Insights About Parenting, Education, Character, and Ethics
IS IT ENOUGH YET? Can we overcome our basest instincts and listen to our better angels? How sad that a good week for me, highlighted by an unlikely unanimous endorsement of CHARACTER COUNTS! by the Senate supported by a Presidential proclamation followed by an exhilarating 18 inning World Series game win makes my small joy and pride seem shallow an …
WE ARE IN A DANGEROUS PLACE. Rhetoric that stokes anger, whether intentional or careless, unleashes the latent demons of unstable haters. Those who demean calls for civility and respectful discourse as political correctness are not part of a solution, they are a cause of the problem. We must hold our politicians and those of us who empower them accountable to …
US Senate and President Declare: Character Counts Week!. At a time dominated by news of mail bombs and verbal grenades from zealous partisans, who would have thought it was possible that the entire United State Senate and the President could agree that, of all things, that character still counts? Well, it happened through a unanimously endorsed Resolution and Presidential Proclamation declaring the third …
Make your CHARACTER your MASTERPIECE! All men and women are entrusted with the task of crafting their own life; in a certain sense, they are to make of it a work of art, a master piece. – Saint Pope John Paul II Read more of Michael Josephson‘s favorite quotes on character here: https://whatwillmatter.com/character-greatest-quotes-character-reputation-character-education-compiled-michael-josephson/
Spend less energy trying to convince others you are right and more of just doing what is right. – Michael Josephson Subscribe to a weekly newsletter featuring articles and quotes of Michael Josephson atwww.whatwillmatter.com
If you’re having a hard time… Just hang on! It will get better – a lot better. It really will!
You can’t win a race you don’t start. What are you waiting for? START! Subscribe to a weekly newsletter featuring articles and quotes of Michael Josephson atwww.whatwillmatter.com
TO CONFIRM OR NOT CONFIRM: A SERIOUS TUTORIAL ON EVIDENCE AND PROOF (You need patience for this law school level article but if you find this helpful please share.) Folks who keep saying there is no evidence supporting Prof Ford’s allegations simply don’t understand the legal standards of evidence and the related concept of the burdens of proof. I hope …
WHEN IT CONCERNS CHARACTER: YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE SICK TO GET BETTER. Everyone is ethical in their own eyes. Beware of self delusion when assessing your own character or the ethics of your organization. It’s a dangerous form of hubris to be certain that “I would never do that” or “It can’t happen here.” It’s easier to make a …
Great Responsibility With great power, there is great responsibility. – Uncle Ben to Peter Parker, Spider-Man
The Size of Your Courage “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” – Anais Nin Subscribe to a weekly newsletter featuring articles and quotes of Michael Josephson atwww.whatwillmatter.com
Enjoy The Journey Take pride in how far you’ve come. Have faith in how far you can go. But don’t forget to enjoy the journey. Subscribe to a weekly newsletter featuring articles and quotes of Michael Josephson atwww.whatwillmatter.com
IDEALISM IS AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP. Idealism and realism are not opposites. Effective leaders are idealists without illusions. Idealistic leaders are not naïve about human nature or real world obstacles to change. They simply refuse to be confined by what “is” as they pursue what could be. – Michael Josephson
Learning is not a spectator sport. Get in the game!
Be relentlessly generous in your judgements and actions. Give others the benefit of the doubt and stop being so hard on yourself. – Michael Josephson Subscribe to a weekly newsletter featuring articles and quotes of Michael Josephson atwww.whatwillmatter.com
JOHN MCCAIN. Whether you agreed with him or not, he was a man fully and truly worthy of admiration and respect. His physical courage as a POW is legendary but his legacy is his character. He was a true model of responsible and sincere patriotism, moral courage and selfless service. He should be the role model for all of us, …
The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible. Read more of Michael Josephson‘s thoughts on keeping a positive attitude here:https://whatwillmatter.com/2016/10/commentary-801-3-convering-pessimists-into-optimists/
There Is Nothing Cool About Being Cruel. Stand Together. Be Kind!
Yeah my friends are different. Do you have a problem with that? STAND TOGETHER! Be kind. Read more of Michael Josephson‘s thoughts on being a TRUE friend here: https://whatwillmatter.com/2013/07/poster-quote-true-friendship-a-z-by-michael-josephson/
The Fear Of Death I am convinced that it is not the fear of death, of our lives ending that haunts our sleep so much as the fear…that as far as the world is concerned, we might as well never have lived. – Harold Kushner Subscribe to a weekly newsletter featuring articles and quotes of Michael Josephson at www.whatwillmatter.com
Leaders Are Problem Solvers Most people use problems as reasons to stop. Leaders see problems as reasons to start. – Michael Josephson
Be worthy of your best friend’s secrets. Trust is the foundation of friendship.
You can BE what you want to be. GET what you want to have. GO where you want to go. If you DO what you need to do. Subscribe to a weekly newsletter featuring articles and quotes of Michael Josephson atwww.whatwillmatter.com
It’s with a heavy heart that we share the news that Governor Robert D. Ray has passed away earlier this week. Governor Robert D. Ray played a major role in bringing the CHARACTER COUNTS! program to Iowa which is now headquartered at The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University. The Character Counts‘ team sends our deepest regards to the Ray family …
FROM SKEPTIC TO DRUG PUSHER Despite my generation’s paranoia about cannabis being a gateway drug leading to reefer madness, I’ve transformed from a skeptic to a zealot. It’s a bit like being bit by a zombie and turning into one. My announcement the other day on my personal Facebook page that, at the urging of my wise and caring adult …
The Consequences of Dodging Our Responsibilities “It’s easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.” – Sir Josiah Stamp Subscribe to a weekly newsletter featuring articles and quotes of Michael Josephson atwww.whatwillmatter.com
Karma will find you If you are mean to someone today, you are not going to like what’s in store for YOU tomorrow. Create a culture of kindness and you won’t have to worry when you might be the next victim. Subscribe to a weekly newsletter featuring articles and quotes of Michael Josephson at www.whatwillmatter.com
Stand Up For Yourself WHATEVER YOU ALLOW, YOU ENCOURAGE. Stand up for yourself. Subscribe to a weekly newsletter featuring articles and quotes of Michael Josephson atwww.whatwillmatter.com
Be A Builder The world is full of critics proud of their ability to see flaws and condemn failure. The world needs doers who use the same ability to identify the opportunities in every deficiency. Doers build a better world by seeking solutions. Critics only see problems in every solution. Doers sees flaws and try to fix them; Cynics only …
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY! “He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.” – Clarence Budington Kelland Subscribe to a weekly newsletter featuring articles and quotes of Michael Josephson atwww.whatwillmatter.com
