Excellence | Kevin Barrett's Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Excellence’

Today is a national holiday in the United States which commemorates the life of civil rights leader (Martin Luther King, Jr.) who sought to bring “equality under law” to all citizens of our country. One of the ways he sought to do this was by bringing dignity and equality to ALL work – not just for the well educated or the well paid – but for all who work their best and make our nation a better society for it. The pursuit of excellence (“doing your best”) in any endeavor uplifts us all. The following are two quotes expressing this idea:

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

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On This Day In:
2022	What Do You See?
2021	Lite It Up
	Some Day
2020	No Answers Yet
	120 Day Health / Weight Update (Jan 2020)
2019	Stationary Target
2018	And Firmly
2017	Nearer My Goal To Thee
2016	Relatively Simple Actions
2015	And Yet, You Did
2014	Difficult Learning
2013	Four Things To do
2012	When I Was Young…
	Emergence

Some people have greatness thrust upon them. Very few have excellence thrust upon them.

— John W. Gardner

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On This Day In:
2021	Or Blog Every Day
	Every Woman Should Have One
2020	Where Are We Going?
2019	One Before I Go
2018	And Blog Posts, Too
2017	Just Doin’ It
2016	Definitely Not Bell Shaped
2015	Dreadful Pity
2014	Worse Than Useless
2013	Personal Prisons
2012	So, Not Yet Then
2011	Real Love

Daily ripples of excellence over time become a tsunami of success.

— Robin S. Sharma

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On This Day In:
2021	Become Daily
	Just Pickin’
2020	So, You Think You Know The Answer?
	The One You Come Running To
2019	His Promises, OUR Hopes
2018	Where I Write
2017	At Last, An Honest Philosopher…
2016	Fake It ‘Til You Make It
2015	Hell Toupée
2014	Corrected And Amended
2013	Too Few
2012	Three Characters
2011	Universal Payment
2010	Privatizing the TSA? (An old – *and long* – post, but still relevant!!)

Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.

— John W. Gardner

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On This Day In:
2022	Are You Confused?
2021	Working On The Ordinary
	Smoothed My Jagged Edges
2020	Republican Senators Should Vote For Conviction Of #45
2019	Carry It
2018	Simple
2017	Knowledge Pays
2016	Brief Glimpses And Full Glances
2015	Pursuing Perspective
2014	Wearing Down?
2013	Labouring Under A Curse
2012	Listen To Yourself
2011	Career Tips (Part 1)
	No Captain Dunsel

Whoever I am, or whatever I am doing, some kind of excellence is within my reach.

— John W. Gardner

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On This Day In:
2022	One World (Our Only Place)…
2021	Move The Heart
	Join Hands
2020	He Broke Even
	Whoever / Whatever
2019	The Right Anger
	Another P&P Review
2018	Does Fatalism Equal Mental Health?
2017	Choice
2016	Growing Worlds
2015	Change The Tide
	Martyr, n.
2014	You, Too!
2013	Bitter Stand
2012	Lost For Words
2011	On Market Reactions…

The idea for which this nation stands will not survive if the highest goal free man can set themselves is an amiable mediocrity. Excellence implies striving for the highest standards in every phase of life.

— John W. Gardner

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On This Day In:
2022	No Ulterior Motive
2021	A Soul Passing
	I Hear You Singing In The Wire
	Thank You, Georgia!
2020	Implications
2019	Just To…
2018	Still Going…
2017	Great Risk
2016	Robbery
2015	Humanity Plus
2014	Dinner For Two?
2013	Exercise For Those Over 50
2012	Tearful Joy!!
	Except When He’s Left

In every one of us there are two ruling and directing principles, whose guidance we follow wherever they may lead; the one being an innate desire of pleasure; the other, an acquired judgment which aspires after excellence.

― Socrates

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On This Day In:
2022	A Wonderful Tension
2021	Little And Large Choices
	I Got Something To Say
	Alternate Reality
2020	When?
2019	Two Guides
2018	A Call For You
2017	Because I Read
2016	On What Matters…
2015	Social Security
2014	Bewitching
2013	Visiting Joy
2012	Dedication To Today
2011	Project Second Chance – Adult Literacy
	Turning Coal Into Diamonds

Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.

― Mahatma Gandhi

No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.

― Martin Luther King Jr.

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On This Day In:
2021	Why I Play The Lottery
	C’mon And Dream Along
2020	#45 In A Nutshell
	Old Man Wishin’…
2019	Three Down, Three To Go
2018	Too Significant
2017	Shadows
2016	Still Blurry
2015	For Awhile Anyway
2014	By Contrast
2013	A Very Long Time…
2012	Raise And Support
2011	Naturally
2010	A Quick Sunday Morning Read
	Giants Win Game 4 In Shutout 4 to 0!!!

If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.

— Thomas J. Watson

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On This Day In:
2017	Ents
2016	Are You Sure?
2015	Distracted
2014	What It Takes
2013	We Are
2012	Utopian
2011	Seen Any Black Swans Lately?

Every job is important and achieving excellence should be the goal. This is true for work, school, art and life.

— Rebecca Barrett

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On This Day In:
2022	Strumming And Changing Chords
2021	B U
	Blueprint Blue
2019	I Struggle With One At A Time
2018	An Infectious Political Cancer
	Site Update / Poems Page Evolution
2017	Our Thirst
2016	History Favors The Victor
2015	This We’ll Leave Them
2014	Sounds Like Faux News To Me
2013	Reasons
2012	American Libertarianism
2011	The Goal