Pleasing

“A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.”

- Ghandi

“But what is the good of friendship if one cannot say exactly what one means? Anybody can say charming things and try to please and to flatter, but a true friend always says unpleasant things, and does not mind giving pain. Indeed, if he is a really true friend he prefers it, for he knows that then he is doing good.”

- Oscar Wilde

I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.
- Bill Cosby

For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

- Bible

If we agree with the above quotes, we would agree that pleasing everybody has its pitfalls. The pitfall - I think - boils down to choosing the easy immediate rather than the long term best. And as a follower of Jesus, I believe that the long term best is being loyal to Jesus above all else. Not that I am always successful at it - but it's a goal :-)

Whaddya think? Agree? Disagree?