“You and your classmates will have about two months to prepare. Then, when the day comes, you’ll ride a school bus to an actual courtroom and conduct the trial in front of a jury made up of Hillsdale teachers and alumni. A gallery full of your peers and parents will watch the action.”

"While in some places, such as India and Beijing, the experience has been adopted enthusiastically, in others it has been ignored altogether. Why? It’s no one’s job, and it’s a hassle, and there’s always something happening that seems more urgent.”

One of our most popular exercises was what we called “Saturday Surprise.” The instructions were incredibly simple: Break the script on your Saturday routines.

Of all the ways we can create moments of pride for others, the simplest is to offer them recognition

Destination: Be able to have full, normal conversations in Spanish with Fernando in accounting (not just “Cómo está usted?”)

One couple we know kept an anniversary journal for the first decade of their marriage. Every year they would record the things they accomplished: Redecorating the back bedroom, hosting extended family for Thanksgiving dinner, and so on. They’d also record the trips they took, and the friends they saw most frequently, and, amazingly, what they fought about!

Managing fear—the goal of exposure therapy—is a critical part of courage.

The good news is that if even one person is brave enough to defy the majority, we are emboldened.

Usually, when the school came calling, there was a form to fill out, or a discipline problem to talk about, or a request for volunteer time.

A bit of attention and energy can transform an ordinary moment into an extraordinary one.

If we want more moments of connection, we need to be more responsive to others.