My Quotes Database 2026
- 01/02/26 - Daniel Miessler’s on how to solve problems.
High Agency
“…It’s roughly the ability to solve problems by believing they’re not unsolvable if they don’t defy physics. Or: A sense that the story given to you by other people about what you can/cannot do is just that - a story.”
– Daniel Miessler in Unsupervised Learning NO. 474
- 01/02/26 - Daniel Miessler’s thoughts on raising children.
How Much Do Flaws and Traumas Enhance Us?
“I worry a lot about making life too easy, as a society, or as parents. It’s a timeless struggle where parents suffer and want to make sure their children don’t, but then end up making lesser adults…”
– Daniel Miessler in Unsupervised Learning NO. 474
- 01/06/26 - James Clear on goals and lifestyles.
“New goals don’t deliver new results. New lifestyles do. And a lifestyle is a process, not an outcome. For this reason, all of your energy should go into building better habits, not chasing better results.”
– James Clear in 3-2-1: How to make changes that last, the key to productivity, and a simple way to find your true self
- 01/06/26 - James Clear on goals and lifestyles.
“Improvements are only temporary until they become part of who you are.
- The goal is not to read a book, the goal is to become a reader.
- The goal is not to run a marathon, the goal is to become a runner.
- The goal is not to learn an instrument, the goal is to become a musician.
Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.
This year, focus on the identity you want to build.”
– James Clear in 3-2-1: How to make changes that last, the key to productivity, and a simple way to find your true self
- 01/16/26 - Gary Tan on strategy.
“Always play the hand you have, not the one you wish you had.”
– Gary Tan in 3-2-1: On comparison, life strategy, and stopping negative thought spirals
- 01/17/26 - James Clear on habits and procrastination.
“Missing once is an accident.
Missing twice is the start of a new habit.”
– James Clear in Cybersecurity Goals for 2026
- 01/27/26 - CGP Grey on politics.
Rule 0
Without power you can affect nothing
– CGP Grey in You Would Be a Terrible Leader
- 02/23/26 - Climber Elizabeth Rose on suffering:
“Suffering isn’t something I avoid. It’s something I love—I love what it brings, what’s on the other side of it. When we’re climbing Mt. Everest, we’re all suffering together, facing the same battle, chasing the same dream. Suffering makes the accomplishment that much more fulfilling.”
– Elizabeth Rose in Taste in People
- 03/04/26 - Shane Parrish on arguing with a fool:
Arguing with a fool doesn’t change them; it changes you.
– Shane Parrish in Internal Battles
- 03/04/26 - Shane Parrish on talent and potential:
Talent and potential mean nothing if you can’t consistently do the boring things when you don’t feel like doing them.
– Shane Parrish in Internal Battles
- 03/30/26 - Shane Parrish on money and time:
We spend time chasing money, then spend money chasing time.
– Shane Parrish in Second Chances
- 04/06/26 - Jim Rohn on why we set goals:
The ultimate reason for setting goals is to entice you to become the person it takes to achieve them.
– Shane Parrish in Second Chances
- 04/17/26 - On finding your true passion:
“If you lived in a world where everyone made the exact same salary, what would you choose to do for work?”
– James Clear in 3-2-1: April 16, 2026
- 04/28/26 - Shane Parrish on skill versus story:
Skill is whatever happens repeatedly. Everything else is a story.
– Shane Parrish in Wealth isn’t a Distinction
- 04/28/26 - Shane Parrish on planning ahead:
The real reason to plan the night before is to deny you the option of planning again tomorrow morning.
– Shane Parrish in Wealth isn’t a Distinction
- 04/28/26 - Shane Parrish on facing fear:
One way to beat fear is with steps so small they don’t scare you.
As you get closer to fear, you realize there was never anything there to be afraid of.
– Shane Parrish in Wealth isn’t a Distinction
- 04/28/26 - James Clear on investing in great people:
“Exceptional people are rare. When you find someone wonderful, invest in them.
- When you find a great employee, pay them well.
- When you find a great friend, prioritize the relationship.
- When you find a great spouse, out-love them each day.
Relationships are probably the most important part of life. Take care of the great ones.”
– James Clear in 3-2-1: April 23, 2026
- 05/04/26 - Baba Hari Dass on learning:
“Teach in order to learn.”
