The Fremen were supreme in that quality the ancients called “spannungsbogen” — which is the self-imposed delay between desire for a thing and the act of reaching out to grasp that thing. — The Wisdom of Muad’Dib

My Take – I never fail to fail when I impulsively get what I want.  I have three rather expensive pieces of wood and metal in a safe downstairs that I bought on a whim and now don’t take out very often, either because they’re expensive to feed or are unreliable.  I have an ex-wife because I wasn’t willing to wait for our relationship to properly mature before we ran looking for a justice of the peace.  Both of us came to regret that, and our regret had repercussions for many other people, including our child.  If something is worth having, it’s worth taking the time to make sure it’s what you really want or need and not just something shiny that fascinates you for the moment.

Anything outside yourself, this you can see and apply your logic to it. But it’s a human trait that when we encounter personal problems, these things most deeply personal are the most difficult to bring out for our logic to scan. We tend to flounder around, blaming everything but the actual, deep-seated thing that’s really chewing on us.  — Jessica

My Take – It’s difficult to be objective about the personal.  It takes real discipline and maturity to look critically at yourself and honestly list the things that are wrong.  But if you can’t admit to yourself that you have things you need to work on, be they big or small, then you can never improve.  When I’m shooting, I try to take a few moments between groups of shots to go over my gun handling, safety, breathing control, sight picture, and all of the other things that go into making a good shot.  The same should be done when doing any activity or when confronted by any situation that gives you time to reflect on it when searching for a solution. Take a moment, honestly examine the problem and your relation to it, and try to come up with a rational solution.  You won’t always be able to do this, and you won’t always be successful when you do, but you have a better chance than if you merely play spin-the-bottle looking for someone or something else to blame.

There is probably no more terrible instance of enlightenment than the one in which you discover your father is a man — with human flesh.– Collected Sayings of Muad’Dib

My Take – At some point in every person’s life, they realize that their parents are mortal.  As parents, we have to keep up the facade of invincibility, omniscience, and omnipotence long enough that our children feel safe and can grow, but not so long that they never learn to stand on their own in the world.  This may be the hardest bit of finesse a person has to accomplish in their life.