Favorite Inspirational Quotes

Minds are like parachutes - they only function when open.

Thomas Dewar

I have, in one of my written statements of my highest priorities in life, the phrase “an inquiring mind”. Another statement is a simple, “To learn something new every day.” Both of these are very important to me. So you can understand that I definitely agree with this inspirational quote.

I have seen people who get an idea or belief and will not entertain any idea that even remotely disagrees. They will not open their minds to other or new possibilities, sometimes even when they are smacked up side the head with the need to learn.

In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.

Eric Hoffer

Our world is changing, sometimes at a very rapid rate. Those who do not have open minds ready to learn new things will be left behind. It’s hard enough for those who don’t have a background or education that allows for this rapid change, for adapting to it. It’s bad that there are those who refuse to accept the reality. And things are just going to get faster and faster or so it seems (See Moore’s Law about computer hardware).

My in-laws, when they were young, traveled by covered wagon in a move. Before they died, they were driving a pick-up truck. Heck, 50 years after that move, men had been to the moon. My mother-in-law always thought the greatest invention ever was the washing machine. (She has a point but I vote for the computer.)

But just think of how far things came during their lives. And we just keep moving faster. Twelve years ago, cell phones were expensive bulky things. Now just about everyone has one including people with very little money.

And fewer and fewer people are having land lines. This one thing is changing our world. In India and China, they never built the total infrastructure for having land lines in every home before cell phones came along. They are skipping that and may well be ahead due to it.

You just need an open mind simply to keep up. How anyone who will not keep an open mind and learn will get along is beyond me. I just hope things don’t get moving too fast for me to keep up.

Tags: Eric Hoffer