Don’t underestimate the wisdom of ancient civilizations when looking for solutions to your modern problems.
The world is obviously pretty different today than it was in ancient times. (Even if some ancient jobs still exist today.) But human beings haven’t changed as much as you might think.
We still struggle with the same issues as people in ancient civilizations. What does success look like? What matters more — getting something done quickly, or doing it right? Are we what we do?
Philosophers and statesmen from ancient Rome and Greece had answers to these questions. Their ideas about work, productivity, decision-making and time management almost certainly apply to your struggles.
See if you can find inspiration that you can apply to your career:
1. “It is the mark of an educated man to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” -Aristotle
2. “Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” -Socrates
3. “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” -Seneca
4. “The wealth required by nature is limited and is easy to procure; but the wealth required by vain ideals extends to infinity.” -Epicurus
5. “Day by day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is who you become.” -Heraclitus
6. “You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.” -Aristotle
7. “That which has been done well enough has been done quickly enough.” -Augustus
8. “The only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing.” -Socrates
9. “Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.” -Seneca
10. “Haste in every business brings failures.” -Herodotus
11. “A good decision is based on knowledge and not numbers.” -Plato
12. “Make the best use of what’s in your power and take the rest as it happen.” -Epictetus
13. “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” -Aristotle
14. “Time is the wisest counselor of all.” -Pericles
Sources: Inc., Psychology Today, Business Insider, CNN
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