365 entries found
On Living the Hard Way
"Life's easy when you live it the hard way... and hard if you try to live it the easy way."
On Your Choices
"Your choices are made in a moment, but their consequences will transcend a lifetime."
On Being a Human
"Willpower is what separates us from the animals — the capacity to restrain our impulses, resist temptation, do what's right for us in the long run."
On Creating Systems
"Creating systems that make it next to impossible to misbehave is more reliable than self-control."
On Enslavement to Self
"Before complaining that you are a slave to another, be sure that you are not a slave to self."
On Superhumans
"Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it."
On Poverty and Self-Discipline
"Economic stress robs us of cognitive bandwidth, leaving less capacity to think ahead or exert self-discipline."
On Unessential Necessities
"Epicurus examined things he thought he needed to determine which he could live without."
On Your Future Self
"People who interacted with virtual future selves exhibited an increased tendency to accept later rewards over immediate ones."
On Building Your Story
"Words create sentences; sentences create paragraphs; sometimes paragraphs quicken and begin to breathe."
On Self-Discipline and Talent
"Self-discipline without talent can often achieve astounding results, whereas talent without self-discipline inevitably dooms itself to failure."
On Calmness of Mind
"Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom — the result of long and patient effort in self-control."
On What You Want Now and What You Want Most
"Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most."
On Long-Term Focus
"In order to succeed, you must have a long-term focus. Most challenges come from a short-term focus."
On Constant Improvement
"Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes."
On Self-Reliance
"A man then must stand erect, not be kept erect by others."
On Rising from the Ashes of Failure
"A setback has often cleared the way for greater prosperity. Many things have fallen only to rise to more exalted heights."
On Higher Standards
"Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself. Never pity yourself."
On Fighting Well
"The important thing in life is not triumph, but the struggle; the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."
On Taking Small Steps
"We should discipline ourselves in small things, and from there progress to things of greater value."
On the Importance of Habits
"Success is a short race — a sprint fueled by discipline just long enough for habit to kick in and take over."
On Self-Discipline as Freedom
"Self-discipline is a form of freedom — freedom from laziness and lethargy, freedom from weakness and fear or doubt."
On Disciplined Education
"The first discipline of education must be to refuse resolutely to feed the mind with canned chatter."
On Happiness Through Self-Discipline
"Those who work the hardest, who subject themselves to the strictest discipline, who give up certain pleasurable things, are the happiest."
On Starting Today
"Don't wait for tomorrow to do something you can do today."
On the Long-Term Consequences of Your Choices
"Whenever you are presented with a choice, ask yourself which option you would prefer to have taken in ten years."
On Following the Wrong Path
"If something scares you in an excited way — that's a good sign. But if something is making you miserable and draining your energy, please stop."
On Living in Offensive Mode
"Life is an ongoing process of choosing between safety and risk. Make the growth choice a dozen times a day."
On Avoiding Effort
"If your expectations are those of someone content to live without physical challenge, when mental or emotional challenge comes, you fail to meet it."
On Looking Like a Fool
"You have to look like a fool while you're looking for answers you don't have."
On Being 'Normal'
"To be 'normal' is the ideal aim for the unsuccessful. For people of more than average ability, normal signifies deadly boredom."
On Cultivating Self-Discipline Like a Plant
"Virtue is not a mushroom that springeth up in one night, but a delicate plant needing much pains to cultivate, much time to mature."
On Things You Can't Rush
"The bearing of a child takes nine months, no matter how many women are assigned."
On Enlightenment
"Before enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water. After enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water."
On the Value of Difficulty
"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly."
On Pushing Your Limits Step by Step
"That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. And I just kept on going."
On Initial Resistance
"It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end."
On Moderation as a Good Thing
"Avoiding extremes of indulgence and self-mortification, the Tathagata has realized the Middle Path."
On Moderation as a Bad Thing
"Sometimes moderation is a bad counselor."
On Talking vs. Doing
"It is better to practice a little than talk a lot."
On Arrogance
"Receive wealth or prosperity without arrogance; and be ready to let it go."
On Diligent Practice
"You must practise diligently in order to understand how to win."
On Making Continuous Efforts
"Genius is often only the power of making continuous efforts. There is no failure except in no longer trying."
On Optimism
"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope."
On Honesty
"I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain the character of an honest man."
On Looking Fear in the Face
"You gain strength by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
On the Folly of Loafing Around
"The loafer believes he is enjoying life, but sooner or later he must face disillusion."
On the Deadening of the Soul
"Most of us dread the deadening of the body. About the deadening of the soul, we don't care one iota."
On Obeying Lusts
"Bad men obey their lusts as servants obey their masters."
On Not Resting on Your Laurels
"If you do something and it turns out pretty good, go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it."
On Taking Action Despite Criticism
"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it."
