Making Sense of People Quotes

“The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names. —Chinese Proverb”
― Samuel H. Barondes, Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

“To be adult means, among other things, to see one’s own life in continuous perspective, both in retrospect and in prospect.”
― Samuel H. Barondes, Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

“Every man is in certain respects (a) like all other men, (b) like some other men, (c) like no other man. —Clyde Kluckhohn and Henry A. Murray”
― Samuel H. Barondes, Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

“He called the challenge of young adulthood “intimacy versus isolation,” which can be met by developing close friendships and an enduring romantic relationship. He called the challenge of middle adulthood “generativity versus self-absorption,” which can be met by parenting, mentorship, and altruistic contributions to the community. He called the challenge of late adulthood “integrity versus despair,” which can be met by finding a way to look back at one’s whole life story with understanding and satisfaction.”
― Samuel H. Barondes, Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

“[T]hough I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavor, a better and happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it.”
― Samuel H. Barondes, Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

“pay attention to the stories people tell about themselves, which will help you figure out what they stand for and their sense of identity.”
― Samuel H. Barondes, Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

“we are becoming more, not less, alike ....”
― Samuel H. Barondes, Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

“your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life .... And, most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” These”
― Samuel H. Barondes, Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

“You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something—your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.” The”
― Samuel H. Barondes, Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

“To be adult means, among other things, to see one’s own life in continuous perspective, both in retrospect and in prospect. By accepting some definition of who he is, usually on the basis of a function in an economy, a place in the sequence of generations, and a status in the structure of society, the adult is able to selectively reconstruct his past in such a way that, step by step, it seems to have planned him, or better, he seems to have planned it. In this sense, psychologically we do choose our parents, our family history, and the history of our kings, heroes, and gods. By making them our own, we maneuver ourselves into the inner position of proprietors, of creators.”12”
― Samuel H. Barondes, Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

“Recognizing that backsliding is natural, he committed himself to repeated practice. Recognizing that some virtues, such as humility and order, were particularly hard for him to achieve, he decided to lower his standards and cut himself some slack. The result was a program that was explicit, realistic, and, as he looked back on it, seemingly effective.”
― Samuel H. Barondes, Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

“The timing of this effect of testosterone is crucial. If it comes too late in fetal development, the key neurons in the hypothalamus are already dead, and the brain is set on an irreversible female course. Other regulators of neuronal death may also have decisive behavioral effects, but none is as obvious as testosterone.”
― Samuel H. Barondes, Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

“The two ways of thinking “I’m right” are also fairly easy to tell apart. Compulsives consider themselves competent and committed to excellence. They consider others to be self-indulgent slackers who should work harder and follow the rules. Paranoids may be even more self-righteous. But they also feel misunderstood, despite what they consider to be their noble intentions. Instead of dismissing others as irresponsible, they are wary of them as malicious antagonists. The three ways of thinking “I’m vulnerable” each include a particular version of the belief “I’m not good enough” and can also be distinguished by their very different views of others. Avoidants are particularly concerned that others see through them, recognize their ineptness, and are eager to put them down. To prevent embarrassment, they keep a low profile. Dependents also feel inept but are not ashamed to reach out to people who may take care of them. Borderlines, the most flagrantly troublesome, have an unstable view both of themselves and of others. They are acutely aware of their limitations but also cling to the belief that they are adored. They swing between a positive view of people they become attached to, whom they consider loving and perfect, and the negative view that they are in constant danger of being betrayed and abandoned by them.”
― Samuel H. Barondes, Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality

“Can we learn a technique to make our own descriptions of people more incisive and complete?”
― Samuel H. Barondes, Making Sense of People: Decoding the Mysteries of Personality