[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fg4H7NPAfoWJo801YKSA2rLNlLjIIVk-dr030wD070kA":3,"$fM_tPb2inINo83V99DJxCfn6_RujnsOHPCJomPUAfhUI":24},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},43302,"Michael Josephson","M",209,null,"michael-josephson",[12,16,20],{"tag_id":13,"tag_name":14,"tag_count":15},128,"character",18,{"tag_id":17,"tag_name":18,"tag_count":19},585,"gratitude",15,{"tag_id":21,"tag_name":22,"tag_count":23},56,"thinking",8,{"quotes":25,"pagination":91},[26,35,41,49,55,61,67,73,79,85],{"id":27,"quote_text":28,"author_id":5,"source_id":29,"has_image":30,"author":31,"source":32,"quote_tag":33,"commentary":34},3284703,"What will matter is not your success but your significance...",6,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\n\nThis quote is attributed to Michael Josephson, an American moral philosopher and founder of Character Counts!, a character education organization. While the exact origin of the quote is unclear, it reflects Josephson's long-standing emphasis on the importance of living with purpose and integrity. During his career, Josephson has likely grappled with the challenges of making a lasting impact in a world where fleeting success often takes precedence over enduring significance.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nWhat lies beneath this seemingly straightforward quote is a critique of our culture's overemphasis on external validation and material wealth. The author is not suggesting that success is inherently bad or that it should be abandoned altogether, but rather that it must be recontextualized as a means to achieve something more profound – significance. This paradox highlights the tension between living for oneself versus making a meaningful contribution to others.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nTo apply this mindset today, consider shifting your focus from metrics of success (e.g., awards, promotions) to creating projects or endeavors that have the potential to outlast you and positively impact those who come after. By doing so, you will cultivate a sense of purpose that is less tied to external validation and more rooted in making a lasting difference.",{"id":36,"quote_text":37,"author_id":5,"source_id":29,"has_image":30,"author":38,"source":39,"quote_tag":40,"commentary":9},3284702,"Beware of people who constantly assert their integrity and honor. People of character don’t have to point it out.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":42,"quote_text":43,"author_id":5,"source_id":29,"has_image":44,"author":45,"source":46,"quote_tag":47,"commentary":48},3284700,"There is no objective criteria for either success or failure. People who achieve their goals are successful, those who don’t are not.",true,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],"**The Backstory**\nThis quote is likely a reflection of Michael Josephson's philosophy, which he developed over his career as a writer and lecturer. Although I couldn't pinpoint an exact origin, it aligns with the themes of self-defined success and personal responsibility that were central to his work in the 1980s and 1990s.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\nThe counter-intuitive truth here is that Josephson is not advocating for a relativistic view where everyone's goals are equally valid or valuable. Rather, he's suggesting that success is a function of individual self-efficacy and goal-directed behavior. The tension lies in the fact that this perspective requires individuals to take full responsibility for their outcomes, rather than seeking external validation or objective measures.\n\n**How to Use This**\nTo apply this mindset today, consider adopting a \"self-defined success\" framework where you continuously reevaluate and refine your goals based on your own values and priorities. By doing so, you'll focus on making progress towards what matters most to you, rather than comparing yourself to others or waiting for external validation.",{"id":50,"quote_text":51,"author_id":5,"source_id":29,"has_image":30,"author":52,"source":53,"quote_tag":54,"commentary":9},3284698,"Success comes in cans. Failures comes in can’ts.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":56,"quote_text":57,"author_id":5,"source_id":29,"has_image":30,"author":58,"source":59,"quote_tag":60,"commentary":9},3284696,"It isn’t the absence of conscience or values that prevents us from being all we should be, it is simply the lack of moral courage.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":62,"quote_text":63,"author_id":5,"source_id":29,"has_image":30,"author":64,"source":65,"quote_tag":66,"commentary":9},3284693,"Ordinary people, even weak people, can do extraordinary things through temporary courage generated by a situation. But the person of character does not need the situation to generate his courage. It is a part of his being and a standard approach to all life’s challenges.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":68,"quote_text":69,"author_id":5,"source_id":29,"has_image":30,"author":70,"source":71,"quote_tag":72,"commentary":9},3284692,"Character – We describe the character of a person in reference to moral judgments about the worthiness of a person. Thus, to have a strong, great or honorable character is to be a person of merit, worthy of admiration and honor.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":74,"quote_text":75,"author_id":5,"source_id":29,"has_image":30,"author":76,"source":77,"quote_tag":78,"commentary":9},3284690,"Our expectation of the gratitude of others for what we’ve done for them is sometimes exaggerated because of our deep desire for appreciation and approval. When our good work or good deeds go unrewarded by hoped for praise, we feel like failures so we treat those who denied us our due as betrayers.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":80,"quote_text":81,"author_id":5,"source_id":29,"has_image":30,"author":82,"source":83,"quote_tag":84,"commentary":9},3284689,"Don’t confuse fun with fulfillment, or pleasure with happiness.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"id":86,"quote_text":87,"author_id":5,"source_id":29,"has_image":30,"author":88,"source":89,"quote_tag":90,"commentary":9},3284687,"Ethics doesn’t require us to ignore our self-interests or demand a life of self-sacrifice. It requires that we know the difference between what we want and what we should do.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[],{"currentPage":92,"totalPages":93,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":94},1,21,10]