• Children

    ByHeather

    Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their food, and tyrannize their teachers.

    — Socrates

    It cracks me up when I see the author of this quote. I taught high school for two years and can say that at least some things never change. 🙂

  • Financial Rigor

    ByHeather

    One of the things you learn in engineering is to be rigorous. If you build a bridge that falls down on a windy day, there’s going to be hell to pay. Financial markets are not like that; they are very noisy. It’s hard to tell who’s skillful and who’s just lucky. And a lot of analyses are done in extremely haphazard, primitive ways, but the investing public doesn’t know any better.

    Feb 23, 2009 issue of Wired.

    Dan diBartolomeo is the head of Northfield Information Services, a Boston financial analysis firm. He has a long history of analyzing investment strategies and complex securities. His comparison of financial markets to the rigors of engineering is noteworthy.

  • Persistence

    ByHeather

    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.

    — Calvin Coolidge

    This is one of my all-time favorite quotes. I have committed it to memory at various times in my life and had it posted on the wall of my office on many occasions.

    I am a firm believer that the tortoise always wins the race in the end. Every worthwhile journey is long and arduous. Determination and persistence compel me to continue to put one foot in front of the other and trod on.