Tim Ferriss Quotes

In excess, most endeavors and possessions take on the characteristics of their opposite.

I gauge success in years, not weeks. The weekend box-office approach to book launches is short sighted and encourages crappy books.

I've seen the promised land, and there is good news. You can have it all.

Different is better when it is more effective or more fun.

People are smarter than you think. Give them a chance to prove themselves.

I discourage passive skepticism, which is the armchair variety where people sit back and criticize without ever subjecting their theories or themselves to real field testing.

Every time I find myself stressed out, it's because I do things primarily driven by growth.

Doing the unrealistic is easier than doing the realistic.

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

Money is multiplied in practical value depending on the number of W's you control in your life: what you do, when you do it, where you do it, and with whom you do it.

You can enjoy stargazing just by going out and learning a couple constellations with your kids.

You think you're fatigued, therefore you can't exercise. In fact, you choose not to move, therefore you feel fatigued.

If the challenge we face doesn't scare us, then it's probably not that important.

This is not my phrase, but if you're stuck in the past, then you're depressed. If you're stuck in the future, then you're anxious.

When you try to do something big its hard to fail completely.

Doing something unimportant well does not make it important.

There are certain things I will automate, but when it comes to quality control, I want to keep a very close eye.

It's not enough to have the right answers. You have to have the right questions.

By working only when you are most effective, life is both more productive and more enjoyable. It's the perfect example of having your cake and eating it, too.

Exercise is overrated.

Resolve to do one thing every day that you fear.

Most people are good at a handful of things and utterly miserable at most.

What's the worst that could happen?

The best entrepreneurs I've ever met are all good communicators. It's perhaps one of the very few unifying factors.

I think willpower is very valuable.

I think about willpower almost never. I realize for myself, trying to be more disciplined is pretty nebulous and it's often a slippery target. For me, I've just thought about incentives.

Alternating periods of activity and rest is necessary to survive, let alone thrive. Capacity, interest, and mental endurance all wax and wane. Plan accordingly.

I still feel there are much smarter self-promoters out there than me. I am very methodical about my messaging, and I know how to gain attention very quickly.

Becoming a member of the NR is not just about working smarter. It's about building a system to replace yourself.

The way that you become world-class is... by asking good questions.

There is always more information than attention

Most people are fast to stop you before you get started but hesitate to get in the way if you're moving.

If someone's criticism is completely unfounded on data, then I don't want to hear it. It doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

Most inputs are useless and time is wasted in proportion to the amount that is available.

The only rules and limits are those we set for ourselves

People really do think they have to choose between high stress and high reward jobs, and low stress and low reward jobs.

It is predicated on the assumption that you dislike what you are doing during the most physically capable years of your life. This is a nonstarter—nothing can justify that sacrifice.

The best results I have had in my life; the most enjoyable times, have all come from asking the simple question: 'What is the worst that could happen?'

The start of the day is often the best time to get things done. This is somewhat related to willpower.

I encourage active skepticism - when people are being skeptical because they're trying to identify the best course of action. They're trying to identify the next step for themselves or other people.

I take notes like some people take drugs.

Relative income uses two variables: the dollar and time, usually hours.

Being called a huckster and a charlatan started several years ago, so that's something I'm accustomed to. In most cases, it doesn't bother me.

If you let pride stop you, you will hate life

Learn the art of the pitch and of messaging.

If you see distraction externally, you end up creating an internally distracted state.

I think time management as a label encourages people to view each 24-hour period as a slot in which they should pack as much as possible.

In all cases where doubt crops up, ask yourself, "If I had a gun to my head and had to do it, how would I do it?" It's not as hard as you think.

What do you want?' is too imprecise to produce a meaningful and actionable answer.

Work is an activity that is financially-driven or one that you'd like to do less of.