Positive Illusions Quotes

After all, what a lot of contented, happy people there must be! What an overwhelming power that means! I look at this life and see the arrogance and the idleness of the strong, the ignorance and bestiality of the weak, the horrible poverty everywhere, overcrowding, drunkenness, hypocrisy, falsehood ... Meanwhile in all the houses, all the streets, there is peace; out of fifty thousand people who live in our town there is not one to kick against it all. ~ Anton Chekhov

Everything is quiet, peaceful, and against it all there is only the silent protest of statistics; so many go mad, so many gallons are drunk, so many children die of starvation ... And such a state of things is obviously what we want; apparently a happy man only feels so because the unhappy bear their burden in silence, but for which happiness would be impossible. ~ Anton Chekhov

If the only effect of these rampant esteem-inflating biases was to make people feel good about themselves, they would not be a problem. In fact, evidence shows that people who hold pervasive positive illusions about themselves, their abilities, and their future prospects are mentally healthier, happier, and better liked than people who lack such illusions.20 But such biases can make people feel that they deserve more than they do, thereby setting the stage for endless disputes with other people who feel equally over-entitled. ~ Jonathan Haidt

The idea that positive illusions are in the service of sef-esteem virtually requires that they stay in check. If one develops substantially unrealistic expectations regarding the future that greatly exceed what one is actually able to accomplish, then one is set up for failure and disappointment, leading to lower self-esteem. ~ Shelley E. Taylor

If life – the craving for which is the very essence of our being – were possessed of any positive intrinsic value, there would be no such thing as boredom at all: mere existence would satisfy us in itself, and we should want for nothing. But as it is, we take no delight in existence except when we are struggling for something; and then distance and difficulties to be overcome make our goal look as if it would satisfy us. ~ Arthur Schopenhauer

I don't know why they're doing it. I have to assume that their motives are positive, not negative. But they don't understand the severity of the problem in this state. ~ Gray Davis

The idea of a finished human product not only appears presumptuous but even, in my opinion, lacks any strong appeal. Life is struggle and striving, development and growth - and analysis is one of the means that can help in this process. Certainly its positive accomplishments are important, but also the striving itself is of intrinsic value. ~ Karen Horney

We as a species have not realized the most precious qualities with which nature has endowed us, the abilities that will enable us to create lasting positive changes in our world. ~ Ilchi Lee

I know that a creed is the shell of a lie. ~ Amy Lowell

On the positive side, a strong sense of comradely loyalty triggers genuine affection and friendship. On the negative side, it may strengthen contempt for the lives of opponents and, of course, the loss of a comrade may be followed by even greater brutality in battle. ~ Nel Noddings

A lot of these kids have no fathers, and they want to be gangsters. They don't believe in God and have no faith in anything but their own instincts. Boxing provides a way for them to express themselves in a positive way, and I'm happy to be able to help them. ~ Bobby Slayton

The only guarantee for failure is to stop trying ~ John C. Maxwell

Every child's taste is different. Don't worry if they're not reading 'War and Peace' at age 12. First, build a good foundation and a positive attitude about reading by letting them pick the stories they enjoy. Make friends with a bookseller or librarian. They are a wealth of information on finding books that kids enjoy. ~ Rick Riordan

You can make almost anything a learning or positive experience. I think I offer a good example of how to make the most out of what life gives you and how to keep moving on. ~ Augusten Burroughs

Providence then - and this is what is most important to grasp - is not the same thing as a universal teleology. To believe in divine and unfailing providence is not to burden one's conscience with the need to see every event in this world not only as an occasion for God's grace, but as a positive determination of God's will whereby he brings to pass a comprehensive design that, in the absence of any single one of these events, would not have been possible. It may seem that this is to draw only the finest of logical distinction, one so fine indeed as to amount to little more than a sophistry. Some theologians - Calvin, for instance - have denied that the distinction between what God wills and what he permits has any meaning at all. And certainly there is no unanimity in the history of Christian exegesis on this matter. Certain classic Western interpretations of Paul's treatment of the hardening of Pharaoh's heart and of the hardened heart of Israel in Romans 9 have taken it as a clear statement of God's immediate determination of his creatures' wills. But in the Eastern Christian tradition, and in the thought of many of the greatest Western theologians, the same argument has often been understood to assert no more than that God in either case allowed a prior corruption of the will to run its course, or even - like a mire in the light of the sun - to harden the outpouring of God's fiery mercy, and always for the sake of a greater good that will perhaps redound even to the benef ~ David Bentley Hart

I was attracted to the positive outlook on women especially exploring relationships with different people and being confident and comfortable and strong. That was the kind of thing that was appealing to me, because that's what's real, and that's honest, and it's nothing to be ashamed of. That's what single women do. ~ Dakota Johnson

Politicians show no signs of even knowing the difference between negative and positive rights. Blinded by the dazzle of anything that makes them popular, they honestly may not be able to tell. ~ P. J. O'Rourke

