...All of this illustrates what might be termed the paradox of limitation, which runs through everything that follows: the more you try to manage your time with the goal of achieving a feeling of total control, and freedom from the inevitable constraints of being human, the more stressful, empty, and frustrating life gets. But the more you confront the facts of finitude instead—and work with them, rather than against them—the more productive, meaningful, and joyful life becomes...

...doing well with money has a little to do with how smart you are and a lot to do with how you behave. And behavior is hard to teach, even to really smart people...

...The same activities that take us from failure to survival would also take us from survival to success—if we would just keep doing them...

...The key to deep practice is to reach. This means to stretch yourself slightly beyond your current ability, spending time in the zone of difficulty called the sweet spot. It means embracing the power of repetition, so the action becomes fast and automatic. It means creating a practice space that enables you to reach and repeat, stay engaged, and improve your skills over time...

...Essentialism was about doing the right things; Effortless is about doing them in the right way...

...we can develop competence just as well by subtracting. The problem is that it can be harder to show competence by subtracting. No matter how beneficial an act of subtraction is, it’s not likely to leave as much evidence of what we’ve done...

...Our yearning for certainty leads us to pursue seemingly safe solutions But it’s only when we sacrifice the certainty of answers, when we take our training wheels off, and when we dare to wander away from the street lamps that breakthroughs happen. If you stick to the familiar, you won’t find the unexpected. Those who get ahead in this century will dance with the great unknown and find danger, rather than comfort, in the status quo...

...Having a purpose simply means knowing why you’re gathering and doing your participants the honor of being convened for a reason...

...Don't be afraid to be pushy and loud when you are championing he idea of someone less powerful than you, or someone with less of a voice. You should not speak up for someone more powerful as you will appear as a suck up...

...“I’ve always felt ideas were a dime a dozen,” he said. “If you had one that didn’t work out, you should not fight too hard to save it, just go find another.”...

...the regret of not having lived a life true to themselves is the most common regret...

...What made them all effective is that they followed the same eight practices: • They asked, “What needs to be done?” • They asked, “What is right for the enterprise?” • They developed action plans. • They took responsibility for decisions. • They took responsibility for communicating. • They were focused on opportunities rather than problems. • They ran productive meetings. • They thought and said “we” rather than “I.”...

...Start the day in a positive state and you’re more likely to take action. And action is the secret. You can’t think your way to a new life...

...If a commitment is bite-size, it appears less daunting to us, and we’re more likely to stick to our word. Making smaller, more frequent commitments is more effective than making larger, less frequent ones, even when they amount to the same commitment...

...The arc of our evolutionary history is long. But it bends toward goodness...

...“Chase two rabbits and you will catch neither.” As you make discoveries, where should you focus your attention? On your strengths. By focusing only on your weaknesses, you can really only move up to average...

...Our genes do not eliminate the need for hard work. They clarify it. They tell us what to work hard on...

...There are three categories of people—the person who goes into the office, puts his feet up on his desk, and dreams for twelve hours; the person who arrives at five A.M. and works sixteen hours, never once stopping to dream; and the person who puts his feet up, dreams for one hour, then does something about those dreams...

...a compendium of LEGO artwork that showcases a stunning array of pieces ranging from incredibly lifelike replicas of everyday objects and famous monuments to imaginative renderings of spaceships, mansions, and mythical creatures...

...You get so used to doing what you do, you don’t see what it is anymore...