Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xi
First deserve, then desire xiii
Oh, how powerfully the magnet of illusion attracts xxv
1 A Man Is Known by the Company He Avoids
Don't blame the mirror for your own reflection 5
Fear is the prison of the heart 25
Always borrow from a pessimist; he won't expect to be paid back 34
No hell is private 51
Against boredom the gods themselves fight in vain 55
The best of compasses does not point to true north 61
We cannot direct the wind but we can trim the sails 64
Life is rarely as simple as we would have it 69
We flatter ourselves if we believe that our character is fixed 75
What is essential is invisible to the eye 80
The first duty of love is to listen 85
When all is said and done, more is said than done 88
2 People to Cherish
The Essential Virtues 95
Kindness 98
Optimism 103
Courage 108
Loyalty 114
Tolerance 118
Honesty 122
Beauty 126
Humor 132
Flexibility 136
Intelligence 138
3 It Is Not the Answer That Enlightens but the Question
The most dangerous food to eat is a wedding cake 143
The gods too are fond of a joke: the role of chance in human affairs 148
Love will make you forget time and time will make you forget love 152
Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing 158
Falling in love with love is falling for make-believe 164
Experience: Test first, lesson later 169
The trouble with parents is that by the time they are experienced they are unemployed 173
If it weren't for marriage, men and women would have to fight with total strangers 179
Beware of those who are sure they are right 185
Money can't buy happiness; it can, however, rent it 187
Ideas are easier to love than people 192
If you were arrested for kindness, would there be enough evidence to-convict? 196
About the Author 205
