Spread gossip

Next time someone starts to spread gossip, think of this: 

In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom  

One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?" 

Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test." 

"Triple filter?" 

"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my student let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"  

"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..." 

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?"  

"No, on the contrary..." 

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, even though you're not certain it's true?" 

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.

Socrates continued. "You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?" 

"No, not really..."  

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?" 

The man was defeated and ashamed. 

This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.

Excellence" is a drive from inside, not outside

A German once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God... Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby... Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statues of the same idol?" "No," said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage..." The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage... "Where is the damage?" he asked. "There is a scratch on the nose of the idol." said the sculptor, still busy with his work.... "Where are you going to install the idol?" The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high... "If the idol is that far who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?" the gentleman asked. The sculptor stopped work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, "I will know it..." The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not.... "Excellence" is a drive from inside, not outside.... Excellence is not for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and efficiency.