On Thinking for Yourself
"If you have a totally normal life, you've thought through everything and agree with society, or you don't think at all."
On Having a Burning Yes Inside
"Have the courage to say no to other things by having a bigger yes burning inside."
On Underestimating the Long-Term Approach
"We always overestimate the change in the next two years and underestimate the change in the next ten."
On Bearing Misfortunes Nobly
"Not that this is a misfortune, but that to bear it nobly is good fortune."
On Thinking You Can
"Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man. The man who wins is the one who thinks he can."
On Two Types of Happiness
"People with high eudaimonic well-being — happiness from deep sense of purpose — showed favorable gene-expression profiles."
On Cultivating Physical Excellence
"It is a disgrace to grow old through sheer carelessness before seeing what manner of man you may become."
On Your Vices Masquerading as Virtues
"No vice exists which does not pretend to be more or less like some virtue."
On Pressing On
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."
On Extreme Actions
"You don't get extreme talent, fame, or success without extreme actions."
On Moonshot Projects
"We choose to go to the Moon, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."
On the Will Being Stronger Than the Skill
"Champions are made from something deep inside them. The will must be stronger than the skill."
On Seeing Obstacles as Hurdles
"If we see obstacles as barriers, we stop trying. If we see them as hurdles, we can leap over them."
On Self-Discipline with Money
"Try to save something while your salary is small; it's impossible to save after you begin to earn more."
On Pointless Complaints
"But my nose is running! What do you have hands for, idiot, if not to wipe it?"
On Borrowing Money
"Every time you borrow money, you're robbing your future self."
On Choosing the Right Motivator
"For me success was always going to be a Lamborghini. But now I've got it, it just sits on my drive."
On Climbing Steep Hills
"To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first."
On Parkinson's Law
"Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."
On Taking a Step Forward
"If you don't ask, the answer's always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place."
On the Value of the Struggle
"To have striven, to have made the effort, to have been true to certain ideals — this alone is worth the struggle."
On Having Fun
"Fun is at the core of the way I like to do business. More than any other element, fun is the secret of Virgin's success."
On Acting Less and Thinking More
"Act less, think more. Reflect on what really matters to you. Stop doing anything that isn't valuable."
On Haters
"Don't give in to hate. That leads to the Dark Side."
On Changing Your Mind
"When my information changes, I alter my conclusions. What do you do, sir?"
On Hurting Yourself with Your Own Judgments
"If you are pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs you, but your own judgment about it."
On Collaboration
"Life is not a solo act. It's a huge collaboration, and we all need people who care about us."
On Books
"Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers."
On Cultivating Positivity When Things Go Bad
"Good humor is a tonic for mind and body. It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression."
On Identifying Your Resources
"With every accident, ask yourself what abilities you have for making a proper use of it."
On Extreme Focus
"Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life — think of it, dream of it, live on that idea."
On Changing Your Identity
"Every time you make a decision to stick with your principles instead of indulging weaknesses, you get stronger. Eventually this becomes your identity."
On Work and Chatter
"The only relationship between work and chatter is that one kills the other."
On Experimenting to See What Happens
"Everything you do is just a test: an experiment to 'see what happens'."
On the Spillover Effect of Success
"Success at anything has a spillover effect. Become good at things that require nothing but practice."
On Attributing Failure to External Factors
"Individuals tend to make external attributions, pointing to factors outside their direct control."
On the Comfort Zone
"People will do almost anything to stay in their comfort zones. If you want to accomplish anything, get out of your comfort zone."
On Not Making Excuses
"You have to deliver results when making excuses is an option."
On Quitting in a Smart Way
"Quitting when you're panicked is dangerous. The best quitters decide in advance when they're going to quit."
On Starting Now
"We don't say 'I'm never going to write my symphony.' Instead we say, 'I'm going to start tomorrow.'"
On Pleasure Gained from Abstaining
"Guard yourself against being hurried away by pleasure; let the affair wait your leisure, and procure yourself some delay."
On Connecting Dots
"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards."
On Overidentifying With Your Emotions
"People overidentify with their emotions. 'I was really mad; I couldn't help it.'"
On Early-Morning Workouts
"I learned the advantage of training early, before the day starts, when there are no other responsibilities."
On Silence
"The fruits of silence are self-control, true courage or endurance, patience, dignity, and reverence."
On Treating Yourself Well
"Nearly every human action is in some way an expression of how we think about ourselves."
On Society (Not) Holding You Back
"It's not society that holds us back, it's ourselves. We just blame society because it's easier."
On Applying Knowledge
"Reading 32 books means you're reading a lot, but does it mean you're applying it?"
On Being a Leader
"If you wish to control others you must first control yourself."
On the Ultimate Excellence in Self-Discipline
"Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle, but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting."
On the Deeper Meaning Behind Temptations
"Monastic rules about renouncing liquor and sex point out that we use them as babysitters, as escapes, to get comfort and distract ourselves."
