It is important to have a passion in life that’s bigger than yourself, says Ross.

Question: Do you have a personal philosophy?

Dennis Ross: Well I think the basic philosophy is _________ a philosophy of life – that you always have a passion in life other than yourself. You have to have a passion in life that’s larger than yourself. And it gives you perspective. You know on the one hand it’s easy to say when you feel a certain responsibility that maybe you lose perspective or lose a sense of humility. I can assure you that when you work on a conflict that is so frustrating to deal with and so hard to deal with, you’re constantly reminded of your own limitations. So it’s pretty easy to remain humble when you’re dealing with a conflict like the one between the Arabs and the Palestinians. But it’s also pretty easy to think about passions or issues other than yourself. And I think, if there’s anything that has been a kind of valued philosophy for me, that’s probably it.

Recorded on: September 12, 2007