Just before he passed behind the hedge at the end of the drive, he turned to look back at Stoke Morrow and caught me spying on him. His shining eyes were so cruel, and before I could close the curtain, I saw the flash of an awful grin on his face. It was a grin that said he knew I'd come around. Sooner or later, I'd fall in line.
My parents were really, really cool about supporting what I wanted to do at a really young age. I think I was about 10 when I caught the bug. They would drive me down to New York if there were auditions. When I was 12, I did this show on Broadway called 'High Society,' so we moved to New York for the run of that.
I knew that I no longer wanted to take junk. If I could have made one decision, it would have been no more junk, ever, but when it came to the process of quitting I did not have the drive. It gave me a terrible feeling of helplessness to watch myself break every schedule I set up, as though I did not have control over my actions.
“The perpetual growth model is simply not built for an era of rapid planetary change. In a world where the richest 85 people in the world own as much wealth as the bottom 3.5 billion, and the wealthiest 10% produce 49% of all emissions, it’s not individual choices that are driving climate change. When we realize that rich people have stolen our planet’s habitability for themselves, we will demand revolutionary change.”
“From its first day to this, sheer greed was the driving spirit of civilization; wealth and again wealth and once more wealth, wealth, not of society but of the single scurvy individual – here was its one and final aim. If at the same time the progressive development of science and a repeated flowering of supreme art dropped into its lap, it was only because without them modern wealth could not have completely realized its achievements.”
The ruthless, in the end, are the ones that will succeed.Those not held down by moral, by law, by emotion will triumph.Ruthlessness is the father of victory.Ruthlessness brings victory, but it also brings pain. The loss on one’s own hands and at the hands of others will burden one forever. But pain, too, is an advantage. Pain is a driving force. Pain can incinerate worlds.Pain creates drive, but it will take its toll.The victory that it brings lasts for a while, but the loss lasts forever.Loss without victory brings bitterness.Bitterness has advantages as well.Bitterness always remembers.Bitterness is the father of vengeance.But while it can lead to vengeance, it can also lead to self-destruction.Ruthlessness, pain, and bitterness are dangerous.If you are not careful, they will betray you. If you are not careful, they can very well destroy you.But to the shrewd, even this can be made an opportunity.Even ruin has its benefits.When ruination is at hand, there is nowhere to go but higher.Ruination is a chance for rebirth.Rebirth is a chance to correct old mistakes.Rebirth is a chance to destroy your enemy forever.
Mindful living is an art. You do not have to be a monk or living in a monastery to practice mindfulness. You can practice it anytime, while driving your car or doing housework. Driving in mindfulness will make the time in your car joyful, and it will also help you avoid accidents. You can use the red traffic light as a signal of mindfulness, reminding you to stop and enjoy your breathing. Similarly, when you do the dishes after dinner you can practice mindful breathing, so the time dish washing is pleasant and meaningful. You do not feel you have to rush. If you hurry, you waste the time of dish washing. The time you spend washing dishes and doing all your other everyday tasks is precious. It is a time for being alive. When you practice mindful living, peace will bloom during your daily activities.
“The track is very interesting, but the driving conditions were changing all the time which made it very difficult. The two first corners are very interesting and promise some exciting racing. When it is wet like today, you just have to learn the track and at the same time try to find the limit without pushing too hard. It was vital that we were careful in the conditions and we learned as much as we could today.”
“I wasn't so worried about the car because Greg (Anderson, teammate) had been making runs in both our cars while I was off. You do wonder how sharp your driving is going to be. I was a little worried about that but I felt a lot better after making those runs earlier this week. I've had a great start to the year so this just continues it.”
“I got an e-mail from a guy in Hong Kong, ... I get 'em from Afghanistan. I have farmers who come up to me - people who live on the East Coast, the West Coast; they come up to me - and they say, 'I'm so pleased I don't have to drive my tractor anymore up onto hill No. 7 to listen to the game. I can get it on the Internet.' ”