“Consistent effort is a consistent challenge.”

In evaluating people, I prize ego. It often translates into a fierce desire to do their best and an inner confidence that stands them in good stead when things really get rough.

Each of us needs to look at our own behavior. Am I perpetuating and reinforcing the negative messages so pervasive in our culture, or am I seeking to challenge them?

The [best] coaches… know that the job is to win… know that they must be decisive, that they must phase people through their organizations, and at the same time they are sensitive to the feelings, loyalties, and emotions that people have toward one another.

I caution against beginning or ending a quotation with ellipses

Good talent with bad attitude equals bad talent.

Your attitude will unlock the mystery of success you seek!

I’m not one of those “omg texting kids rite bad” alarmists. I just think there’s an interesting nexus where the Internet itself hastened language change when it comes to Internet terms.

The proper use of commas is often more art than science.

Consistent motivation usually comes from a consuming desire to be able to perform at your best under pressure, namely, the pressure produced by tough competition.

Afford each person the same respect, support, and fair treatment you would expect if your roles were reversed. Deal with people individually, not as objects who are part of a herd-that’s the critical factor.

By instinct we-leaders-want to run hard all the time; by intellect we know this is not possible. Reconciling those two positions in the context of leadership is an ongoing challenge.

A harsh reality of newspaper editing is that the deadlines don’t allow for the polish that you expect in books or even magazines

Everybody’s got an opinion. Leaders are paid to make a decision. The difference between offering an opinion and making a decision is the difference between working for the leader and being the leader.

On occasion I omit commas. On occasion, I use them. (The more you know about English, the less you’re likely to think there are unbreakable “rules” for a lot of these things.)

Strength of will – is essential to your survival and success. The competitor who won’t go away, who won’t stay down, has one of the most formidable competitive advantages of all.

For me the starting point for everything – before strategy, tactics, theories, managing, organizing, philosophy, methodology, talent, or experience – is work ethic. Without one of significant magnitude, you’re dead in the water.

I find inspiration everywhere. I love challenges and my favorite thing is to find something ridiculous and be like “if it’s all that I have available to me, I am gonna make it look the best that I can”.

I certainly want campaign finance reform. I just wish this would do it in a way that would stand up to a constitutional challenge.

Presumption should never make us neglect that which appears easy to us, nor despair make us lose courage at the sight of difficulties.

One of the things that I learned is that you never truly know yourself until you challenge yourself.

In my career, there have been three things that were challenging: playing gay; playing a Jewish woman; and playing Anton Chekhov. The scariest part was playing Chekhov!

What is genius, anyway, if it isn’t the ability to give an adequate response to a great challenge?

It was a huge challenge to learn digital painting well enough so that computers don’t pop into mind when one sees one.

You have to meet all of the challenges, big and small. Because how you start is how you finish.