Quotes

When you procrastinate, you're more likely to let your mind wander. That gives you a better chance of stumbling onto the unusual and spotting unexpected patterns.

Being a magician taught me how powerful the element of surprise can be. In each book, I've tried to work that in - an unexpected twist in a story that reveals an insight, a counter intuitive study that turns your beliefs upside-down.

Some of the greatest moments in human history were fueled by emotional intelligence.

It's ironic that when you go through a tragedy, you appreciate more. You realize how fragile life is and that there are so many things to still be thankful for.

From a relationship perspective, givers build deeper and broader connections.

Negative feedback can make people feel inferior.

Some people are selfish in all of their relationships. Those people are called sociopaths.

No one wants to hear everything that's in your head. They just want you to live up to what comes out of your mouth.

We all have thoughts and feelings that we believe are fundamental to our lives but that are better left unspoken.

If you want your children to bring original ideas into the world, you need to let them pursue their passions, not yours.

I have two rules for a great book: make me think and make me smile.

When a salesperson truly cares about you, trust forms, and you're more likely to buy, come back for repeat business, and refer new customers.

When you develop a reputation for being responsive and generous, an ever-expanding mountain of requests will come your way.

It's true that every leader needs followers. We can't all be nonconformists at every moment, but conformity is dangerous - especially for an entity in formation.

In life, there's no such thing as an unmitigated good.

I spend a lot of my time trying to help leaders build cultures of productive givers.

Geniuses don't have better ideas than the rest of us. They just have more of them.

Takers are self-serving in their interactions. It's all about what can you do for me.

Successful givers secure their oxygen masks before coming to the assistance of others. Although their motives may be less purely altruistic, their actions prove more altruistic, because they give more.

I start a lot of things and purposely leave them unfinished. When I have a bunch of really long emails, and I need time to think about the response, I'll actually start replying, leave them as drafts, and move onto something else mid-sentence.

I have lots of micro-goals of trying to get things done, whatever the amount of time available.

I'm not a fan of being inauthentic.

If an organization values innovation, you can assume it's safe to speak up with new ideas, leaders will listen, and your voice matters.

The most promising ideas begin from novelty and then add familiarity.

When making decisions about people, stop confusing experience with evidence. Just as owning a car doesn't make you an expert on engines, having a brain doesn't mean you understand psychology.