Learn how to learn from those you disagree with or even offend you. See if you can find the truth in what they believe.
Always demand a deadline because it weeds out the extraneous and the ordinary. A deadline prevents you from trying to make it perfect so you have to make it different. Different is better.
When you forgive others they may not notice but you will heal. Forgiveness is not something we do for others; it is a gift to ourselves.
The fact that you “can’t do” something can be embarrassing. But if you are “learning to do” something that is admirable. There are only tiny baby steps between can’t and learning.
Collecting things benefits you only if you display your collection prominently and share it in joy with others. The opposite of this is hoarding.
A major part of travel is to leave stuff behind. The more you leave behind the further you will advance.
Gratitude will unlock all other virtues and is something you can get better at.
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.
Movement plus variety equals health.
A great way to understand yourself is to seriously reflect on everything you find irritating in others.
Whenever you have a choice between being right or being kind be kind. No exceptions. Don’t confuse kindness with weakness.
Recipe for greatness: Become just a teeny bit better than you were last year. Repeat every year.
Whenever you can’t decide which path to take pick the one that produces change.
Habit is far more dependable than inspiration. Make progress by making habits. Don’t focus on getting into shape. Focus on becoming the kind of person who never misses a workout.
Rule of 3 in conversation: To get to the real reason, ask a person to go deeper than what they just said. Then again, and then once more. The third time’s answer is the one closest to the truth.
Don’t be the best. Be the only.
Everyone is shy. Other people are waiting for you to introduce yourself to them; they are waiting for you to send them an email; they are waiting for you to ask them on a date. Go ahead.
The more you are interested in others the more interesting they’ll find you. To be interesting, be interested.
Don’t take it personally when someone turns you down. Assume they are like you: busy, occupied, distracted. Try again later. It’s amazing how often a second try works.
If you ask for someone’s feedback you’ll get a critic. But if instead you ask for advice you’ll get a partner.
Separate the processes of creating from improving. You can’t write and edit or sculpt and polish or make and analyze at the same time. If you do, the editor stops the creator. While you invent, don’t select. While you sketch, don’t inspect. While you write the first draft, don’t reflect. At the start, the creator mind must be unleashed from judgment.
Keep showing up. 99% of success is just showing up. In fact, most success is just persistence. (Location 214)
You really don’t want to be famous. Read the biography of any famous person. (Location 250)
On vacation go to the most remote place on your itinerary first bypassing the cities and then return to the big city at the end. You’ll maximize the shock of otherness in the remote, and then later you’ll welcome the familiar conveniences of a busy city on the way back. (Location 252)
Experience is overrated. Most breakthrough accomplishments were done by people doing them for the first time. Therefore when hiring hire for aptitude and attitude and then train for skills. (Location 285)
Don’t bother asking a barber if you need a haircut. Pay attention to incentives. (Location 291)
Learning probability and statistics is far more useful than learning algebra and calculus. (Location 598)
The consistency of your endeavors (exercise, companionship, work) is more important than the quantity. Nothing beats small things done every day which is way more important than what you do occasionally. (Location 613)
Your enjoyment of travel is inversely proportional to the size of your luggage. This is 100% true of backpacking. It is liberating to realize how little you really need. (Location 631)
Don’t buy anything late at night. There is nothing you need to buy that cannot wait till tomorrow morning. (Location 646)
The four most powerful words in any negotiation should be uttered by you: “Can you do better?” (Location 654)
You can find no better medicine for your family than regular meals together without screens. (Location 659)
Learn how to be alone without being lonely. Solitude is essential for creativity. (Location 672)
When you feel like quitting just do five more: 5 more minutes, 5 more pages 5 more steps. Then repeat. Sometimes you can break through and keep going but even if you can’t, you ended five ahead. Tell yourself that you will quit tomorrow but not today. (Location 674)
Ask anyone you admire: Their lucky breaks happened on a detour from their main goal. So embrace detours. Life is not a straight line for anyone. (Location 683)
To be rich you don’t need to make more money; you chiefly need to better manage the money already flowing through your hands. (Location 685)
