Armando Turbiglio

“Take a piece of paper and draw a table with two columns. 2  At the top of the first column write the word ‘praiseworthy’. Underneath make a list of things you find most praiseworthy in other people, what you genuinely admire about them. Consider your heroes, real or fictional, living or dead, your family, friends, colleagues, etc. 3  Once you’ve finished, write the word ‘desired’ at the top of the second column. Underneath list all the things you most desire in life. Consider the things you take most pleasure in, and those you most fear losing, as well as the things you spend most time and energy pursuing. 4  Finally, ask yourself to what extent these two columns differ from each other. Are the things you most desire and seek out in life the same as the things you find most praiseworthy in others? Why are they not the same?”
― Don Robertson, Stoicism and the Art of Happiness: Practical wisdom for everyday life: embrace perseverance, strength and happiness with stoic philosophy

“As human nature is essentially rational, it follows that the highest form of excellence, and the key to living harmoniously, is the perfection of reason or wisdom, and the greatest vice is folly or ignorance.”
― Don Robertson, Stoicism and the Art of Happiness: Practical wisdom for everyday life: embrace perseverance, strength and happiness with stoic philosophy

“...in those days (the 19th century) the children sometimes had to walk miles to school. And I mean miles. Have any of you walked even so much as one mile? I doubt it. Not that I blame you . Why walk when you can go wherever you want in a streetcar or a bus? Only stupid people walk when they can ride. Isn't that right? Isn't that what people are always telling you? Feet were invented before wheels, but so what? Getting somewhere on wheels is more comfortable, and that's what progress is all about, isn't that so? But is comfort all that good? Doesn't comfort maybe make us lazy? That's something to think about isn't it? What I mean is--we all want to accomplish something. That's the secret of what everything's all about--this business of wanting to accomplish something. But if everything is made too easy for us, how can we accomplish? I mean really accomplish. The more things we have helping us, the harder the accomplishing. We get too spoiled. We give up too easily...”
― Don Robertson, The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread

“Some gave me soft words and some blunt, some made excuses, some promises, some only lied. In the end words are just wind.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings