“The game of speculation is the most uniformly fascinating game in the world. But it is not a game for the stupid, the mentally lazy, the man of inferior emotional balance, nor for the get-rich-quick adventurer. They will die poor.”

– Jesse Livermore

“It’s not about having the skill to do something. It’s about having the will, desire & commitment to be your best.”

– Robert Hernandez

“Success is not something you pursue. Success is something you attract by the person you become.”

– Jim Rohn

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

– Plato

“Learn to take losses. The most important thing in making money is not letting your losses get out of hand.”

– Marty Schwartz

ACCEPTANCE: Drought burns basins to dust, Light rain is a dew of mockery. Receive without complaint, Work with fate.

When the countryside is gripped in drought, it is useless to complain. Even when light rains fail to moisten the parched landscape, we should accept what happens. This is the way of Tao, and one who follows Tao accepts what comes.

We may have ambitions to move in one direction, but Tao will decide otherwise. We may have plans for the future, but Tao will bend time differently. There are those who will cry out in anger and frustration, but the follower of Tao remains silent and goes about the business of preparation.

Acceptance does not mean fatalism. It does not mean capitulation to some slaughtering predestination. Those who follow Tao do not believe in being helpless. They believe in acting within the framework of circumstance. For example, in a drought, they will prepare by storing what water is available. That is sensible action. They will not plant a garden of flowers that requires a great deal of water. That is ignorance and egotism.

Acceptance is a dynamic act. It should not signal inertness, stagnation, or inactivity. One should simply ascertain what the situation requires and then implement what one thinks is best. As long as one’s deeds are in accord with the time and one leaves no sloppy traces, then the action is correct.

365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao

“You can’t make a great play unless you do it first in practice.”

– Chuck Noll

“Before you can win, you have to believe you are worthy.”

– Mike Ditka

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”

– Lao Tzu