Do not confuse \u201cduty\u201d with what other people expect of you; they are \nutterly different. Duty is a debt you owe yourself to fulfill \nobligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail \nanything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. \nDifficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect. But there is no \nreward at all for doing what other people expect of you, and to do so is\n not merely difficult, but impossible. It is easier to deal with a footpad\n than it is with the leech who wants \u201cjust a few minutes of your time, \nplease–this won\u2019t take long.\u201d Time is your total capital, and the \nminutes of your life are painfully few. If you allow yourself\u001f to fall \ninto the vice of agreeing to such requests, they quickly\u001f snowball to \nthe point where these parasites will use up 100 percent of your \ntime–and squawk for more! So learn to say No–and to be rude about it \nwhen necessary. Otherwise you will not have time to carry out your duty,\n or to do your own work, and certainly no time for love and happiness. \nThe termites will nibble away your life and leave none of it for you. \n(This rule does not mean that you must not do a favor for a friend, or \neven a stranger. But let the choice be yours. Don\u2019t do it because it is \n\u201cexpected\u201d of you.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n
~Lazarus Long (Time enough for love)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Do not confuse \u201cduty\u201d with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect. But …<\/p>\n