Tim Ferriss Quotes

Requiring a lot of time does not make a task important.

To do the impossible, you need to ignore the popular.

You are who you associate with.

Believe it or not, it is not only possible to accomplish more by doing less, it is mandatory. Enter the world of elimination.

Happiness can be bought with a bottle of wine and has become ambiguous through overuse.

People who avoid all criticism fail. It's destructive criticism we need to avoid, not criticism in all forms.

Ninety-nine percent of people believe they can't do great things, so they aim for mediocrity.

Perfection is an impossible destination

The only rules and limits are those we set for ourselves

You can lose money and make it back, you can't do that with time.

Dreamlining is so named because it applies timelines to what most would consider dreams.

I take notes like some people take drugs ...

The goal is not to simply eliminate the bad, which does nothing more than leave you with a vacuum, but to pursue and experience the best in the world.

The bottom line is that you only have the rights you fight for.

The most important actions are never comfortable.

If you don't have time, you don't have priorities.

Writing is thought crystalized on a piece of paper, which can then be reviewed.

$1,000,000 in the bank isn't the fantasy. The fantasy is the lifestyle of complete freedom it supposedly allows.

The way that you become world-class is ... by asking good questions.

Just a few words on time management: forget all about it.

Being called a huckster and a charlatan started several years ago, so that's something I'm accustomed to. In most cases, it doesn't bother me.

If the challenge we face doesn't scare us, then it's probably not that important.

Sometimes you need to go on a low-information diet.

Massive elimination is the most important step and the most neglected step for entrepreneurs.

The commonsense rules of the "real world" are a fragile collection of socially reinforced illusions.

Reality is negotiable. Outside of science and law, all rules can be bent or broken, and it doesn't require being unethical.

Remember - boredom is the enemy, not some abstract failure.

Slowing down doesn't mean accomplishing less; it means cutting out counterproductive distractions and the perception of being rushed.

Fun things happen when you earn dollars, live on pesos, and compensate in rupees.

Becoming a member of the NR is not just about working smarter. It's about building a system to replace yourself.

Unbeknownst to most fun-loving bipeds, not all stress is bad. Indeed, the New Rich don't aim to eliminate all stress. Not in the least.

Compile your to-do list for tomorrow no later than this evening.

There are two types of mistakes: mistakes of ambition and mistakes of sloth.

If someone's criticism is completely unfounded on data, then I don't want to hear it. It doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

Every time I find myself stressed out, it's because I do things primarily driven by growth.

Nothing can match the wonderment that comes from staring up into the star-filled canopy above and realizing that you are a part of that creation.

Think big and don't listen to people who tell you it can't be done. Life's too short to think small.

Three ingredients of luxury lifestyle design are time, income, and mobility.

To have an uncommon lifestyle, you need to develop the uncommon habit of making decisions, both for yourself and for others.

Reality is negotiable.

In excess, most endeavors and possessions take on the characteristics of their opposite.

In all cases where doubt crops up, ask yourself, "If I had a gun to my head and had to do it, how would I do it?" It's not as hard as you think.

Luxury, to me, is not owning a lot of stuff. Luxury, to me, is feeling unrushed.

If we define risk as 'the likelihood of an irreversible negative outcome,' inaction is the greatest risk of all.

That's precisely the question everyone should be asking-why the hell not? - Why not you, why not now ...

What's the worst that could happen?

Different is better when it is more effective or more fun.

Companies that start by redesigning the economics of an industry often finish by redesigning the whole industry-and owning it.

Exercise is overrated.

One can steal ideas, but no one can steal execution or passion.

There are no statues erected to critics.

Most inputs are useless and time is wasted in proportion to the amount that is available.

The universe doesn't conspire against you, but it doesn't go out of its way to line up the pins either. Conditions are never perfect.

Short, sweet, and to the point. Clear writing, and therefore clear commands, comes from clear thinking. Think simple.

I value self-discipline, but creating systems that make it next to impossible to misbehave is more reliable than self-control.

Doing the unrealistic is easier than doing the realistic.

Most people can do absolutely awe-inspiring things. Sometimes they just need a little nudge.

I'm prepared to do battle for a dream that is worth dreaming.

Be bold and don't worry about what people think. They don't do it that often anyway.

People are smarter than you think. Give them a chance to prove themselves.

Slow down and remember this: Most things make no difference.

I have plenty of money to do what I want to do, and I have the relationships.

Language learning deserves special mention. It is, bar none, the best thing you can do to hone clear thinking.

Learn the art of the pitch and of messaging.

There are certain things I will automate, but when it comes to quality control, I want to keep a very close eye.

It isn't enough to think outside the box. Thinking is passive. Get used to acting outside the box.

Tomorrow becomes never. No matter how small the task, take the first step now!

For uncommon solutions, you have to look in uncommon places.

An entrepreneur isn't someone who owns a business, it's someone who makes things happen.

Excitement is the more practical synonym for happiness, and it is precisely what you should strive to chase. It is the cure-all.

Avoid results-by volume approach, instead focus on few critically important but uncomfortable actions.

The manifesto of the dealmaker is simple: Reality is negotiable.

If you don't have time, the truth is, you don't have priorities. Think harder; don't work harder.

Learn to ask, If this is the only thing I accomplish today, will I be satisfied with my day?

Which 20% of sources are causing 80% of my problems and unhappiness? Which 20% of sources are resulting in 80% of my desired outcomes and happiness?

What you do is infinitely more important than how you do it.

Get good at being a troublemaker and saying sorry when you really screw up

Most people are good at a handful of things and utterly miserable at most.

There is always more information than attention

Being selective-doing less-is the path of the productive. Focus on the important few and ignore the rest.

If you see distraction externally, you end up creating an internally distracted state.

I think time management as a label encourages people to view each 24-hour period as a slot in which they should pack as much as possible.

Awareness, even at a subconscious level, beats fancy checklists without it, track or you will fail.

Fear is your friend. It is an indicator. Sometimes it shows you what you shouldn't do, more often than not it shows you what you should do.

The best entrepreneurs I've ever met are all good communicators. It's perhaps one of the very few unifying factors.

There are two components that are fundamental to enjoy life and feel good about yourself: continual learning and service.

The best way to improve mental performance, is to improve physical performance

Just because something has been a lot of work or consumed a lot of time doesn't make it productive or worthwhile.

Information is useless if it is not applied to something important or if you will forget it before you have a chance to apply it.

Pacifists become militants. Freedom fighters become tyrants. Blessings become curses. Help becomes hindrance. More becomes less.

Everyone is going to binge on a diet, for instance, so plan for it, schedule it, and contain the damage.

What do you want?' is too imprecise to produce a meaningful and actionable answer.

Resolve to do one thing every day that you fear.

I've seen the promised land, and there is good news. You can have it all.

It's not enough to have the right answers. You have to have the right questions.

You think you're fatigued, therefore you can't exercise. In fact, you choose not to move, therefore you feel fatigued.

Are you better off than you were one year ago, one month ago, or one week ago? If not, things will not improve by themselves.

Life is too short to be small.

Emphasize strengths, don't fix weaknesses.