Recently had a CEO blame other people for why he couldn't move things along in a transaction. Literally holding up a deal because he is not a good leader and trying to scapegoat everything.
Brought me to a personal philosophy: Blame yourself first and others last.
What are some one-line philosophies you live by?
| +87 | Are you “less ambitious” for having long term goals outside of NYC | 22 | 1d | |
| +67 | Affair with my Associate… In Desperate Need for Advice | 23 | 4d | |
| +54 | How to sound more eloquent? | 25 | 9h | |
| +40 | WSO Ranking On Resume??? | 10 | 1d | |
| +34 | Interviews Are So Fake | 20 | 12h | |
| +32 | 2024 UK Election - Tories finished? | 18 | 17h | |
| +29 | Why do people listen to Jim Cramer Investing Advice? | 13 | 18h | |
| +26 | Is my boss gaslighting me? | 3 | 4d | |
| +24 | Chaotic Insane investment banker who passed away in the 90s or 2000s | 12 | 5d | |
| +22 | Ideas for things to do with a free semester before starting ft? | 9 | 1h |
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“Nothing is easier than stamping your foot and shouting: ‘That’s mine!’ It is immeasurably harder to proclaim: ‘You may live as you please.’ ”
Me when I get mugged. "He probably needed it more than I did anyway."
Exactly. I remember when my girlfriend cheated on me and I was upset about it, but then I realized that she and her new guy were a lot happier. 2 people happy and 1 person upset sounds like a win.
you're a cuck
.
i came here to comment this but thanks for showing it’s applicability: it’s not your girl, it’s just your turn.
Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.
But when talent works hard, you look like a retard
Very very few people have true talent. And the majority of them aren’t in the corporate world. So hard work is always a safe bet
But what about when talent works hard? Doesn't it imply that no matter what, if you're not talented, you're always going to get beat by someone with talent + work ethic?
Uh yes? is that not already obvious?
Make improvements. Not excuses.
A big one for me is "we suffer more in imagination than reality" by Seneca. Another similar one by him is "the mind that is anxious about future events is miserable"
I paraphrase it a bit but "everyone's got a plan until they get punched in the face"
I have a few.
"Shit happens"
"Customer is always right even when they are wrong"
"Treat others the way you would like to be treated" The golden rule is probably the most important rule to live by in my opinion.
After covid I'll be making a small change in my life. I will start hugging people that matter in my life and show more affection. Currently I show zero affection to anyone, I don't kiss and I don't hug. This includes family.
Makes me think of this:
"
""Fuck bitches, get money."
Just kidding.
In all seriousness, it's "Where there is a will, there is a way".
I like the first one better.
I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.
As long as the outcome is income
Never heard this before and am definitely stealing it
It's from over my dead body by Drake
Drake said it
Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life
Don't dwell on the things outside of your control.
It is what it is
The slogan of simpletons
And defeatists
Disagree - I think this more gets at the idea that you should approach the world clear-eyed and without delusion about how things really are.
And so it goes
Billy Joel?
I found it from Vonnegut in Slaughterhouse V, but I'm sure he's not the only one
Focus on stuff you can control
“Work until you no longer have to introduce yourself.” -Harvey Specter
“I like to smile at people who don’t like me.” -Also Harvey Specter
“Goals so big you get uncomfortable telling small-minded people.” - Guess who said this
"Let them hate. Just make sure they spell your name right.” - ;)
“Kill them with success. Bury them with a smile.” -You already know
PUT THAT COOKIE DOWN
"Suits is laughable." -Everyone
Fill what's empty, empty what's full, and scratch where it itches
I really like this one
happiness = reality - expectations
Word
MS why
You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
Live for today
good content in here, love this stuff. Few others (and some cliches) I haven't seen yet:
The grass is always greener where you water it
Don't sweat the small stuff
Talk less, say more
Rome wasn't built in a day
If this shit were easy everybody would be doing it
Winners never quit and quitters never win
Life begins outside your comfort zone
And my personal favorite one-line philosophy (that I don't necessarily live my life by but is fun to say): What the fuck's the point in making all this goddamn money if you can't fucking spend it?
this ^^^
The grass is always greener where you piss on*
Been happening a lot with me since September. Talk shit about some stock and somehow it goes up.
"Don't take life too seriously. You'll never get out alive."
As ice cube said to counter the Margaret Sangerian eugenic propaganda of the time: “don’t trust a rubber because it’s bound to bust”
Worst advice ever
If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it.
« To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did »
"Good" - Jocko Willink
Optimization > Optimism
Okay nerd
Lol it must feel good to not be the nerd in the room for once.
Every man has two lives. The second one begins when he realises he has only one.
There are only two days in your life, the day you are born and the day you find out why.
