"Be strict with yourself and forgiving of others. The reverse is hell for everyone."
"Contemplating the weaknesses of others is easy; contemplating the weaknesses in yourself is hard, but it pays a much higher reward."
"When brainstorming, improvising, jamming with others, you'll go much further and deeper if you build upon each contribution with a playful 'yes — and' example instead of a deflating 'no — but' reply."
"If you can avoid seeking approval of others, your power is limitless."
"The foundation of maturity: Just because it's not your fault doesn't mean it's not your responsibility."
"Always say less than necessary."
"The more you are interested in others, the more interesting they find you. To be interesting, be interested."
"You don't marry a person, you marry a family."
"Treating a person to a meal never fails, and is so easy to do. It's powerful with old friends and a great way to make new friends."
"It's not an apology if it comes with an excuse. It is not a compliment if it comes with a request."
"You can obsess about serving your customers/audience/clients, or you can obsess about beating the competition. Both work, but of the two, obsessing about your customers will take you further."
"Your best response to an insult is 'You're probably right.' Often they are."
"Don't loan money to a friend unless you are ready to make it a gift."
"To make mistakes is human. To own your mistakes is divine. Nothing elevates a person higher than quickly admitting and taking personal responsibility for the mistakes you make and then fixing them fairly. If you mess up, fess up. It's astounding how powerful this ownership is."
"Compliment people behind their back. It'll come back to you."
"You can reduce the annoyance of someone's stupid belief by increasing your understanding of why they believe it."
"Friends are better than money. Almost anything money can do, friends can do better. In so many ways a friend with a boat is better than owning a boat."
"The Golden Rule will never fail you. It is the foundation of all other virtues."
"If you meet a jerk, overlook them. If you meet jerks everywhere everyday, look deeper into yourself."
"To combat an adversary, become their friend."
"Don't aim to have others like you; aim to have them respect you."
"If you borrow something, try to return it in better shape than you received it. Clean it, sharpen it, fill it up."
"Every person you meet knows an amazing lot about something you know virtually nothing about. Your job is to discover what it is, and it won't be obvious."
"Each time you reach out to people, bring them a blessing; then they'll be happy to see you when you bring them a problem."
"Before you are old, attend as many funerals as you can bear, and listen. Nobody talks about the departed's achievements. The only thing people will remember is what kind of person you were while you were achieving."
"How to apologize: Quickly, specifically, sincerely."
"Always give credit, take blame."
"Train employees well enough they could get another job, but treat them well enough so they never want to."
"Don't say anything about someone in email you would not be comfortable saying to them directly, because eventually they will read it."
"When a child asks an endless string of 'why?' questions, the smartest reply is, 'I don't know, what do you think?'"
"When you die you take absolutely nothing with you except your reputation."
"Everyone is shy. Other people are waiting for you to introduce yourself to them, they are waiting for you to send them an email, they are waiting for you to ask them on a date. Go ahead."
"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. At your funeral people will not recall what you did; they will only remember how you made them feel."
"Reading to your children regularly will bond you together and kickstart their imaginations."
"Ignore what others may be thinking of you, because they aren't."
"When someone is nasty, rude, hateful, or mean with you, pretend they have a disease. That makes it easier to have empathy toward them which can soften the conflict."
"Hatred is a curse that does not affect the hated. It only poisons the hater. Release a grudge as if it was a poison."
"Sustained outrage makes you stupid."
"Don't treat people as bad as they are. Treat them as good as you are."
"Be nice to your children because they are going to choose your nursing home."