– Baba Hari Dass in 3-2-1: On making adjustments, how to handle criticism, and the secret to improvement
- 05/25/26 - Garth Brooks on wealth:
“You aren’t wealthy until you have something money can’t buy.”
– Garth Brooks in Intelligence vs. Wisdom
- 05/25/26 - James Clear on the paradox of creating:
“When you are creating something, you will usually find that once things appear 90 percent done, you are actually about halfway there. But you have to create the first 90 percent in order to see the half that needs to be revised.”
– James Clear in 3-2-1: On making mistakes, the paradox of creating, and why habits translate
- 06/15/26 - Shane Parrish on honesty over approval:
Aim for accuracy, not approval.
Nobody wants a doctor who never gives them bad news, but that’s effectively what we do in life when we optimize for people liking us.
It’s better to have the sting of honesty than the blindness of flattery.
– Shane Parrish in Brain Food: June 14, 2026
- 06/15/26 - Shane Parrish on the stories we tell ourselves:
Your inner monologue becomes your outer reality.
Too much self-criticism, and you stop ambition. Too much arrogance, and you miss things.
The most powerful story in the world is the one you tell yourself (about yourself).
– Shane Parrish in Brain Food: June 14, 2026
- 06/24/26 - Daniel Miessler on government and emotional manipulation:
“The quality of a government is determined by the ease with which its population can be emotionally manipulated. Emotion vs. Critical Thinking. Bro knowledge vs deeper education. Tribalism vs. Humanism. It’s not about religion vs. reason as I used to think when I was younger. It’s about whether you deeply understand how the world works and can identify and untangle attempts to manipulate you emotionally.
When I think about our government for the last 5-10 years, I’m starting to think less about all the messed-up things that the government is doing, and instead about the deterioration of our education, critical thinking, and wisdom as a population that allowed it. It’s like trying to fill up a bathtub when you’ve taken the plug out of the bottom.
And that’s why I think the world, and especially Europe, is going to turn away from us. The problem isn’t who we’ve elected. It’s the fact that there’s no reason to think we won’t do it again.”
– Daniel Miessler in Unsupervised Learning NO. 497
- 06/29/26 - James Clear on where you choose to work:
“If you want a plant to grow, you can fuss over it every day—watering, weeding, moving it toward the sun. Or you can place it in the right soil and let nature do most of the work. A seed planted in the right spot often thrives on its own. Life is much the same. Progress is not only about how hard you work, but also about where you decide to work.
Where is your energy better spent right now: pushing harder or planting yourself in better ground?”
– James Clear in 3-2-1: June 25, 2026
- 07/08/26 - James Clear on how luck works:
“What we call luck is often not purely random, but rather the delayed byproduct of consistently putting yourself in good positions.”
– James Clear in 3-2-1: How luck works, why improvement is hard, and a call for courage
- 07/08/26 - Shane Parrish on looking like an idiot:
So much advantage in life comes from being willing to look like an idiot in the short term.
– Shane Parrish in Building Trust in Yourself Every Day
- 07/14/26 - Claude on rating art without chasing objectivity:
“Objective means true independent of the observer, and art doesn’t have that. So stop chasing objectivity—it isn’t available. Chase reliability instead: a judgment you’d stand by consistently, not one that shifts with your mood.”
– Claude (in conversation)
- 08/31/26 - Valery Legasov on lies and the truth:
“Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth.”
– Valery Legasov in Chernobyl, Episode 5: “Vichnaya Pamyat”
- 09/07/26 - On mistakes and effort:
“Mistakes are proof that you’re trying.”
- 09/10/26 - Shane Parrish on natural versus chosen talent:
There are two types of talent: the natural talent you’re born with and the chosen talent you earn with your mindset, choices, and work.
Natural talent is overrated. Chosen talent is underrated.
– Shane Parrish in Two Types of Talent
- 09/10/26 - Economist Milton Friedman on the work required to hold an opinion:
“You cannot be sure that you are right unless you understand the arguments against your views better than your opponents do.”
– Milton Friedman in Two Types of Talent
- 09/15/26 - James Clear on vices and comforts:
“Plenty of growth can be found in removing your vices, but the real leaps are unlocked when you stop clinging to your comforts.”
– James Clear in 3-2-1: On leisure vs. luxury, unlocking growth, and the many versions of a good life
- 09/18/26 - James Clear on failure versus lessons:
“When you’re on a good path: It’s only a failure if you stop. It’s a lesson if you keep going.
