Here is something I think about regularly, having been reminded in comments about the negative people whom hide behind veils and toss invective, I thought I’d share this with you all.
Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
Calvin Coolidge (1872 – 1933)
And that is where I find this site quite good. It is about facts and a persistent focus on finding and talking about facts. Persistent about it, if you will.
Whatever the real origin of the phrase, don’t let the bastards get you down.
I am about to embark on some big programming projects. Thank you, this post just gave me the little push I needed to dive in!
If at first you don’t succeed
try, try again.
One percent inspiration
ninenty nine percent perspiration (Edison when asked how he invented)
AGW cabal know this well, as all cabals
Andy,
You should say,”Nil carborundum illigitimie sub” for your last comment, i.e.
“Don’t let the B!!!!!!s grind you down”!
Great blogg. Too few of them about. Had a reply from good old Auntie Beeb (bbc) regarding the changed article about Global warming “Dips”, etc. I put in a complaint about it being changed, I surprisingly actually got a reply but mererly to say that they had had “several” complaints about it, but that they were merely responding to changes requested by WMO to reflect the “science”! No comment whatsoever about bowing to pressure from an activist! How strange?
Mark Twain put it like this: “The miracle, or the power, that elevates the few is to be found in their industry, application, and perseverance under the prompting of a brave, determined spirit.”
Keep up the good work.
I hide for a reason and it is somewhat is to protect your blog.
Persistence cuts both ways. Mann is persistent in not correcting his errors.
Hansen is persistent in that (I honestly believe), he believes, really believes, he is trying to save the world/species/whatever. This does not make him dishonest, but it does make him dangerous. He is a mediocre scientist with a messiah complex, and that in itself means he lacks the ability to be objective, or to practice good science.
But he is very persistent.
There’s nothing but truth in that. Some people sit around all day and complain a lot, but do nothing (hoping someone else will care for them, I guess). Then there are other people who just keep busy, going about their business.
I don’t need to tell you who ends up succeeding.
If we could just tap the energy that’s used for complaining, we’d solve our energy problems.
I think it was St. Francis of Assissi (sp?) who said:
First do the things that need to get done.
Then do the things that are possible.
If you do that, then you’ll have accomplished the “impossible”.
Anthony,
Perfect timing for those words. There is nothing lonelier than having your own business and trying to make it work by yourself. As I hit the sales road again today, I will do so with those words in mind and a renewed vigor ( it’s been a tough week so far, been beat up alot). Thanks for the reminder of what it takes to be successful.
Not only does this site exemplify persistence, it also has the winning attitude.
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes. ” Charles Swindoll”
I really appreciate the attitude that you have chosen here.
oops quotation marks wrong sorry
Persistence is good, but those familiar with the book, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” will remember an even better, more fundamental quality to have, that of gumption. It is gumption which gives you the drive, the energy to proceed, and yes persist, in the face of what may seem to be overwhelming odds against you.
Negative people, as well as setbacks can sap gumption. Sites like this one, I believe, in addition to it’s other positive qualities tend to give a boost to gumption. We “skeptics” do face a powerful, and a very negative foe, which uses lying, bullying, fear-mongering, and of course, the MSM which is in its pocket in order to continue their AGW propaganda machine. That can be overwhelming at times.
“Genius is only the power of continuous effort.”
– Notebook of Elbert Hubbard
Very nice quotes, thanks.
They are a great counter-point to the mob mentality orbiting the contrived “scientific consensus” being promoted by politicians, media organisations, and dull group-minds.
Great quote, Anthony. I appreciate it as did Tom in Florida, to whom I say that attitude is everything in sales.
Tom, keep persisting with a positive attitude, and you will continue to be a winner.
This is marginally on topic, that means it’s marginally off topic. Persistance skeptics will like it.
Hot on the heels of an April Fools Day article ambiguously titled More Scientists Need Brain Enhancing Drugs
comes an article from Reuters that reports a Nature survey of its readers shows that roughly one in five use prescription drugs to improve their focus, concentration, or memory. (It’s probably 1 in 5 people who responded, but what the heck.)
Perhaps these days it takes more than persistence. Will the Nobel Prize committee start screening for performance enhancing drugs?
Excuse me, I need to get a can of Coke from the cooler.
Just an OT note: john cross, who posted to the ‘rewriting history’ article, is a staunch agw advocate. He seems quite convinced of what the goreacle is spouting (this from his posting to Cjunk and Small Dead Animals). Nor has he EVER seen a skeptics science he could agree with. Just a heads up.
Anthony, that remains one of my favorite quotes. Here is another from Milton Friedman, a nobel laureate in economics:
“When a man spends his own money to buy something for himself, he is
very careful about how much he spends and how he spends it. When a
man spends his own money to buy something for someone else, he is
still very careful about how much he spends, but somewhat less what
he spends it on. When a man spends someone else’s money to buy
something for himself, he is very careful about what he buys, but
doesn’t care at all how much he spends. And when a man spends someone
else’s money on someone else, he doesn’t care how much he spends or
what he spends it on. And that’s government for you.”
Well, I intend to give the word a run for its money in the “part 57” thread.