“Our lives are like islands in the sea, or like trees in the forest, which co-mingle their roots in the darkness underground.”
William James, Sunbeams (Page 5)
Connection Quotes
3 Ideas For Improving Communication That I Learned From My Best Friend
Excerpt: My best friend is excellent at communication. He’s good at signaling and receiving. Most are bad at both. Some are good at one. Here’s what I have learned from him as of late.
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6 Behind-The-Scenes Brandon Stanton Quotes from Humans on Struggle and Connection
Excerpt: Brandon Stanton’s new book, Humans, is a masterpiece. These quotes from Humans give a behind-the-scenes look at how he works and thinks.
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Humans [Book]
Book Overview: Brandon Stanton created Humans of New York in 2010. What began as a photographic census of life in New York City, soon evolved into a storytelling phenomenon. A global audience of millions began following HONY daily. Over the next several years, Stanton broadened his lens to include people from across the world. Traveling to more than forty countries, he conducted interviews across continents, borders, and language barriers. Humans is the definitive catalogue of these travels. The faces and locations will vary from page to page, but the stories will feel deeply familiar. Told with candor and intimacy, Humans will resonate with readers across the globe―providing a portrait of our shared experience.
Buy from Amazon! Not on Audible…
Great on Kindle. Great Experience. Great Value. The Kindle edition of this book comes highly recommended on Amazon.
Post(s) Inspired by this Book:
Brandon Stanton Quote on Connection and How We Connect Through Struggles More Than Victories
“Our struggles connect us. We relate to the challenges of other people much more than we relate to their victories. We empathize with pain much more than joy. The moment we truly see ourselves in another person is when we realize that we’ve felt the exact same pain.”
Brandon Stanton, Humans (Page 278)
Beyond the Quote (351/365)
This is the oversight with always wanting to show off. It might make people envy you, but it doesn’t allow people to easily connect with you. If anything, it creates a larger disconnect between where they are and where you portray yourself to be. As Brandon points out above, it’s our struggles that connect us, not our victories.
Read More »Brandon Stanton Quote on Connection and How We Connect Through Struggles More Than Victories“Despite having interviewed thousands of people, I still learn something new from each person I meet. Everyone has a unique expertise. The quickest way to find a person’s expertise is by learning their struggle. What they’ve battled. What they’ve carried with them the longest. Because it’s what they’ve thought about the most.”
Brandon Stanton, Humans (Page 278)
“If our shields are what separate us, it’s what’s behind them that brings us together: the struggles, the worries, the pain, the weakness. All the soft spots. The places we protect. These are the things that make us most relatable to others. These are the things that connect us—if only we allow them to be seen.”
Brandon Stanton, Humans (Page 25)
“It’s amazing how people transform when they realize you’re not a threat. They become much more relatable. More familiar. More recognizable. Big cities can feel so isolating because we rarely get past this point with people. Everyone is hiding behind their shield. They’re on guard at all times. At least until the end of the day, when they get back home, around people they love and trust, and suddenly become themselves again.”
Brandon Stanton, Humans (Page 24)
3 Reasons Why Bad Relationships Are More Harmful Than Good Relationships Are Beneficial
Excerpt: I see it time and time again where a “bad” relationship causes more harm than a “good” relationship causes benefit. The question is… why?
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Iain Thomas Quote on Being Gifted and What That Really Means
“Being gifted doesn’t mean you’ve been given something. It means, you have something to give.”
Iain Thomas, I Wrote This For You
Beyond the Quote (344/365)
The question is, will you give it? Or, maybe better yet, do you even know what your gift is? My belief is that we all have a gift. And while you might hesitate at that thought and think to yourself, “Does he even know who he’s talking to? I’m the least gifted person I know”—I stand firmly in my position. Even if you think to yourself about how gifted and talented you already know you are—that isn’t exactly what I’m talking about—I’m talking about a specific gift.
Read More »Iain Thomas Quote on Being Gifted and What That Really MeansMaya Angelou Quote on Legacy and What People Most Remember About You
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou
Beyond the Quote (326/365)
For as much as I work with quotes, you’d think I’d be better at remembering exactly what people said—I don’t. There are phrases, of course, that have stuck with me for one poignant or arbitrary reason or another, but I undoubtedly forget more than I remember. Heck, I can’t even quote myself for more than a few sentences! Think about the last time you tried to memorize a speech… how much of it could you memorize? Quoting is hard. People will (mostly) forget what you said.
Read More »Maya Angelou Quote on Legacy and What People Most Remember About YouWill Smith Quote from Collateral Beauty on How We’re Here to Connect.
“We’re here to connect. Love, time, death. Now these three things connect every single human being on earth. We long for love, we wish we had more time and we fear death.”
Howard Inlet (Will Smith), Collateral Beauty
Beyond the Quote (325/365)
If I take a piece of paper and I draw a line down the center of it, you might say that it’s divided. You might say there is a left side and a right side. But, a simple line doesn’t change the fact that the sides are still part of the paper. They are not suddenly separate entities unto themselves—they are still a part of a whole. If I rip the paper down that line, you might say that the paper is now divided for sure. But, even if you were to rip the paper 1,000 times, each piece is still united in its essence—that it’s paper. From one perspective, division; from the other perspective, unity—even in the face of division.
Read More »Will Smith Quote from Collateral Beauty on How We’re Here to Connect.“Meet people, mix with people, with as many people as possible, because each person expresses a different facet of God. Learn from people. Don’t be afraid, this existence is not your enemy. This existence mothers you, this existence is ready to support you in every possible way. Trust, and you will start feeling a new upsurge of energy in you. That energy is love. That energy wants to bless the whole existence, because in that energy one feels blessed. And when you feel blessed, what else can you do except bless the whole existence?”
Osho, Courage (Page 78)
“Imagine this: You’re single. Forever. The end. Now imagine this: You have no friends. Forever. The end. Many of us misinterpret our need for strong friendships as a need for a romantic relationship. This is an unhealthy way to go about life. Being single forever may suck to think about, but it’s not exactly the end of the world. You could still have a pretty bitchin’ life anyway. Plenty of people do. Plenty of people choose to remain single for the majority of their lives and don’t feel as though they’re missing out on much. We’ve all been single before. And many of us in committed relationships will someday be single again. But friendless for the rest of your life? Well, let’s just say that these are the things that suicides are made of. You can be happy without a partner. You cannot be happy without friends. Prioritize your friendships.”
Mark Manson
101 Thoughtful and Provoking Questions To Ask To Get To Know Someone
Excerpt: Looking for questions to ask to get to know someone? This list has you covered. Good for getting to know someone new or old, known or unknown, stranger or friend. Questions are the key to meaningful connection. Enjoy.
Read More »101 Thoughtful and Provoking Questions To Ask To Get To Know Someone
How Can We Create More Space In Our Lives For What’s REAL?
Excerpt: An exploration of what even IS real, why real tends NOT to be the default, and how “keeping it real” can lead to more connections and strength than the opposite.
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