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    “How much harder is it to do the right thing when you’re surrounded by people with low standards? How much harder is it to be positive and empathetic inside the negativity bubble of television chatter? How much harder is it to focus on your own issues when you’re distracted with other people’s drama and conflict? We’ll inevitably be exposed to these influences at some point, no matter how much we try to avoid them. But when we are, there is nothing that says we have to allow those influences to penetrate our minds. We have the ability to put our guard up and decide what we actually allow in.”

    Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 104)

      “If a person gave away your body to some passerby, you’d be furious. Yet you hand over your mind to anyone who comes along, so they may abuse you, leaving it disturbed and troubled—have you no shame in that?”

      Epictetus, via The Daily Stoic (Page 78)

        “You can’t think your way into acting better but you can act your way into thinking better.”

        Russell Brand, Recovery (Page 160)

          “Keep constant guard over your perceptions, for it is no small thing you are protecting, but your respect, trustworthiness and steadiness, peace of mind, freedom from pain and fear, in a word your freedom. For what would you sell these things?”

          Epictetus, The Daily Stoic (Page 52)

          Marcus Aurelius Quote on Remembering Our Natural Born Power To Choose Between Good and Evil

            “Erase the false impressions from your mind by constantly saying to yourself, I have it in my soul to keep out any evil, desire or any kind of disturbance—instead, seeing the true nature of things, I will give them only their due. Always remember this power that nature gave you.”

            Marcus Aurelius, The Daily Stoic (Page 34)

            Beyond the Quote (Day 391)

            Your current ability to utilize the power nature gave you to keep out evil, desire, and disturbance is largely dependent on your track record. Your track record contains within it all of the successes and failures you’ve accumulated throughout your lifetime. And confidence—the confidence you have in your ability to act—is a result of nothing more than your remembered successes (or lack thereof).

            Read More »Marcus Aurelius Quote on Remembering Our Natural Born Power To Choose Between Good and Evil

              “All truly wise thoughts have been thought already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again honestly, till they take root in our personal experience.”

              Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Sunbeams (Page 19)

                “Be like the bird, pausing in his flight

                On limb too slight,

                Feels it give way, yet sings,

                Knowing he has wings.”

                Victor Hugo, Sunbeams (Page 17)

                  “A wise person knows what’s inside their circle of control and what is outside of it. The good news is that it’s pretty easy to remember what is inside our control. According to the Stoics, the circle of control contains just one thing: YOUR MIND. That’s right, even your physical body isn’t completely within the circle. After all, you could be struck with a physical illness or impairment at any moment. You could be traveling in a foreign country and be thrown in jail. But this is all good news because it drastically reduces the amount of things that you need to think about. There is clarity in simplicity.”

                  Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 21)

                    “The proper work of the mind is the exercise of choice, refusal, yearning, repulsion, preparation, purpose, and assent. What then can pollute and clog the mind’s proper functioning? Nothing but its own corrupt decisions.”

                    Epictetus, via The Daily Stoic (Page 15)

                    David Goggins Quote on Callousing Your Mind and How I Ran A Marathon Without Running Training

                      David Goggins Quote on Callousing Your Mind and How I Ran A Marathon Without Running Training

                      “It takes twenty years to gain twenty years of experience, and the only way to move beyond your 40 percent is to callous your mind, day after day.  Which means you’ll have to chase pain like it’s your damn job!”

                      David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me

                      Beyond the Quote (235/365)

                      On Sunday, August 23rd, 2020, I ran my second marathon. I didn’t follow any specific running plans and did but only one training run (13.1 miles) leading up to it the week before. The most I had done besides that was a mile or two around my block at any given time in the whole year prior. Why do I tell you this? Because while I didn’t do any official running training for that run, I have been training my body for war for over two decades. And if you start doing the same, your body might be able to perform in ways that surpass your wildest expectations as well.

                      Read More »David Goggins Quote on Callousing Your Mind and How I Ran A Marathon Without Running Training

                        “Sister, there are people who went to sleep all over the world last night, poor and rich and white and black, but they will never wake again. Sister, those who expected to rise did not, their beds became their cooling boards, and their blankets became their winding sheets. And those dead folks would give anything, anything at all for just five minutes of this… So you watch yourself about complaining, Sister. What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Don’t complain.”

                        Maya Angelou, Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now

                          “Initially I thought the phrase ‘Mamba Mentality’ was just a catchy hashtag that I’d start on Twitter. Something witty and memorable. But it took off from there and came to symbolize much more. The mindset isn’t about seeking a result—it’s more about the process of getting to that result. It’s about the journey and the approach. It’s a way of life.”

                          Kobe Bryant, Mamba Mentality (Page 93)

                          The Mamba Mentality [Book]

                            The Mamba Mentality by Kobe Bryant

                            By: Kobe Bryant

                            From this Book:  24 Quotes

                            Book Overview:  In the wake of his retirement from professional basketball, Kobe “The Black Mamba” Bryant decided to share his vast knowledge and understanding of the game to take readers on an unprecedented journey to the core of the legendary “Mamba mentality.” Citing an obligation and an opportunity to teach young players, hardcore fans, and devoted students of the game how to play it “the right way,” The Mamba Mentality takes us inside the mind of one of the most intelligent, analytical, and creative basketball players ever. In his own words, Bryant reveals his famously detailed approach and the steps he took to prepare mentally and physically to not just succeed at the game, but to excel. Readers will learn how Bryant studied an opponent, how he channeled his passion for the game, how he played through injuries. They’ll also get fascinating granular detail as he breaks down specific plays and match-ups from throughout his career.

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