London 'Harry Potter' premieres are very special events: There is this sense of love and ownership and pride, and it's just palpable. It's a very different feel from an L.A. premiere. It's nice to be a part of something that's so positive. ~ Michael Goldenberg

The art of the indirect approach can only be mastered, and its full scope appreciated, by study of and reflection upon the whole history of war. But we can at least crystallize the lessons into two simple maxims- one negative, the other positive. The first is that, in face of the overwhelming evidence of history, no general is justified in launching his troops to a direct attack upon an enemy firmly in position. The second, that instead of seeking to upset the enemy's equilibrium by one's attack, it must be upset before a real attack is, or can be successfully launched ~ B.H. Liddell Hart

We may be able to predict when it shall rain but the exact second when the first rain drop shall hit the ground is always uncertain all. ~ Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

One should take good care not to grow too wise for so great a pleasure of life as laughter. ~ Joseph Addison

To enter into a partnership with one of the many thousands of kinds of fungi, a tree must be very open-literally-because the fungal threads grow into its soft root hairs. There's no research into whether this is painful or not, but as it is something the tree wants, I imagine it gives rise to positive feelings. However the tree feels, from then on, the two partners work together. The fungus not only penetrates and envelops the tree's roots, but also allows its web to roam through the surrounding forest floor. In so doing, it extends the reach of the tree's own roots as the web grows out toward other trees. Here, it connects with other trees' fungal partners and roots. And so a network is created, and now it's easy for the trees to exchange vital nutrients (see chapter 3, "Social Security") and even information-such as an impending insect attack.

This connection makes fungi something like the forest Internet. ~ Peter Wohlleben

Beautiful music stimulates beautiful thoughts. ~ Lailah Gifty Akita

Something made greater by ourselves and in turn that makes us greater. ~ Maya Angelou

When someone does something good, applaud! You will make two people happy. ~ Samuel Goldwyn

I learned that everybody is not your friend. You have to watch who you associate with and surround yourself with positive things and people who want to do something positive. ~ Gucci Mane

Man is a thinking animal. ~ Lailah Gifty Akita

A Haiku: Midday

Cloud ribbons on wings
Dramatic cerulean sky
A feast for the eye. ~ Tara Estacaan

Failure is only failure if you focus on what didn't work rather than focusing on what could if you did it differently. ~ Craig D. Lounsbrough

Success is not how high you have climbed, but how you make a positive difference to the world. ~ Roy Bennett

The energy you bring, positive or negative, dictates your perceptions, receptions and radiations. ~ T.F. Hodge

We can bring positive energy into our daily lives by smiling more, talking to strangers in line, replacing handshakes with hugs, and calling our friends just to tell them we love them. ~ Brandon Jenner

Fear is a part of life. It's a warning mechanism. That's all. It tells you when there's danger around. Its job is to help you survive. Not cripple you into being unable to do it. ~ Jim Butcher

We have to make a sustained effort, again and again, to cultivate the positive aspects within us. ~ Dalai Lama

One of Freud's most important insights is that human beings have a strong unconscious tendency to retain these patterns during their lifetime, recreating over and over again the characteristic experiences of their inner world, whether they be positive or negative. Regardless of the discomfort or dysfunction they may cause, these experiences are reassuringly familiar, having been laid down early in life. ~ Catherine Sandler

The moon, right now, is even bigger than my love for it. ~ Scott Stabile

The life of a seamstress is no smaller than the life of a queen, the life of a child with Down syndrome no less filled with promise than the life of a philosopher, because the only significant measure of your life is the positive effect you have on others, either by conscious acts of will or by unconscious example. ~ Dean Koontz

When we're still young, many of us are determined to be different from our parents. We say we'll never make our children suffer. But when we grow up we tend to behave just like our parents, and we make others suffer because, like our ancestors, we don't know how to handle the energies we've inherited. We've received many positive and negative seeds from our parents and ancestors. They transmitted their habit to us because they didn't know how to transform it. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

What happens when you shut your eyes?
The images you have been accustomed to look at suddenly disappear.
See through the images by closing your eyes and opening your heart. ~ J.R. Rim

100% commitment is required for any great achievement. ~ Lailah Gifty Akita

So, at the end of the day, humor works by distracting a person long enough to lower his resistance to the new information and then makes a positive association with the person/brand/computer screen that provided that humor to him. The reality is that people want to be entertained more than they want to be educated. Brand owners have gotten wise to this and now connect with consumers by providing information in an entertaining manner. It's what the ad agency world has dubbed "infotainment." The new school of business teaches that if you do not deliver your information via infotainment, you lose out to those who do. ~ Marshall Chiles

Letting go is one of the major cornerstones of being set free make a decision to release whatever is holding you back. Don't hang on to anything that is not empowering you to move forward. In reality you always have the option of choosing whether you will focus on a hurtful past or fill your mind with uplifting thoughts of the present and all its blessings. Your mind cannot focus on both negative and positive ideas at the same time. ~ Sue Augustine