“It doesn’t matter what you do, the criticism is always going to be there. So you might as well do what you think ought to be done. You might as well do what seems meaningful and important and fulfilling and right to you. People are going to say what they’re going to say, haters will find a way to hate. In the meantime, just be true to yourself, be true to the mission you have, fight for the respect (and praise) of yourself, not the mob, not the future. That’s hard enough to win anyway.”
Ryan Holiday
“When you ask for feedback, choose your advisors wisely. We commonly make one of two mistakes when we seek feedback: We either ask everyone for advice about one problem or we ask one person for advice about all of our problems. If you ask too broadly, you’ll get fifty-seven different options and will be overwhelmed, confused, and lost. On the other hand, if you drop all your dilemmas on one person, then they’ll be overwhelmed, unequipped, and at some point tired of carrying your baggage.”
Jay Shetty, via Think Like A Monk (Page 192)
“In the act of criticizing others for failing to live up to higher standards, we ourselves are failing to live up to the highest standards.”
Jay Shetty, via Think Like A Monk (Page 178)
“’Do you want to know what I think?’ The best answer might be, ‘no.’ Because this person is not very good at offering useful feedback. Because you didn’t create this product or service or performance to please this person. They’re not the customer. Because you’re not going to revise this any time soon. The movie is made, and specific feedback isn’t going to get the movie remade. Just because criticism is on offer doesn’t mean you have to seek it out or even listen to it.”
Seth Godin
“I recently heard a story about a woman who asked her ‘inner critic’ to retire. The ‘inner critic’ being that self-critical voice that pipes up under the guise of protecting me from failure or pushing me to be better. Inspired by this idea, I bought my ‘inner critic’ a retirement gift — something tangible I can see or hold in my hands — so that when the doubting, perfectionist voice speaks up I can gently remind her she’s been retired, and show her the small of token of appreciation I bought as proof. Shifting my focus from anxiety to gratitude.”
Claudia Dawson
“When another blames you or hates you, or people voice similar criticisms, go to their souls, penetrate inside and see what sort of people they are. You will realize that there is no need to be racked with anxiety that they should hold any particular opinion about you. But you should still be kind to them. They are by nature your friends, and the gods too help them in various ways—dreams and divination—at least to the objects of their concern.”
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (Page 88)
“If somebody is undergoing group criticism, the tribal part in you will want to join in the fun of righteously destroying somebody. Resist this, you’ll only add ugliness to the world. And anyway, they’ve already learned the lesson they’re going to learn and it probably isn’t the lesson you want.”
Ideopunk, LessWrong
“Being praised essentially means that one is receiving judgment from another person as ‘good.’ And the measure of what is good or bad about that act is that person’s yardstick. If receiving praise is what one is after, one will have no choice but to adapt to that person’s yardstick and put the brakes on one’s own freedom.”
Ichiro Kishimi, The Courage To Be Disliked
“Criticizing is easy and fast. Creating is difficult and slow. The two hours you spent on a book or movie usually took two years to produce. Anyone can tear down someone else’s work. The true test of insight is whether you can help them improve it or build something of your own.”
Adam Grant, Twitter
