Overall
This reads like a book whose first priority is having a positive influence on as many readers as possible. It repeatedly lists idealised anecdotes and then frames them as “the Harvard spirit”. There was not much in which the author’s own original thinking showed through, but a few passages did make me revisit my own values. The section on humility in particular offered a different angle from what I had understood humility to mean.
I had thought of humility as lowering myself, but it strikes me as closer to considering the other person. Humility is knowing how to genuinely respect and elevate the other.
Notes
Character is the foundation of self-realisation
Steady, diligent learning makes a genius, and beyond that, a self that stands alone.
The most careful and rational person in the world is the one with a meticulous character, and such a person usually boards the express train to success and does not get off easily.
Humility is the highest virtue
What is humility? It is the attitude of treating people courteously and politely, the warmth that mixes easily with others, and the modesty to seek learning from others rather than be conceited.
In conclusion, a humble person can see to the heart of a matter and so is not impatient; thinks about the future and so does not act rashly; and stands high and so is not conceited.
A mistake can be a blemish, or it can be part of completing you
“Is there a reason you want a large wastebasket?” Einstein answered: “Because I need to be able to throw away everything I got wrong.”
The persistence that produces miracles
Persistence is not a countable number of attempts but the need for unceasing, steady effort.
Be faithful to today, and to now
Today I will live the day with all my body and mind. I will not think about my whole life. Working twelve hours a day is fine, but if I had to spend a lifetime like this, even I would be afraid of myself. Today I will give myself thirty minutes of silence to think about my life.
If you do not act right now, it is worth nothing
Action exerts more force than empty words. Do not just talk — put it into action. What matters is practice.
The only time you can grasp is today. One hour today is worth more than two hours tomorrow.
Time is something you squeeze out.
Whatever the circumstances, do the important thing first
[Deciding on the most important thing and handling it first] keeps trivial matters from interfering when you make a choice. Spending your time and energy on the most valuable work is the same as gaining more than twice the time and energy of everyone else.
… over time you fall into the error of doing whatever is urgent first, and once that habit forms you come, without realising it, to enjoy the feeling of putting out fires — and so you start with things that are urgent but not important.
Only when you can govern yourself do you earn the right to direct others
Do not expect your boss to hold on to you. Not unless you are a rare talent.
With talent as abundant as it is today, the world keeps turning without you.
Whatever you do, give it one hundred percent
If you scatter your attention in every direction by thinking about other things while doing work that requires one hundred percent of your mind to complete, the result goes without saying.
Wanting many things at once scatters the mind; a scattered mind brings failure; and losing confidence to failure throws the mind into disorder again.
Work is the best stage for self-realisation
The greatest beneficiary of a thorough professional ethic is … not the boss, not your superior, but yourself.