42 quotes 4 life
For 30 years, I have been experiencing this beautiful and terrifying thing called life.
At some point, I started putting my favorite quotes, lessons, and mantras from humans in my notes. These quotes were not from movies, celebrities, or famed individuals. These quotes are from humans close to me, friends, family, and mentors. These quotes are from total strangers.
Sometimes, I would ask for career and life advice. Often times it was unsolicited.
I am sure there are many more notable lessons living in the confines of my hippocampus. However, these stuck out to me in my first 30 years.
I will collect another quote list over the next 30 years.
I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I loved listening to them.
-Molesy
Business + Career + Risk
“Art is in many forms; the moment you start doing it for yourself and not doing it for someone else, you will produce your greatest work.”
“Make money while you sleep.”
“Aim small, Miss Small.”
“If you are going to be a bear, be a grizzly.”
“If you know the rules better, it will give you the upper hand you need to be successful.”
“Do what makes sense. If it doesn’t make sense, then it probably isn’t right.”
“Just like playing hockey — the best way to become the best player possible is to learn the rules — get into the game — and then every day do whatever is best (work on skills, get stronger, find a better team, etc.) to make the most progress possible that day. And the cumulative effect of that over a long period is powerful.”
“Prove you are not a fucking idiot and move. Show you are mobile, and don’t rule out any geography.”
“I don’t suggest going into finance within the company; work on the product. Lean towards bigger companies. They are great to learn about product and brand execution.”
“I’d rather do a subpar job at a great company than an amazing job at a shitty company.”
“Never mistake activity for progress. If I nail your right foot to the floor and tell you to walk in circles, you are going to have a lot of activity.”
“How bad do you want it? There are a lot of entrepreneurs who say they want it. Yet, in reality, they just want the status of CEO. CEO of what? Nobody... If you truly want it, you will work hard to get it, even if it takes 10 years.”
A few other things:
It is important to tell the ‘why’ of your business. Tell as many people as you can, and you never know where it could lead you.
Never let your products get stale.
People are important. I would have never built my business this much without help from my employees.
People don’t care about a price tag; they care about the story and how you made them feel.
Sometimes, working hard is not working smart. In my earlier days, I would stay and work longer, but I wasn’t doing my best work.
“It doesn’t matter where you are. All that matters is that you kick ass.”
“Someone will always want to hire you.”
“You work hard for something. Then you work harder to keep it.”
“Cars will always change, but people never change. You need empathy and people skills. It will take you further in life.”
“If you want to build something great, you need a solid foundation. While traveling and being a nomad was great, you need and want a foundation to start something in this life.”
“Be Careful….But take chances.”
“Surviving is easy, getting things done is hard.”
“A turtle only moves forward if it sticks his head out.”
“The trend is your friend.”
Life + Love + Happiness
“The root of all evil is unhappiness. People have to ruin the world because they are unhappy with their lives.
“Always be nice to everyone, no matter their character.”
“Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care."
“Leave a good legacy; that is your job to be a human. When you leave this earth, people should say you were a good person.”
"Nothing is ever as good as it seems, and nothing is ever as bad as it seems."
“I have two rules for all my kids. One, be a man, and if you forget the first rule, call me.”
"Never attribute to malice which that can adequately explain by stupidity."
“Communication is everything....fear will ruin you.”
“You start dying the day you were born.”
Q: “Are you excited for your 60s?
A: I am excited for every day.”
“Life can be however you want it. Just have to want it and keep going step by step.”
“Social media is your highlight reel. Not your real life.”
“The struggle is real. But it is so worth the fight.”
“I don’t know how it came on....getting cancer...man...uhh........you have to be nice to people in this world. That’s all you can ask for. Be nice no matter what. Travel when you get a chance. See the world...I wouldn’t wish this cancer on anybody...we are a good family. At least we did that right.”
“You don’t want to spend your whole life alone, do you?”
“Life’s fucking awesome.”
“Cowboy up”
“The problem with relationships is people try to re-make their partner into who they want them to be. Learn to see people for what they are, not who you want them to be.”
“What cannot be known hallows the mind. Don’t fill it with guesswork.”
“You have to die to live.”
“Let those who died live in your eyes and not in your mind.”