"Το λακωνίζειν εστί φιλοσοφείν", — Chilon of Sparta

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." — Antoine de Saint Exupéry

As Jarrett sees it, moving from the interpretation based world of classical music to the improvisational one of jazz requires a radical shift that shakes the foundations of self. When he performed a lot of Mozart in the 80’s, he says “I wasn’t playing anything other than Mozart. I had to become another person.” And, he adds, “to teach a classical musician to improvise is almost more impossible than to teach an accountant or plumber to improvise.” — Keith Jarrett

Be patient. No matter what. Don’t badmouth: Assign responsibility, never blame. Say nothing behind another’s back you’d be unwilling to say, in exactly the same tone and language, to his face. Never assume the motives of others are, to them, less noble than yours are to you.

Expand your sense of the possible. Don’t trouble yourself with matters you truly cannot change. Expect no more of anyone than you yourself can deliver. Tolerate ambiguity. Laugh at yourself frequently. Concern yourself with what is right rather than whom is right.

Never forget that, no matter how certain, you might be wrong. Give up blood sports. Remember that your life belongs to others as well. Do not endanger it frivolously. And never endanger the life of another. Never lie to anyone for any reason. Learn the needs of those around you and respect them.

Avoid the pursuit of happiness. Seek to define your mission and pursue that. Reduce your use of the first personal pronoun. Praise at least as often as you disparage. Never let your errors pass without admission. Become less suspicious of joy.

Understand humility. Forgive. Foster dignity. Live memorably. Love yourself. Endure.

— John Perry Barlow’s Principles of Adult Behavior / October 3, 1977

“The medium is the message.” — Marshall McLuhan