Sometimes when people are under stress, they hate to think, and it's the time when they most need to think.
Interpretation
In times of stress, people often avoid thinking, yet that's when thoughtful reflection is most necessary.
This quote by William J. Clinton highlights the paradoxical behavior people exhibit under stress. Often, in moments of pressure, individuals are inclined to avoid deep thinking and reflection, even though these very moments are crucial for making informed decisions and navigating challenges effectively. Stress can cloud judgment and lead to hasty decisions, but it is precisely during such times that one should take a step back and engage in critical thought to ensure clarity and direction.
In practice
In a speech about managing stress in the workplace, this quote can inspire employees to engage in mindful thinking.
You know, there was a recent poll which said that young people in the generation of the students here felt it was far more likely that they would see a UFO than that they would draw Social Security... It's very important you understand this. Once you understand this, you realize this is not an episode from the X Files, and you're not more likely to see a UFO if you do certain specific things.
When we got organized as a country, [and] wrote a fairly radical Constitution, with a radical Bill of Rights, giving radical amounts of freedom to Americans, it was assumed that Americans who had that freedom would use it responsibly...When personal freedom is being abused, you have to move to limit it.
For too long we've been told about 'us' and 'them.' Each and every election we see a new slate of arguments and ads telling us that 'they' are the problem, not 'us.' But there can be no 'them' in America. There's only us.
There is a huge body of business evidence now showing that energy savings give better service at lower cost with higher profit. We have to tear down barriers to successful markets and we have to create incentives to enter them.
Demand that your government pays more attention. It's immoral that people in Africa die like flies of diseases that no one dies of in the United States. And the more disease there is, the more political unrest there will be, leading to more Darfurs, which the U.S. will have to pay to fix.
I was not elected to produce a pile of vetoes.
I've spent my life trying to make things simpler. Because I find ultimately that complicated doesn't reach the heart.
Concern yourself more with accepting responsibility than with assigning blame. Let the possibilities inspire you more than the obstacles discourage you.
For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe we will end up being kind. If we shame ourselves, we believe we end up loving ourselves. It has never been true, not for a moment, that shame leads to love. Only love leads to love.
Doctrine is nothing but the skin of truth set up and stuffed.
So near is falsehood to truth that a wise man would do well not to trust himself on the narrow edge.
The most important thing in life is to dare. The most complicated thing in life is to be afraid. The smartest thing in the world is to try to be a moral person.
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