Re the P.S. in the June 1 issue about Bob Dylan: 

“After reading so many insightful comments from you about art over the years, I’m surprised that your column linked to this… column about Bob Dylan being the greatest artist of all time.

“I’m a huge fan of both Dylan’s acoustic and electric work. Even as his already thin voice has worsened over the last couple decades, he has continued to turn out top-notch compositions and recordings with a superb cast of musicians. (‘Tempest’ is particularly strong.)

“But greatest artist of all time?” – AG

My answer: 

Okay… this should be embarrassing, but I don’t embarrass much anymore. First… Dylan is not even in my top 1,000 list. But I loved the teaser for the article. It made me want to read it. And so I put in the link as a PS, with the intention of reading it later.

But then I forgot! And I still haven’t read it! But I will…

Re the June 6 issue: 

“I love your newsletter. I always read it and sometimes print it off to read again more carefully later…. This was a good one, too.” – TD

Why I do what I do:

“Just wanted to thank you for taking the time to answer some questions I had from Ready, Fire, Aim. It’s much appreciated, and I’ve been putting your advice to use.” – EG

“It’s a beautiful morning… thank you so much for all the wonderful teaching you share. Here’s a pic of my office…” – AD

Re my May 30 essay on accepting responsibility for your own life: 

“Your sentiments should be etched in stone.” – JM

“Loved the statement you wrote [about what to think when feeling victimized]. I’ve cut it out and taped it up on my son’s bathroom mirror!” – LD

Re my productivity system: 

“I love [your productivity system]. I still use it. With some modifications of my own. Would be so helpful to me and others, I think, to see how you’ve modified this to consistently get so much done.” – ND

My response: I’ve written several essays on my time management system as I’ve developed it over the years. And I intend to keep writing about it. Meanwhile, if you don’t already have them, you might want to get a copy of Wealth Planning for Freelancers and/or Making the Most of Your Time. These two books are in limited supply. For availability, contact us.

Re the availability of my books: 

“Please let me know how I can secure copies of your books.” – DWS

My response: Most of my books are available on Amazon. You can access them directly on this website by clicking “My Books” in the menu in the upper-left corner of the Home page.

Re my concerns about the US economy in the May 13 issue: 

“The economic numbers you cited are scary. Have you made any adjustments in your investments in response to them?” – PL

My response: No. I haven’t. Since I favor income over appreciation as a general investing rule, more than 80% of my investments should either keep up with or beat inflation. And half of the other 20% is in precious metals – mostly gold bullion, which will likely increase in value in the coming years.

Re what I said about conceptual art in the May 16 issue: 

“You should listen to your partners about conceptual art. Nobody in the business will take you seriously if you discount it as you do.” – BB, a gallerist from New York

“You are so right. Most conceptual art and performance are rubbish. But, that’s also true of so much of what is called abstract art. Question: What do you think of Cy Twombly?” – CCF

My response: I like a great deal of abstract art. Even COBRA art, which is basically finger-painting writ large. But I have to admit, I never got Cy Twombly or any of the artists that specialized in scribble-scrabble.

Re my presentation at the AWAI Bootcamp in Delray Beach on May 10: 

“Thanks for your advice on copywriting as a ‘financially invaluable’ skill. I never fully understood how many doors it can open in my career. I’m stoked!” – CCJ

“Your explanation of the ‘product development cube’ was brilliant. It gave me a dozen new ideas about how to expand my business. That one technique was worth the cost of the bootcamp.” – AP

Re my lists of “Actors That Make the Difference” in the May 9 issue: 

“I don’t agree with all of [your] categorizations, but it’s the type of thing where everybody will have their own likes and dislikes.” – AS

“I pretty much agree on your Actors list but… Jennifer Lawrence over Meryl Steep? No Sophia Loren?” – KK

Re what I said about war in the May 9 issue – from JM, an old friend and Vietnam War veteran: 

“I believe everyone underestimates the common man. When I was 17, I believed exactly as [you] did. I thought that volunteering for medic school would allow me to not have to carry a gun, but I did not get that assignment, after which I had to make the best of my bad situation and try to survive. I had a nagging sense of duty to which I anticipated a sense of shame if I did not answer it. It was a nightmarish time of my life.”

Re what I said about honesty in the May 2 issue: 

“I wholly agree with your take on honesty. I thought you might like this zinger from William Inge: ‘Let none of us delude himself by supposing that honesty is always the best policy. It is not.’” – CR