When you’re on a bad path: It’s only a failure if you keep going. It’s a lesson if you stop.”
– James Clear in 3-2-1: On living with lightness, emphasizing what works, and the simple way to gain clarity
- 09/18/26 - James Clear on luck and action:
“You can’t get lucky if you don’t take action. The best opportunity in the world is just a missed opportunity if you don’t grab it.”
– James Clear in 3-2-1: On living with lightness, emphasizing what works, and the simple way to gain clarity
- 09/21/26 - James Clear on putting off hard conversations:
“Delaying a conversation doesn’t make it easier.”
– James Clear in 3-2-1: On the power of curiosity, winning vs. improving, and taking control of your to-do list
- 09/21/26 - Modernist painter Georgia O’Keeffe on making your vision a reality:
“Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant — there is no such thing. Making your unknown known is the important thing.”
– Georgia O’Keeffe in 3-2-1: On the power of curiosity, winning vs. improving, and taking control of your to-do list
- 09/21/26 - On patterns and breaking the loop:
“Every pattern in your life repeats until you learn the lesson. The moment you choose differently, the loop ends and growth begins.”
– Unknown, quoted in Unsupervised Learning NO. 540
- 09/25/26 - James Clear on contribution over consumption:
“The measure of a life is not what you consume, but what you contribute.
Spend less time owning, consuming, taking. Spend more time giving, creating, making.”
– James Clear in 3-2-1: What good judgement requires, how to direct your attention, and the hidden path to happiness
- 09/28/26 - Shane Parrish on the common variable in repeating patterns:
“Whatever pattern is repeating in your life has one common variable: you.”
– Shane Parrish in How Steve Jobs Learned to Lead
- 09/30/26 - Fred Duncan on training specificity:
“You get what you train for.”
– Fred Duncan in Sprinting is the ultimate plyometric
- 09/30/26 - Olympic freestyle skier Eileen Gu on training versus competing:
“I train like I’ve never won, and I compete like I’ve never lost.”
– Eileen Gu in 3-2-1: On starting over, how to train and how to compete, and the magic of consistency
- 09/30/26 - Alex Hormozi on forcing your own growth:
“The fastest way to become the person you want to be is to put yourself in a situation where you have no choice but to become them.”
– Alex Hormozi, quoted in Unsupervised Learning NO. 543
- 10/05/26 - Shane Parrish on time versus focus:
“You don’t need more time, you need more focus.”
– Shane Parrish in More Focus
- 10/05/26 - Writer Haruki Murakami on time and money:
“Spend your money on the things money can buy. Spend your time on the things money can’t buy.”
– Haruki Murakami in The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, quoted in 3-2-1: How to start a new habit, the power of responsibility, and prioritizing the long-term
- 10/14/26 - James Clear on your information diet:
“Your mind will follow whatever you feed it.
Want better thoughts? Consume better things.”
– James Clear in 3-2-1: How to feel good again, choosing your information diet, and the secret to connecting with people
- 10/14/26 - James Clear on breaking the cycle in five minutes:
“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.
It doesn’t take much to feel good again.”
– James Clear in 3-2-1: How to feel good again, choosing your information diet, and the secret to connecting with people
- 10/14/26 - Joe Rogan on trying like you’re being filmed:
“Act like a camera crew is following you when you try. You’ll try harder than you ever thought possible.”
– Joe Rogan, quoted by Codie Sanchez on Twitter
- 10/16/26 - James Clear on being uncomfortable for five minutes:
“Are you willing to be uncomfortable for 5 minutes?
Exercising is easier once you’ve started the workout. Conversation is easier once you’re already talking. Writing is easier once you’re in the middle of it.
But many rewards in life will elude you if you’re not willing to be a little uncomfortable at first.”
– James Clear in 3-2-1: On refusing to give up, the refrains of nature, and making things fun
- 10/16/26 - James Clear on success:
“Success is wanting to be where you are.”
– James Clear in 3-2-1: On refusing to give up, the refrains of nature, and making things fun
- 10/16/26 - Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius on refusing to give up:
“Until death, all defeat is psychological.”
– Marcus Aurelius, quoted in 3-2-1: On refusing to give up, the refrains of nature, and making things fun