15 Life Changing Insights from Swami Vivekananda

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1. We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.

- Swami Vivekananda

2. Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea.

Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone.

This is the way to success.

- Swami Vivekananda

3. You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.

- Swami Vivekananda

4. You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.

- Swami Vivekananda

15 Philosophy Quotes From "Cicero"

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1. “A room without books is like a body without a soul.”

- Marcus Tullius Cicero

2. "Never was a government that was not composed of liars, malefactors, and thieves."

- Marcus Tullius Cicero

3. "More is lost by indecision than wrong decision.

Indecision is the thief of opportunity.

It will steal you blind."

- Marcus Tullius Cicero

4. "The wise are instructed by reason,
average minds by experience,
the stupid by necessity and the brute by instinct."

- Marcus Tullius Cicero

15 Philosophy Quotes From "Voltaire"

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1. "The more often a stupidity is repeated, the more it gets the appearance of wisdom."

- Voltaire.

2. "The mirror is a worthless invention. The only way to truly see yourself is in the reflection of someone else's eyes."

- Voltaire.

3. "Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices."

- Voltaire.

4. "Give me the patience for the small things of life, courage for the great trials of life.

Help me to do my best each day and then go to sleep knowing God is awake."

- Voltaire.

10 fascinating traits of highly-successful people:

1) Enjoy Being Wrong: The most successful people legitimately enjoy being wrong. They’ve learned to embrace new information that forces you to change your viewpoint—these "software updates" improve upon the old.

(read on)

2) Work in Sprints: Parkinson's Law says that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. Winners typically work like lions instead—sprint, rest, repeat.

3) Antifragile: Life is chaotic. The best aren't broken by the chaos—they build structure to benefit from it.

4) Paranoia: Highly-successful people share a surprising fear that all of the success is suddenly going to disappear. It creates a drive for continued growth.

5) Self-Awareness: The most successful people are hyper self-aware. They know their unique edge (and their weaknesses).

6) Compartmentalization: An uncanny ability to compartmentalize. They turn off outside stressors and focus exclusively on the task at hand.

7) Focus on Questions, Not Answers: They ask great questions. It allows them to aggregate insights more effectively.

8) Expert Advice Filters: Winners have learned how to filter and selectively implement advice—take the signal, skip the noise.

9) Impatient Long-Term Thinkers: Long-term thinking plus short-term impatience for action is the recipe for success.

A paradox is a seemingly self-contradictory statement that proves true.

The most powerful paradoxes I’ve found:

The Paradox of Failure

You have to fail more to succeed more.

Our greatest moments of growth often stem directly from our greatest moments of failure.

Don’t fear failure.

Learn to fail smart and fast—never fail the same way twice.

Always put yourself in the arena.

The Paradox of Persuasion

Ever notice that the most argumentative people rarely persuade anyone of anything?

Persuasive people don’t argue—they observe, listen, and ask questions.

Argue less, persuade more.

Persuasion is an art that requires a paintbrush, not a sledgehammer.

The Paradox of Productivity

Work longer, get less done.

Parkinson's Law says that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

When you establish fixed hours to work, you'll find unproductive ways to fill it.

Work like a lion instead—sprint, rest, repeat.

The Paradox of Effort

You have to put in more effort to make something appear effortless.

Effortless, elegant performances are simply the result of a large volume of consistent, effortful practice.

Small things become big things.

Simple is not simple.

10 HARDCORE LIFE LESSONS FROM FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE:

1) Govern yourself

To quote Nietzsche:

“He who cannot obey himself will be commanded.”

Most people need an external force to motivate them into action, or to keep them in check morally.

Freedom is the will to be responsible to oneself.

It’s imperative that a man learns to be his own leader, to act in accordance with his own beliefs, and to use his own values as a moral compass.

Such a man becomes elevated from a yes-man to a Superman.

2) Follow your own path

Nietzsche said:

“You have your way, and I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it doesn’t exist!”

The lesson here is that no one has the license to dictate your life’s trajectory.

Never let anyone interfere with your life, and you should never interfere with anyone’s life.

Most people suck at decision-making.

Let's change that.

Here are 15 of the best decision-making mental models I've found 🧵

The Inside-Outside View

We have a natural tendency to favour the inside view—our own independent solution to a problem that incorporates all of our hidden biases.

To make better decisions, we should favour the outside view—one that incorporates the best available data.

Ladder of Inference

Describes the thinking process we go through—often subconsciously—to get from a fact to a decision or action.

To make better decisions, we should move slowly and deliberately from the bottom of the ladder to the top of the ladder.

h/t (image) - @amrancz

Confidence Determines Speed vs. Quality

The more confidence you have in the importance of a problem and your understanding of its solution, the more you should focus on quality.

However, if you need to learn more, move fast and break things.

h/t - @BrandonMChu

@BrandonMChu Devil’s Advocate Position

The antidote to confirmation bias.

It involves forcing yourself to view a decision from the opposite viewpoint or finding people who disagree with you.

