“Life forces enough final decisions on us. We should have the sense to avoid as many of the unnecessary ones as we can.”

Source: Until I Find You (2005), ch. 25, p. 493

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John Irving97

American novelist and screenwriter 1942

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“We could not field a big enough force to avoid this risk [of rape]. We would need so many soldiers because our women are so beautiful.”

Silvio Berlusconi (1936) Italian politician

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“As a country, which is unfortunately frequented by natural calamities many times over in a year, we should already build, establish and continuously strengthen the capacity of our rescue forces so we can easily mobilize forces to avoid loss of lives and properties.”

Francis Escudero (1969) Filipino politician

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“We thus have a kind of see-saw: first, pure persuasion leading to the conversion of a minority; then force exerted to secure that the rest of the community shall be exposed to the right propaganda; and finally a genuine belief on the part of the great majority, which makes the use of force again unnecessary.”

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“Have we fled the company of worldly persons, whom the saints, especially the Ecclesiastics, advise us to avoid like the plague, whom one should see only by necessity, and from whom we should separate ourselves as vigilantly as we can?”

Louis Tronson (1622–1700) French Roman Catholic priest

Avons-nous fui la compagnie des personnes mondaines, que les Saints conseillent, surtout aux Ecclésiastiques, d'éviter, comme des pestiférés, que l'on ne voit que par nécessité , et dont on se sépare le plutôt que l'on peut? <br class="br">Examens particuliers sur divers sujets, p. 322 http://books.google.com/books?id=esY9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA322 <br class="br">Examens particuliers sur divers sujets [Examination of Conscience upon Special Subjects] (1690)

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“We can't undo a single thing we have ever done, but we can make decisions today that propel us to the life we want and towards the healing we need.”

Steve Maraboli (1975)

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“We now have no option but to end war forever because with the nuclear bombs and armament today, we can destroy all life... it's up to us. We have to do it. We have to make the decision.”

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“Understanding human motivation ought to be a good thing. It should help us to find out what we really want so that we can avoid chasing rainbows that are not for us. It should open up opportunities for self-development if we apply motivational principles to pursuing our goals in life.”

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David C. McClelland (1978). "Managing motivation to expand human freedom". American Psychologist. 33 (3): 201

“We always have the opportunity to choose our better history. We can always understand that most important decision -- the decision we make when we find our common humanity in one another. That’s always available to us, that choice.”

Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America

2013, Cape Town University Address (June 2013)
Context: We always have the opportunity to choose our better history. We can always understand that most important decision -- the decision we make when we find our common humanity in one another. That’s always available to us, that choice. [... ] it can be heard in the confident voices of young people like you. It is that spirit, that innate longing for justice and equality, for freedom and solidarity -- that’s the spirit that can light the way forward. It's in you.

“Life forces enough final decisions on us. We should have the sense to avoid as many of the unnecessary ones as we can.”

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John Irving97

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