66. "Many people caring for an aged parent wish that their parent would die."

Many people caring for an aged parent wish, at some point along the way, that their parent would die. It may be a fleeting thought or a constant presence. Either way, it can be very disturbing.

If you are hoping that your father will die soon because he is terminally ill and his existence is pretty miserable, then you shouldn't have any guilt about such thoughts. They are normal and, in most cases, merciful.

The trouble comes when you are wishing that your parent would die because he is overbearing, because he is a burden, because you want an inheritance, or because you are simply tired of waiting and wondering. In other words, you want him to die not for his sake, but for yours. This is a common and natural reaction, but it is jolting when the thought first comes into your mind, and it can produce a great deal of guilt and shame.

Caring for a frail parent, even if you are not providing hands-on care, is draining on many levels. Since there is really no other possible outcome, it is natural to want the struggle to end, for everybody's sake. You are not a bad person for feeling this way. You are only human."

From "How to Care for Aging Parents" written by Virginia Morris and published by Workman Publishing Company, Inc.

65. "Don't blame the other person for how you feel."

We encourage you to epress yourself -- and to take responsibility for your feelings; don't blame the other person for how you feel. Note the difference in the ... example between "I'm upset" and "You're an S.O.B." It is not necessary to put the other person down ... in order to express your feelings.... Use "I-messages" to express your own feelings, rather than passing responsibility for how you feel to someone else. Your feelings are yours."

From "Your Perfect Right" by Robert Alberti, Ph.D., and Michael Emmons, Ph.D., published by Impact Publishers.

64. "Swim on by and enjoy your day."

"Pass by the hooks. Find ways to ignore those little comments or looks that make you so hopping mad. Pretend you are a fish swimming along a mountain stream on a beautiful day and that you spot a fat, scrumptious worm. It lures you, but you are no dummy. You know that there's a big, sharp hook behind it. You have two choices: Bite at the hook and get hurt, or swim on by and enjoy your day.

Next time your parent says something that makes your blood pressure rise, say to yourself, "Aha, that is a hook, and as much as I am drawn to it, I have no intention of biting." Swim on by. Count how many hooks you pass by (one is awfully good) and then try to do better the next time. It will be your own inner victory. With each hook you pass, unfazed and unaffected, you win."

From "How to Care for Aging Parents" by Virginia Morris, Workman Publishing, Ner York

63. "Winning usually follows losing."

"In my own life, I've noticed that winning usually follows losing. Before I finally learned to ride a bike, I first fell down many times. I've never met a golfer who has never lost a golf ball. I've never met people who have fallen in love who have never had their heart broken. And I've never met someone rich who has never lost money."

From "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter C.P.A., Warner Books

62. "At the beginning of the fifteenth century, China was far more technologically advanced than the West."

"At the beginning of the fifteenth century, China was far more technologically advanced than the West. China had a superior knowledge of science, farming, engineering, even veterinary medicine. The Chinese were casting iron in 200 B.C., some fifteen hundred years before the Europeans. Yet the Industrial Revolution took place in Europe while Chinese civilization languished. Why? One historical interpretation posits that the Chinese elites valued stability more than progress. As a result, leaders blocked the kinds of wrenching societal changes that made the Industrial Revolution possible. In the fifteenth century, for example, China's rulers banned long-sea-voyage trade ventures, choking off trade as well as the economic development, discovery, and social change that come with them."

From "Naked Economics" by Charles Wheelan, W. W. Norton & Company

61. "Your brain creates your reality."

"Your brain creates your reality. It is not what happens to you in life that determines how you feel; it is how your brain perceives reality that makes it so. Most people are unaware that they are controlled not by events or people but by the perceptions their brain makes of them. I once heard the following story: at the turn of the last century, a shoe company sent a representative to Africa. He wired back, "I'm coming home. No one wears shoes here." Another company sent its representative, and he sold thousands of shoes. He wired back to his company, "Business is fantastic. No one has ever heard of shoes here." Their brains perceived the same situation from different perspectives, and they obtained opposite results."

