I think one of life's great milestones is when a person can look back and be almost as thankful for the setbacks as for the victories.
Interpretation
Life's milestones include appreciating both successes and failures.
This quote emphasizes the importance of perspective in life's journey. It suggests that true maturity comes when one can acknowledge and be grateful not only for their achievements but also for the challenges and setbacks faced along the way, as these experiences contribute to personal growth and resilience.
In practice
In a graduation speech reflecting on the journey to success.
Yet when the blood of the sons of immigrants and the grandsons of slaves fell on foreign fields, it was American blood. In it you could not read the ethnic particulars of the soldier who died next to you. He was an American. And when I think of how we learned this lesson, I wonder how we could have unlearned it.
Sure, losing an election hurts, but I've experienced worse. And at an age when every day is precious, brooding over what might have been is self-defeating. In conceding the 1996 election, I remarked that "tomorrow will be the first time in my life I don't have anything to do." I was wrong. Seventy-two hours after conceding the election, I was swapping wisecracks with David Letterman on his late-night show.
There are more fools than wise men, and even in a wise man there is more folly than wisdom.
We have this myth that extroverts are better salespeople. As a result, extroverts are more likely to enter sales; extroverts are more likely to get promoted in sales jobs. But if you look at the correlation between extroversion and actual sales performance - that is, how many times the cash register actually rings - the correlation's almost zero.
Focus on remedies, not faults.
Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect.
When trying to remember my share in the glow of the eternal present, in the smile of God, I return to my childhood, too, for that is where the most significant discoveries turn up.
Poverty makes you sad as well as wise.
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