life

If you know how quickly people forget the dead, you'll stop living to impress people.

If someone succeeds in provoking you, realize that your mind is complicit in the provocation.

Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do.

They say creativity is born of limitations.

U životu sve može da se desi, a naročito ništa.

Uelbek

“Anything can happen in life, especially nothing.”

Keeping up with the Joneses is very real. I've found that focusing on yourself and your happiness rather than Facebook and the “appearance” of those around you leads to a better overall quality of life. I know it's hard, but not letting these sort of things get to you can really make a difference.

Keeping up with Joneses will always be alive and well. Sometimes I think adulthood is nothing more than high school for grown-ups. It's sad.

Every single philosopher in the history of humanity tells you this: Don’t worry about the things you can’t control. And only focus on things you do control. That’s the key to happiness.

We do not have the power to make our lives monumentally better, only monumentally worse.

Benjamin Franklin sought to cultivate his character by a plan of 13 virtues, which he developed at age 20 (in 1726) and continued to practice in some form for the rest of his life. His autobiography lists his 13 virtues as:

• Temperance. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
• Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
• Order. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
• Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
• Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
• Industry. Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
• Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
• Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
• Moderation. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
• Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.
• Tranquility. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
• Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
• Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Barlow’s 25 Principles of Adult Behavior:

• Be patient. No matter what.
• Don’t badmouth: Assign responsibility, not blame. Say nothing of another you wouldn’t say to him.
• Never assume the motives of others are, to them, less noble than yours are to you.
• Expand your sense of the possible.
• Don’t trouble yourself with matters you truly cannot change.
• Expect no more of anyone than you can deliver yourself.
• Tolerate ambiguity.
• Laugh at yourself frequently.
• Concern yourself with what is right rather than who is right.
• Never forget that, no matter how certain, you might be wrong.
• Give up blood sports.
• Remember that your life belongs to others as well. Don’t risk it frivolously.
• Never lie to anyone for any reason. (Lies of omission are sometimes exempt.)
• Learn the needs of those around you and respect them.
• Avoid the pursuit of happiness. Seek to define your mission and pursue that.
• Reduce your use of the first personal pronoun.
• Praise at least as often as you disparage.
• Admit your errors freely and soon.
• Become less suspicious of joy.
• Understand humility.
• Remember that love forgives everything.
• Foster dignity.
• Live memorably.
• Love yourself.
• Endure.