You’ll get 10 times better results by elevating good behavior rather than punishing bad behavior especially in children and animals. (Location 693)
Spend as much time crafting the subject line of an email as the message itself because the subject line is often the only thing people read. (Location 696)
Denying or deflecting a compliment is rude. Accept it with thanks even if you believe it is not deserved. (Location 709)
To keep young kids behaving well on a car road trip, have a bag of their favorite unwrapped candy and throw a piece out the window each time they misbehave. (Location 717)
When you don’t know how much to pay someone for a particular task ask them, “What would be fair?” and their answer usually is. (Location 720)
We tend to overestimate what we can do in a day and underestimate what we can achieve in a decade. Miraculous things can be accomplished if you give it 10 years. A long game will compound small gains that will be able to overcome even big mistakes. (Location 743)
Your best job will be one that you were unqualified for because it stretches you. In fact, only apply to jobs you are unqualified for. (Location 750)
A wise man said: Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates. At the first gate, ask yourself, “Is it true?” At the second gate ask, “Is it necessary?” At the third gate ask, “Is it kind?” (Location 756)
It’s thrilling to be extremely polite to rude strangers. (Location 774)
Getting cheated occasionally is the small price for trusting the best of everyone because when you trust the best in others they generally treat you best. (Location 778)
It’s possible that a not-so-smart person who can communicate well can do much better than a super-smart person who can’t communicate well. That is good news because it is much easier to improve your communication skills than your intelligence. (Location 781)
Looking ahead, focus on direction rather than destinations. Maintain the right direction and you’ll arrive at where you want to go. (Location 792)
To become a hero, thank a teacher who made a difference in your life. (Location 798)
Explore or optimize? Do you optimize what you know will sell or explore with something new? Do you order a restaurant dish you are sure is great (optimize) or do you try something new? Do you keep dating new folks (explore) or try to commit to someone you met? The ideal balance for exploring new things vs. optimizing those already found is ⅓. Spend ⅓ of your time on exploring and ⅔ on optimizing and deepening. As you mature it is harder to devote time to exploring because it seems unproductive but aim for ⅓. (Location 826)
If you repeated what you did today 365 more times will you be where you want to be next year? (Location 867)
Reading to your children regularly is the best school they will ever get. (Location 878)
The main reason to produce something every day is that you must throw away a lot of good work to reach the great stuff. To let it all go easily you need to be convinced that there is “more where that came from.” You get that in steady production. (Location 930)
The real test of your character is not how you deal with adversity— although that will teach you much. The real test is how you deal with power. The only cure for power is humility and the admission that your power comes from luck. The small person believes they are superior; the superior person knows they are lucky. (Location 933)
The very best thing you can do for your kids is to love your spouse. (Location 958)
To have a great trip, head toward an interest rather than to a place. Travel to passions rather than destinations. (Location 979)
Let your children choose their punishments. They’ll be tougher than you will. (Location 982)
Fully embrace “What is the worst that can happen?” at each juncture in life. Rehearsing your response to the “worst” can reveal it as an adventure and rob it of its power to stall you. (Location 986)
Anger is not the proper response to anger. When you see someone angry you are seeing their pain. Compassion is the proper response to anger. (Location 997)
When you find something you really enjoy do it slowly. (Location 999)
To earn dignity with your flaws own up to them, and make sure you push on things that matter. (Location 1011)
It is impossible for you to become poor by giving. It is impossible for you to become wealthy without giving. (Location 1016)
To get better at speaking watch a recording of yourself speaking. It is shocking and painful but an effective way to improve. (Location 1021)
Spending as little as 15 minutes (1% of your day) on improving how you do your thing, is the most powerful way to amplify and advance your thing. (Location 1106)
The rich have money. The wealthy have time. It is easier to become wealthy than rich. (Location 1133)
Invent as many family rituals as you can handle with ease. Anything done on a schedule —large or small, significant or silly— can become a ritual. Repeated consistently small routines become legendary. Anticipation is key. (Location 1176)