The Splash of Wisdom

The conventional wisdom is that we choose friends because of who they are. But it turns out that we actually love them because of the way they support who we are. When people are asked, "What gives meaning to your life?" friendship figures at the top of the list. Yet the dynamics of friendship have remained mysterious and unquantifiable. Like romantic love, friendships were thought to "just happen." New research shows that the dance of friendship is nuanced—far more complex than commonly thought. With intriguing accuracy, sociologists and psychologists have delineated the forces that attract and bind friends to each other, beginning with the transition from acquaintanceship to friendship. They've traced the patterns of intimacy that emerge between friends and deduced the once ineffable "something" that elevates a friend to the vaunted status of "best." These interactions are minute but profound; they are the dark matter of friendship. Enterin...

Drawing is the honesty of the art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad. Have no fear of perfection-you’ll never reach it. Mistakes are almost always of a sacred nature. Never try to correct them. On the contrary: rationalize them, understand them thoroughly. The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was a poet; the first to repeat it was an idiot. The difference between false memories and true ones is the same as for jewels: it is always the false ones that look the most real, the most brilliant. At the age of six years I wanted to be a chef. At the age of seven I wanted to be Napoleon. My ambitions have continued to grow at the same rate ever since. Every morning when I awake, the greatest of joys is mine: that of being Salvador Dali. There are some days when I think I’m going to die from an overdose of satisfaction. I do not paint a portrait to look like the subject, rather does the person grow to look like his portrait. Many people ...

You better be born to do it!  Don’t waste your life fulfilling someone else’s dreams and desires. Commit yourself to making lots of mistakes.  Find hard work you love doing.  Invest time, energy and money in yourself every day.  Explore new ideas and opportunities often. When sharpening your career skills, focus more on less. People are not mind readers.  Tell them what you’re thinking. Make swift decisions and take immediate action. Accept and embrace change.  Don’t worry too much about what other people think about you.  Always be honest with yourself and others.  Talk to lots of people in college and early on in your career. Sit alone in silence for at least ten minutes every day. Ask lots of questions.  Exploit the resources you do have access to.  Live below your means. Be respectful of others and make them feel good. Excel at what you do.  Be who you were born to be.  Above all, laugh when you can, apologize when you shou...