“Having strong motives and definitive goals is halfway to success.”

—  Titon Rahmawan

Last update March 29, 2025. History

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“Unless we have a definite faith in the goal of our existence, and unless we believe, work for, and actually come to experience the goal positively as an existent factor, there is no hope of any plan becoming successful.”

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“If by motivation we mean whatever it is that causes someone to follow a particular course of action, then every action is motivated — by definition. But in most human behavior the relation between motives and action is not simple; it is mediated by a whole chain of events and surrounding conditions. We observe a man scratching his arm. His motive (or goal)? To relieve an itch.”

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“Profit doesn’t appear as the goal but as a side effect of pursuing motivating principles.”

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“To freely bloom — that is my definition of success.”

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Source: How to Argue and Win Every Time (1995), Ch. 14 : Arguing with Kids, p. 255
Context: To freely bloom — that is my definition of success.
The question then is, How does arguing with our children advance our goal that our children freely bloom.

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“You become a narcotics addict because you do not have strong motivations in the other direction. Junk wins by default.”

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Prologue
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Context: The questions, of course, could be asked: Why did you ever try narcotics? Why did you continue using it long enough to become an addict? You become a narcotics addict because you do not have strong motivations in the other direction. Junk wins by default. I tried it as a matter of curiosity.

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