R. Rubin Quotes

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Rubin's autobiography.

On Empathy:

"[Clinton] could relate to someone else's point of view in a way that made that person feel not just heard but understood. Listening in that way was more flattering than oridinary flattery; here was the President of the United Statees, and he really cared about what you had to say... Clinton listened so sympathetically that people who were unaccustomed to him often took it as duplicitious when he later came out against their positions.." (pg. 133)

Quoting Gus Levy on Luck:

"I'd rather be lucky than good." (pg. 72)

A question worth asking:

After Gus died, I always regretted that I'd never asked him what he, driving himself all day long every day, thought life was all about. I don't know if he would have had an answer, but one answer I don't think he would have given was money." (pg. 73)

Great Line

A good friend, Banrock, frequently says: "I try to give better than I get."

In truth, I sadly wasn't raised with this line of thinking. Hopefully I'll at least think about it as I grow up.

Almost Scripted

I'm still laughing about this one:

So I told my parents that I started a new blog. Their reactions:

1. Mom: You should be playing violin. If you have time to play blog, you have time to play violin. (In the same tone as the lady from Curb Your Enthusiasm. Think: "You fat fuck.")

2. Dad: "Please don't tell me that." (In his defense, he said this only because he values my time.)

No doubt my parents love me, but they sure say it in funny ways.

College, Have I Missed Something?

From Tom Wolfe's "I am Charlotte Simmons,"

"Students rarely go on formal dates but instead attend parties in large groups, followed by “hook-ups”—unplanned sexual encounters typically fueled by alcohol. Men and women agreed the double standard persists: men gain status through sexual activity while women lose status. Fraternities control the mainstream social scene to such an extent that women feel like they play by the men’s rules. Social life is further complicated by a number of embedded hierarchies, from the widely understood ranking of Greek organizations to the opposite trajectories women and men take over four years, with women losing status in the campus environment while men gain status."

So this is what I've missed out on for the last four years?