRigidity Author:Gregory Bateson
“The ability of human beings to be creative depends fundamentally on the health and well-being of our biosphere, the few kilometres of air, water, and soil that surround our planet like the skin of an apple. Quite simply, they are the physical and spiritual bases of our lives, and the only source of materials and tools.” HumansWellsEarthSpiritualWaterHuman BeingsAbilityCreativeOur LivesAirPlanetsMaterialsSourceDependsToolsSkinsBasesWell BeingApplesSoilSurroundBe CreativeOur PlanetBiosphere Author:Freeman Patterson
“Exercise is the single most powerful tool you have to optimize your brain function…exercise has a profound impact on cognitive abilities and mental health. It is simply one of the best treatments we have for most psychiatric problems.” ProblemAbilityPowerfulBrainExerciseToolsFunctionImpactMental HealthProfoundTreatmentMost PowerfulCognitivePsychiatricBrain Function Author:John Ratey
“I am dedicating the majority of my wealth to improving education. It is the key to the survival of the human race. We have to plan for our collective future - and the first step begins with the social, emotional, and intellectual tools we provide to our children. As humans, our greatest tool for survival is our ability to think and to adapt - as educators, storytellers, and communicators our responsibility is to continue to do so.” ThinkingFirstsHumansChildrenSocialWealthAbilityRaceResponsibilityStepsPlansEmotionalKeysSurvivalIntellectualToolsOur ChildrenMajorityHuman RaceCollectivesFirst StepsImprovingStorytellerEducatorCommunicators Author:George Lucas
“The noise you hear after people see something you do - whether it's a TV show or a movie - that always makes you see that thing slightly differently. Without question. The ability of a television series to make adjustments is something you've got to take advantage of. And test-screening a movie can be helpful too. But the part that can be dangerous is when you take those notes as gospel, instead of taking them with a grain of salt. The key is to use the response as one of the tools in your box, as opposed to using it to determine what you do.” PeopleUseShowsAbilityDangerousTelevisionTvsKeysAdvantageToolsTestsSeriesNotesResponseDetermineBoxesNoiseHelpfulSaltGrainTv ShowsAdjustmentScreeningGrain Of Salt Author:J. J. Abrams
“Drinking wine is easy: tilt glass and swallow. Really tasting wine is more of a challenge. You need the proper tools and environment, the ability to concentrate, a good memory and a vivid imagination.” NeedsEasyImaginationChallengesMemoriesAbilityEnvironmentToolsWineDrinkingGlassesVividGood MemoriesTastingDrinking WineTiltVivid Imagination Author:Marvin Shanken
“There are a couple of watersheds in human evolution. Most people are comfortable thinking about tool use and language use as watersheds. But the ability to play non-zero-sum games was another watershed.” PeopleThinkingHumansPlayUseGamesLanguageAbilityEvolutionCoupleComfortableToolsZeroHuman EvolutionZero Sum GameWatersheds Author:Jonathan Haidt
“As a species, we create tools to control our environment. What excites my imagination is wilderness: our materials' ability to escape our control.” ImaginationAbilityEnvironmentMaterialsToolsSpeciesWildernessMy ImaginationOur Environment Author:James Arthur
“We cannot deny that our decision today will have an impact on the ability of law enforcement to combat crime. Cell phones have become important tools in facilitating coordination and communication among members of criminal enterprises, and can provide valuable incriminating information about dangerous criminals. Privacy comes at a cost.” ImportantTodayLawAbilityDecisionTechnologyDangerousCrimeInformationCommunicationCostMembersToolsImpactPhonesValuableDenyCriminalsCellsEnterprisePrivacyCombatLaw EnforcementEnforcementCell PhoneCoordination Author:John Roberts
“All designed tools and objects are sort of extensions of human abilities, and they do tend to make life richer for us. But, an awful lot of designs, especially in this country, make life a lot more inconvenient. I'm thinking, for instance, of high-fidelity units that have so many switches and toggles and buttons and things that they confuse most people.” PeopleThinkingHumansCountryAbilityDesignObjectsToolsInstanceAwfulButtonsUnitsExtensionsFidelityInconvenientHigh Fidelity Author:Victor Papanek
“The ability to save automatically is among the most powerful tools available to us.” AbilityPowerfulToolsAvailableMost Powerful Author:Sendhil Mullainathan
“Teaching is not about information. It's about having an honest intellectual relationship with your students. It requires no method, no tools, and no training. Just the ability to be real. And if you can't be real, then you have no right to inflict yourself upon innocent children.” IfsChildrenRealAbilityTeachingHonestInformationStudentsIntellectualTrainingToolsMethodInnocentBeing RealInnocent Children Author:Paul Lockhart