He takes his notebook back out as they wait for their food. "What's that? Journal?" Leaf asks. "Sort of. I like to write out my thoughts at the end of the day, helps keep track of questions I've had, remind myself to look into answering them or reflect on them in the future when I know more."
"Put another way, if I stayed home I wouldn't be learning to manage risk. Letting others keep you safe is a gamble on the long run that you'll always be protected."
As they walk through the corridor, his grandpa's cheerful demeanor doesn't disappear, but it does gradually fade to its normal, less weaponized form.
which were most evident on their parents. Some were bemused,
"I think you may have an exaggerated view of just how old and widespread it is. You're both young: things that were discovered even as little as a decade ago seem like common knowledge, simply because you've known of them your whole lives. And you were raised in very educated circles."
the drift of Red's thoughts
Do you have any advice on how to make it better?" "I do, but first, have you ever gotten a critique of your work before?" "Like, by a professional? Not really. But it's okay, you can be honest. I won't be hurt by whatever you say." Laura chuckles. "If that's true then it means one of us hasn't done our jobs properly. My editor's suggestions always felt like chopping bits off one of my children."
Remember that traditions are cherished not just because of comfort or pride, but often from an inherent sense that what's worked so far must have value, and that new, untested ideas risk losing the wisdom inherent to it.
She's warmed up to him considerably since he started working here, doing whatever tasks need getting done diligently and without complaint. Blue discovered fairly quickly that someone who'll do the tedious or less desirable tasks with a smile tend to get in people's good graces.
you can't expect me to miss your birthday just because you're out wandering the world!" "It's not until next week!" "Yeah, but where's the surprise if I came then?
She knows he's just trying to motivate her, and appreciates his support despite him not actually agreeing with her, but if she can't even get her friends to take her ideas seriously, it's hard to summon the motivation to get others to.
a part of her understands that, understands it very well, because isn't that why she called Laura in the first place? Why have a mentor if she won't listen to her at the time when she really, truly needs guidance, and her mentor is so clearly adamant?
Incentives, Mr. Verres, are what the world runs on, even more than money. And the incentives of journalism are inherently destructive toward any values of truth or clarity."
take the advice of an elder, not in age, but in facing adversity. Those things that vie for your attention, but do nothing to further your goals, should be cut out from consideration.
"I often find that confidence is not just a matter of our own assessment of our competence, but also our assessment of how those around us recognize or value our competence.
Leaf realizes suddenly how easy it is to trust someone, when you know everything about them. When you know that they're going to act a certain way, you trust them to act that way. But that's not the deepest form of trust. Real trust requires uncertainty. It requires situations where the person might make choices that you'll never know, might even make choices that appear to be wrong, but which you'll accept anyway because you trust that they had a good reason.
What are his remaining strengths? No, first list the things that are unique, figure out what's a strength or useful after.
The pokeball snaps open and a blinding flash of light leaps forth… but unlike with most pokemon, it doesn't coalesce into a sensible shape. Instead the afterimage behind Red's lids when he blinks appear to be a wide, irregular cloud.
"Remind yourself of what you do not know. Do not accept your mind's attempts to insist otherwise. When you truly realize how complex all this is," he opens his hands out to the sides, "It seems trivial to not also realize how impossible understanding it
probably the closest thing to an apology that Blue will get. "The
But if you don't bring up something to talk about soon, I warn you I will, and then you won't be able to get a word in edgewise."
You are too young, particularly if you want to be more than a cog in the machine.
they're going to take the scenarios from me." Gramps raises a brow, and bless him, doesn't miss a beat. "Don't they have to, eventually?" "Yeah, but once they do, it'll be out of my hands. It's mine, mine and Glen's, and then…" "I understand. But you have higher heights to climb, and a pain like this will be necessary, time and again. It's good practice, for when you'll be giving up something quite a bit more dear to you for your true goal."
He often wonders why other people don't seem to be able to do the same, to consider both possibilities while still reserving judgement, but it's obvious that they don't, and he tries not to look down on them for it. Clearly he's the weird one.
"Drop two humans together, and one can learn from the other's mistakes. They can care for each other if one gets sick or injured. Drop more and they can start to specialize, play to their strengths. Drop still more after them, and they can teach what they've learned in a fraction of the time it took to learn it, without the risks.
They share a baffled silence for a moment, and Laura feels a vaguely familiar feeling in her thoughts. "Red Verres, are you reading my mind?" It's times like this she wishes she'd given him a middle name.
"Be strong, to be useful."
He also better understood why learning to lose is such a valuable thing to do; he saw it in the other students, the way their acceptance of their failures allowed them to keep trying things they knew they would fail at, again and again, until they succeeded.
Part of every generation's journeys is to ascend beyond the expectations of what came before.
At best the company would make more money; at worst they would chase fads and lose not just money, but time and focus, which are much more valuable to him.
"Though if your goal is to stay abreast of other regions, you know my thoughts on regulation and innovation. It is one thing to win a race begun late, another to win it while hobbled."
"Another motto of mine, to add to our growing list: a man poor in fortune or spirits will only purchase that which already exists, while a man abundant in either will spend it to purchase what has yet to exist.