From "Making a Good Brain Great" by Daniel G. Amen, M.D., Three Rivers Press, New York

60. "The cost of living better in the present is living less well in the future."

"The cost of living better in the present is living less well in the future. Conversely, the payoff for living frugally in the present is living better in the future... Save early, save often, and pay off the credit cards."

From "Naked Economics" by Charles Wheelan, W. W. Norton & Company

59. "There is no one human society where men are primary caretakers for kids."

"Even though our goals are the same--continuity of the species--women are more oriented toward raising children. There is no one human society where men are primary caretakers for kids. Our brains are different."

From "Making a Good Brain Great" by Daniel G. Amen, M.D., Three Rivers Press, New York

58. "There is a striking lack of correlation between natural resorces and standard of living."

"There is a striking lack of correlation between natural resorces and standard of living. Countries like Japan and Switzerland are among the richest in the world despite having relatively poor endowments of natural resources. Countries like Nigeria are just the opposite; enormous oil wealth has done relatively litte for the nation's standard of living. In some cases, the mineral wealth of Africa has financed bloody civil wars that would have otherwise died out. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has most of the oil while Israel, with no natural resources to speak of, has the highest per capita income."

From "Naked Economics" by Charles Wheelan, W.W. Norton & Company

57. "The notion that smaller government is always better government is simply wrong."

"Government has the potential to enhance the productive capacity of the economy and make us much better off as a result. Government creates and sustains the legal framework that makes markets possible; it raises our utility by providing public goods that we are unable to purchase for ourselves; it fixes the rough edges of capitalism by correcting externalities, particularly in the environmental realm. Thus the notion that smaller government is always better government is simply wrong."

From "Naked Economics" by Charles Wheelan, W.W. Norton & Company

56. "Even small amounts of daily drinking lowered overall brain size."

"A recen study from Johns Hopkins reported that even small amounts of daiy drining lowered overall brain size. When it comes to the brain, size matters!"

From "Making A Good Brain Great" by Daniel G. Amen, M.D., Three Rivers Place, New York

55. "All truth goes through three stages...

First, it is ridiculed,
Second, it is vehemently denied, and
Third, it is accepted as self-evident."

From "Making a Good Brain Great" by Daniel G. Amen, M.D., Three Rivers Press, New York

54. "In a few years, libraries as we know them will start to disappear, and information will be found on "the Net."

From "The Internet Book" by Douglas E. Comer, Prentice Hall

53. "When it comes to the brain, size matters...

...The stegosaurus brain was about the size of a walnut. The adult human brain weighs 1,300 to 1,400 grams. The average cat brain weighs only about 30 grams. This is why human curiosity helped invent space travel and cures for cancer."

From "Making a Good Brain Great" by Daniel G. Amen, M.D., Three Rivers Press, New York

52. "Golf is good. Tennis is terrific. Table tennis is the world's best sport!"

"The American Academy of Pediatrics has warned that "on repetitive heading of soccer balls in young athletes, the bottom line is probably 'less is better.'" Heading drills, in which a child's head is knocked repeatedly, as happens with forward and defensive players, are of greater concern to pediatricians than is the occasional head-punt in a game. A pair of studies conducted in Norway and in the United States compared the mental functioning of large groups of adult soccer players to adults of similar age and circumstances who did not play soccer. Out of 106 soccer players in the Norwegian study, 81 percent had impairment of attention, concentration, memory, and judgment that ranged from mild to severe. In the U.S. study, attention and concentration deficits were significantly more common among those who "headed" the ball most often.

When it comes to brain injury, football is no better than soccer. Football players are struck in the head thirty to fifty times per game and regularly endure blows similar to those experienced in car crashes, according to a Virginia Tech study that fitted players' helmets with the same kinds of sensors that trigger auto airbags.

Golf is good. Tennis is terrific. Table tennis is the world's best sport! Football, boxing, and soccer are bad for the brain! As a society, we need to seriously rethink what we allow our children to do."

