Tim Ferriss Quotations | Page 3

I'm often asked how I define "success." It's an overused term, but I fundamentally view this elusive beast as a combination of two things - achievement and appreciation. One isn't enough: Achievement without appreciation makes you ambitious but miserable. Appreciation without achievement makes you unambitious but happy.

Emphasize strengths, don't fix weaknesses.

As far as income goes, there are three currencies in the world; most people ignore two. The three currencies are time, income and mobility, in descending order of importance. Most people focus exclusively on income.

People frequently fail when they try to do everything at once. They approach a massive project and quickly get discouraged. Taking small, but high-value steps takes less time, and you learn more in the long run.

The blind quest for cash is a fool's errand.

Just as modern man consumes both too many calories and calories of no nutritional value, information workers eat data both in excess and from the wrong sources.

People will choose unhappiness over uncertainty.

Age doesn't matter. An open mind does.

But you are the average of the five people you associate with most, so do not underestimate the effects of your pessimistic, unambitious, or disorganized friends. If someone isn't making you stronger, they're making you weaker.

There are no statues erected to critics.

Creating demand is hard. Filling demand is easier. Don't create a product, then seek someone to sell it to. Find a market - define your customers - then find or develop a product for them.

Believe it or not, it is not only possible to accomplish more by doing less, it is mandatory. Enter the world of elimination.

Slow down and remember this: Most things make no difference. Being busy is a form of mental laziness-lazy thinking and indiscriminate action.

I do not equate productivity to happiness. For most people, happiness in life is a massive amount of achievement plus a massive amount of appreciation. And you need both of those things.

Poisonous people do not deserve your time. To think otherwise is masochistic.

You are who you associate with.

The best way to counter-attack a hater is to make it blatantly obvious that their attack has had no impact on you.

Slow down and remember this: Most things make no difference.

I'm prepared to do battle for a dream that is worth dreaming.

Money doesn't change you; it reveals who you are when you no longer have to be nice.

But if it's tolerable mediocrity, and you're like, 'Well, you know it could be worse. At least I'm getting paid.' Then you wind up in a job that is slowly killing your soul and you're allowing that to happen. Comfort can be a very, very dangerous thing.

For all their bitching about what’s holding them back, most people have a lot of trouble coming up with the defined dreams they’re being held from.

If only I had more money is the easiest way to postpone the intense self-examination and decision-making necessary to create a life of enjoyment - now and not later.

That's precisely the question everyone should be asking-why the hell not? - Why not you, why not now...

Reality is negotiable.

Luxury, to me, is not owning a lot of stuff. Luxury, to me, is feeling unrushed.

I'll repeat something you might consider tattooing on your forehead: What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.

Three ingredients of luxury lifestyle design are time, income, and mobility.

If you don't have time, you don't have priorities.

Personally, I now aim for one month of overseas relocation or high-intensity learning (tango, fighting, whatever) for every two months of work projects.

The best way to improve mental performance, is to improve physical performance

Uncertainty and the prospect of failure can be very scary noises in the shadows. Most people will choose unhappiness over uncertainty.

It isn't enough to think outside the box. Thinking is passive. Get used to acting outside the box.

If you don't have time, the truth is, you don't have priorities. Think harder; don't work harder.

What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.