Marginal motivation produces a marginal outcome. (It’s amazing this insight still surprises us).

We also underestimate how the quality of our goals affects our motivation. We fail at New Year’s resolutions because our goals are almost always about marginal stuff, which we pursue with marginal motivation. Instead of aiming at core issues-say, escaping a hateful job-we aim for vague, amorphous targets like “take a class” or “travel more.” A marginal goal begets marginal effort.

– Marshall Goldsmith, Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts–Becoming the Person You Want to Be

If a man is crossing a river
And an empty boat collides with his own skiff,
Even though he be a bad-tempered man
He will not become very angry.
But if he sees a man in the boat,
He will shout to him to steer clear.
And if the shout is not heard he will shout
Again, and yet again, and begin cursing –
And all because there is somebody in that boat.
Yet if the boat were empty,
He would not be shouting, and he would not be angry.

– Chuang Tzu

“I learned long ago never to wrestle with a pig.
You both get dirty and the pig likes it.”
– Cyrus Ching

When I was a young monk, I wondered why the Buddha kept practicing mindfulness and meditation even after he had already become a buddha. Now I find the answer is plain enough to see. Happiness is impermanent, like everything else. In order for happiness to be extended and renewed, you have to learn how to feed your happiness. Nothing can survive without food, including happiness; your happiness can die if you don’t know how to nourish it. If you cut a flower but you don’t put it in some water, the flower will wilt in a few hours.

– 5 Practices for Nurturing Happiness, THICH NHAT HANH