From "Making a Good Brain Great" by Daniel G. Amen, M.D., Three Rivers Press, New York

51. "Killing people with bad brains is akin to killing sick people."

"As a child, I really had no opinion on the death penalty--I just didn't give it a lot of thought. But as an adult, shortly after looking at the first brain scans I ordered, I started to get a very uncomfortable feeling. The brain function of my patients who did bad things was much worse than that of people who were living productive, healthy lives. If the brain is the organ of behavior and free will, and brain function was impaired, then obviously we all did not have the same level of free will. As I think of it, free will varies on a scale of 0 to 100. A person with a very healthy brain has nearly 100 percent free will. A patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or Tourette's syndrome (TS) or drug addiction has significantly less, and a person with late Alzheimer's disease has virtually none. Uh-oh, I thought to myself, killing people with bad brains is akin to killing sick people. That was not the sign of an evolved society. Subsequently I have scanned more than sixty murderers and more than two hundred other convicted violent felons. The brain dysfunction I saw was often dramatic."

From "Making a Good Brain Great" by Daniel G. Amen, M.D., Three Rivers Press, New York

50. "John Lennon will not be brought back to life."

"Who on earth can save all the people in the world? Even if all the gods in the world are gathered in one place, it may not be possible to abolish nuclear weapons and to eradicate terrorism. The draught in Africa is not likely to end and John Lennon will not be brought back to life. Even worse, the gods might criticize each other and start fighting intensely. Then, the world might be more chaotic."

From "1Q84" by Haruki Murakami, Shinchosha Publishing Co., Ltd.

49. “The object of rape is not necessarily a body…”

... Violence does not necessarily take a visible shape and a wound does not necessarily cause bleeding."

From "1Q84" by Haruki Murakami, Shinchosha Publishing Co., Ltd.

48. “I want you to help with the dishes.”

"Tell the other person what you want. Use simple, direct language. Keep it specific: "I want you to help with the dishes," not "I want you to show more consideration for me." Address the other person's behavior, not his personality or character, to avoid putting him on the defensive. "

From "Undoing Depression" by Richard O'Conner, Ph.D., Berkley Books, New York

47. “People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, but no one can tame the tongue…”

“… Blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth.”

From “The Book” published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

46. “Those who won’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do.”

“One person believes it is all right to eat anything. But another believer who has a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who think it is all right to eat anything must not condemn those who won’t. And those who won’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do.”

From “The Book” published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

45. “Give your gifts in secret.”

“Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired… When you give a gift to someone in need, don’t shout about it as the hypocrites do… Give your gifts in secret.”

From “The Book” published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

44. “Don’t call your counterpart a liar.”

“Typically, the “liar” never actually uttered an untrue statement, but did allow the other side to be deceived. What should you do in such a situation? Don’t call your counterpart a liar, but explain that you feel you were misled or deceived, then discuss whether the deception was intentional or not.”

From “Negotiation Genius” written by Deepak Malhotra and Max H. Bazerman and published by Bantam Books

43. "It is better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised by a fool!"

From "The Book" published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

42. “Are we in synch with ourselves?”

“Are we in synch with ourselves?　Do　some　of　our　goals　conflict　with　others?　If　my　most　important　goal　is　to　run　a　lean,　efficient　charitable organization,　but　I　also　want　to　have　a　big　house　and　vacation　in　Europe　every　year,　I'm　setting　myself up　for　depression”

From “Undoing Depression” by Richard O’Connor, Ph.D., published by Berkley Books, New York

41. “When arguing with fools, don’t answer their foolish arguments, or you will become as foolish as they are.”

From “The Books” published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

40. "Even fools are thought to be wise when they keep silent; when they keep their mouths shut, they seem intelligent."

From “The Book” published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

39. “One way to get the “yes” you want is to allow (or provoke) the other party to say “no” first."

