How to be sure we find happiness in our careers — is from Frederick Herzberg, who asserts that the powerful motivator in our lives isn’t money; it’s the opportunity to learn, grow in responsibilities, contribute to others, and be recognized for achievements. – I forgot where I got this.
I was supposed to list down all the quotes I liked from the book individually, but then I realized that it would take a lot of blog entries, so I just decided to put them all together.
There’s no limit to what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.
It’s not enough to want to make the world a better place and it isn’t enough to do something that looks like it makes the world a better place. The goal is to actually make the world a better place. And that is often a lot harder than it looks.
Never confuse a person’s identity or value as a human being with her job title. They have nothing to do with each other.
Economics is not about prices and money. Economics is about how to get the most out of life. That’s why I tell my students not to take the job that pays the most money. You should take the job that is most rewarding, where the rewards are monetary and nonmonetary. And to get the most out of life, you have to pay attention to costs and benefits.
The poorer countries are more likely to have concentrated economic interests that fight any changes that might bring competition.
Ruth’s favorite metaphor for investment was the planting of a seed. A planted seed has value long before it becomes a tree. The potential benefits are enough to give it value. Teaching is the planting of seeds. Knowledge, or even better, wisdom, is an investment like a tree that goes on and on producing fruit. But unlike a fruit tree, you have no idea when the fruit will come or what kind it will be.
…How when you’re twenty-two you think, no, you know you’re the center of the universe. Until you get a little older and you find out it’s not quite true. Is there any lesson more important to fully understand, if you want to be a grown-up?
The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design. – F.A. Hayek, The Fatal Conceit (Quote from The Price of Everything by Russell Roberts)
The basic mystery about ant colonies is that there is no management. A functioning organization with no one in charge is so unlike the way humans operate as to be virtually inconceivable. There is no central control. No insect issues commands to another or instructs it to do things in a certain way. No individual is aware of what must be done to complete any colony task. Each ant scratches and prods its way through the tiny world of its immediate surroundings. Ants meet each other, separate, go about their business. Somehow, these small events create a pattern that drives the coordinated behavior of colonies. – Deborah Gordon, Ants at Work (Quote taken from The Price of Everything by Russell Roberts)
“The measure of achievement is not winning awards. It’s doing something that you appreciate, something you believe is worthwhile. I think of my strawberry souffle. I did that a t least twenty-eight times before I finally conquered it.” — Julia Child
Once you are born Chinese, you cannot help but feel and think Chinese. – The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
But it’s hard to tell someone’s marriage intentions when you can’t say things aloud. All those little signs – the teasing, the bossy, scolding words – that’s how you know if it is serious. – The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
It’s my fault she is this way. I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances and Chinese character. How could I know these two things do not mix?
I taught her how American circumstances work. If you are born poor here, it’s no lasting shame. You are first in line for a scholarship. If the roof crashes on your head, no need to cry over this bad luck. You can sue anybody, make the landlord fix it. You do not have to sit like a Buddha under a tree letting pigeons drop their dirty business on your head. You can buy an umbrella. Or go inside a Catholic church. In America, nobody says you have to keep the circumstances somebody else gives you.
She learned these things, but I couldn’t teach her about Chinese character. How to obey parents and listen to your mother’s mind. How not to show your own thoughts, to put your feelings behind your face so you can take advantage of hidden opportunities. Why easy things are not worth pursuing. How to know your own worth and polish it, never flashing it around like a cheap ring. Why Chinese thinking is best.
- Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club
