Quotes from THOMAS R. BLAKESLEE

Our own attitudes always seem OK because we use an attitude to judge itself. No matter how much misery our attitudes cause, we will always defend them.

The real way to live a long life is not by being a frightened and cautious victim but by living boldly and accepting the idea of taking reasonable risks.

If you believe in extrasensory perception, a call from a friend after you have thought about her is a confirmation of your powers. Such an experience feels truly amazing, but remember, the mind is very creative in finding patterns and connections; the mystical experiences that do click are the only ones we will notice and remember, while millions of other possible coincidences are ignored and forgotten.

The mind uses considerable creativity in constructing a reality for us that makes sense.

The same self-reinforcing tendency that perpetuates an attitude can also magnify attitude changes--particularly in the negative direction. A single bad experience can frighten you so that you get a negative feeling each time you encounter anything related to the cause of the bad experience.