“One way to get the “yes” you want is to allow (or provoke) the other party to say “no” first. Consider some fascinating research conducted by Professor Robert Cialdini of Arizona State University. Cialdini’s research assistants went around the city posing as workers from the county juvenile detention center. They stopped people on the street at random and asked them for a favor: “Would you be willing to chaperone a group of juvenile delinquents on a day trip to the zoo?” As you might imagine, most people were taken aback by the extreme request, and only 17 percent said yes. The researchers then tried a different approach. This time when they stopped a person, they asked for an even greater favor: “Would you be willing to serve as a counselor at the juvenile detention center? This will require two hours of your time each week for three years.” Not surprisingly, everyone turned down this request. Without skipping a beat, the researchers then went on to ask: “Well, if you can’t do that, would you be willing to chaperone a group of juvenile delinquents on a day trip to the zoo?” The response was staggering. Now, 50 percent of those asked to chaperone agreed to comply! When the exact same proposal—a request to chaperone—was preceded by an extreme demand that was sure to be rejected, three time as many people said yes."

From "Negotiation Genius" written by Deepak Malhotra and Max H. Bazerman and published by Bantam Books

38. "Choosing not to express won't make us depressed, but trying not to feel will."

From "Undoing Depression" written by Richard O'Connor, Ph.D., and published by Berkley Books, New York

37. "You may belch while and after eating."

"You may belch while and after eating. To put it another way, even if a person sitting next to you belches while eating, don't consider it rude and get angry. Belching means that enough food has been served."

From "The Cyclopedia of India" written by Hiroshi Yamashita and Nobuko Okamitsu and published by Tokyodo Publishing Co., Ltd.

36. "I totally agree. But don't worry, you can trust me."

"As Joan Robinson, one of the great economists of the 20th century, said, "The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to learn how to avoid being deceived by an economist." I totally agree. But don't worry, you can trust me."

From "Economics for Dummies" written by Sean Masaki Flynn, Ph.D. and published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.

35. "Each individual behaves like two people."

"Economist Thomas Shelling argued that each individual behaves like two people: "one who wants clear lungs and long life and another who adores tabacco, or one who wants a lean body and another who wants dessert." People often face internal negotiations between doing what they want to do vesus doing what they think they should do... Too often, the want-self dominates the should-self in important real-world negotiations, leading to behavior and outcomes that you later regret."

From "Negotiation Genius" written by Deepak Malhotra and Max H. Bazerman, and published by Bantam Books

34. "Don't just ask what--ask why."

"Fot example, Shikha, Deepak's wife, recently found herself in a predicament. In downtown Boston on an extremely cold winter day, she needed to hail a cab. But it was rush hour, and as literally dozens of occupied cabs drove by, she began to consider the possibility that she might get frostbite. Finally, she spotted an empty cab waiting at red light. But there was a problem: the cab's "for hire" light was off. She asked for a ride anyway. As expected, the cabdriver refused her request with a dismissive wave of the hand. Undeterred, she asked the driver why he would not take her. The driver explained that he was not in service because he needed to get home. "Well, maybe we're going in the same direction. Would you drop me off if we're going to the same area?" she asked. As it turned out, their destinations were mere blocks from each other. She jumped into the warm cab and made it home quickly, and the driver made a few extra dollars without having to change his plans."

From "Negotiation Genius," written by Deepak Malhotra and Max H. Bazerman, and published by Bantam Books

33. "Rotating fans prevent mosquitoes from attacking them."

"Many people in India go to bed while switching on fans to make rooms cooler. They do so for another main reason, too. Rotating fans prevent mosquitoes from attacking them."

From "The Cyclopedia of India" written by Hiroshi Yamashita and Nobuko Okamitsu and published by Tokyodo Publishing Co., Ltd.

32. "Your love for me was deep, deeper than the love of women!"

"How the mighty heroes have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies dead upon the hills. How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan! Oh, how much I loved you! And your love for me was deep, deeper than the love of women!"

From "The Book"

31. "The victim of a house fire loses the family photographs, and with them a connectedness to the past."

