Maya Angelou is one of the most well-known poets from the United States.  She wrote and published for decades and had such an impact that her legacy will live on for centuries to come.  Today, we explore her words about exploring ourselves.  She encourages us to express ourselves through our creations and thus, to show the world both who we are and to show ourselves the same.  

Ryan Holiday, author of The Obstacle is the Way, and other books is a modern stoic and has thought a lot about how we can and should deal with hardship and difficulty, the universal certainty of human existence.  His perspective on objectivity, taken directly from his book, is a great starting point.  

Coolio was a rapper whom many of us remember from our youth.  His song Gangster's Paradise is as well known as any song out there.  In the song, which is catchy and memorable, he talks about death and how near to all of us it is at any moment. 

We've talked about death a lot recently and this is another reminder to live and enjoy living every moment that you can because you never can know when your time is up.  

Evelyn Waugh was a writer in the early to mid-20th century.  In a book review, of all places, he penned today's quote which highlights for us, once again, the potential creation of beauty from the ugly.  We are equally capable of being both.  

Chief Tecumseh was a Shawnee Chief and a warrior who spent the majority of his life fighting.  As such, he was familiar with and accepted death as a constant companion.  His words on death, both preparation and respect for it are as accurate today as they were more than 100 years ago.  

Today's episode features a quote by Sam Harris from his podcast Making Sense.  In it, Sam talks about the finiteness of life.  We do everything for the last time at some point.  We often don't even realize we're doing a thing for the very last time.  This means that we have the opportunity to savor each moment, even the unpleasant ones, as we may never repeat them again.  This is a perspective changer, to be certain.

This is our explication of the second half of W.H. Auden's September 1, 1939.  Though the poem depicts a very dark day, it ends in hope and...a lesson to all of us.  

W. H. Auden was a British-American poet who wrote an iconic poem about the day WWII officially began.  In September 1, 1939, he gives us a glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of a speaker living through what was the beginning of a multi-million casualty war.  The poem describes how we got here and, importantly, how we might emerge.  This is the first of a two-part series.  

Thomas Macaulay was a historian, author, and British Secretary of War.  He wrote a massive tome on the history of England from 1685-1702, covering 5 volumes.  He also wrote a collection of essays on various topics, compiled into a book entitled Critical and Historical Essays.  It is from this work that we draw today's quote.  

If you've ever felt like the world is coming to an end or that your or our way of life is threatened, Macaulay has salve for that concern.  The trajectory of the world is, in fact, upward, not downward.  

Joseph Rost was a professor of leadership and published a fantastic book on the topic Leadership for the 21st Century.  From that book, I examine today's quote about leader-follower influence relationships.  They can be difficult to establish and maintain, but well worth the effort when systemic change is needed.