Government Power Comes From the Governed

No government can stay in power without the consent of the people. History has proven over and over again that a government that does not have the support of it's people will eventually fail. Even monarchies and dictatorships fail when they do not have the support of the people they govern.

If You Don't Think You Can, Then You Can't

The belief that you can do something is a very powerful thing. Almost anything can be accomplished if you believe you can and you work hard. However doubt is even more potent; if you don't think that you can, then it is almost absolutely assured that you can't.

Failure is Always an Option

When we plan as best we can and try as hard as we can, there is still always the possibility of failure. When you don't plan, don't think, don't try, and are generally unsure, failure is the only real possibility.

"Failure is always an option" - Adam Savage

Truth is Objective... In a Way

While I find it accurate that the truth could never be told so as to be understood and not be believed,  this entails several problems. The speaker must be able to express the idea of the truth so that it is possible to be understood, and the listener must be able to understand it. Thus even if one can divine a truth, it may never be possible to communicate it to another person. And unfortunately the reciprocals and negations are not true, that which can be believed is not always truth and just because you don't believe something does not make it false. Too many people believe things just because they sound like truth or believe things to be false because they don't understand, and far too many people are good at making lies sound like truth and confounding truths to sound like lies.

“Truth can never be told so as to be understood and not be believed.” - William Blake.

"Everything possible to be believed is an image of the truth." - Orson Scott Card, Seventh Son

You are Laughable

To truly have a sense of humor you have to be able to laugh at yourself. If you can't laugh at yourself then others are laughing at you, if you can laugh at yourself then you can laugh with them. Taking yourself too seriously is a good way to suck all the happiness out of life and grow old.

"You grow up the day you have your first real laugh, at yourself." - Ethel Barrymore
"If you can't laugh at yourself, life's gonna seem a whole lot longer than you like."

"You laugh. I'm not saying I don't cry, but in between I laugh and I realize how silly it is to take anything too seriously." - Zach Braff, Garden State

There are no Magic Beans, Pills, Diets, or Schemes

Nothing will magically improve your gas mileage, make you thinner, improve your sex life, give you perfect health, or make you instantly rich. And if it does, then there is probably a side effect like an angry giant chasing you who wants to grind your bones to make his bread.

Dreams Can Predict the Future

Dreaming something is in no way precognitive... On the other hand, if you are thoughtful, careful, and diligent it is possible to turn your dreams into your future. Dreaming can become reality if we but try.