A colleague sent me this quote today with the comment that “it didn’t start with Dilbert.” The hilarious thing is that I have a Dilbert coffee mug on my desk with this quote on it “Change - What We Do To Give The Illusion Of Progress.”

Now we discover the following quote dating back to AD 66:

“We trained hard, but it seemed every time we were beginning
to form up into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to
learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation
by reorganizing, and a wonderful method it can be for
creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion,
inefficiency and demoralization.”

From Petronii Arbitri Satyricon AD 66 (Attributed to Gaius
Petronus, a Roman General who later committed suicide)

It’s nice to note the consistency with which insanity is practiced throughout human history!

“There is hardly anything in the world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price alone are that person’s lawful prey.”

I first encountered this quote at Bob Bly’s copywriting website. He attributed it to John Ruskin, a British author and critic from the 1800s. I did a little research and found that the source of this quote is not Ruskin, but couldn’t find out who it actually belongs to. If you know, please leave a note with a reference to where you found the citation.

It is an awesome quote and I’ve found it used in a couple places where folks are selling premium services - big surprise.

The Go-To Guy!

“A thing is worth what it can do for you, not what you choose to pay for it.”

“Every great person is always being helped by everybody; for their gift is to get good out of all things and all persons.”

“In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fit for it. They must not do too much of it. And they must have a sense of success in it.”

“No good is ever done to society by the pictorial representation of its diseases.”

“The distinguishing sign of slavery is to have a price, and to be bought for it.”

“Be sure that you go to the author to get at his meaning, not to find yours.”

John Ruskin (February 8, 1819 – January 20, 1900) is best known for his work as an art critic and social critic, but is remembered as an author, poet and artist as well. Ruskin’s essays on art and architecture were extremely influential in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. (From Wikipedia)

“People commonly use statistics like a drunk uses a lamp post — for support rather than illumination” — Mark Twain

“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.” — Mark Twain

“I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him.” — Mark Twain

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” — Mark Twain

“The history of our race, and each individual’s experience, are sown thick with evidence that a truth is not hard to kill and that a lie told well is immortal.” — Mark Twain

I was watching a video today called “Off the Grid”, by Warren Miller Films and heard a great quotation in the narration. I don’t know who was speaking and if they were quoting someone else, but it goes like this:

“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity!”

Couldn’t have said it better myself. Warren Miller Films makes specialty movies about skiing. If you want to know more about what they do visit: www.WarrenMiller.com.

The Go-To Guy!

“Everywhere is not like here and everyone is not like these people. Whether that brings comfort or distress depends on where you are and who you are with.”

That thought occurred to me today and I liked the way it sounds, so I thought I would share it.

I’m not sure if it is original. I may have read it somewhere before. It has a lot of the same appeal as the blessing/curse, “May you live in interesting times.”

If you’ve heard it (or a variation of it) before, let me know where.

If it is, in fact, wholly original, please spell my name properly when quoting me - it’s Andrew Seltz!

The Go-To Guy