Quotes

I’ve been writing down quotes that resonate with me for most of my life. Below are the ones that were most influential to me, in no particular order.

Mindset

• “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” - Seneca

• “Change is a direction, not a destination.” - Kurzgesagt

• “You’re on your own. Nobody is coming to save you.” - Nathaniel Branden (technically)

• “Worldviews don’t control behavior. Constraints do.” - Unknown

• “Failure is an attitude, not an outcome.” - Harvey Mackay

• “Failure is what happens when you decide you failed. Until then, you’re still always looking for ways to get where you want to be.” - Tim Grover

Growth

• “A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more that a whole book of praise after success.” - Unknown

• “The main reason we stop doing something we love is because we forget our love of doing it for enjoyments sake and replace it with the desire to be good at it.” - Unknown

• “Make just one change. And when you’re ready, make another.” - Noel Deyzel

• “In school, you’re tested after you learn. In life, the test comes before you learn.” - Tim Grover

• “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent.” - Sarah Kay

• “There is no prize to perfection. Only an end to pursuit.” - Viktor, Arcane

• “Choose the adventurous path. You can always fall back on the known later.” - CGP Grey

• “You only know at the end which is the fastest way from the beginning.” - CGP Grey

Truth

• “If you think that something is true, you should try as hard as you can to disprove it. Only then can you really get at the truth and not fool yourself.” - Derek Muller, Veritasium

• “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” - Carl Jung

• “Ignorance is bliss, but there are some things worth sacrificing bliss for.” - Unknown

• “You don’t gotta read between the lines, just read the fuckin’ lines.” - Samuel Herring, Hemlock Ernst

• “Everything that happens has a cause, not necessarily a reason.” - Unknown

• “There is no moral or ethical framework that transcends context or the complexity of life.” - Michael Puett, The Path

• “When everything is ironic, sincerity starts to look rebellious.” - David Foster Wallace (technically)

Character

• “Courage is found in unlikely places.” - JRR Tolkien. My 5th grade teacher gave this quote to me and I happened to re-read it after I had adopted courage as a primary value.

• “It’s not your fault, but it is your responsibility.” - Terry Pratchett (technically)

• “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” - Samuel Johnson (technically)

• “You can be the good guy or the guy who saves the world. You can’t be both.” - Cecil, Invincible

• “Always find a reason to laugh. It may not add years to your life, but it will add life to your years.” - Harvey Mackay

• “If you fake bravery when you’re terrified, that is bravery.” - Chris Williamson

• “What kind of person do I want to be, even if I never get what I want?” - Me

Identity

• “‘Don’t forget that these pictures captured the good moments, the bad moments I captured in here.’ He said while pointing at his temple. ‘They are both equally important to remember, because together they tell me the story of who I am. Just like your story will be told through the experiences you will have. And don’t forget, your story is your treasure.’” - Vincent Rooijers, DROELOE

• “Your story anchors you within your own reality. And the way you tell it to yourself determines the momentum and direction of where the story will take you.” - Vincent Rooijers, DROELOE

• “It’s funny how your personal sense of reality can make you blind to what’s outside of it if you’re not actively exploring its borders.” - Vincent Rooijers, DROELOE

• “If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.” - Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper

• “If you’re gonna be dumb, you better be tough.” - Roger Alan Wade (technically)

• “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” - Unknown

• “Even good people are great at making bad decisions.” - NF

• “Why would you take criticism from someone you wouldn’t take advice from?” - Unknown

Societal

• “When people in authority want the rest of us to behave, it matters – first and foremost – how they behave.” - Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath

• “It is interesting to think about how the founders of the countries we live in now were often seen as the outlaws of the power systems prior to it.” - Vincent Rooijers, DROELOE

• “Consumerism is the perfection of slavery.” - Xueqin Jiang

• “Those who are intolerant are undeserving of tolerance.” - Karl Popper

• “Don’t shift your contempt and distrust towards people who don’t have any power.” - Benaminute