Prof John Nash 1994 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences Acceptance Address

Nash:

"Thank you.

I've always believed in numbers and the equations and logics that lead to reason. But after a lifetime of such pursuits, I ask,
"What truly is logic?"
"Who decides reason?"

My quest has taken me through the physical, the metaphysical, the delusional -- and back. And I have made the most important discovery of my career, the most important discovery of my life:

It is only in the mysterious equations of love that any logic or reasons can be found.
I'm only here tonight because of you [his wife, Alicia].
You are the reason I am.
You are all my reasons.
Thank you".

(From: A Beautiful Mind, 2002)

My favourite lines are in red. I was moved to tears everytime I hear this speech.

Today's Devotion

Proverbs 29:1-11, The Bible
Verse 1: A man who hardens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.
Verse 11: A fool always loses his temper, but a wise man holds it back.

I admit I have always had an issue with the display of anger. I am angry, angry with stupid system, angry with stupid people, angry with that stupid taxi driver that cuts in with no warning, angry with that stupid moron who share his shit and smoke in the toilet cubicle. Man...I really have a problem! Someone please kill me now!

My anger has cost me my marriage, my family, my wife, my son, my future...if I allow it to rob me further.
No, I intend to do something about it - today. I will start to deal with it again - now. Like verse 1, I have hardened my neck after much reproof. I have been discouraged and dismayed over my failure to overcome this handicap call anger. But I know deep within that I am not broken beyond remedy. God is not finished with me yet. The Great Weaver still needs me on the easel. The Principal of the School of Hard Knocks still needs my class attendance and projects. I know I am not done because He is not done.

So, Mr Anger, watch out! I am coming back! Round two won't be a walk-over for you now.
I will put up a defense against your on-slaught, in order to protect all that which is dear to me - my wife, my son, my gifts, my ministry, my calling, my vocation, my destiny! Watch your goal post!!

I also notice that the Word of God did not say, "...but a wise man did not have or will not have - anger". The Word says he holds it back, despite having the anger. I realised that being angry is a very real thing, but staying angry is optional. I will find ways to do that.

Okay, enough of holy holy.

Succeed like a Champion

I've missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot...and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
- Michael Jordan
Professional Basketball Player

To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are.
- Muhammad Ali
World Champion Boxer

Change the World

Consciously or unconsciously, every one of us does render some service or other. If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger, and will make, not only our own happiness, but that of the world at large.
- Mahatma Gandhi
1869-1948, Indian Political and Spiritual Leader

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.
- Leo Tolstoy, Russian Writer

The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what the man or woman is able to do that counts.
-Booker T. Washington
1856-1915, Educator and Reformer

Face Your Fear

When you face your fear, most of the time you will discover that it was not really such a big threat after all. We all need some form of deeply rooted, powerful motivation - it empowers us to overcome obstacles so we can live our dreams.
- Les Brown

Never Quit

Whenever you make a mistake or get knocked down by life, don't look back at it too long. Mistakes are life's way of teaching you. Your capacity for occasional blunders is inseparable from your capacity to reach your goals. No one wins them all, and your failures, when they happen, are just part of your growth.
Shake off your blunders. How will you know your limits without an occasional failure?
Never quit. Your turn will come.

Og Mandino
1923-1996,
From "A Better Way to Live"

Thoughts

Never feel remorse for what you have thought about your wife; she has thought much worse things about you.
- Jean Rostand

Killing makes you a ...

Kill a man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conquerer. Kill everyone, and you are a god!
- Jean Rostand

What Men would Do if they had a Vagina for a Day - R(A)

10. Immediately go shopping for zucchini and cucumbers.
9. Squat over a hand-held mirror for an hour and a half.
8. See if they could finally do the splits.
7. See if it's truly possible to launch a ping pong ball 20 feet.
6. Cross their legs without rearranging their crotch.
5. Get picked up in a bar in less than 10 minutes ... BEFORE closing time.
4. Have consecutive multiple orgasms and still be ready for more without sleeping first.
3. Go to the gynecologist for a pelvic exam and ask to have it recorded on video.
2. Sit on the edge of the bed and pray for breasts too.
1. Finally find that damned G-spot.

Guys, please don't try 6,7, 8 & 9 at home - your mom or wife might get freak-out!!!

Gender Difference

At the college, male & female students were told to individually write a sentence using the words 'sex' and 'love.'
Females wrote :
When two mature people are passionately and deeply in love with one another to a high degree and that they respect each other very much, then, it is spiritually and morally acceptable to the society that they both engage themselves in the act of physical sex with one another.

