Can anyone understand how it is to have lived in the White House and then, suddenly, to be living alone as the President's widow?
Jackie KennedyRead
Whenever I was upset by something in the papers, [Jack] always told me to be more tolerant, like a horse flicking away flies in the summer.
Interpretation
The quote suggests that we should learn to be tolerant and dismiss minor irritations in life.
Jackie Kennedy reflects on advice given to her by Jack, which encourages her to maintain a sense of tolerance in the face of negativity or criticism, much like a horse tolerates the annoyance of flies during summer. This notion of accepting minor disruptions without letting them affect one's overall peace of mind highlights the importance of emotional resilience and the practice of dismissing trivial matters.
In practice
In a team meeting when discussing how to deal with public criticism, one might share this quote to inspire patience.
Can anyone understand how it is to have lived in the White House and then, suddenly, to be living alone as the President's widow?
I think my biggest achievement is that, after going through a rather difficult time, I consider myself comparatively sane.
The only routine with me is no routine at all.
Even though people may be well known they still hold in their hearts the emotions of a simple person for the moments that are the most important of those we know on earth - birth, marriage, death.
Even though people may be well known, they hold in their hearts the emotions of a simple person for the moments that are the most important of those we know on earth: birth, marriage and death.
Now, I think that I should have known that he was magic all along. I did know it - but I should have guessed that it would be too much to ask to grow old with and see our children grow up together. So now, he is a legend when he would have preferred to be a man.
I don't think you should write a book until you tell the absolute truth. You can't do that until you're 85, and I don't want to live that long. I've always prided myself on knowing when to get off, and I hope it works out that way.
What seems nasty, painful, evil can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind.
If one is master of one thing and understands one thing well, one has at the same time, insight into and understanding of many things.
Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath.
As soon as healing takes place, go out and heal somebody else.
The ability to focus attention on important things is a defining characteristic of intelligence.
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