Po Bronson Quotes

“A conventional 'success' story is one where, with each next, the protagonist has more money, more respect, and more possessions. I'd like to suggest an alternative 'success' story – one where, with each next, the protagonist is closer to finding that spot where he's no longer held back by his heart, and he explodes with talent, and his character blossoms, and the gift he has to offer the world is apparent.”

“A piece of writing has to seduce the reader, it has to suspend disbelief and earn the reader's trust.”

“Allow for many paths to your goal. Do not fixate on one path, because then you are likely to give up when that path is blocked.”

“Anytime you exhaust yourself trying to relax, that's active leisure.”

“As I get older, I've learned to listen to people rather than accuse them of things.”

“Books have been my classroom and my confidant. Books have widened my horizons. Books have comforted me in my hardest times. Books have changed my life.”

“Failure is hard, but success is far more dangerous. If you're successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can lock you in forever.”

“I think when a reader reads a whole book – which takes six to ten hours – that’s kind of a gift to the author. The gift of close, undivided attention. To who else do we listen so closely for eight straight hours? And when readers give that gift to me, I’m grateful for it.”

“If you want to give yourself a fair chance to succeed, never expect too much too soon.”

“It surprises me how often we hold ourselves back until we have no choice.”

“People thrive by focusing on the question of who they really are and connecting that to work that they truly love.”

“Success is not measured by bestseller lists. Certain types of great books sell very well; other types of great books don't sell a lot. But they're both great.”

“The tougher the times, the more clarity you gain about the difference between what really matters and what you only pretend to care about.”

“There is nothing more genuine than breaking away from the chorus to learn the sound of your own voice.”

“There's a powerful transformative effect when you surround yourself with like-minded people. Peer pressure is a great thing when it helps you accomplish your goals instead of distracting you from them.”

“We all make mistakes, but we need to learn from them and move on. You can own a mistake, or the mistake will own you.”

“Who you are is more important than what you do. The goal is to bring what you do in alignment with who you are, so you don't end up being someone you don't want to be.”

“Write first. Worry about getting an agent or publisher later. Write it first. Prove you can do it and then others will listen. Tons of people talk about books they want to write. Far fewer are those who actually complete that vision. Don't be a talker.”

“Children key off their parents’ reaction more than the argument or physical discipline itself.”

“Educational television had a dramatic effect on relational aggression. The more the kids watched, the crueler they’d be to their classmates. This correlation was 2.5 times higher than the correlation between violent media and physical aggression.”

“In taking our marital arguments upstairs to avoid exposing the children to strife, we accidentally deprived them of chances to witness how two people who care about each other can work out their differences in a calm and reasoned way.”

“Might our culture-wide perception of what it means to be a teenager be unwittingly skewed by the fact they don’t get enough sleep?”

“Obese kids watch no more television than kids who aren't obese. All the thin kids watch massive amounts of television, too. There is no statistical correlation between obesity and media use, period.”

“Seeing someone’s lips as he speaks is the equivalent of a 20-decibel increase in volume.”

“The more controlling the parent the more likely a child is to experience boredom.”

“The rule still holds true: more diversity translates into more division between students.”

“When we changed the channel from violent television to tamer fare, kids just ended up learning the advanced skills of clique formation, friendship withdrawal, and the art of the insult.”

“It bears repeating: the mental states needed to compete are not always socially palatable.”

“Researchers have found that the more people focus on their odds of winning, the less likely they’ll go for it. But the more they focus on what they’ll win if they succeed, the more likely they’ll go for it.”

“The emphasis on winning is preventing kids from learning how to pass, which is the skill they ultimately need at the highest levels. The proposed solution is for top youth players to play fewer games.”