Wise Words from Wise People (August 2025 Edition)

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

Here are the best quotes I found this month:

"I want to beg you, as much as I can, dear sir, to be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign language." -Rainer Maria Rilke

"Success is being excited to go to work and being excited to come home." -Will Ahmed

"In a world overflowing with information, the true challenge is not gathering more insights but deciding to take that first, crucial step." -Pat Flynn

"I am successful on my own terms. Because if your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all." -Anna Quindlen

"You can attract luck simply by telling people what you are working on." -James Clear

"The art of not reading is a very important one. It consists in not taking an interest in whatever may be engaging the attention of the general public at any particular time. When some political or ecclesiastical pamphlet, or novel, or poem is making a great commotion, you should remember that he who writes for fools always finds a large public. A precondition for reading good books is not reading bad ones: for life is short." -Arthur Schopenhauer

"What is stopping you from doing what you need to do or living your life the way you want to live it? What are you afraid of? I was shocked when I discovered the answer for myself: It was other people. Or rather, how I was letting other people impact me. I was spending too much time and energy managing or worrying about other people. What they do, what they say, what they think, how they feel, and what they expect from me.
The reality is, no matter how hard you try or what you do, you cannot control other people. And yet, you live your life as if you can. You live as though, if you say the right things, people will like you. If you keep taking on more work, your boss will respect you. If you act in the right way, and cater to what your mom wants, and also keep your friends happy, somehow you'll find peace. You won't." -Mel Robbins

"Remember the fundamental law of human nature: You can't control what other people say, think, or do. Anytime you try to, you lose your power. You must learn to focus on what you say, think, or do. That's how you remain in control." -Mel Robbins

"Intelligent failure is innovation recontextualized." -Pat Flynn

"I'm my own normal. I'm doing it my unique way." -Kelly Wissel

"Short-form content is like handing out candy on Halloween. Sure, you might get a lot of people coming over to get something sweet, but what happens after that? They move on to the next house, and then the next one, and the next one after that. Online, your short-form video is one house on a road of endless 'doom scrolling,' and within seconds, you're forgotten.
Personally, I'd rather be the chef at a restaurant serving a three-course meal, one where my audience can sit down, savor the dishes, and enjoy conversation with their company. They don't just remember the experience, but talk about it to others when they get home, even the next day. They want to come back and try other dishes next time. And although it's harder to cook a meal like htis, as opposed to buying a bag of candy and handing it out, it's worth it. Creating content like this is how you build loyal fans for life." -Pat Flynn

"The comfort zone is where your dreams come to die." -Regina King

"There is no way around hard work. Embrace it." -Roger Federer

"The truth is, other people hold no real power over you unless you give it to them." -Mel Robbins

“The first step of any meaningful pursuit is to severely underestimate its difficulty.” -Sara Hooker

"When you learn, teach. When you get, give." -Maya Angelou

"It takes courage to care. Only the brave believe, especially when everyone else is full of doubt and indifference. As you strive to be earnest and sincere, people will laugh at you. They will try to convince you that this doesn’t matter, that it won’t make a difference. Losers have always gotten together in little groups and talked about winners. The hopeless have always mocked the hopeful." -Ryan Holiday

"I succeeded as a cartoonist with negligible art talent, some basic writing skills, an ordinary sense of humor and a bit of experience in the business world. The 'Dilbert' comic is a combination of all four skills. The world has plenty of better artists, smarter writers, funnier humorists and more experienced businesspeople. The rare part is that each of those modest skills is collected in one person. That's how value is created." -Scott Adams

"An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory." -Friedrich Engels

“Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.” - Chinese Proverb

"The worst mistakes in life are made when you try to do fast what’s meant to be done slow. Real, durable things take a long time to build. Careers. Businesses. Relationships. Health. There are no hacks or shortcuts. The long way is the right way." -Sahil Bloom

“The real question is not ‘What is my current position?’ but rather, ‘What is my current trajectory?’ Doing nothing builds nothing. Put yourself on the path to something better. Start small, but make sure you start." -James Clear

"Working on a problem reduces the fear of it. It’s hard to fear a problem when you are making progress on it—even if progress is imperfect and slow. Action relieves anxiety." -James Clear

“You’re judged by your peaks, not your sums.” -Adam Grant

“The only real test of intelligence is if you get what you want out of life.” -Naval Ravikant

“Leadership isn't about doing more work. It's about having the conversations that create conditions where everyone can do their best work.“ -Barrett Brooks

"The only thing intelligent about a good (piece of) art is if it shakes you alive, otherwise it's hokum." -Charles Bukowski

"Writing is a damn funny game. Rejection helps because it makes you write better; acceptance helps because it keeps you writing. -Charles Bukowski

"A champ is only as good as his next fight; the last one won't get him through the first round." -Charles Bukowski

“I’ve realized that the key to being successful is not how good your ideas are. It’s how good you are at being able to find quick, cheap, and easy ways to try your ideas.” -Marc Randolph