- Mark Twain
Only those who try can succeed.
If you want to meet quality people, you have to go through all the dicks first.
When I'm pissed off: "Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.” ― H.L. Mencken.
The other 95% of the time: "Be humble, be grateful, be caring, be happy, be you."
"Moderation in all things is key for a healthy and happy life."
In reality, I have found when I want to achieve something big, I have to make that the main focus of my life. But generally speaking, the above has held true for me.
Weird mine is "All things in moderation, especially moderation."
Haha I like that one, much more succinct than the way I put it!
That's close to one of my favorite toasts:
"To moderation in all things...except inebriation."
It might take a year it might take a day but what's meant to be will always find a way.
Results take time, hard work is important, but sometimes things don't work out for you and that's just because they weren't meant to be I guess
Username checks out.
Go to bed smarter than when you woke up
"Remember when you wished for everything you have now."
+1 thanks for sharing. Excellent way to put things in perspective.
thank you
Who dares wins
Love this one. Pretty sure it's the motto for the British SAS too.
Compare yourself to who you were yesterday not to someone else
Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps
done better than perfect
Don't kill the golden goose.
What you permit, you promote.
I think we need a thread on one line philosophies that are bad/untrue.
Daddy Chill
most underrated comment here
Underpromise, overperform
When given two equally compelling options / choices, pick the one that’ll make for a better story; live in such a way to minimize regret.
If it doesn’t fit the first time, put on more lube.
Life is a bitch, but you bet I make that bitch wet
A man must suffer if he is to remake himself, for he is both the marble and the sculptor.
We judge others by their actions,but we judge ourselves by our intentions
“But he did not understand the price. Mortals never do. They only see the prize, their heart's desire, their dream... But the price of getting what you want, is getting what you once wanted.”
― Neil Gaiman, Dream Country
“You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness.”
― Jonathan Safran Foer
“Any fool can be happy. It takes a man with real heart to make beauty out of the stuff that makes us weep.”
― Clive Barker, Days of Magic, Nights of War
"A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”
"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
"Victory goes not for the most able, but the ambitious."
Qui audet adipiscitur
If you’re the smartest guy in the room, you’re in the wrong room
Don’t be afraid to hire people smarter than you because A-players always pay dividends to you and everyone else.
M&A OR BUST
"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right."
- Henry Ford
It's cliché, but Work Hard, Play Hard
"Don't talk to people about your problems.
Did you know that 90% of people don't care?
And the other 10% are glad that you've got them."
- Lou Holtz (former NCAA football coach and former ESPN analyst)
Your life is just today, repeated. (heard it in some motivational youtube video once, kinda shocked me)
Woah
all's well that ends well
“we will chase perfection and we will chase it relentlessly knowing all the while we can never attain it but along the way we shall catch excellence” Vince Lombardi Jr.
"Life is unfair, deal with it".
Because it is. I've met many people whining why some privileged people have everything handed to them on a silver plate, why this, why that. Listen up, you have 2 choices. Either cry about it and go nowhere, or work hard to overcome the hardship and you'll actually get somewhere.
"discontent is the seed of progress", meaning improvement inherently means being dissatisfied with the current situation and the fortitude to strive for better.
"You are what the scoreboard says you are" nobody cares about the hurdles you have to overcome or the intentions you had, people only care about your accomplishments
2nd one is very true. First one almost makes me think that is would be better to be more content now even if it means being less ambitious, since I think people often stay discontent forever
“It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life.”
"Great achievements involve great risk."
- Treat others as they want to be treated.
- Be the change you wish to seek in the world.
Waste not, want not.
White people are the root of all evil on every continent across the globe. If there are white people on other planets, they probably fucked those up too.
Username checks out
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are"
"The true test of a man's character is what he does when no one is watching"
- check yoself before you wreck yoself
"Always go in loaded for bear"
If you ever see me fighting in the forest with a grizzly bear. HELP THE BEAR!
You have power over your mind not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. - Marcus Aurelius
failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be - John Wooden
an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. - Ben Franklin
as pride increases, fortune declines. - Ben Franklin
wise men learn by others' harms, fools by their own. - Ben Franklin
Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. - Einstein
doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd - Voltaire
come what may, all bad fortune is to be conquered by endurance. - Virgil
kites rise highest against the wind, not with it. - Churchill
experience is what you get when you don't get what you want. - Randy Pausch
everything in excess is opposed to nature - Hippocrates
to do nothing is also a good remedy - Hippocrates
nobody can hurt me without my permission - Gandhi
fear has its use but cowardice has none - Gandhi
plenty of good one liners from other philosophers, in the middle of reading seneca right now and there's too much in there to just pick a couple. my aurelius quote pretty much encompasses my entire life's philosophy
Meditations is a goldmine. Can never reread it enough times
Failure is never fatal, success is never final. It's the courage to continue that counts. - Winston Churchill
The happiness of your life is determined by the quality of your thoughts - Marcus Aurelius
Whether you think you can or you think you cannot, you're right. - Henry Ford
It isn't where you came from; its where you're going that counts. - Ella Fitzgerald
Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; fot tis better to be alone than in bad company. - George Washington
You can complain because rose bushes have throns, or you can rejoice because rose bushes have thorns - Abraham Lincoln
Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. - Theodore Roosevelt
Georgie is right, birds of a feather flock together
Always down for the cause, never down for the count
Underpromise, overdeliver
The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.
