If you want to be honest with yourself, you have to take criticism, even if you attract adverse comments from others.
Interpretation
Being honest with oneself requires accepting criticism, regardless of negative feedback from others.
This quote emphasizes the importance of self-honesty and the courage it takes to accept criticism. It suggests that true self-awareness involves facing uncomfortable truths, even when those truths may provoke negative reactions from others. Embracing criticism is a step towards personal growth and integrity, as it allows individuals to reflect and improve themselves.
In practice
During a leadership seminar, you might use this quote to encourage participants to embrace constructive feedback.
I believe that every leader has a right to implement his own policy. But when I see things that are done that are not right - abuse of power, wrong approaches, wrong strategies, making use of foreign consultants, including those discarded by other countries - I feel that I have to have my say.
It would seem the people who want to preserve the Penans' way of life are condemning them to a life full of diseases and a shorter life span.
There are certain things that we can deal with by following the rules. But at times, we find the rules restrict you from doing the right things. On such occasions, we have to rethink - either you change the rules or break the rules.
In my years, I had the opportunity to observe peoples and countries. I see some countries doing well, others failing, and my analysis of things is that whether you fail or succeed is a function of your value system.
Free press is not absolute. In this country, we say clearly if you start stirring up racial hatred, then we will put a stop to it. We might even close down your paper, because these things can only lead to a lot of riots and bloodshed.
Independence means we enjoy freedom. We are not colonised by people. And we can govern our own country and develop it independently so that our people can live a better life.
Complacency with our traditional judgement based thinking methods is not enough. Our existing thinking habits are excellent just as the rear wheel of a motor car is excellent but not enough. We need to put far more emphasis on creative and design thinking. Judgement and analysis are not enough.
You have to be odd to be number one.
All wars are won or lost before they are ever fought.
Do not confuse understanding with a larger vocabulary, sacred writings are beneficial in stimulating desire for inward realization, if one stanza at a time is slowly assimilated. Continual intellectual study results in vanity and the false satisfaction of an undigested knowledge.
If you would stop, really stop, damning yourself, others, and unkind conditions, you would find it almost impossible to upset yourself emotionally - about anything. Yes, anything.
We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don't like?
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