Daily Thought: The Race

"Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try."

- Anonymous

"Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough."

- Og Mandino, essayist

5 Rules to Live By from...Tiger Woods

"No matter how good you get, you can always get better - and that's the exciting part."


"One of the things that my parents taught me is never listen to other people's expectations. You should live your own life and live up to your own expectations."


"That's part of my attitude and belief, that you should always have the switch on. You can't turn it on and off."


"I don't think you're ever there."


"You can play from the wrong position for a long time with good hands, but eventually it's going to catch up with you."

Daily Thought: The Hand

"Life is all about timing...the unreachable becomes reachable, the unavailable becomes available, the unattainable...attainable. Have the patience, wait it out. It's all about timing."

- Stacey Charter, writer

Daily Thought: The Sign

"Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul."

- Douglas MacArthur, former U.S. general


"A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits."

- Richard Nixon, former U.S. President


"Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit."

- Vince Lombardi, legendary football coach

Daily Thought: The Eagle Scout

"By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail."

- Benjamin Franklin, American statesman


"In business or in football, it takes a lot of unspectacular preparation to produce spectacular results."

- Roger Staubach, Hall of Fame football player

Daily Thought: Determination

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

- Winston Churchill, former British Prime Minister


"We must remember that one determined person can make a significant difference, and that a small group of determined people can change the course of history."

- Sonia Johnson, American activist


"Little by little one walks far."

- Peruvian Proverb

Daily Thought: The Big Bang

"There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth...not going all the way, and not starting."

- Prince Gautama Siddharta, founder of Buddhism

Daily Thought: The White Flag

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. This most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."

- Thomas Edison, American inventor


"Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent."

- Marilyn vos Savant, American journalist

Daily Thought: The Light Bulb

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"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."

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- Steve Jobs, Apple CEO

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"If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative."

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- Woody Allen, American filmmaker

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"Innovation is not the product of logical thought, althought the result is tied to logical structure."

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- Alber Einstein, German theoretical physicist

Daily Thought: The Cube

"How you think about a problem is more important than the problem itself - so always think positively."

- Norman Vincent Peale, Protestant preacher


"He who asks a question may be a fool for five minutes, but he who never asks a question remains a fool forever."

- Tom Connelly


"Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them."

Henry Ford, American industrialist

Daily Thought: The Fork

"When you cannot make up your mind which of two evenly balanced courses of action you should take choose the bolder."

- W. J. Slim, British military commander


"Think before you act and then act decisevely. Fortune favors the brave."

- Brian Tracy, Canadian author

Returned Home

Friends,

I have returned from a relaxing vacation with the family.

Posting will resume immediately.

N.J.

A Final Vacation

Friends,

I am taking one final vacation for the summer with my family to the hills of Virginia.

Posting will begin again on Friday morning.

I am sorry for the inconvenience.

N.J.

Daily Thought: The Bicep

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."

- Mahatma Gandhi, Indian spiritual leader


"We acquire the strength we have overcome."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet


"He who believes is strong; he who doubts is weak. Strong convictions precede great actions."

- J.F. Clarke, author

Why Tiger is the Best

Daily Thought: The Sign

"First we form habits, then they form us. Conquer your bad habits or they will conquer you."

- Rob Gilbert, American professor


"Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing."

- Vince Lombardi, legendary football coach


"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are."

- Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, French politician

5 Rules to Live By from...Warren Buffett

"I don't look to jump over 7-foot bars: I look around for 1-foot bars that I can step over. "


"If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians."


"It's better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you'll drift in that direction."


"Rule No.1: Never lose money. Rule No.2: Never forget rule No.1."


"We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful."

Daily Thought: The Mind

"Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact."

- William James, American psychologist


"Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet


"The real voyage of discovery consists not in making new landscapes but in having new eyes."

- Marcel Proust, French novelist

Daily Thought: The Gang

"My suggestion would be to walk away from the 90% who don't and join the 10% who do."

