Excerpts from the book - "The Question Behind The Question"

(Pg 15) We always have a choice. Always. Even deciding not to choose is making a choice.

(Pg 26) stress is a choice, because whatever the "trigger event", we always choose our own responses.

(Pg 53) When he sent me out to the mat, he'd always remind me I had three people to beat that day: my opponent, myself and the referee. That I had to beat my opponent was obvious. By "myself" he meant I had to overcome the fears any athlete naturally has. About beating the ref, he'd say, "It doesn't matter how close the match is, John. Even if you lose in overtime by one point, even if he makes a couple of questionable calls, you cannot blame the man in black and white." He'd conclude by saying, "If you want to win, you must be good enough to beat the ref!"

(Pg 97) As my mentor, W. Steven Brown, always taught, "Leaders are not problem solvers but problem givers." They let others tackle the problem, design their own solutions, and take action. How else can people learn? How else can leaders serve?

Excerpts from the book - "What Do You Care What Other People Think?" by Richard P. Feynman

(Pg 33) I thought one should have the attitude of "What do you care what other people think!" I said, "We should listen to other people's opinions and take them into account. Then, if they don't make sense and we think they're wrong, then that's that!"

(Pg 59) By that experience Tukey and I discovered that what goes on in different people's heads when they think they're doing the same thing - something as simple as counting - is different for different people.

(Pg 122) It's the only way I know to get technical information quickly: you don't just sit there while they go through what they think would be interesting: instead, you ask a lot of questions, you get quick answers, and soon you begin to understand the circumstances and learn just what to ask to get the next piece of information you need.

Excerpts from the book - "The Dream" By Gurbaksh Chahal

(Pg 33) I began to see that perception was reality. Many of the most successful companies were making no money whatsoever, but everyone assumed that the Internet was on the verge of exploding and that before long everyone would be rolling in cash.

(Pg 50) In an effort to make sure I understood the intricacies of the business, I started calling around to see what I could learn from anyone who was even remotely connected to Internet advertising.

(Pg 82) What kind of fool was I, that I had let a greedy programmer bring me to my knees? The experience taught me another valuable lesson: Never put yourself in a position of vulnerability.

(Pg 91) You must always negotiate from a position of strength.

(Pg 97) When you make decisions, it's fine to listen to the people around you, but the final decisions need to be yours. If you can't trust yourself to make decisions, you'll never succeed.

(Pg 101) Don't chase the money. Chase substance. If you have substance, the money will follow.

(Pg 110) Pick your battles.

(Pg 140) The market (share market) wasn't in my blood. You need to know what you're all about if you want to succeed. You need to play to your strengths, otherwise you're going to settle for mediocrity.

(Pg 160) Being cheap is good for the company and for the shareholders, but don't be too cheap. Never by cheap with your employees, for example. If one of them is a rock star, pay him or her a rock-star salary. This is very important. When staffing a company, you should always hire people who are smarter than you.

(Pg 178) Failure is not an option. Anyone who even entertains the idea of failure is already doomed.

(Pg 234) Grow a thick skin - a very think skin. People will question your ability to succeed, and the loudest among them might make you doubt your own talents, so you'll need a thick skin to drown out the noise.