On Action & Character Vocabulary

Personal transformation precedes social change

“A paraphrase of Gandhi's philosophy of leading by example.”

Origin: Mahatma Gandhi (paraphrased from his writings)

Taking risks increases chances of success

“The Latin proverb: audentes fortuna iuvat.”

Origin: Virgil, Aeneid; Terence; Pliny the Elder

Character is formed by habits, not single acts

“Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Origin: Will Durant summarizing Aristotle in The Story of Philosophy

Panic and paralysis are often worse than the danger itself

“FDR's inaugural address during the Great Depression.”

Origin: Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address (1933)

Act within your current constraints rather than waiting for ideal conditions

“Pragmatic wisdom: start where you are.”

Origin: Theodore Roosevelt

Activity must be purposeful, not just frantic

“Thoreau's question: What are you busy about?”

Origin: Henry David Thoreau

Don't regret past inaction—start now

“Chinese proverb on the urgency of the present moment.”

Origin: Chinese proverb

Persistence through opposition eventually triumphs

“Often attributed to Gandhi, though origin uncertain.”

Origin: Commonly attributed to Gandhi (likely apocryphal)