You can find a complete listing of all the articles on this site here. They are listed in reverse chronological order, and are all clickable links. Twenty-five articles are displayed per page, with the publication date included. To find older articles, click on the page numbers at the bottom.
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Every Man Needs His Quest
I have a lot of familiarity with the old mythologies. I love the old stories of the classical Greek and Roman myths. Even the old Norse mythology has its place, although it is so much darker. Darker, and more ominous.
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Grief As A Demonic Force: “The Babadook” (2014)
Several years ago I had a client who needed some legal work done. She was an educated and well-adjusted single mother of a young girl. She was normal in every way. And then something terrible happened. Her daughter died suddenly from an unexpected illness. And this sent the mother on a downward psychological spiral from…
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A Book Of Wisdom Spanning Continents And Cultures (Podcast)
The classic book Kalila and Dimna is one of the treasures of world literature. What is its timeless appeal? What themes does it deal with, and what lessons does it teach us?
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An Ancient Book Of Wisdom Spanning Continents And Cultures
Some books are so good that they become adopted by cultures outside their place of origin. Such a book is the collection of stories and fables that has found a home in India, Iran, the Arab world, and in Europe. The book is known by many names in all of these cultures, and various version…
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How A Man Can Win A Good Name For Himself (Podcast)
Everyone wants to gain notoriety. Everyone wants to be respected. But what are the various ways this can be achieved?
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The Ways A Man Can Win A Good Name
Every man starting out in life is concerned with gaining notoriety. He wishes to win a name for himself, and thereby gain the respect of others. We wish others to see us as we see ourselves; or perhaps we want to remake ourselves into something better than what we once were.
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“You Never Got Me Down, Ray” (Podcast)
This is a podcast reading of my article of the same title that I published here today. It describes how I overcame a collapsed lung, an operation, and a hospital recovery, and what kind of attitude you need to have when confronting disasters.
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8 Ways To Win When Dealing With Difficult People
We all have to deal with difficult people. They may be co-workers, clients, friends, family members, or lovers. We can’t avoid contact with them. And with our narcissistic world being what it is, more and more difficult people are injected into the course of life every day. [To read the rest of the article, click…
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“You Never Got Me Down, Ray”
I have a huge scar on my back. It’s 35 or 36 stitches, I think. I can’t remember the exact number. Let me tell you how I got it. It was my freshman year in college. And this was a long time ago, mind you. I’m talking 1986 here.
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The Power Of Justice
This is a podcast reading of an article that I published yesterday. The tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has much to say about the virtue of justice, and why it is so rare.
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Unleashing The Creative Forces Inside You (Podcast Reading)
This is a podcast reading of an article that I published last week here at Fortress of the Mind. Recently I received a moving request to turn some of my articles into podcast readings. It came from one very kind German schoolteacher who found them useful for her classroom instruction in teaching English to pupils.
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William H. Prescott: America’s First Great Historian
William H. Prescott was mentioned in the preceding article here, but I felt that he merited a more extended treatment in an article devoted to him alone. He was America’s first great historian, known for his heroic style, and for his ability to fuse a meticulous attention to original sources with a striking narrative power.
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Unleashing The Creative Forces Within You
It’s hard to predict when you’ll enjoy your most productive periods in life. For some people, their years of productivity come early, and then they just ride out the remainder of their lives based on early successes. Albert Einstein, to take an example, was one of those people. In fact, most major scientists seem to achieve…
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Film Review: “The Revenant” (Podcast)
This podcast is a discussion of the merits of Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s new film The Revenant. It’s an important film, and one that I think every man would benefit from.
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Embrace The Scarcity Mentality
We’ve heard so, so much about the abundance mentality. So, so, much. It almost feels like a wearisome cliché at this point.
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“Pathways” Is Now Available
My latest book, Pathways: Best Short Essays Of 2015, is now available. You can find a summary of it here. The book is available both in a Kindle version and as a paperback. 2015 was a good year, and 2016 is shaping up to be even better. Keep the fires burning, and keep moving forward. No matter…
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8 Key Factors In Your Operational Success
What are the 8 key factors that we need when conducting any operation, dealing with any conflict, or carrying out a project? This podcast discusses the 8 critical elements of success in any conflict scenario: Perspective, Maneuver, Tempo, Mobility, Intelligence, Surprise, Logistics, and Leadership.
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Strategy, Campaigns, And Tactics: How To Use Them To Achieve Our Goals
Whenever we want to do something big in life, we need (1) a strategy, (2) a campaign or a series of campaigns, and (3) tactics. This podcast discusses these three levels of operational art, and how they must accommodate our goals and envisioned end-state.
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“Pathways” Is Coming Very Soon
Ast ego curarum vobis arcana mearum Expromam mentisque meae quo pondera vergant. “But I will reveal to you my secrets, and the weighty matters that oppress my mind.” –Lucan, Pharsalia VIII.278. My fourth book, Pathways, will be released within the next ten to fourteen days. It is a collection of the very best…
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You Will Have Your Wilderness Years: The Case Of Frank Sinatra
Sometimes the time is not right for your message to be heard. Sometimes being great is not enough. The right stars must come into alignment. External conditions must be right for your message to be heard. People may like you, but the real recognition may not yet be forthcoming. History is replete with figures who…
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Establishing Boundaries With Others
What are social boundaries? Why are they important? And how do we go about setting them, and reinforcing them, with other people?
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The Persistence Of Guilt, And How To Get Rid Of It (Podcast Supplement)
Holidays can be rough times for family dynamics. Old tensions and antagonisms can simmer and bubble to the surface. When they do, we need to have a dialogue with ourselves. This podcast can be part of that dialogue.
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The Persistence Of Guilt, And How To Get Rid Of It
I saw the new film MacBeth (starring Michael Fassbender) at the Botafogo district of Rio de Janeiro a couple nights ago. I recommend it highly, as the production values are incredible and the pulse of the drama is intense. I don’t consider myself a big Shakespeare fan. I like a few of the major plays (Hamlet, MacBeth,…
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How Einstein’s Thought Process Worked
I’m almost finished with Walter Isaacson’s excellent biography Einstein: His Life and Universe. It constructs a comprehensive profile of the man, his work, and his thought process. What many readers will want to know is: how did he manage to think so creatively? What can I learn from the life and work of this sort of…
Original copy of Cicero’s De Officiis (On Duties) published in Holland in 1642. From the collection of Fortress of the Mind.
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