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| The Gardens of Daigo-ji in Kyoto, Japan |
Sooner or later a man, if he is wise, discovers that life is a
mixture of good days and bad, victory and defeat, give and take.
He learns that a man's size is often measured by the size of the
thing it takes to get his goat...that the conquest of petty
irritations is vital to success.
He learns that he who loses his temper usually loses.
He learns that carrying a chip on his shoulder is the quickest
way to get into a fight.
He learns that buck-passing acts as a boomerang.
He learns that carrying tales and gossip about others is the
easiest way to become unpopular.
He learns that everyone is human and that he can help to make the
day happier for others by smiling and saying, "Good morning!"
He learns that giving others a mental lift by showing
appreciation and praise is the best way to lift his own spirits.
He learns that the world will not end when he fails or makes an
error; that there is always another day and another chance.
He learns that listening is frequently more important than
talking, and that he can make a friend by letting the other
fellow tell HIS troubles.
He learns that all men have burnt toast for breakfast now and
then and that he shouldn't let their grumbling get him down.
He learns that people are not any more difficult to get along
with in one place that another and that "getting along" depends
about ninety-eight percent on his own behavior.
Wilferd A. Peterson
Wilferd Peterson was born in Whitehall, Michigan and lived most of his life in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was married to Ruth Irene Rector Peterson (1921-79). He credits his wife Ruth as being the inspiration for his work (saying that while he "wrote about the art of living, she lived it"), and they collaborated often on producing these inspirational books.
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