"Any aspirations for a 'kinder, gentler' business world founder at the first glimpse of this spiteful weapon at the center of human experience. Build the kind of world you want, says Call, but remember the spear and don't unbind it until your mind is clear and the time is right for its peculiarly ruthless presence. Even the kindest managers face the telling moment when they must fire an inefficient but otherwise likable employee. They know that the man or woman will suffer tremendous emotional and financial pain, but the situation can no longer be sustained. If they have been wisely told where the spear lies and when to use it, they untie the cloth for the moment it is needed and then are able to bind it up again just as quickly." (p. 157)
"On a day-to-day basis most jobs don't fill the tall order of making the world better, but particular incidents at work have meaning because you make a valuable contribution or you are able to genuinely help someone in need or you come up with a creative solution to a difficult problem. These meaningful acts are distinctive because people do them with a good will and not for the sake of a paycheck. They are inherently rewarding and often occur unexpectedly. Such moments fill valuable lives. A life abundant with small acts of kindness is not necessarily a happy life, but it does have meaning because it leaves behind something that mattered to others. And is apt to be happier than a life that lacks such moments." (p. 226)