"Almost every wise saying has an opposite one, no less wise, to balance it," said George Santayana. He was right.
"There's no such thing as a free lunch" contradicts "The best things in life are free."
"You're never too old to learn," argue some, but others disagree. "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
"Birds of a feather flock together," and yet, "Opposites attract."
"Fortune favors the bold," unless you believe that "Discretion is the better part of valor."
Is your head spinning yet?
You can find an inspirational quote to justify pretty much anything you want to do. Trying to save money? Cite "A penny saved is a penny earned." Frustrated because your boss won't let you launch a new initiative? "You have to spend money to make money."
Despite this, people love motivational quotes. For example, 21 million people have read Kevin Kruse's Forbes article, "Top 100 Inspirational Quotes," which for some inexplicable reason includes 102 quotes.
Forbes.com has probably distributed more quotations than any other web site. Every time you stop by here, you first see a quotation.
Quotes reinforce what you already believe to be true. The best ones are short and simple. They don't explain anything in detail, they simply provide a principle you can remember.
But here's the rub. If you believe in "keeping your nose to the grindstone," a quote is not going to convince you to ease up and finally enjoy life. I know this for a fact, because I like to tell such people, "Keep your nose to the grindstone and all you'll end up with is a very short nose."
It doesn't work. Only relaxed people like the second quote.
So the next time you need to rally a team, or just get your kids to show a little motivation, skip the quotes. You'll only convince hard-charging people to be hard-charging; a pithy quote won't convince a lazy team member to suddenly show stunning initiative.
To believe a quote, you already gotta believe.
Still not convinced? Here's one more quote, from Oscar Wilde...
"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
Be yourself. Be original.
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