Success does not primarily consist of figuring out what others want. Success doesn’t come from a compulsion to please others. Success comes from a higher than usual desire to please oneself — one’s own highest standards. In the process of … Continue reading
All I ask from others is their own self-interest. I want them to be rational and self-interested when they drive on the highway, so they don’t hurt me or another. I want them to pay their bills and be productive, … Continue reading
When somebody — a celebrity, or someone you know — says, “I’m sorry for what I did. It was totally wrong. But I was emotionally upset at the time,” they’re in essence telling you: “I cannot control my emotions, and … Continue reading
Arrogance does not refer to self-esteem. Arrogance is a mental and emotional attitude best expressed by the statement, “I’m incapable of error or wrongdoing. If I do, think or say something, it’s automatically right.” Isn’t this an indication of “too … Continue reading
An older person recently told me: “America turned out so rotten. It wasn’t always this way, you know.” I don’t doubt this is true. However, we have to understand how America became so rotten. The spectacle of a “President Obama” … Continue reading
People ask: If rational self-interest is right and healthy, is it always wrong to help someone? Of course not. If you’re to help someone, (1) they should be of value to you, (2) you should be able to afford the … Continue reading
Adolf Hitler: “In the Jewish people the will to self-sacrifice does not go beyond the individual’s naked instinct of self-preservation…His [the Jew’s] sense of sacrifice is only apparent…Here again the Jew is led by nothing but the naked egoism of … Continue reading
We’re all taught that the entrepreneurs and inventors who lift everyone under capitalism and freedom are “robber barons.” The implication is: They stole something. What did they steal? No answer is given. Instead, we’re told to rely upon the least … Continue reading
It’s not about being first so much as being right. It’s not about being right so much as being in touch with reality. “Correct” and “true” are not social or interpersonal standards; they are objective ones. The “truth” is true … Continue reading
The gullible are often the most dishonest. If they’re foolish enough to believe the big lies of others, then they’re foolish enough to expect others to believe their own deception.
If you’re duplicitous, disingenuous or otherwise manipulative towards another person, then consider the mistake you’re making. By being manipulative, you’re counting on a weakness or foolishness in the person whose behavior you seek to alter by a means other than … Continue reading
When you do things for people that they’re capable of doing themselves, you do great harm to them. It’s the same as telling them: “You’re incapable” — even though they are. By doing the thing for them, you’re taking over … Continue reading