“General James Mattis reminds us that cynicism is a form of cowardice. It is also a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we tell ourselves it’s pointless, that we can’t make a difference, that we don’t matter…we’re right. But it’s worse than that. Because someone will step in to fill that void. And it’s likely this person who you will be deferring to is allied with the people and the forces that made you cynical in the first place.”
Ryan Holiday, Daily Stoic Blog
“If you want to do your duty properly, you should do just a little more than that.”
Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 117)
“People can take away your possessions, but—short of murder—not even the most powerful aggressors can take time away from you unless you let them. Even in prison your time is your own, if you use it for your own purposes. To waste your time in battles not of your choosing is more than just a mistake, it is stupidity of the highest order.”
Robert Greene, The Daily Laws (Page 320)
“We are told that talent creates its own opportunities. But it sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own talents.”
Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 115)
“The problem faced by those of us who live in societies of abundance is that we lose a sense of limit. Abundance makes us rich in dreams, for in dreams there are no limits. But it makes us poor in reality. It makes us soft and decadent, bored with what we have and in need of constant shocks to remind us that we are alive. In life you must be a warrior, and war requires realism. While others may find beauty in endless dreams, warriors find it in reality, in awareness of limits, in making the most of what they have.”
Robert Greene, The Daily Laws (Page 318)
“The human mind is not fragile—it does not need to be protected and cushioned from the hard surfaces of reality like a vase or piece of fine china. The human mind is antifragile—that is, it gains from discomfort and strain. That means to grow stronger, the human mind needs to regularly be confronted with difficult and upsetting experiences to develop stability and serenity for itself.”
Mark Manson
“Learn to get in touch with silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences; all events are blessings given to us to learn from. There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub.”
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
“The stillness in stillness is not the real stillness, only when there is stillness in movement does the universal rhythm manifest.”
Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 106)
“Childhood is blessed by heaven because it brings a piece of paradise into the cruelties of life. All these thousands of everyday births are fresh additions of innocence and purity, which fight against the end of mankind, and against our spoiled nature, and against our complete immersion into sin.”
Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom (Page 264)
“People today foolishly try to believe that all the world’s senselessness and cruelty—the richness of the few, the great poverty of the many, the violence and warfare—happens outside their own lives and does not interfere with them and their way of life.”
Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom (Page 262)
“Shut out all forms of distraction. Eliminate all opportunities for rivalry.”
Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 103)
“Believe me that in every big thing or achievement there are always obstacles, big or small, and the reaction one shows to such obstacles is what counts, not the obstacle itself. There is no such thing as defeat until you admit so yourself, but not until then!”
Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts (Page 102)
“One of the most common narratives on the internet is that you have to ‘go all in’ and ‘have no backup plan’ in order to be successful. People will cite the success of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Steve Jobs to further drive home their point. But this is simply survivorship bias. Instead of looking at Musk, Bezos, and Jobs, ask yourself this question instead: ‘How many people have tried to do what these three did, and failed?’ If 3 out of a million make it, it’s probably not the right choice for you. Instead, think about how you can start small and don’t flush years of your productive time down the drain on one ‘big’ idea.”
Justin Welsh
“Be thoughtful and honest with yourself about your missteps, but don’t start dwelling on them. People beat themselves up and obsess about something that happened thirteen years ago—a business partnership that didn’t work out, a startup that failed, or a boss they didn’t like—and it becomes the jail they live in. With all the time you have left, there’s zero value in getting bogged down there. If I ever get into that mud, I’m grabbing my gratitude hose to wash it off.”
Gary Vaynerchuk, Twelve and a Half
“To the ancient Greeks, far more harm is caused in this world by stupidity and incompetence than outright evil. Those who are overtly evil can be combated, because they are easy to recognize and fight against. The incompetent and stupid are far more dangerous because we are never quite sure where they are leading us, until it is too late. The greatest military disasters in history have more often than not originated from leaders who lack strategic wisdom.”
Robert Greene, The Daily Laws (Page 306)
“Events in life mean nothing if you do not reflect on them in a deep way, and ideas from books are pointless if they have no application to life as you life it. In strategy all of life is a game that you are playing. This game is exciting but also requires deep and serious attention. The stakes are so high. What you know must translate into action, and action must translate into knowledge. In this way strategy becomes a lifelong challenge and the source of constant pleasure in surmounting difficulties and solving problems.”
Robert Greene, The Daily Laws (Page 303)
“Teachers who expect greater things from their pupils can, without ever saying anything, have a positive effect on their work and grades. By feeling particularly excited when you’re meeting someone, you will communicate this to him or her in a powerful way.”
Robert Greene, The Daily Laws (Page 301)