Guy Kawasaki Quotes Page 2

“There are two kinds of people: eaters and bakers. Eaters think the world is a zero-sum game: what someone else eats, they cannot eat. Bakers do not believe that the world is a zero-sum game because they can bake more and bigger pies.”

“A successful self-publisher must fill three roles: Author, Publisher, and Entrepreneur—or APE.”

“Do not write to impress others. Authors who write to impress people have difficulty remaining true to themselves. A better path is to write what pleases you and pray that there are others like you. Your first and most important reader is you. If you write a book that pleases you, at least you know one person will like it.”

“Do you know what the difference is between PR and advertising? Advertising is when you say how great you are. PR is when other people say how great you are. PR is better.”

“Go APE: Author a great book, Publish it quickly, and Entrepreneur your way to success. Self-publishing isn’t easy, but it’s fun and sometimes even lucrative. Plus, your book could change the world.”

“If achieving success were easy, more people would do it.”

“If you don't toot your own horn, don't complain that there's no music.”

“Man who waits for roast duck to fly into mouth must wait very, very long time.”

“Suck up with subtlety.”

“The self-edited author is as foolish as the self-medicated patient.”

“To me a book is a message from the gods to mankind; or, if not, should never be published at all.”

“Want to change the world? Upset the status quo? This takes more than run-of-the-mill relationships. You need to make people dream the same dream that you do.”

“When you’ve worked hard and done well and walked through that doorway of opportunity, you do not slam it shut behind you.”

“Writing a book isn’t an easy process nor is it always enjoyable, but it is one of life’s most satisfying achievements.”

“Writing is the starting point from which all goodness (and crappiness) flows.”

“Writing is therapeutic. It helps you cope with issues that seem gargantuan at the time. The process of expressing yourself about a problem, editing your thoughts, and writing some more can help you control issues that you face.”

“You’ll learn that the key to a great book is editing — grinding, buffing, and polishing — not writing.”

“A magnificent cause can overcome a prickly personality, but your ability to enchant people increases if they like you, so you should aspire to both. You’ll know that you’re likeable when you can communicate freely, casually, and comfortably with people.”

“Defy the crowd. The crowd isn’t always wise. It can also lead you down a path of silliness, sub-optimal choices, and downright destruction. Enchantment is as necessary for people to diverge from a crowd as it is to get people to join one.”

“If you want to make a good first impression, smile at people. What does it cost to smile? Nothing. What does it cost not to smile? Everything, if not smiling prevents you from enchanting people.”

“Knowledge is great. Competence is great. But the combination of both encourages people to trust you and increases your powers of enchantment. And in this world, the combination is a breath of fresh air.”

“People deserve a break. The stressed and unorganized person who doesn’t have the same priorities as you may be dealing with an autistic child, abusive spouse, fading parents, or cancer. Don’t judge people until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. Give them a break instead.”

“Remember that nobodies are the new somebodies.”

“While we're living, we need to get over ourselves and accept others if we want to enchant people.”

“Entrepreneurship is at its best when it alters the future, and it alters the future when it jumps curves.”

“Good enough is good enough. There is time for refinement later. It’s not how great you start—it’s how great you end up.”

“If you think that leadership is deciding what you want and telling people to do it, I feel sorry for you. Reality is going kick your ass so far that not even Google will find you.”

“The next time you think that there's something that you can't live without, wait for a week and then see if you're still alive or not.”

“The purpose of a pitch is to stimulate interest, not to close a deal.”

“Worse than a paranoid entrepreneur is a paranoid entrepreneur who only talks to his dog. You have more to gain than to lose by freely expressing your ideas – feedback, connections, doors to open. If plainly arguing your opinion makes it vulnerable, then you really don't have an opinion.”