In junior high school, I was an object of pure ridicule for my dress, withdrawal, and asocial manner. Dozens of times, I saw individuals laugh and smile more in ten to fifteen minutes than I did in all my life up to then.
Oh, the ignorance of us upon whom Providence did not sufficiently smile to permit us to be born in New England.
Ascetics and fakirs come to mitigate human suffering to heal us and lead us on the path. They put up with criticism they go through many worldly trials. Some of them have even become martyrs for our sake. But they have done all this with a smile and with gratitude to God. Hence sacrifice is a great virtue.
You have to promote yourself you have to have this smile on your face all the time and be this nice guy – which I am!
We ought to be beating our chests every day. We ought to look in the mirror, stick out our chests, suck in our bellies, and say, ‘Damn, we’re Americans,’ and smile.