Wise Words from Wise People (Oct 2026)
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:
“The shortest distance between a human being and Truth is a story.” -Anthony de Mello
“The less your mood depends on your circumstances, the more mentally tough you are.” -James Clear
“It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” -Rocky Balboa
“The cost of avoiding structure is that every day has to be renegotiated from scratch.” -Justin Skycak
“Even to this day, people say, ‘It must get easier to write books. You’ve written so many.’ But no, it gets harder because I know how good it can be if you try a little bit harder.” -David Baldacci
“You can destroy your now by worrying about tomorrow.” -Janis Joplin
“If a person knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.” -Seneca
“A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance.” -Hunter S. Thompson
“It only takes five minutes to break the cycle. Five minutes of exercise and you are back on the path. Five minutes of writing and the manuscript is moving forward again. Five minutes of conversation and the relationship is restored.” -James Clear
“It’s remarkable how often the real problem is not what happened, but how it was communicated.” -James Clear
“I always arrived at the conclusion that life need not be easy provided only that it is not empty.” -Lisa Meitner, survivor of WWI and WWII
“One reason the best in the world make consistently good decisions is they rarely find themselves forced into a decision by circumstances. You don’t need to be smarter than others to outperform them if you can out-position them. Anyone looks like a genius when they’re in a good position, and even the smartest person looks like an idiot when they’re in a bad one.” -Shane Parrish
“Knowledge does not change behavior. We have all encountered crazy shrinks and obese doctors and divorced marriage counselors.” -Jerry Sternin
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” -Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
“Success is wanting to be where you are.” -James Clear
“Opportunity follows difficulty.” -Jim Rohn
“The cowards never started and the weak died along the way. That leaves us, ladies and gentlemen. Us.” -Phil Knight
“There’s not a word yet for old friends who’ve just met.” -Gonzo
“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive.” -Anaïs Nin
“The cost of debt is not the interest rate you pay. It’s the independence you forfeit.” -Morgan Housel
”Science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” -Isaac Asimov
”More information is just a form of procrastination.” -Russ Roberts
“In a good bookroom, you feel in some mysterious way that you are absorbing the wisdom contained in all the books through your skin, without even opening them.” -Mark Twain
“True friendship withstands time, distance, and silence.” -Isabel Allende
“The most meaningful way to succeed is to help others succeed.” -Adam Grant
“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, you’ll be a mile from them, and you’ll have their shoes.” -Jack Handey
“Growth happens when you step outside your comfort zone. Magic happens when you do it with others.” -Noah Devereux
“Culture is defined by the worst behavior tolerated.” -John Amaechi
“Tradition is a guide and not a jailer.” -W. Somerset Maugham
“In the long run, happiness lies in embracing challenges, not avoiding them.” -Adam Grant
“Most of what you want when you finally have money is cheap: a slow morning, a walk with no destination, a day without meetings. Real wealth is time.” -Shane Parrish
