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Opposites Quotes

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Opposites Quotes

“A sign of power in a man is not only when people follow what he suggests, but also when people make a conscious effort to do the exact opposite of what he suggests.”

People Men Leadership Effort Conscious Opposites

Book:Killosophy

Source: Killosophy

“We all have a tendency to think that the world must conform to our prejudices. The opposite view involves some effort of thought, and most people would die sooner than think in fact they do so.”

People Thinking World Facts Dies Views Effort Opposites Prejudice Tendencies Conform

Book:Mortals and Others

Source: Mortals and Others

“Once you realize how effortless the highest way of life is, it takes tremendous effort to assume the opposite.”

Way Life Is Realizing Effort Highest Opposites Assuming Effortless

Author:Lester Levenson

“The effect of emotional venting is to sustain an unsatisfactory status quo. Most people think the opposite, that complaining is part of an effort to change an unsatisfying situation. Nope. Complaining lets off pressure so that we neither explode with frustration nor feel compelled to take the often risky steps of openly opposing a difficult person or situation. Keeping emotional pressure tolerably low doesn't change problematic circumstances but rather perpetuates them.”

People Thinking Feels Persons Difficult Effort Situation Steps Effects Emotional Circumstances Lows Opposites Pressure Complaining Frustration Status Quo Compelled Opposing Venting

Author:Martha Beck

“The capacity for people to kid themselves is huge. Living on illusions or delusions, and the re-establishing of these illusions or delusions requires a big effort to keep them from being seen through. But a very old idea is at work behind our current state of affairs: enantiodromia, or the Greek notion of things turning into their opposite.”

People Ideas States Bigs Kids Effort Behinds Huge Illusion Capacity Opposites Notion Affair Currents Greek Delusion Living On Old Ideas

Author:James Hillman

“The opposite of success is not failure. Unsuccessful efforts are not failures unless they so discourage you that you abandon further efforts to achieve your goal. Even then, the venture or effort may be a failure but you are not. Failure is an event not a character trait.”

May Character Goal Effort Achieve Events Opposites Abandon Traits Venture Discouraging Unsuccessful Achieving Your Goals Character Trait

Author:Michael Josephson

“Biblical archaeology was developed early in this century in an effort to substantiate the authenticity of the Biblical account. It's by now generally recognized in Biblical scholarship that it has done the opposite. The Bible is not a historical text, and has only vague resemblances to what took place, as far as can be reconstructed. For example, whether Israel ever existed is not clear; if so, it was probably a small kingdom somewhere in the hills, apparently virtually unknown to the Egyptians.”

Ifs Done Effort Clear Century Example Opposites Accounts Historical Israel Kingdoms Authenticity Hills Biblical Vague Scholarship Resemblance Archaeology

Author:Noam Chomsky

“Be kind. It's worthwhile to make an effort to learn about other people and figure out what you might have in common with them. If you allow yourself to be somewhat curious - and if you get into the habit of doing that - it's the first step to being open minded and realizing that your points of view aren't totally opposite.”

People Ifs Firsts Kind Might Realizing Views Common Effort Steps Figures Habit Opposites Point Of View Curious Be Kind Worthwhile First Steps Open Minded Being Open Minded

Author:Viggo Mortensen

“I found that if I offered to cook for a girl, my odds improved radically over simply asking a girl out. Through my efforts to attract the opposite sex, I found that not only did cooking work, but that it was actually fun.”

Ifs Girl Found Fun Sex Effort Opposites Asking Cooking Cooks Odds

Author:Alton Brown

“But nirvana is a radical transformation of how it feels to be alive: it feels as if everything were myself, or as if everything---including "my" thoughts and actions---were happening of itself. There are still efforts, choices, and decisions, but not the sense that "I make them"; they arise of themselves in relation to circumstances. This is therefore to feel life, not as an encounter between subject and object, but as a polarized field where the contest of opposites has become the play of opposites.”

Source: Psychotherapy East & West

“Heroes and scholars represent the opposite extremes... The scholar struggles for the benefit of all humanity, sometimes to reduce physical effort, sometimes to reduce pain, and sometimes to postpone death, or at least render it more bearable. In contrast, the patriot sacrifices a rather substantial part of humanity for the sake of his own prestige. His statue is always erected on a pedestal of ruins and corpses... In contrast, all humanity crowns a scholar, love forms the pedestal of his statues, and his triumphs defy the desecration of time and the judgment of history.”

“When I was younger, I thought that the key to success was just hard work. But the real foundation is faith. Faith - the idea that 'I can do it' - is the opposite of fear ('What if I fail?'). And faith creates motivation which in turn leads to commitment, hard work, preparation ... and eventually success.”

“Mrs. Pang was once a nanny for me, and she spoils me the way I imagined kindhearted women would spoil an orphan, loving me for whom I am, exactly the opposite of my mother, whose love I have to earn with great effort and with little success.”

Way Littles Mother Effort Opposites Spoil Orphan Nannies Great Effort Loving Me

Book:A Thousand Years of Good Prayers: Stories

Source: A Thousand Years of Good Prayers: Stories