Good Advice for Grad Students, Too.

[sechan19]

"It is a natural tendency for people to try to make decisions based solely on their own reasoning. The problem with this is that people are motivated by self interest, and their decisions can appear as scheming, narrow-minded, and weak. This is not the way of Heaven. Unless one is divinely inspired, it is wise to consult an objective party when making a big decision. This person will be fair because he has nothing to gain. In this way you will appear strong and evenhanded, like a mighty tree supported with a strong root, instead of like a twig stuck in the mud."

~ from The Hagakure by Yamamoto Tsunetomo.