- Jim Rohn, motivational speaker


"Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great."

- Mark Twain, American novelist


"Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose."

- Tennessee Williams, American playwright

Daily Thought: The Photographer

"If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results."

- Jack Dixon, American author


"Visualize this thing you want. See it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin."

- Robert Collier, American author


"The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus."

- Bruce Lee, American actor and martial artist

Home

Friends,

I have returned home from a long and relaxing vacation at the beach.

Regular posting will resume immediately.

N.J.


"There's nothing half so pleasant as coming home again."

- Margaret Elizabeth Sangster, American poet

Daily Thought from the Beach: The Skimboard

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall."

- Confucius, Chinese philosopher


"When real people fall down in life, they get right back up and keep on walking."

- Sarah Jessica Parker, American actress

Daily Thought from the Beach: The Tide

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."

- Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist


"Something in human nature causes us to start slacking off at our moment of greatest accomplishment. As you become successful, you will need a great deal of self-discipline not to lose your sense of balance, humility, and commitment."

- H. Ross Perot, American businessman

The Following Weeks

Friends,

During the next two-ish weeks, I will be vacationing with my family at the beach. I will still be posting on this blog, but the posts will not be as frequent (perhaps one post every other day or so).

As soon as I return, posting will begin again as usual.

N.J. Philips

“Don't grow up too quickly, lest you forget how much you love the beach.”
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- Michelle Held, actress

Daily Thought: The Goal

"There is no achievement without goals."

- Robert J. McKain, estate planner


"Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination."

- Fitzhugh Dodson, clinical psychologist


"First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do."

- Epictetus, Greek stoic philosopher

Daily Thought: The Stream

"In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins- not through strength but by perseverance."

- H. Jackson Brown, American author


"I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature."

- John D. Rockefeller, American industrialist


"Wise is the man who acts as a stream, for his persistance and perservance will split even the greatest mountains."

- Anonymous

Who Cares What They Think? Part II

A follow up to an earlier post. When you have a project, vision, or idea that has faced rejection time and time again, don't give up! Chances are, your critics don't know what they're talking about.

Here are the words of some experts....

"Airplanes are interesting toys, but they have no military value."

- Marshal Ferdinand Foch, French general and military theorist

"We don't need you. You haven't gone through college yet."

- Hewlett-Packard's response to Steve Job's request for employment

"It doesn't matter what he does, he will never amount to anything."

- A teacher speaking to Mr. Einstein about his son, Albert (1895)

Daily Thought: The Dumbbell

"He who believes is strong; he who doubts is weak. Strong convictions precede great actions."

- J.F. Clarke, philosophical writer


"It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires great strength to decide on what to do."

- Elbert Hubbard, American writer


"Where there is no struggle, there is no strength."

- Oprah Winfrey, American media personality

5 Rules to Live By from...Bill Gates

"It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure."


"If you can't make it good, at least make it look good."


"People always fear change. People feared electricity when it was invented, didn't they? People feared coal, they feared gas-powered engines... There will always be ignorance, and ignorance leads to fear."


"Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose."


"Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. "

Daily Thought: The Ribbon

"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."

- Thomas Paine, American revolutionary


"Winning isn't everything, but the will to win is everything."

- Vincent Lombardi, legendary football coach


"To win without risk is to triumph without glory."

- Pierre Corneille, French dramatist


"Never let defeat have the last word."

- Tibetan Proverb

What We Can Learn From the British Open

For those trying as hard as they can - giving it their all and are still struggling to see the results that they desire, just keep pushing!

Even legends miss the cut once and a while...

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14 time major champion Tiger Woods, after missing the cut at the 2009 Open Championship

Daily Thought: The Wall

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"Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it. "

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- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer

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"Look around. Everything you see was once just an idea that someone had the courage to pursue."

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-Anonymous

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"The distance is nothing; it's only the first step that is difficult."

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- Marquise du Deffand, French hostess

Daily Thought: The Stairs

"The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win."

