Gain Wisdom Through Experience

In the 1920's, Dale Carnegie wrote a book called How to Win Friends and Influence People. I highly recommend it.

My favorite part of this books is when Dale writes about the angry letters Abraham Lincoln used to write. Letters that Lincoln wrote, but never sent. He knew the damage it would do to the recipient, and he knew the benefit it would have to get off his chest.

I was reminded, upon picking up a National Geographic at the airport, that How to Win Friends and Influence People is not a prerequisite for success, neither are the products hawked from today's productivity gurus.

Confucius, Augustus Caesar, Socrates... They didn't have the book. Emperors, philosophers, inventors, Warriors... They didn't either.

Rather...

Deep wisdom has always seemed to come from a place of experience, as a result of action.