Quotes from Peter Block

All we have to do to create the future is to change the nature of our conversations, to go from blame to ownership, and from bargaining to commitment, and from problem solving to possibility.

If we believe something does not exist unless we measure it, then we put aside: love, feeling, intuition, art and philosophy.

Anecdotes, personal stories, reminiscences, like biblical parables, are the medium through which faith is restored. Stories are a form of poetry, and give us a saving image to personally relate to.

It is a misuse of our power to take responsibility for solving problems that belong to others.

The shift in the world begins with a shift in our thinking. Shifting our thinking does not change the world, but it creates a condition where the shift in the world becomes possible.

The task of leadership is to be intentional about the way we group people and the questions that we engage them in.

The world does not need a better definition of issues, or better planning or project management. It needs the issues and the plans to have more of an impact, which is the promise of engagement.

We must act as if our institutions are ours to create, our learning is ours to define, our leadership we seek is ours to become.

To be committed means you are willing to make a promise with no exception of return.

To live our lives fully, to work whole heartily, to refuse directly what we can't swallow, to accepts the mystery in all matters of meaning- this is the ultimate adventure.

The goal is to balance a life that works with a life that counts.

Every parent's deepest wish is that their children are self sufficient, happy, and able to live a full life.

How do you change the world? One room at a time. Which room? The one you're in.

Questions draw us together. Answers push us apart.

We must establish a personal connection with each other. Connection before content. Without relatedness, no work can occur.

The price of change is measured by our will and courage, our persistence, in the face of difficulty.

Structure influences behavior. Design spaces that make you feel "you are welcome here and that you came to the right place."

It is hard to learn when we think we know something.

...the artist treats intuition and nuance with respect and reminds us that a little madness resides in all of us. Artists give voice to feelings, to conflict, to the prism of human experience.

Why do anything unless it is going to be great?

The goal is to balance a life that works with a life that counts.

The key to creating or transforming community, then, is to see the power in the small but important elements of being with others. The shift we seek needs to be embodied in each invitation we make, each relationship we encounter, and each meeting we attend. For at the most operational and practical level, after all the thinking about policy, strategy, mission, and milestones, it gets down to this: How are we going to be when we gather together?

We are a community of possibilities, not a community of problems. • Community exists for the sake of belonging and takes its identity from the gifts, generosity, and accountability of its citizens. It is not defined by its fears, its isolation, or its penchant for retribution. • We currently have all the capacity, expertise, programs, leaders, regulations, and wealth required to end unnecessary suffering and create an alternative future.

Invitation is not only a step in bringing people together, it is also a fundamental way of being in a community. It manifests the willingness to live in a collaborative way. This means that a future can be created without having to force or sell it or barter for it. When we believe that barter or subtle coercion is necessary, we are operating out of a context of scarcity and self-interest, the core currencies of the economist.