Derek Sivers Quotes

“A rule of capitalism: whoever takes the most financial risk gets the rewards.”

“Anything you hate to do, someone else loves. So find that person and let him do it.”

“Are you helping people? Are they happy? Are you happy? Are you profitable? Isn't that enough?”

“Be different. Show who you are.”

“Confidence attracts. Vulnerability endears.”

“Don’t confuse the word marketing with advertising, announcing, spamming, or giving away branded crap. Really marketing just means being considerate, looking at things from the other person’s point of view, and doing what’s best for them.”

“Don’t wait for permission.”

“Doubt each old thing you know. Require current evidence. Make it prove itself to be true today. Otherwise, let it go.”

“Every time you're making a choice, one choice is the safe/comfortable choice - and one choice is the risky/uncomfortable choice. the risky/uncomfortable choice is the one that will teach you the most and make you grow the most, so that's the one you should choose.”

“Following no plans is the ideal way to make the best of each moment.”

“I appreciate a moment more when I know I’ll never see it again.”

“I usually get where I’m going by leaving where I've been.”

“Ideas are worth nothing unless executed.”

“If more information was the answer, then we'd all be billionaires with perfect abs.”

“If they wish I would have said a little more, I said just the right amount.”

“If you find even the smallest way to make people smile, they’ll remember you more for that smile than for all your other fancy business-model stuff.”

“If you think your life's purpose needs to hit you like a lightning bolt, you'll overlook the little day-to-day things that fascinate you. If you think revolution needs to feel like war, you'll overlook the importance of simply serving people better. When you're on to something great, it won't feel like revolution. It'll feel like uncommon sense.”

“If you’re not saying 'Hell yeah!' about something, say 'no'.”

“Learning without doing is wasted.”

“Make plans, but feel free to ignore them.”

“Money is nothing more than a neutral exchange of value. If people give you money, it’s proof that you’re giving them something valuable in return.”

“Most people over-estimate what they can do in one year, and under-estimate what they can do in ten years.”

“No matter which goal you choose, there will be lots of people telling you you're wrong. Just pay close attention to what excites you and what drains you. Pay close attention to when you're being the real you and when you're trying to impress an invisible jury.”

“Present each new idea or improvement to the world. If multiple people are saying, "Wow! Yes! I need this! I'd be happy to pay you to do this!" then you should probably do it. But if the response is anything less, don't pursue it.”

“Question the norms.”

“Success comes from persistently improving and inventing, not from persistently pushing what's not working.”

“Success is your top priority. Never let anything stop you.”

“The first follower is actually an underestimated form of leadership in itself. The first follower is what transforms a lone nut into a leader.”

“The standard pace is for chumps. The system is designed so anyone can keep up. If you’re more driven than ‘just anyone’ ,  you can do so much more than anyone expects. And this applies to all of life,  not just school.”

“The world changes. Some people don’t.”