On Controlled Burn
"Small forest fires periodically cleanse the system of the most flammable material, preventing large, disastrous fires."
On the Past Predicting the Future
"The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior."
On Predicting When You'll Give In
"People who think they have the most willpower are actually the most likely to lose control when tempted."
On Valuing Your Own Opinion
"Every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinion than on the opinion of others."
On the Innocent Distractions
"Distraction and displacement seem innocent on the surface. But lives go down the tubes one repetition at a time, one deflection at a time."
On Following a Routine
"I only write when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes at nine every morning."
On the Size of Containers
"Moviegoers ate 45.3% more popcorn when given large containers. Even when popcorn was disliked, people still ate 33.6% more from large containers."
On Moving Yourself Closer to the Finish Line
"People find it more motivating to be partly finished with a longer journey than to be at the starting gate of a shorter one."
On Patience With Mindset Changes
"Nothing important comes into being overnight; even grapes or figs need time to ripen."
On Self-Licensing
"Past good deeds can liberate individuals to engage in behaviors that are immoral or otherwise problematic."
On a Lack of Time
"Instead of saying 'I don't have time' try saying 'it's not a priority,' and see how that feels."
On Fulfilling Your Own Standards
"When fulfilling our own standards is what fills us with pride and self-respect, the effort — not the results — is enough."
On the Cost of Indulgence
"The cost of a thing is the amount of what I call life which is required to be exchanged for it."
On Taking the Low Road
"The problem with making an extrinsic reward the only destination is that some people will choose the quickest route, even if it means taking the low road."
On Dressing New Things in Old Habits
"If you dress a new something in old habits, it's easier for the public to accept it."
On Free Things
"When something is 'FREE!' we forget the downside. The real allure is tied to our fear of loss."
On Hatching the Egg
"We shall sooner have the fowl by hatching the egg than by smashing it."
On Handling Interruptions to Your Routine
"Planning a variance, make it concrete, black and white, and specify exactly when the variance will end."
On the Mark of a Champion
"The mark of a champion is the ability to win when things are not quite right."
On Making Agreements With Yourself
"When you make an agreement and you don't keep it, you undermine your own self-trust."
On Doing This or Nothing
"Either write or nothing. You don't have to write, and you can't do anything else. The rest comes of itself."
On Daily Gratitude
"The more you regularly experience gratitude, the more self-control you have in various areas of your life."
On Going Away From Work
"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back your judgment will be surer."
On Shedding Light on the Dark Things
"We must persistently shed light on those aspects of ourselves that we prefer not to see to build our mental, emotional and spiritual capacity."
On Cold Exposure
"Take cold showers first thing in the morning. Do this for thirty days in a row. I call it Cold Shower Therapy."
On Principles
"Principles are fundamental truths that serve as the foundations for behavior that gets you what you want out of life."
On Everyday Practice
"I mistakenly only associated 'practice' with art forms. I didn't see dealing with a cranky child or tight budget as requiring the same principles."
On Working on Laziness
"If you are smart, but not lazy, work on laziness. Concentrate on the really important things that get amazing results."
On Building an Ark
"It took Noah 20 years to build an ark. The whole time, he looked stupid — until it started raining."
On Being Willing to Be Bad
"To get good, it's helpful to be willing, or even enthusiastic, about being bad."
On Self-Caring
"Self-discipline is self-caring. If we feel ourselves valuable, then we will feel our time to be valuable."
On Staying Congruent
"Immediately prescribe some character and form of conduct to yourself, which you may keep both alone and in company."
On Staying in Love With Your Goals
"Grit is about working on something you care about so much that you're willing to stay loyal to it. Not just falling in love — staying in love."
On the Desire for Happiness Replacing Self-Discipline
"Pitching is what makes me happy. It determines what I eat, when I go to bed, what I do when I'm awake."
On Waiting for Ten Minutes
"For a cooler, wiser brain, institute a mandatory ten-minute wait for any temptation."
On Nature Boosting Your Focus
"Nature, which is filled with intriguing stimuli, modestly grabs attention, allowing directed-attention abilities a chance to replenish."
On Tolerating an Absence of Novelty
"It's the constant switching from low-stimuli/high-value activities to high-stimuli/low-value activities that teaches your mind to never tolerate an absence of novelty."
On Longing for Paradise
"The problem with longing for paradises is that it distracts us from extracting pleasure and meaning from the present."
On Punctuality
"A person who cannot keep appointments on time, cannot keep scheduled commitments, cannot be trusted in other ways either."
On Keystone Habits
"People who exercise start eating better and becoming more productive. They smoke less and show more patience. Exercise is a keystone habit."
On Falling in Love With the Idea of Starting
"What was the use of doing great things if I could have a better time telling her what I was going to do?"
