“A beautiful deleveraging balances the three options. In other words, there is a certain amount of austerity, there is a certain amount of debt restructuring, and there is a certain amount of printing of money. When done in the right mix, it isn’t dramatic.”

People who confuse what they wish were true with what is really true create distorted pictures of reality that make it impossible for them to make the best choices.

It’s more important to do big things well than to do small things perfectly.

Some people seek to understand, and some people seek to portray what they want to portray.

I also believe that everyone needs to think independently and make their own decisions on what makes the most sense.

That’s what I mean by radical truth. I mean accepting reality.

School typically doesn’t prepare young people for real life – unless their lives are spent following instructions and pleasing others. In my opinion, that’s why so many students who succeed in school fail in life.

Nature gave us pain as a messaging device to tell us that we are approaching, or that we have exceeded, our limits in some way.

Most people have a hard time confronting their weaknesses in a really straightforward, evidence-based way. They also have problems speaking frankly to others. Some people love knowing about their weaknesses and mistakes and those of others because it helps them be so much better, while others can’t stand it.

I believe that for the most part, achieving success – whatever that is for you – is mostly a matter of personal choice and that, initially, making the right choices can be difficult.

More than anything else, what differentiates people who live up to their potential from those who don’t is a willingness to look at themselves and others objectively.

Everyone has to decide for themselves what works for them and their organization.

There is a strong tendency to get used to and accept very bad things that would be shocking if seen with fresh eyes.

Watch out for people who think it’s embarrassing not to know.

The pain of problems is a call to find solutions rather than a reason for unhappiness and inaction, so it’s silly, pointless, and harmful to be upset at the problems and choices that come at you (though it’s understandable).

There is nothing to fear from truth….Being truthful is essential to being an independent thinker and obtaining greater understanding of what is right.

If you have the power to see things through somebody else’s eyes, it’s like going from black and white to color or two dimensions to three dimensions.

I don’t strive for balance.

A well-balanced mind is the best remedy against affliction.

I just try to get through my to-do list, with my kids’ homework being at the top of it, and then try to prepare for the next audition or whatever scene I’m shooting next. Balance.

We believe that introducing surface-to-air missiles in Syria is going to change the balance of power on the ground.

Just like surface-to-air missiles in Afghanistan were able to change the balance of power there.

I don’t need to overeat to feel satisfied. I cook with healthy oils (olive, coconut) and stay away as much as possible from overly processed foods. When I do indulge, I enjoy it. For that moment. And then I balance it with exercise.

Pay attention to what I eat and to how I balance that with physical and mental exercise.

To me, health is a balanced mind. A balanced mind knows how to get enough rest, how to eat properly, how to exercise. I have come out as just a balanced human being, and I don’t know anything finer than that.