Ryan Holiday Quotes

One of the things that separates us from other people is our ability to be strict and self-disciplined.

Where other people are fine making excuses or taking shortcuts, we are not.

Where other people wing it or do what’s easiest, taking the path of least resistance, we don’t.

You’re not as good as you think. You don’t have it all figured out. Stay focused. Do better.

Your information matters as much as your physical diet. Choose carefully what you put in your brain.

You don’t control the situation, but you control what you think about it.

Your potential, the absolute best you’re capable of — that’s the metric to measure yourself against. Your standards are. Winning is not enough. People can get lucky and win. People can be assholes and win. Anyone can win. But not everyone is the best possible version of themselves.

We’ve all done it. Said: “I am so [overwhelmed, tired, stressed, busy, blocked, outmatched].” And then what do we do about it? Go out and party. Or treat ourselves. Or sleep in. Or wait. It feels better to ignore or pretend. But you know deep down that that isn’t going to truly make it any better. You’ve got to act. And you’ve got to start now.

Greatness comes from humble beginnings; it comes from grunt work. It means you’re the least important person in the room — until you change that with results.

Everything is change. Embrace that. Flow with it.

Stillness is what aims the archer’s arrow. It inspires new ideas. It sharpens perspective and illuminates connections.

discipline means being disciplined in all things, especially little things.

Be quiet, work hard, and stay healthy. It’s not ambition or skill that is going to set you apart but sanity.

Vires acquirit eundo (We gather strength as we go).

It’s a temptation that exists for everyone — for talk and hype to replace action.

We have only minimal control over the rewards for our work and effort — other people’s validation, recognition, rewards. So what are we going to do? Not be kind, not work hard, not produce, because there is a chance it wouldn’t be reciprocated? C’mon. Think of all the activists who will find that they can only advance their cause so far. The leaders who are assassinated before their work is done. The inventors whose ideas languish “ahead of their time.” According to society’s main metrics, these people were not rewarded for their work. Should they have not done it? Yet in ego, every one of us has considered doing precisely that. If that is your attitude, how do you intend to endure tough times? What if you’re ahead of the times? What if the market favors some bogus trend? What if your boss or your clients don’t understand? It’s far better when doing good work is sufficient. In other words, the less attached we are to outcomes the better. When fulfilling our own standards is what fills us with pride and self-respect. When the effort — not the results, good or bad — is enough. With ego, this is not nearly sufficient. No, we need to be recognized. We need to be compensated. Especially problematic is the fact that, often, we get that. We are praised, we are paid, and we start to assume that the two things always go together. The “expectation hangover” inevitably ensues.

What is defeat? Nothing but education; nothing but the first steps to something better. — WENDELL PHILLIPS