Alan Loy McGinnis Quotes

Those with a high level of confidence may have as many or more weaknesses than those with low self-esteem. The difference is this; instead of dwelling on their handicaps, they compensate for them by dwelling on their strengths.

If you train your mind to search for the positive things about other people, you will be surprised at how many good things you can observe in them and comment upon.

One reason I can be more tolerant than most is that as a therapist I have the advantage of information about my patients that most people are not privy to. And I discover that we rarely if ever see the totality of another in ordinary social intercourse. When an individual appears mean and lazy, we are only seeing one part of the person, elicited by a particular set of circumstances on a particular day, and we do well to wait a while before concluding that what we see is the whole person.

Tears are often a gift from God, and sadness is a healthy emotion.

The best transactions in families or between friends occur on the fly. They come as stochastic shocks, or serendipities.

People often step out onto our path as we are hurrying to a meeting or intent on finishing a project, and it usually turns out that the meeting or the project was inconsequential compared to the chance to get closer to someone we cared for.

Fears are educated into us," Dr. Karl Menninger once wrote, "and they can, if we wish, be educated out.

Learn, earn, return - these are the 3 phases of life. Jack Balousek There is no more noble occupation in the world than to assist another human being - to help someone to succeed.

We therapists hear many stories of how people have been victimized, how they've had a succession of bad breaks and are product of 'dysfunctional' homes. On good days I'm sympathetic and try to hear them out, to encourage catharsis for their pain, then gradually lead them into problem-solving mode.

But some days I mutter to myself, that if another patient comes in the door and says one word about being the product of a dysfunctional family, I'm going to stand up and do something dysfunctional to them.

ALL families are dysfunctional at times. And the biography is filled with stories of people who overcome the most miserable environments.

A true leader helps people focus on their potential, not on their limitations.

Focus on your potential instead of your limitations.

You are a manipulator when you try to persuade people to do something that is not in their best interests but is in yours. You are a motivator when you find goals that will be good for both sides, then weld together a high-achieving, high-morale partnership to achieve them.

The ultimate leaders develop followers who will surpass them.

The best friendships do not require that anyone keep the upper hand.

Love, honor, and negotiate.

If we build more windows and fewer walls, we will have more friends.