George Mack Quotes

Useful rule of thumb: If someone says "trust the science", distrust them and whatever they've just said.

The best writing advice I’ve found is to read your writing on Kindle. When I read my work in Google docs, I think I’m a genius and I need to say more. When I read my work on Kindle, I think I’m an idiot and need to say less.

A good rule of thumb is to assume you’re always neglecting non-linear games. Think 10x more about these things than your minds default response: What city you live in, mattress, hiring a personal trainer, literally any form of hiring, dating app profile, how you introduce yourself, salary negotiations, how close you live to friends, what you want in a partner. You have to fight Parkinson’s law because you could do these tasks in minutes, which is why most people spend mere minutes on 1000x giga-decisions.

I have a theory that everyone consumed a piece of media between 9-13 years old that is the foundation of their entire worldview. Everything they learnt since was stacked on top of this. Asking this is one of my favourite ways to get to know someone.

The single biggest thing the most successful people I've met have in common is that they have nothing in common. They rejected "the way" and did it their own way. Rather than fit into some pre-defined hole in the wall, they drilled a me shaped hole in the wall.

If you create something and you're disappointed that nobody noticed, about 90% of the disappointment can be killed by reminding yourself that nobody noticed that nobody noticed.

The three biggest myths society tells children: Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, and adults have everything figured out.

Rule of thumb for spotting future trends: If you’re mocked for it, it doesn’t mean it’s the future. But if you’re not mocked for it, it’s almost certainly not the future.

I've noticed a direct negative correlation between aliveness and envy. If someone works on things that make them feel alive behind their eyes, the envy towards other people melts and turns into joy.

The strangest paradox I've seen in highly creative people is how uncreative their creative process is. Simply saying: "I will sit down and come up with twenty bad ideas every day this year" often beats any fancy note-taking system or binging LSD waiting for ideas to happen.

If you compliment someone behind their back, the listener respects your loyalty. If you gossip about someone behind their back, the listener starts wondering if you'll do the same once their back is turned.

General worrying will give you rumination. Specific worrying will give you next steps.

How to increase creativity -- without taking drugs:

Avoid content made after 2016.

Friendstration - A feeling of frustration when you believe in a friend more than they believe in themselves.

Useful rule of thumb for solving problems: Assume the problem is a side problem. The main problem is how you're viewing the problem. If you solve the main problem, the solution for the side problem often reveals itself.