Make hay while the sun shines.
- I think of this as a partly as keeping your eyes open to when the sun shines... which is when opportunities exist... and actually taking advantage of the situation. This is always a challenge because you have to act and act quickly, when it is so much easier to let the opportunity slide.
A boy will dabble in a thousand pursuits and then drop them when he gets bored or they become too difficult. A man will always finish what he starts.
- This one I disagree with. I like to go with Adam Savage's style where he has multiple projects going simultaneously, and just jumping on what interests you, even if it means having a dozen half completed things. This makes it so something is always moving forward, you are following your passions, and you don't get into creative blocks. This only applies to creative pursuits, and for those, it is when you switch to another task, not when you just walk away from doing anything to watch tv.
Make it your goal to have your children say about you what Theodore Roosevelt said about his father: "My father was the best man I ever knew. He combined strength and courage with gentleness, tenderness, and great unselfishness. He would not tolerate in us children selfishness or cruelty, idleness, cowardice, or untruthfulness.
- Love this. It gives a solid list of traits to exemplify and be a role model for your children for.
If we play'em 10 times, they might win 9. But not this game. Not tonight.
- Even when the odds are against you, remember that sometimes luck is on your side, and you can make some of your own luck. Sometimes you have to accept that failure is the norm, but going into an area where failure is the norm can provide major upsides and enjoyment and growth.