Skip to content

    “What wisdom or help would you be able to find today if you stopped caring about affiliations and reputations? How much more could you see if you just focused on merit?”

    Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic (Page 253)

      “The real questions are the ones that obtrude upon your consciousness whether you like it or not, the ones that make your mind start vibrating like a jackhammer, the ones that you ‘come to terms with’ only to discover that they are still there. The real questions refuse to be placated. They barge into your life at the times when it seems most important for them to stay away. They are the questions asked most frequently and answered most inadequately, the ones that reveal their true natures slowly, reluctantly, most often against your will.”

      Ingrid Bengis, via Sunbeams (Page 112)

      Would You Rip The Wings Off A Butterfly For An All-Expenses-Paid Vacation?

        Would You Rip The Wings Off A Butterfly For An All-Expenses-Paid Vacation?

        “For an all-expenses-paid, one-week vacation anywhere in the world, would you be willing to tear the wings off a beautiful butterfly?  If so, would you be troubled enough to enjoy your trip any less?  What about stepping on a cockroach? …Does a beautiful creature merit more compassion than an ugly one?  If so, why?   Do you injure yourself psychologically by destroying something you find beautiful?  Is there a meaningful difference between pulling the wings off an insect and stepping on it?  How much would it take to induce you to rip the wings off a hummingbird or dove?”

        Gregory Stock, The Book of Questions

        Beyond the Quote (Day 375)

        I finished reading The Book of Questions in February of 2015 and for some reason, the above question is one that left a deep imprint on my mind. I noticed, especially as of late, that since I read it, for no obvious or connected reason, it has been randomly popping into my head—would I tear the wings off a butterfly for an all-expenses-paid vacation anywhere in the world? And every time, I work through the same answer I always do. But what strikes me is that, if I answer the same way every time, why then does it keep recurring?

        Read More »Would You Rip The Wings Off A Butterfly For An All-Expenses-Paid Vacation?

        Ryan Holiday Quote on Questions and How The Best Questions Lead To The Best Answers

          “Tim Ferriss always seems to ask the best questions: What would this look like if it were easy? How will you know if you don’t experiment? What would less be like? The one that hit me the hardest, when I was maybe 25, was, ‘What do you do with your money?’ My answer at the time was ‘Nothing, really.’ Okay, so why try so hard to earn lots more of it?”

          Ryan Holiday, Medium

          Beyond the Quote (269/365)

          The first and last questions listed above were the ones that hit me the hardest: “What would this look like if it were easy?” and “What do you do with your money?” The thing about asking better questions is that they lead to better answers. When you can become the person who asks “the best questions” then you’ll inevitably start getting the best answers—answers that never occur to most people because their minds aren’t even looking in the right places. And the people with the best answers are the ones who almost always get the best results.

          Read More »Ryan Holiday Quote on Questions and How The Best Questions Lead To The Best Answers

          Tony Robbins Quote on Focus and How Questions Are One Of The Most Powerful Tools To Utilize

            “The most powerful way to control your focus is through the use of questions.”

            Tony Robbins

            Beyond the Quote (225/365)

            Distracted? It’s because you’re asking yourself the wrong questions: Am I missing out on any new posts on the socials? I wonder what he/she is doing right now? I wonder how much it would cost to buy a new kayak? How come I always get so distracted? Why is life always so unfair to me? What am I going to eat for dinner? How can I get rich, quick? What shortcut can I take for better health? Why is my dog so cute? You get the idea.

            Read More »Tony Robbins Quote on Focus and How Questions Are One Of The Most Powerful Tools To Utilize

            Gregory Stock Quote on Friendship—and What Your Friends Say About You

              “What could someone figure out about you by the friends you’ve chosen? …Do your close friends tend to be older or younger than you?  Less or more talented and successful than you?  Do they share your values?  Ambitions?  Interests?”

              Gregory Stock, The Book of Questions

              Beyond the Quote (62/365)

              You could probably learn a lot about someone by the friends they’ve chosen.  In fact, I’m a firm believer in the idea that you are a product of who you surround yourself with the most.  How could you not be?  Your close friends are the ones who have the greatest influence over you.  They’re the ones who you spend the most time with, who you challenge to games and do activities with, who you poke around with intellectually, who you have deep conversations with (or at least conversations beyond the superficial), and who you measure (and ultimately align) values, ambitions, and interests with.  While this certainly isn’t always the case, I feel like it is more often than it’s not and can definitely provide noteworthy insights that will help you better understand your current situation.

              Read More »Gregory Stock Quote on Friendship—and What Your Friends Say About You

                “Don’t think about why you question, simply don’t stop questioning.  Don’t worry about what you can’t answer, and don’t try to explain what you can’t know.  Curiosity is its own reason.  Aren’t you in awe when you contemplate the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure behind reality?  And this is the miracle of the human mind—to use its constructions, concepts, and formulas as tools to explain what man sees, feels and touches.  Try to comprehend a little more each day.  Have holy curiosity.” ~ Albert Einstein, via Mastery

                  “How do we make it so that when someone is born with a chronic illness, someone who is going to be sick, who might always be sick—who might die sick—can still live a life that they are proud of?  How do we teach kids who are sick, teach people who are sick in general, to not feel ashamed of their illness or their experience of life, but to learn from it and to make something from it?” ~ Claire Wineland (20), EEM LA 2018

                    “What do you focus on most often?  What’s your life’s obsession?  Finding love?  Making a difference?  Learning?  Earning?  Pleasing everyone?  Avoiding pain?  Changing the world?  Are you aware of what you focus on most; your primary question in life?  Whatever it is, it will shape, mold, and direct your life.” ~ Tony Robbins, Money: Master the Game

                      “The average person asks questions such as ‘How do I get by?’ or ‘Why is this happening to me?’  Some even ask questions that disempower them, causing their minds to focus on and find roadblocks instead of solutions.  Questions like ‘How come I can never lose weight?’ or ‘Why can’t I ever hang on to my money?’ only move them farther down the path of limitation.  I have been obsessed with the question of how do I make things better?  How do I help people to significantly improve the quality of their lives now?  This focus has driven me for 38 years to find or create strategies and tools that can make an immediate difference.  What about you?  What question(s) do you ask more than any other?” ~ Tony Robbins, Money: Master the Game

                        “To get results, you can’t just ask the question once, you have to become obsessed with finding its greatest answer(s).” ~ Tony Robbins, Money: Master the Game

                          “You can’t learn if you think you already know.  You will not find the answers if you’re too conceited and self-assured to ask the questions.  You cannot get better if you’re convinced you are the best.” ~ Ryan Holiday, Ego is the Enemy