Right Attitudes

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Archives for February 2014

Inspirational Quotations #516

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If there’s anything worse than self-questioning coming too early in life, it’s self-questioning coming too late.
—Philip Roth (American Novelist)

The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail.
—Napoleon Hill (American Author)

True affection is a body of enigmas, mysteries and riddles, wherein two so become one that they both become two.
—Thomas Browne (English Christian Author)

Days are scrolls: write on them only what you want remembered.
—Bahya ibn Paquda (Spanish Jewish Philosopher)

Courage from hearts and not from numbers grows.
—John Dryden (English Poet)

Optimism doesn’t wait on facts. It deals with prospects. Pessimism is a waste of time.
—Norman Cousins (American Journalist)

Who can confess his poverty and look it in the face, destroys its sting: but a proud poor man, he is poor, indeed.
—Letitia Elizabeth Landon (English Poet)

Inspirational Quotations #515

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We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival.
—Winston Churchill (British Head of State)

When my horse is running good, I don’t stop to give him sugar.
—William Faulkner (American Novelist)

Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. The real miracle is the love that inspires them. In this sense everything that comes from love is a miracle.
—Marianne Williamson (American Activist)

Those that embrace the entire universe with love, for the most part love nothing, but their narrow selves.
—Johann Gottfried Herder (German Lutheran Philosopher)

The practice of peace and reconciliation is one of the most vital and artistic of human actions.
—Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnamese Buddhist Religious Leader)

Show me the man you honor, and I will know what kind of a man you are, for it shows me what your ideal of manhood is, and what kind of a man you long to be.
—Thomas Carlyle (Scottish Writer)

No Duty is More Pressing Than That of Gratitude: My Regret of Missing the Chance to Thank Prof. Sathya

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I’d like to relate an incident that reiterated the value of human relationships and genuine outreach.

Guruswamy Sathyanarayanan, Lehigh University and Indian Institute of Science

Prof. Guruswamy Sathyanarayanan was a Fulbright scholar at the Indian Institute of Science, where I worked as a research assistant in the year 1999. “Sathya,” as he was fondly known, was a visiting professor from Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA.

Upon our acquaintance, I had observed that Sathya seemed stressed out from his work and had struggled to get his computer programs to run. I had offered to help him with computer programming and research on manufacturing processes. Our interaction had quickly evolved into a bond of mentorship. He was not particularly joyful, but was always genial and inquisitive. Over coffee breaks, we had many an interesting conversation about the relevance of Eastern Philosophy in the modern world.

At that time, I was applying for graduate school in the United States. Sathya had advised me on the schools to which I should apply based on my specific interests, the nuances of the application process, and the many components of the applications. On a particular day when my applications were due to be dispatched, he had me revise my personal essay repeatedly until he felt it was succinct enough to reflect my academic ideas and interests. When I thanked Sathya, he asked me to thank him only after receiving an admission and to keep him updated on my applications.

Three months later in March 2000, one late night, I received a call from a prestigious school. The school had admitted me to its graduate program with a 100% tuition waiver and a generous stipend for research in my area of choice, a precursor to 3D Printing. I was extremely delighted, but did not call Sathya because it was late at night.

The next morning, I learnt that Sathya had died the previous night of sudden heart attack. When I visited his home that afternoon, Sathya’s wife informed me that he had complained of uneasiness after a heated debate with a fellow-researcher on the progress of their research work. Sathya’s death came as a shock to me since he was only 47 years old and had a six-year old son.

I profusely regret not having called Sathya on that fateful night to express my gratitude for his mentorship of my application process. I am given to wonder if my success could have cheered him after his tense conversation with the research colleague—I’ll never know.

I never thanked Sathya in person, but I dedicated my master’s thesis to his memory.

Thesis Dedication: To the memory of my mentor and a great friend, Dr. Guruswamy Sathyanarayanan, Lehigh University

Call to Action: Practice Gratitude

There’s plenty of anecdotal and empirical evidence that practicing gratitude can considerably increase our sense of social well-being and happiness, yet we fail to acknowledge our blessings and thank people who’ve made a difference in our lives.

“The learned have prescribed penance for the murderer of a pious man, a drunkard, a thief or for one who has violated a solemn vow. But there is no pardon for the ungrateful,” asserts the Panchatantra, a collection of animal fables from ancient India.

Dear readers, there is no excuse for not conveying your feelings to your loved ones today. There is no excuse for not expressing your gratitude and appreciation today. There is no excuse for not taking a few minutes of your time to check-in on somebody who has influenced your life with his or her gift of kindness.

NOW is the time to appreciate the people who have helped you. This is your opportunity to do it—RIGHT NOW, while there is time.

Wondering what to read next?

  1. Kindness: A Debt You Can Only Pass On
  2. A Grateful Heart, A Happy Heart // Book Summary of Janice Kaplan’s ‘The Gratitude Diaries’
  3. Gratitude Can Hold You Back
  4. Confucius on Dealing with People
  5. If You Want to Be Loved, Love

Inspirational Quotations #514

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All of us failed to match our dreams of perfection. So I rate us on the basis of our splendid failure to do the impossible.
—William Faulkner (American Novelist)

There are many things that seem impossible only so long as one does not attempt them.
—Andre Gide (French Novelist)

Don’t be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated; you can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.
—David Lloyd George (British Head of State)

Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.
—Pierre-Marc-Gaston, duc de Levis

Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.
—Sam Levenson (American Humorist)

Love’s greatest gift is its ability to make everything it touches sacred.
—Barbara De Angelis (American Lecturer)

Inspirational Quotations #513

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Patience is a necessary ingredient of genius.
—Benjamin Disraeli (British Head of State)

To be a poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships.
—W. E. B. Du Bois (American Civil Rights Activist)

The sooner you treat your son as a man, the sooner he will be one.
—John Dryden (English Poet)

Opportunities are often things you haven’t noticed the first time around.
—Catherine Deneuve (French Actor)

Few rich men own their own property. Their property owns them.
—Robert G. Ingersoll (American Atheist Politician)

To be alive, to be able to see, to walk… it’s all a miracle. I have adapted the technique of living life from miracle to miracle.
—Arthur Rubinstein (Polish-born American Composer)

The ability to get to the verge without getting into the war is the necessary art. If you try to run away from it, if you are scared to go to the brink, you are lost.
—John Foster Dulles (American Lawyer)

The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.
—Mark Twain (American Humorist)

Time is the greatest of all tyrants. As we go on toward age, he taxes our health, limbs, faculties, strength, and features.
—John Foster Dulles (American Lawyer)