"We bless and curse ourselves...." - Quote by Henry David Thoreau

“I hate the present modes of living and getting a living. Farming and shopkeeping and working at a trade or profession are all odious to me. I should relish getting my living in a simple, primitive fashion.”

“I perceive that we inhabitants of New England live this mean life that we do because our vision does not penetrate the surface ofthings. We think that that is which appears to be.”

“I love a life whose plot is simple.”

“Man is so made that by continually telling him he is a fool he believes it, and by continually telling it to himself he makes himself believe it. For man holds an inward talk with himself, which it pays him to regulate.”

“Often people talk about how they feel 'stuck' in a situation. You're never stuck! You may be a little frustrated, you may not have clear answers, but you're not stuck. The minute you represent the situation to yourself as being stuck, though, that's exactly how you'll feel. We must be very careful about the metaphors we allow ourselves to use.”

“You are the most influential person you will talk to all day.”

“Happiness depends more upon the internal frame of a person’s own mind, than on the externals in the world.”

“Successful people...focus on the rewards of success: learning from their mistakes and thinking about how they can improve themselves and their situations.”

“The secret of success is to make your mind work for you - not against you. This means constantly being positive, constantly setting up challenges you can meet - either today, next week, or next month etc.”