Whateverfailures I have known, whatever errors I have committed, whatever follies Ihave witnessed in private and public life have been the consequence of actionwithout thought.
Conflictis the gadfly of thought. It stirs us to observation and memory. Itinstigates to invention. It shocks us out of sheeplikepassivity, and sets us at noting and contriving.
Undernormal conditions, most people tend to see what they want to see, hear what theywant to hear, and do what they want to do; in conflicts, their positionsbecome even more rigid and fixed.
Talk back to your internal critic. Train yourself to recognize and write downcritical thoughts as they go through your mind. Learn why these thoughts areuntrue and practice talking and writing back to them.
You can have power over people as long as you don't takeeverything away from them. But when you've robbed a man of everything, he'sno longer in your power.