From "Undoing Depression" written by Richard O'Connor, Ph.D. and published by Berkley Books, New York

30. "Hindus' devotion to vegetarianism may be interpreted in the context of the difficulty of securing the food resource for a population increase."

"A significant number of Hindus' devotion to vegetarianism may be interpreted in the context of the difficulty of securing the food resource for a population increase from the perspective of cultural materialism, while the influence of Jainism and Buddhism that emphasize ahimsa has been pointed out."

From "The Cyclopedia of India" written by Hiroshi Yamashita and Nobuko Okamitsu and published by Tokyodo Publishing Co., Ltd.

29. "Why be so sad just because you have no children?...

... You have me -- isn't that better than having ten sons?"

From "The Book"

28. "Most depressed people are perfectionists."

From "Undoing Depression" by Richard O'Connor, Ph.D., published by Berkley Books, New York

27. "The human mind is accustomed to taking shortcuts...

... that, while often useful for making decisions quickly, can also lead to disastrous strategic moves in negotiation."

From "NEGOTIATION GENIUS" by Deepak Malhotra and Max H. Bazerman, published by Bantam Dell

26. "Always judge your neighbors fairly, ...

... neither favoring the poor nor showing deference to the rich."

From "The Book"

25. "Do not be swayed... by the opinion of the majority."

From "The Book"

24. "Wages are the largest component of most firms' costs -- ...

... in fact, they're a full 70 percent of the average firm's costs."

From "Economics for DUMMIES" by Sean Masaki Flynn, Ph.D., published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.

23. "If you do not understand the mechanism of accounting, ...

... you will not be able to understand magement. While you keep hating figures, you will not be able to become an independent manager no matter how long you stay."

From "Shakkin no sokonashinuma de shitta okane no aji - Nijugo sai hurihtah, shakkin ichiokunisenman en, risoku nijuyon pahsento kara no seikanki (The taste of money I realized in a bottomless swamp of debt: a record of returning alive from a debt of 120 million yen, or a debt carrying 24% interest, I had owed since I was a 25 year-old part-timer)" written by Shigeki Kanamori, who repaid it all through in the following decade and currenty manages a real estate developing company with annual sales of 500 million yen.

22. "Some types of businesses easily make you rich, ...

... while other types of businesses need very long time or a considerable number of employees to make you rich."

From "Shakkin no sokonashinuma de shitta okane no aji - Nijugo sai hurihtah, shakkin ichiokunisenman en, risoku nijuyon pahsento kara no seikanki (The taste of money I realized in a bottomless swamp of debt: a record of returning alive from a debt of 120 million yen, or a debt carrying 24% interest, I had owed since I was a 25 year-old part-timer)" written by Shigeki Kanamori, who repaid it all through in the following decade and currenty manages a real estate developing company with annual sales of 500 million yen.

21. "Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for."

From "The Book"

20. "Don't be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewlry, or beautiful clothes...

... You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit."

From "The Book"

19. "Whoever walks with the wise will become wise; whoever walks with fools will suffer harm."

From "The Book"

18. "A smile and readiness to respond will always pave the way to better communication and good relations."

From "CULTURE SMART! INDIA" by Nick Grihault, published by Kuperard, an imprint of Bravo Ltd

17. "Ignorance is a symbol of purity."

"Ignorance is a symbol of purity. A person of ignorance might invent a solution that other people, trapped in their prejudices, knowledge, and preconception, cannot find."

From "Shakkin no sokonashinuma de shitta okane no aji - Nijugo sai hurihtah, shakkin ichiokunisenman en, risoku nijuyon pahsento kara no seikanki (The taste of money I realized in a bottomless swamp of debt: a record of returning alive from a debt of 120 million yen, or a debt carrying 24% interest, I had owed since I was a 25 year-old part-timer)" written by Shigeki Kanamori, who repaid it all through in the following decade and currenty manages a real estate developing company with annual sales of 500 million yen.

16. "Stay away from gamble, TV and games unless you feel confident you can control yourself."

