The Achievement Habit Quotes

“One of the social functions of families and the other communities to which we belong is to constrain our behavior. Normally these social constraints serve a valid societal function. Yet they can also have a big downside unless we are willing to confront and—if appropriate—discard them in a productive manner. If we realize we have a unique persona and a history different from that of our teachers and parents, we can end up being creators of a new synthesis that honors our influences yet is also a true expression of our very being. It is important that we look at our life and work not only from the point of view of its content but also from the question of what our actual intentions are.”
― Bernard Roth, The Achievement Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life

“For me, real achievement is traveling to a foreign country, learning some of the language, and finding my way around on my own. Real achievement is learning to be self-sufficient. Real achievement is making lifelong friends.”
― Bernard Roth, The Achievement Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life

“if we sense, even subconsciously, traits within ourselves that we would rather not acknowledge because they are alien to our self-image, we deny their existence and project them onto others. Thus our hatred of others is really the hatred of our own unwanted or feared capabilities projected onto them. To get beyond the self-destructive effects of hatred, it is necessary to be able to accept a basic truth about ourselves: we are all potentially capable of any human act.”
― Bernard Roth, The Achievement Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life