Right Attitudes

Among wellborn spirits courage does not depend on age.
—Pierre Corneille (French Playwright)

The gap between the committed and the indifferent is a Sahara whose faint trails, followed by the mind’s eye only, fade out in sand.
—Nadine Gordimer (South African Novelist)

To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can perform.
—Theodore H. White (American Journalist)

The chiefest action for a man of spirit is never to be out of action; the soul was never put into the body to stand still.
—John Webster (English Dramatist)

Rest, rest, shall I have not all eternity to rest.
—Antoine Arnauld (French Theologian)

Without general elections, without freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, without the free battle of opinions, life in every public institution withers away, becomes a caricature of itself, and bureaucracy rises as the only deciding factor.
—Rosa Luxemburg (German Socialist, Revolutionary)

The fact that political ideologies are tangible realities is not a proof of their vitally necessary character. The bubonic plague was an extraordinarily powerful social reality, but no one would have regarded it as vitally necessary.
—Wilhelm Reich (Austrian Psychoanalyst)

In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.
—Ansel Adams (American Photographer)

Part of the issue of achievement is to be able to set realistic goals, but that’s one of the hardest things to do because you don’t always know exactly where you’re going, and you shouldn’t.
—George Lucas (American Filmmaker)

Every great scientific truth goes through three stages.—First, people say it conflicts with the Bible.—Next they say it had been discovered before. Lastly, they say they always believed it.
—Louis Agassiz (Swiss-American Scientist)

Spiritual awakening does not depend initially on who we are or what we do; rather it is becoming attuned to the working of great compassion at the heart of existence.
—Taitetsu Unno (American Buddhist Scholar)

A historical romance is the only kind of book where chastity really counts.
—Barbara Cartland (English Romantic Novelist)

Fools follow after vanity, men of evil wisdom. The wise man keeps earnestness as his best jewel.
—The Dhammapada (Buddhist Anthology of Verses)

There is nothing with which it is so dangerous to take liberties as liberty itself.
—Andre Breton (French Poet, Critic)

A childhood is what anyone wants to remember of it. It leaves behind no fossils, except perhaps in fiction.
—Carol Shields (Canadian Author, Academic)

Some people are great at gift-giving. They instinctively seem to know what people will want and always have the perfect gift for any occasion. And then there are the rest of us, blearily combing through online craft sites late at night or hitting up the mall just as it’s closing for that last-minute perfect gift (which is, inevitably, very far from perfect.) Is there hope for the rest of us? We could just write this off as something that we’re not very good at and hope that our other qualities make up for our shortcomings, but you really can become a better gift-giver. Think of it as a skill that you can improve like any other.

Listen

Pay attention to what your friends and family members like and want all year round, not just in the weeks or days leading up to their birthday or a holiday. Most people do this casually all the time, mentioning a game they really want, for example. People also talk about indulgences that they’d enjoy but wouldn’t pay for themselves. When you hear someone mention something, make a note—literally, if you have to, just a quick few words tapped into your phone’s notepad. This will help ensure that when another occasion rolls around, you’ve got a good selection to choose from.

Stock Up

You can approach stocking up in two ways. One way is that whenever you’re out shopping, and you see something that a friend or family member would love, you grab it even if it’s nowhere near an occasion where you might give it to them. The other way is to keep a stockpile of nice gifts so that you always have something handy in a pinch. It’s less personal, but sometimes you need to produce a gift for someone you don’t know well, like a coworker.

Subscription Boxes

A kind of synthesis of the two above ideas is to research and plan ahead without actually buying anything until the time comes. Subscription boxes offer a great opportunity to do this because they are available in so many different varieties and at so many different price points. For example, do you have a friend who loves to travel, either for real or from the comfort of their armchair? A snack subscription box that offers snacks that are unique and best-tasting from all over the world and can be a great way of giving them a taste of being on the road without leaving home. There are plenty of other subscription boxes available as well for most budgets and interests, from flowers to wine to sports and many more.

Last-Minute Fixes

Let’s say you haven’t done any of the above, and you need a great gift within the next day or two. There’s still plenty you can do at this point to get it right. If you’re connected with the person on social media, scroll through their posts and look for something that sparks an idea. If you have to resort to a gift card—which is not the worst gift anyone ever received by any stretch of the imagination—you can still make it more thoughtful and personal by accompanying it with a handmade card or nestling it in a bouquet of flowers.

Faith, and belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel.
—Ambrose Bierce (American Journalist, Author)

Wait long enough and people will surprise and impress. When you’re pissed off at someone and you’re angry at them, you just haven’t given them enough time. Just give them a little more time and they almost always will impress you.
—Randy Pausch (American Computer Scientist)

You try very hard to make up for something that was never your fault,” I suggested while a new kind of tugging started at the edges of my skin. “What I mean is, it’s not like you asked for this. You didn’t choose this kind of life, and yet you have to work so hard to be good.
—Stephenie Meyer (American Novelist)

Every morning I jump out of bed and step on a landmine. The landmine is me. After the explosion, I spend the rest of the day putting the pieces together.
—Ray Bradbury (American Science-Fiction Writer)

Man, mind yourself is the first commandment.
—James Hogg (Scottish poet)

Even a small star shines in the darkness.
—Finnish Proverb

Honesty is never seen sitting astride the fence.
—Lemuel K. Washburn (American Freethought Writer)

To be unconditionally present with our experience is the simplest thing we could possibly do. It means being present to what is, without relying on any view or concept about it. What could be simpler than that? And yet what could be more difficult?
—John Welwood (American Psychologist)

I have always felt that a politician is to be judged by the animosities he excites among his opponents.
—Winston Churchill (British Head of State)

Decisive inventions and discoveries always are initiated by an intellectual or moral stimulus as their actual motivating force, but, usually, the final impetus to human action is given by material impulses … merchants stood as a driving force behind the heroes of the age of discovery; this first heroic impulse to conquer the world emanated from very mortal forces.
—Stefan Zweig (British Novelist, Journalist, Biographer)

Man needs more to be reminded than instructed.
—Samuel Johnson (British Essayist)

Freedom is an indivisible word. If we want to enjoy it, and fight for it, we must be prepared to extend it to everyone, whether they are rich or poor, whether they agree with us or not, no matter what their race or the color of their skin.
—Wendell Willkie (American Politician)

It has been said that idleness is the parent of mischief—which is very true; but mischief itself is merely an attempt to escape from the dreary vacuum of idleness.
—George Borrow (English Writer, Traveler)