From "Shakkin no sokonashinuma de shitta okane no aji - Nijugo sai hurihtah, shakkin ichiokunisenman en, risoku nijuyon pahsento kara no seikanki (The taste of money I realized in a bottomless swamp of debt: a record of returning alive from a debt of 120 million yen, or a debt carrying 24% interest, I had owed since I was a 25 year-old part-timer)" written by Shigeki Kanamori, who repaid it all through in the following decade and currenty manages a real estate developing company with annual sales of 500 million yen.

15. "Ganges water is carried by Hindus around the world, as it should be the last thing that is put into the mouth when a Hindu dies."

From "CULTURE SMART! INDIA" by Nick Grihault, published by Kuperard, an imprint of Bravo Ltd

14. "Mnemonics are the surest, fastest, and easiest way to remember... words..."

"By their facial COUNTENANCE alone it was easy to COUNT THE NUTS."
"Rex readies himself to CURTAIL the CAT'S TAIL."
"Doctors could never FATHOM the reason for Larry's FAT THUMB."

From "VOCABULARY CARTOONS - SAT Word Power - Learn Hundreds of SAT Words Fast with Easy Memory Techniques" by New Monic Books, Inc.

13. "Focus on what really counts in life."

"Focus on what really counts in life--the people you love, the work you can do to help others, learning new things, appreciating the beauty in the world--instead of measuring your success. Work hard and try to do well in life, but spend time doing things where success doesn't matter. Use my sense of humor everyday to lighten the load and make me less driven. Don't waste all my energy plodding along in life striving for the trappings of 'success"--take some chances, do things that make a difference."

From "Getting Your Life Back" by Jesse H. Write, M.D., Ph.D., and Monica Ramirez Basco, Ph.D., author of Never Good Enough

12. "Ask questions rather than make assumptions."

"If you act based on the assumption that you know what your partner is thinking or feeling, there can be a big chance that you will be making a mistake. There is a simple solution to this problem. Ask questions rather than make assumptions. Try "What are you thinking?" "What can I do to help you?" or "Are you upset with me?"... Another option is to delay your response to a perceived attack and give the "attacker" a chance to explain. Say something like "From the tone in your voice it sounded like you were attacking me. Am I hearing you correctly?" or "Is it my imagination or are you angry with me right now?" Allowing others to clarify their statements before you respond defensively will keep you from misspeaking and creating conflict.

From "Getting Your Life Back " by Jesse H. Write, M.D., Ph.D., and Monica Ramirez Basco, Ph.D., author of Never Good Enough

11. "If you are angy... write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal."

"Anger colors your perceptions of events and of people. It will cause you to see only the facts that support your angry point of view and to ignore other information that might change your mind... Angry and hateful words form you will often lead to an angry response from others and vice versa... There are times when it is perfectly reasonable to let off some steam as long as it is not directed at another person and does not hurt you. If you are angry... write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal."

From "Getting Your Life Back" by Jesse H. Write, M.D., Ph.D. and Monica Ramirez Basco, Ph.D., author of Never Good Enough

* Ponion's comment: This really works for me to relieve my stress. Be sure to use a pen or pencil and write down your anger directly on paper, in stead of typing onto a computer which somehow doesn't help much.

10. "Summer is hot and it somehow gives me strength."

"Nourish your hands, legs, head and spirit with a full-course feast of positive words. On a hot summer day, say "Summer is hot and it somehow gives me strength" rather than "Summer is hot and I hate it." You will feel more powerful then."

From "Henna hito no kaita seikoh hohsoku (principles for success written by an eccentric person)" by Hitori Saito, Japan's top tax payer and founder of Ginza Marukan, a cosmetics and health food sales company

9. "Most people do not change overnight."

"Remember that even with the best of intentions, most people do not change overnight. Be sure to acknowledge and praise any positive effort they make."

From "Getting Your Life Back" by Jesse H. Wright, M.D., Ph.D. and Monica Ramirez Basco, Ph.D., author of "Never Good Enough"

8. "Using price indexes to track the cost of living isn't a flawless system."

