quotes

"When in Rome, be a Roman candle"

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“Never be afraid to change the circumstances in which you find yourself.” – Maitri Erwin, in her eulogy for her friend Michael S. Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg and ostensibly the father of eBooks. The title quote appears to be from Mr. Hart himself. It meshes well with what Guy Kawasaki wrote over the weekend, in “What I Learned From Steve Jobs.” Particularly the part about “changing your mind is a sign of intelligence.” I like that, perhaps because I’ve never been apologetic for changing my mind. Or for occasionally being the Roman candle. 🙂

Just Ask

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“Ask. What’s the worst that’ll happen? They’ll say no.” – Lynn Plankers

The Manhattan Way

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“We prefer plain dealings and straightforward transactions in America. If you go to Egypt and, say, take a taxi somewhere, you become a part of the taxi driver’s life; he refuses to take your money because it would demean your friendship, he follows you around town, and weeps hot tears when you get in some other guy’s taxi. You end up meeting his kids at some point and have to devote all sorts of ingenuity to finding some way to compensate him without insulting his honor. It is exhausing. Sometimes you just want a simple Manhattan-style taxi ride. But in order to have an American-style setup, where you can just go out and hail a taxi and be on your …

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