This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.
Madame de Sévigné, Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné
Gloom and sadness are poison to us, the origin of hysterics, which is a disease of the imagination caused by vexation, and supported by fear.
Character | Disease | Fear | Gloom | Imagination | Sadness |
William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim, fully Field Marshal Sir William Joseph "Bill" Slim
When you cannot make up your mind which of two evenly balanced courses of action you should take - choose the bolder.
Better that we should err in action than wholly refuse to perform. The storm is so much better than the calm, as it declares the presence of a living principle. Stagnation is something worse than death. It is corruption also.
Action | Better | Character | Corruption | Death |
Josiah Stamp, fully Sir Josiah Stamp, 1st Baron Stamp of Shortlands
It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.
Leland Stanford, fully Amasa Leland Stanford
Count the day lost, whose low descending sun views from thy hand no worthy action done.
While an open mind is priceless, it is priceless only when its owner has the courage to make a final decision which closes the mind for action after the process of viewing all sides of the question has been completed. Failure to make a decision after due consideration of all the facts will quickly brand a man unfit for a position of responsibility. Not all of your decisions will be correct. None of us is perfect. But if you get into the habit of making decisions, experience will develop your judgment to a point where more and more of your decisions will be right. After all, it is better to be right 51 percent of the time and get something done, than it is to get nothing done because you fear to reach a decision.
Action | Better | Consideration | Courage | Decision | Experience | Failure | Fear | Habit | Judgment | Man | Mind | Nothing | Position | Question | Responsibility | Right | Time | Will | Wisdom | Failure |
Shmuel Tzvi of Alexander, fully Admor Shmuel Tzvi Dantziger from Alexander, aka Samuel Alexander
If a person is indecisive about which of two courses of action to take, the question to ask himself is: “Which choice will bring more honor to the Almighty?” The reply to this question is the path to choose.