On the Work of a Human Being
"In the morning when thou risest unwillingly, let this thought be present — I am rising to the work of a human being."
On Complicating the World for Profit
"To earn a fortune in the diet and exercise industries, there is a dictum: complicate to profit."
On Decision Avoidance
"I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which fig to choose."
On Walking by Your Mistakes
"If you do walk by a mistake, then you just set a new, lower standard."
On Fear
"Action cures fear."
On the Weak Point in Your Armor
"The individual can attain self-control in great things only through self-control in little things. Study yourself to discover the weak point in your armor."
On Indulgences Charging You Interest
"Procrastination and indulgence are like creditors that charge us interest. They make us feel good now, but create a more difficult life."
On Changing Your Character
"If you make disciplined, caring choices, you are slowly engraving certain tendencies into your mind. You are making it more likely you will desire the right things."
On the Future Value of Money
"If an item was listed at fifty dollars, consider the potential value after it has been invested for twenty years. Ask, 'Is this item worth $250?'"
On Spontaneity
"The farmer is utterly, gloriously spontaneous, but he is hardly free. He is a prisoner to his unbridled spontaneity. Discipline is the only way to freedom."
On the Value of Doing Things Yourself
"Know the pleasure of workmanship, the joy that comes from things made well by your own hands."
On Broadening Your Horizons
"What do you know of history, biology, ethics? They broaden your thought, lengthen out your vistas, force you to original thought."
On Wanting What We Already Have
"One wonderful way to tame our tendency to always want more is to persuade ourselves to want the things we already have."
On Remembering Death
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make big choices in life."
On Learning From the Greats
"You have got to conquer as strong men have conquered in every struggle of history, and draw on whatever fund of courage and resolution you have at your command."
On Having Options
"Always have options. Options are a primary source of power."
On Deliberate Practice
"Instead of doing what we're good at, we insistently seek out what we're not good at. Then we identify the painful, difficult activities that will make us better."
On Addressing the Real Mistakes
"When expert putters miss, they don't say, 'I am a terrible putter.' They say, 'I picked the wrong target.'"
On Inverse Paranoia
"Inverse paranoid: someone who believes the world is conspiring to do him good. This is the most outwardly identifiable quality of a high-performing person."
On Angry Comebacks
"Never respond to an angry person with a fiery comeback. Don't allow his anger to become your anger."
On Easing Yourself Into the Pain
"One painful duty fulfilled makes the next plainer and easier."
On Not Living Up To Your Ideals
"Our behavior sometimes falls short of our ideals because we don't realize we're not living up to them."
On Handling Emotions
"People with a strong physical constitution can tolerate extremes of hot and cold; people of strong mental health can handle anger, grief, joy and other emotions."
On Routines Overcoming a Bad Mood
"A solid routine fosters a well-worn groove for one's mental energies and helps stave off the tyranny of moods."
On Wasting Energy Without Important Rituals
"There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision."
On Stopping at the Right Moment
"The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next."
On Supply and Demand
"Supply and demand: the more people do something, the less valuable it is."
On Stress
"Stress shifts the brain into a reward-seeking state. You become convinced the 'reward' is the only way to feel better."
On Having More Than One Identity
"Those who gain their sense of identity from many areas are more resilient when failing in any one area."
On Eating Alone
"Meals eaten with one other person were 33% larger than meals eaten alone. With seven or more people, increases were 96%."
On Experiencing Life
"Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped."
On Improving Self-Control by Using Your Other Hand
"Using the mouse, stirring your coffee, opening doors. This requires people to practice self-control because their habitual tendency is to use their dominant hands."
On Jotting Things Down
"The palest ink is more reliable than the most powerful memory."
On Sleep
"Good sleep habits could refuel a person's ability to make more difficult choices instead of opting for the easier choice."
On Losing Momentum
"No matter what your goal, never allow yourself to miss two days in a row."
On Effort Generating Satisfaction
"In surrendering our effort in activities, we gain relaxation, but we may actually give up a lot of deep enjoyment. It's often effort that ultimately creates long-term satisfaction."
On Paying the Price as Fast as Possible
"Whenever I can I choose to pay in advance. If I become aware of a mistake, I want to pay the price as fast as possible."
On the Disciplined Pursuit of Less
"If success is a catalyst for failure because it leads to the 'undisciplined pursuit of more,' the antidote is the disciplined pursuit of less."
On Saying No
"Don't do anything you don't want to do. When you agree to do something you don't want to do, you will resent the person who asked you."
On Shocking Your Body
"Your body needs to be shocked to become resilient. Surprise it with new challenges and scores of nerves and muscles are electrified into action."
On Creating Value
"I will create value for society, rather than extract it."
On Staying With Problems Longer
"Students who were forced to struggle on complex problems before receiving help outperformed students who received immediate assistance."