- Roger Bannister, former British runner


"The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur."

- Vince Lombardi, former football coach


"Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so."

- Charles De Gaulle, French general

Daily Thought: The Rocket

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."

- Dale Carnegie, author


"You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

- Eleanor Roosevelt, former First Lady


"Because a thing seems difficult for you, do not think it impossible for anyone to accomplish."

- Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor

Alex

Born on the island of Nevis in the Caribbean Sea, Alex's childhood was far from ideal. A child of divorced parents, Alex's father left his family penniless when he was ten years old. His mother died the next year, leaving Alex and his brother alone. He was eleven.

Because of his parent's divorce, an education was not offered to Alex. Instead, he was forced to work to help support himself and his brother. Alex worked days as a clerk in an island import store and spent his nights giving himself an education - mainly derived from the thirty-four books that he had in his possession. The books intriqued Alex, challenging him to think while at the same time taking him off the island and away to a whole new world. A world completely different from the life of disappointment that he currently lived.

After years of working as a clerk, Alex decided to leave the island and travel to America - a true land of opportunity. Using the money he had saved, Alex took a boat into the port of Boston and joined the United States Military.

Where can you find little Alex now?

The ten dollar bill is a good place to start.






"There are strong minds in every walk of life that will rise superior to the disadvantages of situation, and will command the tribute due to their merit...."

- Alexander Hamilton, First Secretary of the Treasury

Daily Thought: The Monument

"Greatness does not approach him who is forever looking down."

- Hitopadesha, collection of Sanskrit fables


"To achieve great things we must live as if we were never going to die."

- Marquis de Vauvenargues, French essayist


"You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand."

- Woodrow Wilson, former United States President


"Excellence is not a destination; it is a continuous journey that never ends."

- Brian Tracy, author

Air Jordan "Failure" Commercial

Michael Jordan, the NBA great, time and time again serves as a motivational icon.

Daily Thought: The Runner

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit."

- Aristotle, Greek philosopher


"Discipline is remembering what you want."

- David Campbell, American composer


"Hard work is the brick of success. Persistency is the mortar."

- Anonymous


"The secret of success is constancy of purpose."

- Benjamin Disraeli, former British Prime Minister

5 Rules to Live By from...Zig Ziglar

"Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes. "


"Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street. "


"If you don't see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner."


"You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win. "


"When you are tough on yourself, life is going to be infinitely easier on you. "

Daily Thought: The Key

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"Unless you're willing to have a go, fail miserably, and have another go, success won't happen."

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- Phillip Adams, Australian broadcaster

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"Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it. So go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that’s where you will find success."

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- Thomas J. Watson, former president of IBM

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"A stumble may prevent a fall."

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- English proverb

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"The man who tries and fails is one step closer to success than the man who never tries."

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- Anonymous

Life

So often, people wonder how they ought to live their life. Every so often, we will try and point you in the right direction using the thoughts of others.




"The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it."

- William James, American psychologist


"Only a life lived for others is worthwhile."

- Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist


"Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments and to live each, is to succeed."

- Corita Kent, artist

Daily Thought: The Monkey

"Thoughts lead on to purpose, purpose leads on to actions, actions form habits, habits decide character, and character fixes our destiny."

- Tryon Edwards, American theologian


"No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking."

- Voltaire, French Enlightenment philosopher


"What we think, we become."

- Prince Siddharta, founder of Buddhism


"The 'how' thinker gets problems solved effectively because he wastes no time with the futile 'ifs'."

- Norman Vincent Peale, Protestant preacher

A Cup of Dreams

Howard was a salesman - and a good salesman at that. After only three years of working at Hammarplast, he had risen to be their manager of U.S. Operations. Howard had a good job, a loving wife, and a great life in New York City.

But one aroma changed it all.