Use things, love people.
We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.
This puts in words something I've been thinking about recently.
if there's music, i'm going to dance
Stress is not something that happens to us; stress is a response - and we can choose how we respond.
There are only two kinds of people who are really fascinating - people who know absolutely everything, and people who know absolutely nothing.
- Oscar Wilde
"Don't hookup where you VLOOKUP" ~ wise old man
The love of bustle is not industry.
-Seneca
“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
-Marcus Aurelius
Also almost every stoic quote.
“Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar”
what about the other times?
The human ego is the most powerful force in the universe.
I’m too drunk to taste this chicken
underrated
Nobody makes money on their ass except a prostitute - Bear Bryant
“Some poor, phoneless fool is probably sitting by a waterfall somewhere, completely unaware of how angry or scared he’s supposed to be.”
k
Odog’s axioms:
“Girls are poison”
”Two reasons why people get divorced, trouble with Money and trouble in the bedroom”
- my dad to me in high school (I dated anyways), but he had multiple marriages so had life experience; Money worries and erectile dysfunction Pre-viagra times (lucky you live today)
“Have power and people will seek your power,
Have wealth and people will seek your wealth,
Have fun and enjoy life with others and people will seek your company”
- I made this up in college, blessed with lots of friends and experiences; a bit long for an one liner but puts into perspective what it means to be rich
“Have compassion as well as ambition and you’ll go far in life”
- this was from my fortune cookie when I had lunch at Univ of Washington (Firecracker); a lot of what I do is based on helping others while making money; most fortune cookie fortunes are generic but this one spoke to me
”When times are tough, work for the Money, that’s how you get paid”
- my hustle mantra during a recession such as the one we are in
”you are chasing Rainbows, Unicorns and... Leprechauns”
- my wife during one of my lowest points in my marriage when I was starting a business (valley of death, before cash flow); Money worries
“Odog why rush, why don’t you take full advantage of the program, you have the rest of your career to benefit”
- the dean of the accounting department in talking me into doing a masters vs an accelerated certificate program - best decision because I ended up taking full advantage of everything that the business school had to offer; took me a little while longer but grand scheme, worth it
”want to go to Barnes and Nobles to study?”
- the line I said to ask my now wife to go out with me for the first time, almost 20 years ago; I hedged my downside risk with the study angle
”do you drink, fish and hunt? Me: absolutely, I can do all that. I drink.”
- what I said in my interview to a question from a rainmaker VP to get my big break in finance in an acquisitions role; I think the gist was do I have some moxie or can I develop it (even though I ended up pretty tame)
”Odog, let me tell you something about Private Equity and who gets paid the most in a deal: first the Management, then the Investment Bankers, then the Lawyers, and finally the Accountants”
- older guy who sold a global company who drove a Ducati to class and was my study partner in an accounting class that he was taking just for life long learning; we were at the library (accounting is a great background btw)
“I’m just keeping my options open”
- stupid me when my girlfriend, now wife, saw me and friends dancing with other girls in another part of the club in Caesar’s Palace (she was pissed but I think deep down she liked it); anyways don’t do that
“Older co-worker: what you got there Odog? Me: it’s a textbook about Construction... Should I get a MBA? Older co-worker: Absolutely”
- the moment I realized all the self learning I was doing would probably not have the same effect as a top MBA on my bio
”Do you have any summer jobs?”
- an out of the blue question when my study partner in college, older guy, said after I asked him what he was doing in our class, and said that he was a partner of a law firm with 13 attorneys under him
"Have faith in yourself that you can do it"
Explanation: the greatest foe is yourself.
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forward.”
I was lucky enough to get a 30 min chat with a global head as a summer analyst and one of the best pieces of advice he gave me was "Be self aware. Know what you know (i.e strengths) and what you don't know(i.e weaknesses) and understand how to turn the latter into the former in a self-starting way" Something along those lines. But that always stuck with me since he said it.
Something I heard recently and helps me push through rough work experiences: "Always remember how badly you once wanted what you already have right now"
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