It forces you to create a more compelling argument.

Don't take my word for it:

15 Deep Philosophy Quotes From "Fyodor Dostoevsky"

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1. "The darker the night, the brighter the stars, The deeper the grief, the closer is God!"

- Fyodor Dostoevsky

2. "The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for."

- Fyodor Dostoevsky

3. "Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart.

The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth."

- Fyodor Dostoevsky

4. "Nothing in this world is harder than speaking the truth, nothing easier than flattery."

- Fyodor Dostoevsky

15 Deep Philosophy Quotes From "Confucius"

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1. "A great man is hard on himself; a small man is hard on others."

- Confucius

2. “He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.”

- Confucius

3. “By three methods we may learn wisdom:

First, by reflection, which is noblest;
Second, by imitation, which is easiest;
and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”

- Confucius

4. “If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room.”

- Confucius

12 straightforward quotes on self-care:

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27 Life Lessons You Should Learn From The Game Of Chess.

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1. Make every move with an intent. Align your actions with a pre determined strategy.

2. Learn to play and live less obviously. Be unpredictable and interesting.

3. Always consider the whole board when deciding on a move. See the big picture.

4. Spot patterns. Learn to see patterns and take advantage of them.

5. Play for the advantage. If you already have it, maintain it. If you don't have it, create it.

6. Accumulate small advantages.

7. Trade wisely. Where possible, trade low value positions for better ones.

8. Everyone's playing their game. The problem is that not everyone knows they are playing.

9. Castle your king. Protect the things that are most important.

10. Cut your losses. Sometimes you are going to lose. Try to minimize your losses and move on.

11. Never get too comfortable. Keep thinking, looking for new opportunities.

12. Every move is important.

15 uncomfortable truths about life people learn to late:

1. Don't overshare. Privacy is peaceful and powerful.

2. Even when you trust your close friends and family, don't tell them everything.

3. The best revenge is no revenge. Move on. Be happy. Find inner peace. Flourish.

4. When you‘re right, no one remembers. When you‘re wrong, no one forgets.

10 Life-Changing Lessons From Walt Disney's Legacy To Dream To Dare:

Walt amassed a timeless an entrepreneurial empire.

▸ Won 7 Emmy Awards
▸ Earned 59 Nominations
▸ Won 26 Academy Awards

No single figure has shaped American popular culture as much as Walt.

If you want the mindset read on...

1. Follow Your Heart:

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

• Walt's father criticised his every move
• Faced adversity, learn to bounce back

Lesson:

Trust your gut & pursue your goals alone.

2. Competition Is Exciting:

“I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn’t know how to get along without it."

• Learn from the competition & you will grow
• A kick in the teeth is a reality check you need

Lesson:

Obstacles will strengthen you more.

3. Appreciate Failure:

“We can't be afraid to fail. A failure we learn from is never a failure at all."

• Forgave himself for making mistakes
• He ran towards adversity from foe to ally.

Lesson:

Behind success stories is a mountain of failures.

15 Deep Philosophy Quotes of "Arthur Schopenhauer"

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1. "The majority of men... are not capable of thinking, but only of believing, and... are not accessible to reason, but only to authority."

- Arthur Schopenhauer

2. “A man can be himself only so long as he is alone.

and if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom.

for it is only when he is alone that he is really free.”

- Arthur Schopenhauer

3. "With health, everything is a source of pleasure;

without it, nothing else, whatever it may be, is enjoyable...

Health is by far the most important element in human happiness."

- Arthur Schopenhauer

4. "All truth passes through three stages.

First, it is ridiculed.

Second, it is violently opposed.

Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."

- Arthur Schopenhauer

15 Deep philosophy Quotes From "Paulo Coelho"

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1. “Don't waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear.”

- Paulo Coelho

2. "To heal a wound you must stop scratching it."

- Paulo Coelho

3. “Be proud of your scars. They remind you that you have the will to live.”

- Paulo Coelho

4. “If we don't face our fears, our fears will chase us forever.”

- Paulo Coelho

6 NON-SEXUAL ADVICE I WISH I KNEW SOONER:

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The Paradoxes of Desire: 🧵

The Pain Paradox

Desire creates pain in our lives.

But living a life void of desire is equally, if not more, painful.

The Intensity Paradox

The more intensely you desire something, the harder it seems to attain.

If you don’t desire something with enough intensity, you never do what's required to attain it.

The Risk Paradox

We desire comfort, security, and safety.

But nothing we desire can be obtained without risk.

The More Paradox

We are driven by a desire for "more."

When we get it, it's not enough.

15 powerful lines from movies about psychology & life:

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20 THINGS PEOPLE LEARN TOO LATE:

1. Don’t tell people more than they need to know, respect your privacy.

2. Every challenge, Hard time, and pain you endure will turn into Strength, resilience and Blessings.

3. Don't argue with people who want to misunderstand you - Starve them with silence.

4. Life is short, don’t forget to make a life and not just a living.