Howard noticed that a small company on the west coast was buying a relatively large quantity of Hammarplast's Swedish drip coffeemakers. His curiosity eventually got the best of him, and in 1981, Howard traveled to Seattle to find this company - a small coffee bean retailer called Starbucks.

After meeting the owners, exploring the company, and tasting their product, Howard fell in love with Starbucks. He begged their owners to allow him to come on-board.

They respectfully declined.

Howard flew back to New York City and his job at Hammarplast - but Starbucks never really left his mind. Over the course of the next year, Howard spoke on occasion with the owners of Starbucks, making it clear of his interest in the firm. In 1982, they offered him a spot.

Howard and his wife left everything in NYC behind. Grabbing a hold of Howard's hunch, they relocated their family to Seattle. For the next several years, Howard worked just about every position at Starbucks that he could - behind the counter, in the roasting plant, in management, and on the floor. Some nights, his life and job back in New York City called to him. He had given up so much. Was following his instincts the wrong decision? Had he messed up? It seemed as if he'd never know.

Then, in the late 80's the owners of Starbucks decided to sell. And there, eager to buy, was a man that understood through experience every facet of the Starbucks operation - Howard. In 1987, Howard Schultz bought Starbucks for $3.8 million.

As CEO, he turned it in to what it is today.

Daily Thought: The Megaphone

"Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn't have the power to say yes."

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- Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady

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"Assertiveness is not what you do, it's who you are!"

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- Cal LeMon, former Harvard chaplain and television producer

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"Back of ninety-nine out of one-hundred assertions that a thing cannot be done is nothing, but the unwillingness to do it."

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- William Feather, American Author

Daily Thought: Ancient Difficulty

"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that things are difficult."

- Seneca, Roman Philosopher


"Because a thing seems difficult for you, do not think it impossible for anyone to accomplish."

- Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor


"Difficulties show men what they are."

- Epictetus, Greek Philosopher

The Beach

Friends,

I will be taking some time at this beach this weekend, so unfortunately, I will be unable to post on Saturday.

Enjoy your weekend and I'll see you on Sunday.

- N.J.

“Why do we love the sea? It is because it has some potent power to make us think things we like to think.”
--Robert Henri

Childhood Dreams

A video excerpt from Randy Pausch's "Last Lecture" on the Oprah Winfrey show. Dr. Pausch's words of wisdom can be applicable to all aspects of life. His entire lecture is a little over an hour long, but I highly recommend it.

Daily Thought: The Clock

"You can't turn back the clock, but you can wind it up again."

- Bonnie Prudden, American rock climber


"Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in."

- Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France (1804-1814)


"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become."

- Steve Jobs, CEO, Apple


"The time is always right to do what is right."

- Martin Luther King, Jr., American Civil Rights Leader

Procrastinating

Though entertaining, you do not want to be the man staring aimlessly off into the abyss. In case you were wondering when was the appropriate time to start taking positive action in your life...it's right now.

Don't Chicken Out

Harland loved chicken - there was really no other way to put it. The 40-year old service station cook would make his chicken for families, travelers, truckers, and just about whoever else would come by. As years passed, his service station chicken morphed from a tasty treat into local legend. Harland's secret recipe pleased hundreds of passerbys a day.


However, by the time Harland had reached his sixties, the construction of Interstate-75 had significantly reduced the traffic flow of his service station. Frustrated with his diminished cliental, Harland left the service station kitchen and took the road to try and sell his recipe.


Harland spent over one year traveling across the country with his recipe in hand. He pitched his chicken to restaurants during the day and slept in his car at night. It was a tough existance, but Harland knew his recipe was a winner. All he had to do was convince someone else it was as well. He figured it would sell itself.


Simply put, it didn't. By the time Harland returned home from traveling, his reciped had been rejected by over 1,000 restaurants - 1,009 to be exact. Not a single person wanted to adopt Harland's chicken.


But instead of just giving up and chickening out, Harland decided he didn't need any of them. It was going to be their loss. At the age of 65, with the money from his first social security check, Harland opened up his own chicken restaurant.


