Top 140 Michael Josephson Quotes (2024 Update)
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101. “When was the last time you wrote a thank you note? When was the last time you went beyond a mechanical “thank you” to express authentic gratitude? We can enrich the lives of others and ourselves by making it a habit to express genuine appreciation for what others have done for us.”

— Michael Josephson

102. “Success or failure can only be measured in terms of a particular objective. The success of a person whose life objective is money or status will look very different than the success of one who sets out to make a positive difference in the world.”

— Michael Josephson

103. “America is a song that sounds the best when we all sing together – at least for a while.”

— Michael Josephson

104. “It’s a great joy but no test of love or commitment to take your son to a ball game. You really prove your credentials as a good dad when you are willing to take your daughter shopping – more than once.”

— Michael Josephson

105. “If one insists on calling all unsuccessful efforts failures the meaning of failure is really quite benign. When trying anything new or taking on any challenge, unsuccessful efforts are an essential aspect of skill building.”

— Michael Josephson

106. “There’s some wisdom and no moral deficiency to one who holds courage in reserve and uses it as a last resort. Before we take the kind of risks that require courage, we ought to exhaust other less risky alternatives.”

— Michael Josephson

107. “Failure is much easier to handle if you just think of it as feedback to guide your next effort.”

— Michael Josephson

108. “Christmas has a certain universal appeal that gives it meaning well beyond a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but Christians have a special duty to experience its sacred and profound spiritual significance and non-Christians have a duty to treat the day with special respect.”

— Michael Josephson

109. “One problem with gratitude is that it competes with the sense of pride, self-reliance and accomplishment we have. We want to think what we have is the result of our efforts rather than the gifts, good turns and opportunities provided us by others.”

— Michael Josephson

110. “You can’t escape moral judgment through a legal loop hole.”

— Michael Josephson

111. “Neither the intensity of your feelings nor the certainty of your convictions is any assurance that you are right.”

— Michael Josephson

112. “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.”

— Michael Josephson

113. “The kind of courage that is strengthened or created by concern about what others will think is really a form of fear. Fear of disapproval or dishonor becoming stronger than fear of injury or even death.”

— Michael Josephson

114. “Gratitude is not a payment for a kindness but another form of gift.”

— Michael Josephson

115. “Our obligation to others and a gift to ourselves is to acknowledge and authentically express genuine appreciation for courtesies, caring and concern others have given us.”

— Michael Josephson

116. “It is not enough that we express our gratitude, we must experience it. We truly honor the must think about our blessings, separately and cumulatively It is not enough to count our blessings and express our gratitude if we don’t truly feel grateful.”

— Michael Josephson

117. “Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the many things we have to be thankful for, not so we feel guilty about what we have that others don’t, but to be genuinely grateful for our blessings.”

— Michael Josephson

118. “Expressed gratitude encourages further giving; ingratitude drains vitality out of the spirit of generosity.”

— Michael Josephson

119. “It is easier to be grateful for the things we have than to the people who have helped us get them.”

— Michael Josephson

120. “No word makes me happier than the word “daddy” when it’s directed to me.”

— Michael Josephson

121. “If you are the boss it’s wise to remember that there are lots of things you don’t know and lots of people who hope you won’t find out.”

— Michael Josephson

122. “A person is said to have good character when their habits, dispositions and conduct reflect a deep commitment to ethical virtues and moral principles.”

— Michael Josephson

123. “Neither heredity nor environment determine character. But whether we give in to or overcome the negative messages we are exposed to as we wend our way through life is often determined by whether our parents, teachers, mentors and friends exposed us to good examples and morally inspiring ideas.”

— Michael Josephson

124. “There is no objective criteria for either success or failure. People who achieve their goals are successful, those who don’t are not.”

— Michael Josephson

125. “To separate the purpose of a business from the purpose of people who are in the business is, I think, not a good thing.”

— Michael Josephson

126. “Physical courage to a person of honour is easier and less risky than acts that could subject him to embarrassment or humiliation or a diminished career or reputation. These things he must live with. To die for honor is an easier thought to bear.”

— Michael Josephson

127. “Surround our children with a message of honor.”

— Michael Josephson

128. “In life, we all get scored on every day. The wonderful thing is, if we do our best with courage and tenacity, we might be outscored but we can never be beaten.”

— Michael Josephson

129. “For many of us gratitude to others comes with a sense of debt that can never be fully paid and therefore the things we are thankful for are never really ours.”

— Michael Josephson

130. “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.”

— Michael Josephson

131. “The only force that can sustain true and consistent courage is some form of spiritual belief that values like honor, duty, loyalty and integrity above the status, power, money and even security.”

— Michael Josephson

132. “The best way to show true gratitude for all our blessings is to be genuinely happy.”

— Michael Josephson

133. “Many things in life are not fair but all things should be.”

— Michael Josephson

134. “Values are good things only if they are good values.”

— Michael Josephson

135. “Don’t ask whether it is going to be easy. Ask whether it is worth it.”

— Michael Josephson

136. “Gratitude is most treasured when it is unexpected. When we expect, even demand gratitude, we treat it simply as payment due for some service we rendered and we squeeze any good feeling out of it.”

— Michael Josephson

137. “I think Samuel Johnson had it right when he observed that hope is itself a species of happiness. So if we want to be happy it only makes sense to discipline ourselves to choose our attitudes, to think positively and to be hopeful.”

— Michael Josephson

138. “When it comes to building character, wealth, good looks, athletic ability and even a high IQ are more likely to be impediments than advantages.”

— Michael Josephson

139. “At you look back on the year gone by, think of missed opportunities not with regret but as a reminder of what you learned that you can use to seize the opportunities ahead.”

— Michael Josephson

140. “We can’t live forever but what we do can change lives forever.”

— Michael Josephson

141. “Live to give and you will live larger and better than you ever have before.”

— Michael Josephson