Wise Words from Wise People (April 2026 Edition)

I’ve collected quotes for many years. My database now contains thousands of them, and every month I add the best ones I find in books, articles, newsletters, TED talks, YouTube videos, podcasts, etc.

Here are the best quotes I found this month:

“If you want to be happier, spend more time with living trees (nature) and dead trees (books).” -Alex Wieckowski

“Whatever anyone else thinks about me is none of my business.” -Michael J. Fox

“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.

“If you can train yourself to ask ‘is there a better way to do this?’ at random intervals ten times a day, you will become unstoppable.” -Cate Hall

“Surround yourself with people who fight for you in rooms you’re not in.” -Unknown

“The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that’s the essence of inhumanity.” -George Bernard Shaw

“The highest form of peace is having no desire to be seen, validated or understood by anyone.” -Unknown

“Is the purpose of work to make money? Or is the purpose of money to be able to do one’s work?” -Jim Collins

“Conflict avoidance slowly rots your whole life, and many people are about eight awkward discussions from a much-improved existence.” -Sasha Chapin

"I know how to spot real confidence. Look for people who are fluid with status—who allow themselves to be the butt of a joke, or accept criticism, but also avoid false modesty, and inhabit the spotlight when it falls on them. One might call this a balance between dignity and humility." -Sasha Chapin

“Actions produce information. If you’re stuck on a problem or a decision, just do anything. If it turns out to be wrong, you can adjust, and you’ll reach the right path much faster than if you wait for certainty.” -Giacomo Falcone

“Life rewards action, not intelligence. Unfortunately, the smarter you are, the better the excuses. You can analyze forever, or you can take action.” -Giacomo Falcone

“Does an idea belong to those who use it or those who find it? I’ve decided to think that ideas belong to those who use them, thus to everyone.” -Blek le Rat, French graffiti artist

“Productivity is not effort x time — if you want one quick way to burn out, it’s believing that you just need to crank harder in circumstances where your effort is not efficiently creating results.” -Cate Hall

“It is easy to charm a person who talks too much: all you have to do is listen.” -Patrick Radden Keefe

“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” -Albert Einstein

“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” -William Shakespeare

“Not all time in life is equal. Some moments count more than other moments, when what you do in that moment has an outsized impact on the trajectory of a life.” -Jim Collins

“The people who have taught me the most in life do not view themselves as teachers, but rather as perpetual students, always eager to learn more and always open to changing their minds.” -Rachel Held Evans

“Always assume there’s someone in the room who knows more about the topic than you do.” -Daniel Jonce Evans

“Acting is my way of investigating human nature.” -Meryl Streep

“You see, the point is that freedom is choosing your responsibility. It’s not having no responsibilities; it’s choosing the ones you want.” -Toni Morrison

"Having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information or fuller consideration to change opinions, even on important subjects, which I once thought right but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment and pay more respect to the judgment of others." -Benjamin Franklin

“You cannot straighten out the road behind you.” -Jim Collins

“Leadership is the art of getting people to want to do what must be done.” -Jim Collins

“The purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and greater things.” -Rainer Maria Rilke

“Multitasking is merely the opportunity to screw up more than one thing at a time.” -Steve Uzzell