The rest is history.




Above: A drawing of Harland "Colonal" Sanders

Daily Thought: Being Knocked Down

"Whenever you make a mistake or get knocked down by life, don't look back at it too long. Mistakes are life's way of teaching you. Your capacity for occasional blunders is inseparable from your capacity to reach your goals."

- Og Mandino


"If you get knocked down and you stand up, you have already won."

- George Otero


"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up."

- Vince Lombardi

Seizing Your Moment

It was Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull that changed eleven year old Brett Ratner's life. "It blew me away," Ratner, now an accomplished Hollywood director, remembers. "I decided I wanted to be a director like Scorsese. I heard that he went to NYU and decided that was where I was going to film school."

After years of waiting, Brett was given his opportunity. He traveled from Miami Beach up to New York City after his high school graduation for an interview at NYU. Armed with a briefcase full of his films and a projector to show them on, Brett walked into his interview expecting the best.

Unfortunately, it did not go quite as he planned.

"The woman who interviewed me said I needed a 4.0 grade-point average." The interview did not last long. Brett was told that he would not be accepted into NYU's film school. Brett was crushed. "As I was walking out, I thought my life was over." It seemed as if that was where Brett Ratner's dream would end.

But Brett was not going to let it end there. He took his briefcase, and ran over to the office of the dean. "I've got to see the dean," Ratner told the secretary. She told him that without an appointment, it would be three months. "You don't understand," Ratner replied, "this is life or death."


After he persisted for a few more moments, Brett was granted two minutes with the dean. One week later, Brett Ratner had been accepted to NYU's film school.

Brett Ratner's story shows the power of persistance and determination. When given the opportunity, you must seize your moment and attack it for all it is worth. So many people fail because of a roadblock.

Don't let yourself be one of them.




Above: One of Brett Ratner's films

Daily Thought: The First Step

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."

- Lao Tzu


"So many fail because they don't get started - they don't go. They don't overcome inertia. They don't begin."

- W. Clement Stone


"You will never win if you never begin."

- Helen Rowland

Mike

For Mike, a high school kid from Wilmington, North Carolina, sports were everything. His days were filled with afternoons on the baseball diamond and mornings at football practice. He loved sports of all kind. But basketball - that was his passion.

He would play endless games of one-on-one basketball with his brother Larry. Mike wanted to be the best. He dreamed of bright lights, clutch shots, and screaming fans. For Mike, he wasn't just scrimaging his older brother in the driveway, but he was in an arena filled with screaming fans, dribbling past the other team's last guard with three seconds left and the game on the line. Someday, he'd say.

Then, during his sophomore year, things changed for Mike. Instead of becoming that star that he dreamed of, he was cut from the varsity basketball team. Though at first he was overwhelmed by the disappointment, Mike knew that he could not quit here. He was not ready to give up basketball or his dream.

Day after day, Mike practiced. He practice for hours at a time. He took thousands of shots, ran never-ending laps, and performed drills until he collasped. "Whenever I was working out and got tired and figured I ought to stop," he said, "I'd close my eyes and see that list in the lockeroom without my name on it. That usually got me going again."

The next year, Mike not only made the varsity basketball team, but he led the team to a state championship. His determination shows everyone what can be accomplished through persistance, patience, and resolve.

And what did Mike do after that state championship?

Let's just say it wasn't his last.

Who Cares What They Think?

If you have an idea, a story, a manuscript, or a product that you know has value, but someone has told you it doesn't - just keep pushing forward! Chances are, they don't know what they're talking about anyway...

"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out."

- Decca Records, 1962, on why they choose not to sign a new band who called themselves "The Beatles"

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"Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?"

- H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, on why they would not make a "talkie" picture

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"Theoretically, television may be feasible, but I consider it an impossibility - a development which we should waste little time dreaming about."

- Lee de Forest, inventor of the cathode ray tube

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"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. This device is inherently of no value to us."

-Western Union, 1876