“You will never reach your 
destination if you stop 
and throw stones at 
every barking dog.”

Winston Churchill

I first came across this insightful quote back in 2012 when I was confronted by the incessant barking of a small handful of disgruntled colleagues in the workplace. Churchill’s words were a reminder to me then that I had a choice as to how to react, or not react, to these annoying distractions. The quote is just as pertinent today as it was thirteen years ago.

The phrase serves as a metaphor for staying focused in life and not allowing the minor criticisms or distractions from others to interfere with our inner peace. The quote encourages us to simply ignore negativity and insignificant distractions (“barking dogs”) and continue to live our life with integrity, gratitude, and peace.

As Viktor Frankl wrote, “The last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” I continue to be inspired by the words of the Dalai Lama, who proclaimed, “Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.”