Men wrote : 'I love sex.'

Eating Grass

One afternoon, a wealthy lawyer was riding in the back of his limousine when he saw two men eating grass by the road side. He ordered his driver to stop and he got out to investigate.
"Why are you eating grass?" he asked one man.
"We don't have any money for food." the poor man replied.
"Oh, come along with me then."
"But sir, I have a wife with two children!"
"Bring them along! And you, come with us too!", he said to the other man.
"But sir, I have a wife with six children!" the second man answered.
"Bring them as well!"
They all climbed into the car, which was no easy task, even for a car as large as the limo. Once underway, one of the poor fellows says, "Sir, you are too kind. Thank you for taking all of us with you."
The lawyer replied, "No problem, the grass at my home is about two feet tall!"

Money Rules to Live By VI

Throw no good money after bad
"Sunk costs" are expenses that have already been incurred and can't be recovered to any appreciable extent. "Sunk cost fallacy" means an irrational belief that a further investment of time, money or effort will somehow resurrect the value that's already disappeared.

A classic example is the investor whose stock has plunged because the prospects of the company have worsened. The investor wouldn't buy the same stock today, yet continues to hang on to the shares rather than sell them and take the loss. The investor may offer the excuse that he or she wants to at least "break even" before selling, but of course the stock market doesn't care about the investor getting the money back, and all the wishing in the world won't bring the stock price back up.
By hanging on to the shares, the investor is giving up the opportunity to invest elsewhere at a profit -- an opportunity cost.
Remember: Sometimes it is better to flee and hide, so that another day you may come back and fight.

Money Rules to Live By V

Why supply and demand rule
For the most part, prices are set by the interaction between supply and demand. If demand for something suddenly shoots up and the available supply of that something doesn't change, then prices will increase. If demand drops or supply increases, though, prices typically fall.
Here's an example. Say rock star Brittany Amber Tiffany is photographed wearing a cap with the brand name of a Health Care company. Suddenly, all her fans and half the people reading local magazine decide they, too, need the Health Care company's hat. The companies that stock these hats figure out a good thing when they see it, and double, then triple, the price. The hat actually worn by Brittany sells for a mint on eBay, earning a notice in mainstream newspapers and furthering the craze.
The Health Care company wants a piece of this action and starts cranking out hats by the ton. Suddenly you can find one in every Cold Storage and Robinson. The retailers can no longer command a premium for having a rare item (thanks to the increase in supply). In fact, the hats start seeming a heck of a lot less cool, lowering demand; Cold Storage and Robinson slash the price still further to get rid of their unwanted supply.
Only a big increase in supply or a sustained decline in demand is likely to affect prices.
Supply and demand have a lot to do with our incomes, as well. If we have rare skills that are in high demand by employers, we can negotiate higher pay. If, on the other hand, there are a lot of people that can do what we do or the employer need for what we do is limited, our incomes are likely to be stunted. Think about that, and stay relevant or risk losing your rice bowl.

Money Rules to Live By IV

Every money decision has a cost of its own
"Opportunity cost," very simply, means what we give up in order to get something else. In every choice, there's an opportunity cost. If you decide to go to university, for example, you're giving up the income you could have earned by working full-time during those years plus whatever you could have purchased with the money used to attend school. You also may take on loans to pay for school, which will have to be paid back with future income that could have gone for other purposes.
The good news, of course, is that even with opportunity costs, university is a slam-dunk for most people. Statistically, the average graduate makes 70% more over his or her lifetime than someone who stops with a "A-level" Certificate or Diploma.
If, however, you train for a career that has little demand and wind up making the same amount as a Diploma holder, or trailing huge amounts of student loan debt you can never repay, you may regret the money spent on school and the foregone income.
Understanding that our choices have opportunity costs, and examining what those costs are, should help us make better economic decisions.

Love Letter

My Dear Wife,

My love for you is endless. I know I don't always show it as I used to, and I admit that often I get distracted with the demands of life and lately, derailed by the pressures of work. But I want you to know that my love for you is here to stay - yes, it's going to go the distance. I am committed to you, and I'm committed to our marriage and family. I plan to love you for all of my days.

I'm aware that things don't always go smoothly in our marriage and that we have our ups and downs, but through it all, one thing will never change - my love for you. I know it will go on and on. And I know that it will continue to increase and strengthen over time. My love for you is forever.

Because I love you,

Your Husband