On Simple Rules
"Simple rules are shortcut strategies that save time and effort by focusing our attention and simplifying how we process information."
On Not Judging Too Quickly
"Realize that other people think their behavior is more responsive to situational factors than you're inclined to think."
On Pride
"All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong. The only crime is pride."
On Adventures
"The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences. There is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon."
On Being Specific About Your Resolutions
"Instead of saying 'I'm never going to cheat again,' say, 'Today, I'm not going to do that thing that makes me feel weak and shameful.'"
On Futile Determination
"If any man is able to convince me and show me that I do not think or act right, I will gladly change; for I seek the truth."
On Being in It for the Long Term
"Long-term-commitment musicians outperformed short-term-commitment musicians by 400 percent. With twenty minutes of weekly practice, they progressed faster than short-termers practicing an hour and a half."
On Becoming a New Person
"If you want to be a new man you have to stay in new places, and do new things, with people who never knew you before."
On Pain and Quitting
"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever."
On Procrastination as Your Ally
"If I defer writing a section, it must be eliminated. Why should I try to fool people by writing about a subject for which I feel no natural drive?"
On Impermanent Motivation
"Of course motivation is not permanent. But then, neither is bathing; but it is something you should do on a regular basis."
On Eliminating a Negative Attitude
"I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, and cynicism, by developing love for all humanity."
On Your Maxims
"The maxims of men reveal their characters."
On Your Inaction Hurting Others
"If you were meant to cure cancer or write a symphony and you don't do it, you not only hurt yourself. You hurt your children. You hurt the planet."
On Fretting About Yesterday's Problems
"If a ship has been sunk, I can't bring it up. I can use my time much better working on tomorrow's problem than by fretting about yesterday's."
On Teaching Others
"Teach others what you are learning. You become what you teach. You teach what you are."
On Accepting the Worst
"True peace of mind comes from accepting the worst. Psychologically, it means a release of energy."
On Maintaining Composure
"Those who have accomplished the greatest results are those who never lose self-control, but are always calm, self-possessed, patient, and polite."
On Psychological Limits
"The limit I thought existed was purely psychological. Now that I'd seen someone doing a thousand pounds, I started making leaps in my training."
On Treating Hate as an Exercise
"I have no time to quarrel, no time for regrets and no man can force me to stoop low enough to hate him."
On Vice Fasts
"Go on a 'vice fast.' Pick one vice and abstain for thirty days. Proving to yourself that you're still in charge."
On Enthusiasm and Endurance
"Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare."
On Profiting From Your Losses
"The most important thing is not to capitalize on your gains. The really important thing is to profit from your losses."
On Finishing Quick Tasks Right Away
"My rule is never to lay down a letter until I have answered it."
On Deferring Happiness
"One of the commonest causes of unhappiness is attempting to live on the deferred payment plan — not living now, but waiting for some future event."
On a Simple Adherence Hack
"Photograph all meals or snacks prior to eating. Subjects who use food diaries lose three times as much weight as those who don't."
On Learning From Your Illness
"When you become ill, regard your illness as your teacher, not as something to be hated."
On Sudden Trials
"The art of life is more like the wrestler's art than the dancer's — it should stand ready and firm to meet onsets which are sudden and unexpected."
On Fearing the Future
"The only thing we know about the future is that it is going to be different."
On Self-Determination
"The most successful people aren't directly pursuing conventional success. They're working hard because of their internal desire to control their lives."
On Accounting for Flexibility in Your Plans
"Daily plans lack flexibility. With a monthly plan, you can make adjustments. If a delay arises one day, your plan is still intact."
On Things Not Being Up to Us
"Some things are in our control and others not."
On Protein in Your Diet
"Protein generally increases satiety to a greater extent than carbohydrate or fat and may facilitate a reduction in energy consumption."
On Dropping Unnecessary Tasks
"You can complete a project by dropping it."
On a Lack of Vision
"When people struggle with self-discipline, what we almost always find is it's not a lack of discipline as much as a lack of vision."
On Antimodels
"People focus on role models; it is more effective to find antimodels — people you don't want to resemble."
On Your Depleting Willpower
"Self-control is highest in the morning and steadily deteriorates over the course of the day."
On Clear Cues and Rewards
"People who have started new exercise routines are more likely to stick with them if they choose a specific cue and a clear reward."
On Juggling Five Balls
"Life is a game in which you are juggling five balls: work, family, health, friends, and integrity. Work is a rubber ball — if you drop it, it bounces back. The other four are made of glass."
On Following Someone Else's Plan
"They are the prisoners of their personal history. They never ask if that plan is theirs or if it was created by another person."
On Waiting to Be Saved
"No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path."
On Being Stuck in the Past
"People are all over the world telling their one dramatic story. Now their lives are more about the past than their future."
