Religions and ethics have evolved from promising heaven if you do good, to promising heaven while you do good, to making you promise to do good. - Nassim Nicholas Taleb

If you have earned your self-respect, respect by others is a luxury; if you haven't, respect by others is a necessity.

Read books are far less valuable than unread ones. The library should contain as much of what you do not know as your financial means, mortgage rates, and the currently tight real-estate market allow you to put there.

"I will set aside the point that I see no special heroism in accumulating money, particularly if, in addition, the person is foolish enough to not even try to derive any tangible benefit from the wealth (aside from the pleasure of regularly counting the beans)." - N.N.Taleb