"Using price indexes (refering to Consumer Price Index) to track the cost of living isn't a flawless sytem... Price isn't the only thing that matters to consumers. For example, what if a beer stays the same price but improves in quality from one year to the next? You'r getting better beer for the same price, but this isn't reflected in the data. This problem is expecially severe for things like computers, cellphones, and video games. For these products, quality improves dramatically year after year while prices either stay the same or go down."

From "Economics FOR DUMMIES" by Sean Masaki Flynn, PhD, Assistant Professor of Economics, Vassar College

7. "Doesn't have to succeed at everything to be a success."

From "KIDS CAN MAKE MONEY TOO!" by Vada Lee Jones, author of many children's stories.

6. "I deserve to be happy and successful."

"Write on a 3 x 5 card, "I deserve to be happy and successful." Read this every day. It will help overcome negative feelings you might have about youself... No matter where you are or what you are doing, you can say these words to yourself. In this way, you are programming your subconscious mind with positive thoughts, so it can more efficiently help you reach your goals."

From "KIDS CAN MAKE MONEY TOO!" by Vada Lee Jones, author of many children's stories

5. "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a political work"

"In 1964, a professor named Henry Littlefield speculated that the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a political work meant to support the farmers' opposition to the gold standard. Dorothy is a young farm girl from Kansas who represents rural U.S. citizens; the Tin Man represents city workers; the Cowardly Lion is William Jennings Bryant, whom the author thought was not a strong enough leader; and the Scarecrow is the U.S. farmer. The four travel toward the East on the yellow brick road -- a road made of gold -- to see the Wizard of Oz, who represents the evil eastern bankers who manipulate the economy by pulling strings and levers behind a curtain. Their destination, Oz, is simply the abbreviation for ounce, as in ounces of gold."

From "Economics FOR DUMMIES" by Sean Masaki Flynn, PhD, Assistant Professor of Economics, Vassar College

4. "Shopping may be fun, but not when you're desperately racing against outrageously rising prices!"

"During the Weimar hyperinflation in Germany, men working at factories were paid two or even three times a day because money lost its value so quickly. Their wives waited at the factories to immediately take the money to the nearest shops, trying to spend the pay before it lost most of its value. Shopping may be fun, but not when you're desperately racing against outrageously rising prices!"

From "Economics FOR DUMMIES" by Sean Masaki Flynn, PhD, Assistant Professor of Economics, Vassar College

3. "The sky is the limit." *

"Do not underestimate your own potential ability. You may be surprised how much you can do when you really try. Don't give up too soon. And don't listen to discouraging advice. Keep your goal high, and take a realistic first step now. And always remember that the sky is the limit." *

From "The sky is the limit" by Atsuko Chiba, economic journalist

* This is Ms. Chiba's original writing, not my English translation.

2. "Don't try to please a person in a bad mood."

"Suppose a person in a bad mood is sitting next ot you. Never ask him or her what happened. He or she is in a bad mood for his/her own reason. You are in a good mood for your own reason. I'm telling you something, all right? No matter how irritated he/she is, just try to PLEASE YOURSELF. Keep smiling, understood? It is EVIL to be in a BAD mood and RIGHT to lead a life in a GOOD mood. You should not adjust yourself to the evil. Keep saying you are happy or lucky, and be careful not to be affected by the evil."

From "Hen na hito ga kaita jinsei ga hyakubai tanoshiku waraeru hanashi (An eccentric person's funny stories that make you 100 times happier)," by Hitori Saito, Japan's top tax payer and the founder of Ginza Marukan, a cosmetics and health food manufacturing and sales company.

1. "ES precedes CS, and FS precedes ES."

ES: employee satisfaction
CS: customer satisfaction
FS: (employee's) family satisfaction

From "Shitsurei nagara sono urikata dewa mono wa uremasen (Excuse me! Your sales method is wrong)," written by Fumiko Hayashi, Director of Tokyo Nissan Auto Sales