On Going Where Your Eyes Go
"In racing, your car goes where your eyes go. The driver who looks at the wall will meet that wall; the driver who looks down the track will regain control."
On the Opportunity in Chaos
"In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity."
On Laser-Focusing on Specific Aspects
"Franklin identified aspects of his performance that needed improvement and worked over and over on those specific aspects."
On Minimizing What You Need
"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone."
On Going All In
"I demolish the bridges behind me... Then there is no choice but to move forward."
On Obstacles as Filters
"The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. They're there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough."
On Forgiving
"To err is human, to forgive, divine."
On Looking Only One Day Ahead
"One day's work is all I can permit myself to contemplate."
On Being a Normal Chap
"A normal chap, a man who likes creating things. A good worker in the morning, and a man who likes enjoying himself in the afternoon."
On Shifting Responsibility to Others
"Many seek to avoid the pain of their problems by saying, 'This problem was caused me by other people, or by circumstances beyond my control.'"
On Dividing Your Life into 10-Minute Units
"You can do so much in ten minutes' time. Ten minutes, once gone, are gone for good. Divide your life into 10-minute units."
On Imagining the Process as a Litmus Test
"If we hate doing something, we imagine it as hard, broken into many pain-in-the-ass steps. If we love something, it seems easy."
On Separating Yourself From the Pain
"Elite runners feel pain but react differently: 'I am separate from this pain. It is going to be okay.'"
On Enabling the Future
"Your task is not to foresee the future, but to enable it."
On Selectivity
"Few people take objectives really seriously. They put average effort into too many things, rather than superior thought and effort into a few important things."
On the Crime of Aiming Too Low
"I will commit not the terrible crime of aiming too low. I will always let my reach exceed my grasp."
On the Fun in the Impossible
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
On Following or Leaving a Path
"A path is only a path; if you feel you should not follow it, you must not stay with it under any conditions. But your decision must be free of fear or ambition."
On Learning the Big Ideas
"You have to learn all the big ideas in the key disciplines in a way that they're in a mental latticework in your head."
On First-Order and Second-Order Consequences
"First-order consequences often have opposite desirabilities from second-order consequences. Exercise: first-order is pain and time; second-order is better health."
On Reducing Your Targets
"Never reduce a target. Instead, increase actions. When you start rethinking your targets, making up excuses, you are giving up on your dreams!"
On Working Backwards
"Work backwards. Begin at the finish. If you're opening a restaurant, begin with the experience you want the diner to have."
On Fluctuating Energy
"Alternating periods of activity and rest is necessary to survive. Capacity, interest, and mental endurance all wax and wane. Plan accordingly."
On Relaxing While Working
"We scowl when we concentrate. We hunch up our shoulders. Relax! Relax! Relax! Learn to relax while you are doing your work!"
On Getting Older
"As you grow, you learn more. Aging is not just decay — it's growth. It's the positive that you understand you're going to die, and you live a better life because of it."
On the Invisible Prison Bars
"You don't see your prison because its bars are invisible. Part of my task is to point out your predicament."
On Capitalizing on Your Talents
"Our culture celebrates those who triumph over lack of natural ability more than those who capitalize on innate talents. Unfortunately, this is the path of most resistance."
On Self-Image
"You always behave consistently with the picture that you hold of yourself on the inside."
On Taking a Real Decision
"A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided."
On Being Impeccable With Your Word
"Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip."
On Helping, With No Strings Attached
"Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, 'What's in it for me?'"
On the Motivation to Get Up Early
"You'd rather stay in that cozy bed, but you jump out and make the fire because the brightness of the day in front of you is bigger than staying in bed."
On Courage
"People who seem to act 'courageously' know the consequences both of acting and not acting. They've decided that not acting is worse."
On Giving Up the Last Word
"Consciously giving up the last word is a secret prayer because the you that wants the last word isn't really you — it's that dark spirit of combativeness."
On Fragility Caused by Comfort
"Diseases of civilization result from making life comfortable for ourselves, since the comfortable is what fragilizes."
On Thinking for Yourself
"You and you alone are the sole arbiter of the meaning in your life. The second you turn to someone and say, 'What does life mean?' you have slipped into inauthenticity."
On Being Honest With Yourself About Your Feelings
"Always be honest with yourself about how you are feeling. Pretending to ourselves that we are not feeling something does not make that emotion disappear."
On Transformation Taking Place Now
"The present moment contains past and future. The secret of transformation is in the way we handle this very moment."
On Temptations and Your Decision What to Do About Them
"An eye, when open, has no option but to see. The decision whether to look at a particular man's wife, however, belongs to the will."
On Self-Monitoring
"The more carefully and frequently you monitor yourself, the better you'll control yourself."
On Taking Ownership for Your Ideas
"Much of what really matters to us is that it is our creation. We feel it's more useful and important than similar ideas from others."
