Rachel Carringer Honors English 10 Santiago's Manual of Positive Thinking 1. Never lose optimism or faith in yourself. After Santiago experienced an awful 84 days without catching a fish, he still continues to go out every single day and try. He doesn't establish a sore attitude and doesn't give up. In fact, Santiago even says to Manolin that "Eighty-five is a lucky number," (16) referring to the fact that it would be his 85th day since he'd last caught a fish. 2. Never wait for luck, it will come on its own. Instead, focus on being precise. Santiago is exploring the fact that he's been out of luck for a long time. However, instead of wishing for luck and waiting for it, he prepares himself for it. He says he would "rather be exact... [so] …show more content…
When he used to go in turtle boats, "He was sorry for them all," (37) He always treated them equal to himself because "[he has] such a heart too and [his] feet and hands are like theirs." (37) By this you should not find hatred in any creature and you should all be on the same level of superiority. 4. Don't focus on what others think of you because only you know the truth about yourself. The other fisherman often made fun of Santiago but he didn't pay them any mind. He would talk to himself and often think that "If the others heard [him] talking out loud they would think the [he was crazy],"(39) but it never bothered him because he knew "[he is] not crazy. [He does] not care." (39) 5. Don't worry about things before they happen, cross that bridge when it comes. When Santiago was out in the ocean far enough to the point where he couldn't see land, he started to think about how "some men feared being out of sight of land in a small boat and knew they were right in the months of sudden bad weather." (61) Santiago, however, did not worry about this because he knew that "If there is a hurricane you always see the signs of it in the sky for days ahead , if you are at sea." (61) Since he saw no signs, he didn't worry. He would deal with the obstacle if it