Friends of Words

Category: Quotes

A collection of things that my mind thinks, or has ever thought of

  • “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?” – Yoda

    “Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?” – Yoda

    Star Wars has slowly and steadily crept into my hard drive and minimal wardrobe. It has taken decades to be where it is in my life, but I can safely say it is here to stay. 

    And more than anything else, it is because of Yoda. 

    Yoda is the grammar-agnostic voice of wisdom, one that makes both my heart and my vocabulary feel good about themselves. 

    The Star Wars franchise is laden with Yoda’s wise words, and I love that his advice makes its way past time and space to us earthlings.

    Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?

    Yoda says this in a conversation with Luke, who expresses dismay at his inability to lift his ship out of the swamp. 

    The ship’s too big. 

    Soon, Yoda lifts Luke’s ship out of the swamp. Yoda says it’s no different lifting a ship than lifting a rock.

    Fascinating stuff, really.

    Star Wars aside, I have always found telekinesis incredibly enchanting. 

    The first few scenes of the movie Birdman, when Riggan Thomson (played by Michael Keaton) was moving things around with his mind and levitating, got my heart racing, but not for long alas! 

    Just a few seconds later, they indicate it was all in his imagination. 

    Not that it’s a surprise; telekinesis, of course, is not real. Unless you are in the Marvel Universe or Harry Potter movies. 

    But the idea of having the objects come to you than you moving around to fetch them tells you loud and clear, who the boss is, no?

    Moving away from daydreaming for a minute, the idea of size not mattering is not new. History is replete with figures of authority that had short stature. 

    I can recall my middle school history teacher regularly citing Napolean as an influential figure, despite his short stature (by the way, he wasn’t that short either). 

    Maybe that was my teacher’s indirect way to… empower(?) the shorter kids in the class, who the taller, burly ones may frequently bully. Or it was simply him teaching us history. Whatever it was, it had a profound impact on me.

    If you removed size from the equation, the playing field was leveled, wasn’t it? In this new imaginary world of mine, the bully’s size didn’t matter, the length of your essays didn’t matter, your height didn’t matter, and your ‘assets’ didn’t matter. What an egalitarian middle school society! 

    I must have floated on that feeling for a solid five days until I witnessed a basketball match, by mistake, on my way to class. One of my friends, the shortest in the class, was playing basketball with some of my classmates. 

    It was painful for my eyes and my heart, the twenty seconds of her struggling to get to the ball. It broke my heart just a little bit.

    In what now seems like ages later, I chanced upon Yoda’s timeless wisdom, and that memory from childhood came rushing back. I was more mature now.

    Yoda (800 years old): Size doesn’t matter.

    Me: I know, this was life-transforming advice for me; big fan, big fan!

    Yoda: Judge me by my size, do you?

    Me: Of course not! Huge fan, now and always!

    Also Me (secretly): How about your age?

  • If You Desire to be Good, Begin by Believing that You are Wicked – Epictetus

    If You Desire to be Good, Begin by Believing that You are Wicked – Epictetus

    I was roaming in the neighborhood library one day, glancing through the books on the shelves to pick one for reading. I noticed that the library folks had put up some quotes from famous personalities on the walls. Francis Bacon, Newton, and Gandhi were all featured. 

    As I head to check out my book, I notice another quote from Epictetus on the wall opposite me. This one by Epictetus – 

    If you desire to be good, begin by believing that you are wicked.

    My first reaction to that was slight confusion – given what wicked means in our times.

    A: Yo, did you finally get that Xbox S you wanted?

    B: Nope, I got an Xbox X instead.

    A: Wicked!

    Thankfully, my brain woke up and reminded me that Epictetus belonged to a time when wicked didn’t mean what it means today. So he must have meant that you must accept the belief that you are an absolute beginner at the craft you plan to master. Your slate needs to be wiped clean. You need to be comfortable being level zero. 

    That’s the only way to avoid your ego working against you. 

    Acquisition of true knowledge of any kind- has to start with humility and a sincere love of learning.

  • Do or DO NOT; There is No Try: Yoda

    Do or DO NOT; There is No Try: Yoda

    This character from Star Wars can be seen on T-shirts, Legos, games, soft toys, and miniature figurines, just to name a few. Now, I know a bunch of characters will come to mind, given the popularity of this movie series. But what if I told you, you had to pick the Ancient Wise one? Who will you be taking with you to the meditation/yoga retreat?

    Yoda, I hope.

    Yoda from Star Wars

    There is a reason why Yoda is everywhere. An epitome of wisdom, an inspiration to all Jedi warriors. Look beyond his grammar, and you will find that brief quips are loaded with deep, timeless wisdom.

    Do or Do Not; There is no try.

    To refresh your memory, this is something he says in Dagobah, part of the last instructions to Luke Skywalker, in a bid to make him more committed to the cause. It was all or none when it came to commitment, and the sooner Luke learned that the better, if not easier, his journey would be.

    We have seen the all-time greats constantly marking genius as someone who can distill the most complicated concepts into simple consumable nuggets. 

    Einstein, Feynman, and Shakespeare were all fans of simplicity and simple explanations to drive complexity home.

    Back to basics: 1 or 0. 

    Yes or No. 

    On or Off. 

    You are either in it or out of it. You only have one option.It is as simple as that. 