On Stretching
"Stretching can increase your strength by 10%. Tension and relaxation are two sides of the same coin. If the muscle forgets how to lengthen, it will contract more poorly."
On Self-Reflection
"Socrates compared living without thinking systematically to practicing an activity like pottery without following technical procedures."
On How to Use Books
"Books are like lobster shells, we surround ourselves with 'em, then we grow out of 'em and leave 'em behind."
On Extinguishing Bad Habits
"To change a habit, you must keep the old cue, and deliver the old reward, but insert a new routine."
On Reprogramming Your Brain
"Find the people who most represent what you would like to become and spend as much time with them as you can. Their good habits and energy will rub off on you."
On Constant Movement
"Sometimes you go very fast, sometimes only an inch a year. It doesn't matter, so long as you move."
On Staying a Champion
"You will never be entirely comfortable. The champion is always fighting something."
On the Price of Personal Growth
"Personal growth has its price, and she was paying it without complaint."
On Making Things Convenient
"Frozen veggies are similar to and sometimes better than fresh ones."
On the Rent Axiom
"Success is never owned. Success is only rented and the rent is due every day."
On Learning With Age
"As you grow, you learn more. Aging is not just decay, it's growth."
On Seeing Troubles from Proper Perspective
"Two months from now I shall not be worrying about this bad break, so why worry about it now?"
On the Hardships Writing Your Life Story
"You can recall everything you have worked hard for, but how many things attained with little effort can you remember?"
On Analysis Paralysis
"The ten thousand questions are one question. Cut through the one, then the ten thousand disappear."
On Being Hungry
"Stay hungry. Be hungry for success. And as you move up, be hungry for helping others."
On Habits as Handcuffs
"Don't let your habits become handcuffs."
On Small Efforts at Self-Control
"Committing to any small, consistent act of self-control can increase overall willpower."
On Avoiding Problems
"Avoid what causes the opposite of what you want to achieve."
On Reducing Procrastination From Overwhelm
"The bigger and more overwhelming the project seems, the greater your tendency to procrastinate."
On Routines and Relationships
"People are offended when you repeatedly turn down their invitations. But the indispensable relationship was with my readers."
On Accounting for Taxes
"Everything you do has a tax attached to it. Stress and problems are tariffs on success. Simply pay the taxes."
On Letting Go of the Old Person
"You must be willing to let go of the old person in order to become the new person."
On the How Instead of the Outcome
"How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top."
On Mental Resilience
"Do not grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form."
On Cutting Your Losses
"Cut your losses short and let your winners run."
On the All-or-Nothing Mentality
"Part of abandoning the all-or-nothing mentality is allowing yourself room for setbacks. One setback is one setback, not the end of the world."
On Wandering Aimlessly
"We are engineered as goal-seeking mechanisms. When we have no personal goal, we go around in circles, feel lost."
On Your Habitual Thoughts
"Such as are thy habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of thy mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts."
On the Best Time to Work
"I do my best thinking at night when everyone else is sleeping. No interruptions."
On the Suffocating Mantras
"We get seduced by our own mantras: I'm a failure... I'm lonely... and we become monuments to them."
On Generalizations
"I often wonder why the whole world is so prone to generalise. Generalisations are seldom if ever true."
On Walking
"All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking."
On the Power of Rituals
"As little as 5 percent of our behaviors are consciously self-directed. As much as 95 percent occurs automatically."
On Listening to Your Gut
"Some people are not used to following their intuition. Instead of What do I feel?, they ask What do the facts tell me?"
On Buddha's Counsel
"The Buddha counseled to avoid idle conversation, oversleeping, pursuing fame, chasing desires, and shallow understanding."
On the Unsexy Reality of Work
"How much time can you spare each day? For that interval, close the door and don't let anybody in. Keep working."
On the Addiction to Electronics
"Our new unparalleled access to information has come at the price of our capacity to concentrate."
On Ignorance
"There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action."
On Breaking Your Rules
"Laws and principles are not for times when there is no temptation: they are for moments when body and soul rise in mutiny."
On Not Having Money
"If only I had more money is the easiest way to postpone the intense self-examination necessary to create a life of enjoyment."
On the Matters of Right and Wrong
"Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it."
On Having Good Private Teachers
"From my great-grandfather, I learned to have had good teachers at home, and to know that on such things a man should spend liberally."
On Setting an Example
"Example has more followers than reason."
On Learning Without a Desire to Learn
"Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in."
On What You Demand From Life
"No more effort is required to aim high in life, to demand abundance and prosperity, than is required to accept misery and poverty."
On Neatness
"People exert less self-control after seeing a messy desk than after seeing a clean desk."
On the Cost of Education and Ignorance
"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."
On Doing What You Love
"Every man loves what he is good at."
On Thinking You're Able
"They are able because they think they are able."
On the Inconvenience of Change
"Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better."
