Resolves form within his mind and, when he at last is ready to speak, it
is to utter some firm decision or to put forward arguments that are
unanswerable.
To tell the truth, those who instantly and noisily voice their
antagonisms, who, under the sting of a hurt to their vanity indulge in
threats of violence, are actually dangerous.
Their accusations, dictated by anger and heightened by the sense of
their own inferiority, are always characterized by impotence.
They make people smile, provoke perhaps a little pity, but never cause
any fear.
They are like the toy guns of children, which have the air of being most
deadly weapons, but which are constructed of such fragile materials that
a vigorous blow will cause them to fall to pieces.
The self-control of the man of resolution in the face of insult and
provocation is far more impressive than these idle threats.
His silence is ominous. It is a sort of mechanical calm which produces
decisions from which all passion is excluded.
His answers, well thought out and adapted exactly to the circumstances
of the case, impress one by their coldness and by their tone of
finality. His words are always followed by deeds, and are the more
weighty for the fact that one knows that they are merely preliminary to
the actions that they foretell.
This is one of the marked advantages of those who possess poise, one of
various methods of conquering and dominating the minds of others.
There are other strong points belonging to those who cultivate poise,
which, judiciously employed, unite in giving them an incontestable
superiority over the majority of the people they meet.
The man of poise will not be overgay or too boisterous. Still less will
he be taciturn. Moody people are nearly always those who are convinced
of their own lack of ability and quite certain that the rest of the
world is in a conspiracy to make them miserable.
They lack all pride and make no bones about admitting themselves to be
defeated.
These, we must admit, are rather difficult conditions in which to effect
anything worth while.
In "Timidity: How to Overcome It," M.B. Dangennes tells us that one day
a party of men agreed to undertake a journey, the object of which was to
attain a most wonderful country.
"There were a great many of them at the start, but only a few days had
passed when their ranks became sensibly depleted.
"Certain members of the party, the timid ones, who were encumbered with
a load of useless scruples, soon succumbed to the weight of their
burdens.
"Others, the fearful ones, became panic-stricken at the difficulties
they encountered in battling with the earlier stages of the journey.
"The modest, after several days' marching, fell to the rear, from fear
of attracting too much attention, and were very soon lost sight of.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account