I wasn't born to be a fighter. I was born with a gentle nature, a flexible character and an organism as equilibrated as it is judg...ed hysterical. I shouldn't have been forced to fight constantly and ferociously. The causes I have fought for have invariably been causes that should have been gained by a delicate suggestion. Since they never were, I made myself into a fighter.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
No one ever promised me it would be easy and it's not. But I also get many rewards from seeing my children grow, make strong decis...ions for themselves, and set out on their own as independent, strong, likeable human beings. And I like who I am becoming, too. Having teenagers has made me more human, more flexible, more humble, more questioning--and, finally it's given me a better sense of humor!LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
A broad consensus exists that Lincoln was more eloquent than Davis in expressing war aims, more successful in communicating with t...he people, more skillful as a political leader in keeping factions working together for the war effort, better able to endure criticism and work with his critics to achieve a common goal. Lincoln was flexible, pragmatic, with a sense of humor to smooth relationships and help him survive the stress of his job; Davis was austere, rigid, humorless, with the type of personality that readily made enemies. Lincoln had a strong physical constitution; Davis suffered ill health and was frequently prostrated with illness. Lincoln picked good administrative subordinates (with some exceptions) and knew how to delegate authority to them; Davis went through five secretaries of war in four years; he spent a great deal of time and energy on petty administrative details that he should have left to subordinates. A disputatious man, Davis sometimes seemed to prefer winning an argument to winning the war; Lincoln was happy to lose an argument if it would help him win the war.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Between a sign and the thing it signifies there is the fixed, determined relationship of cause and effect. We see this in the case... of the footprint in the sand, the tear on the eyelash, or the trademark of a commercial product. But no matter how closely tied a symbol is to the thing symbolized, the relation is variable, flexible, and free. It is in poetry, however, that the symbolic value of words reaches its apex. The cross has become the symbol of Christianity not because of its form but because the Christians, following St. Paul, at a definite moment in their history, decided to adopt the instrument of Christ's torture as their emblem. Similarly, the relation between a word and its meaning depends on its origin, its history, and its usage.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Freedom is the essence of this faith. It has for its object simply to make men good and wise. Its institutions then should be as f...lexible as the wants of men. That form out of which the life and suitableness have departed should be as worthless in its eyes as the dead leaves that are falling around us.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
The difference between style and taste is never easy to define, but style tends to be centered on the social, and taste upon the i...ndividual. Style then works along axes of similarity to identify group membership, to relate to the social order; taste works within style to differentiate and construct the individual. Style speaks about social factors such as class, age, and other more flexible, less definable social formations; taste talks of the individual inflection of the social.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
To achieve the larger goal of teaching her children consideration of others, a mother can tolerate some frustration of her own wis...hes, she can delay having what she wants, she can be flexible enough to compromise. And this is exactly what her child must also learn: that it is possible to survive frustration, it is possible to wait for what he wants, it is possible to compromise without capitulating.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Fortunately, children do not need "perfect" parents. They do need mothers and fathers who will think on their feet and who will be... thoughtful about what they have done. They do need parents who can be flexible, and who can use a variety of approaches to discipline.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
In fact, may you be dull If that is what a skilled,... Vigilant, flexible, Unemphasised, enthralled Catching of happiness is called.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Why has mankind had such a craving to be imposed upon? Why this lust after imposing creeds, imposing deeds, imposing buildings, im...posing language, imposing works of art? The thing becomes an imposition and a weariness at last. Give us things that are alive and flexible, which won't last too long and become an obstruction and a weariness. Even Michelangelo becomes at last a lump and a burden and a bore. It is so hard to see past him.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »