Recent Articles

“It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.” - John Wooden

This quote is one of those little gems that just get better the more one thinks about it.  It’s the age-old observation about knowledge versus wisdom and it rings as clear today as it ever has.… read more

The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best. – Epictetus


I hesitated at first to use this quote from Epictetus, because I could hear a chorus of people saying, “So, Pepper, tell me something I didn’t already know!” 

“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.”  William Butler Yeats

Timing is everything!  How many times have you heard that?  But, the real question is, how many times have you used it to procrastinate?

Sometimes, our action sets into… read more

“It’s not about who’s right.  It’s about what’s right.” Anonymous

To me, critical thinking is about discovery; the discovery of truth.  This is how leaders build reputations for fairness and a personal brand that encourages open, honest dialogue, all of which… read more

“Power is a sort of tumor that ends by killing the victim’s sympathies.”  Henry Adams

In his recent piece in The Atlantic, Jerry Useem writes about the potential brain damage caused by “power”.  His opening, supported by scientific study, is chilling: Over… read more

“Optimists are 45% less likely to die from any cause than negative thinkers and 77% less likely to die from heart disease.”  Dr. Lissa Rankin

Dr. Rankin is the New York Times bestselling author of Mind over Medicine, and if one ever needed some serious… read more

“Life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent of how I react to it.” Charles Swindoll

Over the years, I have written much about personal responsibility and its role in achieving a fulfilling life and career, and I am always drawn to quotes… read more

"Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.”  Alexander Graham Bell 

When I first read this quote, it sent a chill up my spine, because it reminded me of how frozen, in the face… read more

“Actually, failure is simply feedback, and it is one of the primary paths to growth because consequences are felt, rather than avoided.”  Benjamin P. Hardy

In its simplest form, this reminds me of the old adage “Every generation must touch the… read more

Things to Think About - I’m not telling you it will be easy. I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it

Things to Think About
By Pepper de Callier


“I’m not telling you it will be easy.  I’m telling you… read more