Di4S

The unshakable self-confidence of Rockefeller:

The way Tolkien described the decline of Gondor feels awfully familiar: "The old wisdom borne out of the west was forsaken. Kings made tombs more splendid than the houses of the living, and counted the old names of their descent dearer than the names of their sons. Childless lords sat in aged halls musing on heraldry, or in high, cold towers asking questions of the stars. And so the people of Gondor fell into ruin." How did he know?

“I wasn’t the fastest guy in the world. I wouldn’t have done well in an Olympiad or a math contest. But I like to ponder. And pondering things, just sort of thinking about it and thinking about it, turns out to be a pretty good approach.’ – Jim Simons

“Bushido is to enter death frenzy. Even dozens of men cannot kill a man in a frenzied state determined to die. One cannot accomplish great exploits in a normal frame mind. You must become insane and desperate to die.”

"I do not care very much what men say of me, provided that God approves of me." - St. Thomas More

Dr. Scott Hahn, who is a personal friend and mentor, was a protestant (reformed) theologian and pastor who became Catholic primarily through his study of Scripture, assisted by the Church Fathers. I’ve walked through his library myself. Lest anyone say no one who reads and studies their Bible becomes Catholic. That’s simply FALSE.

"By the way, what have you done that's so great? Do you create anything, or just criticize others work and belittle their motivations?" - Steve Jobs on a Critic

Larry Ellison on leadership and confidence and bravado: “You cannot lead if you’re filled with uncertainty. Imagine two officers each leading a company of Marines up a hill. The first one says, ‘Men, we’re going up this hill and we’re going to kill every fucking enemy soldier on our way to the top. I’m going first, and you’re all going to make it to the top with me. I haven’t lost one of you yet. Follow me, men.’ Cool, competent, and confident. I’m ready to follow that guy. The second guy says, ‘Men, we’re going to try to take this hill. I have to admit that I don’t know how many enemy soldiers are on this hill. And I’ve never really done anything like this before. But I’m willing to go first if you’re willing to follow me. We might make it; we might not. There’s no way to know for certain. Even if we make it to the top, it’s highly likely that some of us will be killed. Follow me, men.’ Well, the second guy is impressively honest about his fears and uncertainties. Maybe he should become a psychotherapist. But there’s no way anyone is following that guy anywhere.”

According to St. Alphonsus Liguori, these are the spiritual exercises by which one should begin each day: 1. “When you awake in the morning, your first thought should be to raise your mind to God and offer Him all the actions of that day, asking Him to help you by His grace.” 2. “Then make the other morning Christian acts of thanksgiving, love, petition, and the firm resolve of living during that day as if it were the last day of your life.” 3. “Make an agreement with the Divine Saviour: when you make signs, such as putting your hand on your heart, lifting your eyes heavenward or to the crucifix, it is your intention to make an act of love, an act of desire to see Him loved by all, an act of self-offering,” 4. “After you have made the preceding acts, place your soul in the side of Jesus and under the mantle of Mary, and pray the Eternal Father, for the love of Jesus and Mary, to preserve you during the day.” 5. “Then, before any other action, make at once at least half an hour of mental prayer or meditation; and the principal topic of your meditation should be the sufferings and contempt that our Blessed Lord endured in His Passion.” 6. “There are three devotions which you must treasure above all the others if you want to grow in holiness: devotion to the Passion, to the Most Blessed Sacrament, and to the Blessed Virgin.”

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.” — Robert Frost

"If a man doesn't start to work on himself, then the devil will find another job for him: To seek for flaws in others." - St. Paisios

“The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice.” — Hemingway

"Live in such a way that you are not afraid to die." -- 𝑺𝒕. 𝑻𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒂 𝒐𝒇 𝑨𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒂.

Let nothing disturb you, nothing frighten you. All things pass. God does not change. Patience achieves everything… St. Teresa of Avila.

"Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause." - St. John Cantius

“Ordinary life is even more horrible than war.” — Yukio Mishima

Peter Thiel: “You get many chances so long as you keep trying. If you get hung up on failure, and if you think you don’t have another chance, that’s when you really don’t.”

“But we cannot simply sit and stare at our wounds forever.” -Haruki Murakami

“He who is only an athlete is too crude, too vulgar, too much a savage. He who is a scholar only is too soft, to effeminate. The ideal citizen is the scholar athlete, the man of thought and the man of action.” -Plato

As America descends into its own “Years of Lead,” this wisdom of Stonewall Jackson is more urgent than ever.