Meditations.

Peace with honour.

Reputations are fickle and change with wind and word; pay no heed to them, and never worry over your own.

Let your inner self be even more visible than your outer.

Today's weakened foe is tomorrow's vengeful threat. Never leave matters unfinished; it is cruel.

Eat what you want to eat; dress how others want to see you – a translated proverb (mahavra) from your mother.

Silence is one of the great arts of conversation. Wield it skillfully to unravel its power.

Danger lies where we least expect it. Security is man's chiefest enemy. – your mother.

History is what separates us from the animals.

Measure everything in time; it is your most valuable resource. Do not waste it. This is your secret to a happy life.

So what? – your father.

God has given you two ears to listen, and one tongue to speak.

You will only ever be either loved, or be understood. This is your own pain to bear; in this clarity you will find your salvation.

In a world of excesses, that which you can temper is what you can control.

Control everything within you, but do not attempt to do so for others. Do not delude yourself of your individual relevance.

Note how someone speaks; it reveals what they care most about. Note how they write; it reveals how and from where they learn the things they care about.

Consolidate control.

Ask questions of everyone wherever you go.

Manage by wandering around; stagnation is complacency and complacency is the brother of peril.

Accept humbly; let go freely.

You do not fear making a decision, but you often fear being misunderstood in your process. In those moments you are foolishly being subservient to those looking for someone to follow. Lead the way until you do not need to.

Serve through leadership; unanimity is a pipe dream.

When provoked, remember that your reaction alone dictates whether the provocation becomes a talking point afterwards. Look at provocation as bait, recognize it, but do not be pulled by it.

Like in a stream of water shooting out of a fountain: when the droplets are few and spaced their motion seems rapid and energetic, but at the very stem of the stream where the droplets are many and clustered the motion seems slow even if coordinated. There is a balance to be found between organization in numbers and efficiency. Naturally, in a fountain stream it is at the maxima.

People want to feel smart. Show them their smarts.

Maintain a hard heart. You can soften it if needed.

A mosquito has bit you? Bite the mosquito. (Your father's advice from as far back as you can remember.)

What is on paper is not the real world. It is a world.