On Learning From Refusal
"One never knows a man till he has refused him something; one never knows himself till he has denied himself."
On Change as a Cold Bath
"A great change in life is like a cold bath in winter, we all hesitate at the first plunge."
On Being the Creator of Your Circumstances
"Man is not the creature of circumstances, circumstances are the creatures of men."
On Subtraction
"We survive on too little sleep, wolf down fast foods. Faced with relentless demands, we become short-tempered."
On Prolonged Sitting
"Prolonged sitting may promote excess energy intake, leading to weight gain."
On Ignoring the World When Down
"So long as the man with ambition is a failure, the world tells him to let go; but when realized, everybody praises him."
On Being the Child of Your Own Works
"Every one is the son of his own works."
On Your Deeds Determining You
"Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds."
On the Biggest Person Standing in Your Way
"The biggest person standing in your way is you. Others can stop you temporarily, you are the only one who can do it permanently."
On Anger
"Don't feed your temper. Suppress the first impulse to be angry, then count the days on which you don't get mad."
On a Change in Beliefs
"All personal breakthroughs begin with a change in beliefs. Associate massive pain to the old belief."
On Turning Back Right at the Very End
"Don't turn back when you are just at the goal."
On Finding an Easier Way
"Once you figure out what you really want, ask if there's a better way to get it."
On a Lack of Variety
"Routine releases us from the work and willpower required for choice."
On Happiness as a Duty
"It is our duty to be happy. Our moods are catching. When happy we make others happy. There is a multiplier effect."
On Self-Criticism
"Self-criticism is consistently associated with less motivation and worse self-control."
On Wishing
"When people say I wish, they don't really believe it. I wish I could save money means but I don't believe it's possible."
On Remembering That Your Time Is Limited
"Thinking that we have ample time to do things later is the greatest myth, the greatest hang-up, and the greatest poison."
On a Coin Flip
"When undecided on a difficult decision, flip a coin. When the coin is in the air, you suddenly know which side you really want."
On I Don't vs. I Can't
"I don't is experienced as a choice, so it feels empowering. I can't isn't a choice, it's a restriction."
On Appreciating Your Body
"The most important thing is to respect and appreciate the body you have. The journey matters more than the destination."
On Better Learning
"People who read ten pages, then close the book and write a summary, remember 50 percent more than people who read ten pages four times."
On When Not to Make Important Decisions
"Never make an important decision when your emotions are in control. Wait until you've relaxed and can think clearly."
On Doing the Best You Can With What You Have
"Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting."
On Turning Intentions into Actions
"I always wrote down my goals. It wasn't sufficient just to tell myself lose twenty pounds. I had to make it very specific."
On the Desire for Safety
"The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise."
On Injecting Adventure in Your Routines
"Writing interests me more than anything else. I make it an adventure every day."
On Surpassing Yourself
"A man's life is interesting primarily when he has failed. It's a sign that he tried to surpass himself."
On Enduring Your Tyrants
"The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress."
On Using Your Strength
"Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the using of strength."
On Managing Energy
"Energy, not time, is the fundamental currency of high performance."
On Doing Things Deliberately
"Working slowly goes against every thought system. You can only work slowly if you do it deliberately."
On Admitting You're Struggling
"We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them."
On the Empowerment in Trade-Offs
"Essentialists see trade-offs as inherent. Instead of asking What do I have to give up? they ask What do I want to go big on?"
On Glancing at Your Smartphone
"If every moment of potential boredom is relieved with a glance at your smartphone, your brain is not ready for deep work."
On Focusing on the Good Things
"It's almost an indulgence to focus on the dark side. As you get older, you want to focus on the positive."
On Luxuries
"The taste for luxuries increases with marvelous rapidity under indulgence."
On Taking the Initiative
"I've trained myself to propose solutions instead of ask for them, to elicit responses instead of react."
On the Rare Indulgence
"Rare indulgence produces greater pleasure."
On Acting Differently From Others
"Unless you think the majority are living successful lives, chances are you will have to act differently from those around you."
On Treats vs. Rewards
"A treat is different from a reward. Treats give us greater vitality, which boosts self-control."
On Self-Myofascial Release
"Self-myofascial release is self-massage to release muscle tightness. By applying pressure to specific points, you aid muscle recovery."
On Smiling
"If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it."
On Professionalism
"Amateurs think if they were inspired all the time, they could be professionals. Professionals know if they relied on inspiration, they'd be amateurs."
On Relying Upon Yourself
"It always makes more sense to concentrate on the direct alternatives, the things you do control."
On Books, Part Two
"Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations."
On Sweeping the Floor
"Training was like sweeping the floor. Just because we've done it once, doesn't mean the floor is clean forever. Every day the dust comes back. Every day we must sweep."
Which discipline entry from the library resonated most? How will you apply it this week?