A few months ago I ran an experiment where I posted on Twitter a brief thoughtful sentence once a day. The try out revealed that quite a number of tweets inspired people to comment and continue discussion. However, these discussions occurred in Facebook, not in Twitter.

Here they are (latest first):

• The wise know but barely show.
• Denial is ignorance of perception.
• Old errors cannot be covered by repeating them.
• Spring is about bursting bubbles of creative energy.
• Only those who do not think need others to tell them what to do.
• New day, fresh canvas.
• Constant unpredictability – a sign of creative living.
• Experiences and knowledge shape your future.
• Planning helps, but doing works.
• Expectations lead to disappointments.
• Strategy is holographic actions.
• Why the only constant is so often such big news: Change!
• Humbleness is a friend of acceptance.
• Organisations don’t exist, people do.
• Drama is imaginary life of others.
• Poor judgement is often followed by drastic measures.
• Creativity is the sound of silence.
• Remove fear and you are free.
• Integrity starts by facing the mirror.
• A civilised society does not need public servants or masters.
• Public good is something that removes your individual choice, resources and control.
• Practical example persuades the most.
• Smile impacts others.
• Success is a subjective phenomenon.
• Kind words and encouragement result positive outcomes.
• Poor perception means a lot of action.
• External conflicts are created by internal turmoil.
• Telling others what to do is easy. Keeping your  mouth shut and minding your own business is harder.
• Happiness is not a dictum to be followed.
• To erode our individual rights is to sell out our future.
• We can worry only now.
• To choose is to discriminate.
• A more sophisticated form of slavery is called taxation.
• Lack of understanding is called complexity.
• To make a difference is to change oneself.
• Uncertainty is the price of change.
• Welfare model: Remove freedom of choice, take the resources by coercion and provide one-size-fits-all package solutions in return.
• Business model of politics: take other people’s money and give it to others, and gain more power, prestige and influence in the process.
• Receipt of politics: separate benefits (and responsibility) from the costs by coercion.
• Lack of clarity precedes blurry actions.
• Getting funding is easy, preparations for it usually are not.
• What are we doing and why?
• When you don’t know what to do, do nothing.
• Speculation is futile and patience is everything.
• Resist the temptation to do last minute “fixes”.
• Solid (recession) business model: Money now and money in the future.
• Unconditional love drives where selfishness blinds.
• Simple rules are the hardest to follow.
• Doing good is more popular than being good.
• Rainy day is perfect for absorption.
• We take things for granted, till they are gone, like your fillings.

My translations of Frédéric Bastiat’s most famous essays The Law, A Petition and What is Seen and What Is Not Seen have been published by Basam Books Ltd. The book, Kirjoituksia taloudesta, has an extensive and excellent intro about Bastiat’s life, work and his significance by Johan Norberg.

Two very important and influential economics books have been finally published in Finnish. Especially professor Rothbard’s What Has Government Done to Our Money? is a classic that is regarded as one of the best introductions to the very confused and complicated issue of money. Rothbard’s book is available online in English.

Jim Cox’s The Concise Guide to Economics is with the words of Nobel-laureate Milton Friedman: “…a noble effort to put so briefly so many fundamental ideas.” His book covers a wide range of topics in a shortest space possible and serves also as a reference guide for further reading. Cox’s book is also available online in English.

Oh, and in case you wonder – yes, they are my translations