    You are either getting a 100% on the test , or you are failing. 

    There was a fascinating TED talk by Salman Khan, founder of Khan academy, where he spoke about honing expertise by aiming for a complete wholesome understanding than targeting a certain pass percentage in tests. Isn’t it intimidating to be 100% on everything you touch?

    Needless to say, it is. 

    The Jedi Master was a harsh taskmaster. He wanted it done. He wanted the Jedi masters to be in it. Clear head, clear commitment. 

    The simplest of chinks in the armor can take the greatest warriors down. Luke couldn’t afford it, and the sooner he accepted that, the better for him.

    It might not be hard to digest that there might have been some influence of the Yoda philosophy in James Cameron’s advice when he said:

    “If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success.”

    Frankly, there is no other way.

    How do you, my dear reader, feel about that? Is there really no try, just a “do or don’t”?

  • Better to Trip With the Feet Than With the Tongue – Zeno

    Better to Trip With the Feet Than With the Tongue – Zeno

    Tripping.

    If only they handed out degrees for that thing, I am sure I would now be prefixing my name with a Dr. 

    I tried to take the easy way out and pin it to a genetic fault – one that made me prone to tripping, but after weeks of ogling away at my parents’ movements, I was at a loss. Alas! I was a self-made tripping queen. 

    Tripping over electric wires, hanging loosely from the socket.

    Tripping over a door mat (for real, no kidding).

    Tripping over an Ottoman.

    Tripping over a can of coke.

    Tripping over a classmate’s foot (I am sure he held it out deliberately) on my way, running behind Miss Madan (one of my favorite teachers) on her way to the staff room.

    I didn’t seem to learn much from them, given that my graph plot of average trips per year continues to defy all expectations from a person of normal hand-to-eye coordination.

    Not contrary to what you’d expect from such an individual, I have a gamut of cuts, scratches, and embarrassing memories to show for it. I have made peace with it over the years. Or at least I think I have. 

    And this talent of mine isn’t restricted to physical comedies (comedies to you, of course, to me, they were anything but, at that time). I used to be quite the expert in a slip of tongues as well. I will spare you the details. 

    Suffice it to say that the most awkward mistakes I have made were a trip of the tongue, or putting a foot in it, if you will. That is why it made so much sense when I read this quote by Zeno. 

    Better to trip with the foot than the tongue.

    Even the slightest slip of the tongue can potentially ruin relationships, your reputation, or some. 

    Reputation, I didn’t care about much, mostly because I hardly have any. 

    Relationships, yes, they hurt, they hurt badly and still do. 

    What I thought was a light-jested remark to a friend of five years didn’t go down so well with them. I can only assume because I haven’t spoken to them for years. I do feel like Adele’s Hello character, trying to get through to this friend.

    All that to say, if my years have taught me anything, the tongue’s a titan. Heed you must, its powers.

    Thee doth not has’t to hark to me. 

    Hark to Zeno.

  • It’s not personal, it’s just business… but is it, really?

    It’s not personal, it’s just business… but is it, really?

    There is a good chance you know what I am talking about. Great chance if you are a movie buff or an avid reader. 

    The Godfather.

    Now I must admit, I never read the book myself, but the movies were so good that I thought the book wouldn’t be able to beat the charm – especially the magic that Marlon Brando and Al Pacino created in The Godfather. 

    The movies are practically loaded with worldly wisdom.

    When negotiating: make them an offer they can’t refuse

    When confused about the choice to make: leave the gun, take the cannoli.

    When faced with an all-out war: go to the mattresses.

    When pestered to reveal something you don’t want to: Don’t ask me about my business, Kaye.

    It has priceless advice for almost every major imaginable life scenario, but the one that I have heard most out of a cinematic setting is:

    It’s not personal; it’s just business.

    The funny thing is I have heard this in informal settings as much as in formal ones. I have seen it used at work and at parties. And almost always, it describes a scenario where someone seemed to have been stabbed in the back. 

    Not to say that the victim didn’t deserve it, but the perpetrator, the stabber in the case, could easily justify doing what they did because it wasn’t personal hatred; it was something that just needed to be handled for them to be able to afford a smooth “sailing” experience.

    Now it may not be personal, it really may be purely business, but I always have trouble digesting that. 

    How is it possible? 

    Maybe in a day and age where machines have risen, and humans are already a relic. 

    But human beings are emotional creatures. With this flawed design in our making, can there be a clear distinction? Doesn’t our personality influence everything we do, work or otherwise?

    Corporate literature is ripe with examples of founders chucked out of their own companies; maybe the company board went with ” it’s not personal, it’s business.” 

    But I bet the fired founder didn’t feel the same way. 

    Kevin Spacey’s character in Horrible Bosses didn’t feel like promoting Jason Bateman’s, despite him proving time and again that he was deserving. 

    a scene from HORRIBLE BOSSES which shows kevin spacey and jason bateman facing each other
    Kevin Spacey (L) and Jason Bateman in Horrible Bosses.

    For a minute, forget about the movie and look around your workplace, I am sure you know of one or two occasions where someone you know, if not you, was told by their boss that the reason for no promotion was strictly business. 

    Our work is a reflection of the people we are. Our experiences – personal and business – shape our personalities. One to exist in isolation, without the other, is impossible unless you are a robot. 

    OR THE GODFATHER.