“What makes him dangerous is an unwavering determination; those who suggest potential exit strategies are overlooking a key aspect of his character. Any off-ramp simply provides an opportunity for him to seek the next on-ramp.”
— General H.R. McMaster
U.S. National Security Advisor under President Donald Trump

The quote archive

Psychology

A growing archive of 3,000+ moments, drawn from every interview.

If you always make one thing your excuse or let other people drag you down because of something like your gender, it will become your prophecy. You just have to keep fighting.

— May-Britt Moser

Neuroscientist; Nobel Prize for discovering brain's positioning system cells

I always thought that nothing or no one should stop me from doing what I like. If you have a passion for questions, and if you have the courage, then you don't need a model that is exactly like yourself.

— May-Britt Moser

Neuroscientist; Nobel Prize for discovering brain's positioning system cells

Dehumanizing the victim through the internet has enabled people to commit crimes and not worry about their conscience.

— Frank Abagnale

Notorious con artist and impostor who inspired the film "Catch Me If You Can

The vast majority of fraudsters, and criminals get caught not because of good police work, but because they continue doing the same thing over and over again, until someone notices.

— Frank Abagnale

Notorious con artist and impostor who inspired the film "Catch Me If You Can

The vast majority of people- if they can benefit from something or make some money, will look the other way. It's personal greed, without thought about the consequences.

— Frank Abagnale

Notorious con artist and impostor who inspired the film "Catch Me If You Can

By consciously and regularly going into the cold- I've learned how to tap into this primordial part of the brain; an area we've lost access to because of our destimulative behaviour. We need to get out into the cold, into the heat, and allow our brain to reconnect to these lost areas which simply are not activated or developed in our daily lives.

— Wim Hof

Extreme athlete known for ice exposure & breathing technique methods

99.9% of the time, you are not in a burning building- and that is precisely the time to think about what you would do in that 0.1% of time when it is on fire. A lack of information and preparedness in an emergency or crisis can be the difference between carrying yourself through, and sometimes, catastrophic outcomes.

— Chris Hadfield

Canadian Astronaut & International Space Station Commander

Having a plan, feeling confident and being competent are the greatest antidotes to fear. If you're just trying to deal with the unknown by crossing your fingers and hoping, you will be utterly helpless when a situation finally manifests. In reality, you're rarely (if ever) completely helpless, you allow yourself to be helpless.

— Chris Hadfield

Canadian Astronaut & International Space Station Commander

Everything we do in one sense or another is consummatory. We consume religious narratives, we consume literature, we consume friendships. Our mate choices are the ultimate form of consumer choice.

— Gad Saad

Evolutionary Psychologist & Author Known for Consumer Behavior Research

Humans can be parasitized by actual brain worms, but also by idea pathogens that cause them to behave in profoundly maladaptive ways.

— Gad Saad

Evolutionary Psychologist & Author Known for Consumer Behavior Research

I want you to not deny your shadow, your darkest impulses, but to find ways to use them and turn them into something productive. We ought to take that ambition, those aggressive impulses, and channel them into our work, into great causes, into justice.

— Robert Greene

Author of "The 48 Laws of Power" & Strategist

You have to have some humility in life before you can begin to understand yourself, and before you can begin to change yourself, the world, or other people. If you only think others have problems, you're never going to be able to look at yourself and change who you are.

— Robert Greene

Author of "The 48 Laws of Power" & Strategist

The number one thing I've discovered is that people deny that they have any of these traits. We always want to say it's that other person who is a narcissist, the other person is aggressive, they have envy, but no…. not us. We deny we have these qualities and make out as if we are the exception.

— Robert Greene

Author of "The 48 Laws of Power" & Strategist

When you love what you do, when you're excited about your field, when you've chosen a path that connects with you personally- you will learn fast, you will accomplish in 5 years what it would take others 15 years to do.

— Robert Greene

Author of "The 48 Laws of Power" & Strategist

When I look at my own life- the things that I'm most embarrassed about are the moments where I acted, or didn't act, because of fear. The moments I'm most proud of are those where I acted with some semblance of courage.

— Ryan Holiday

Author & Stoicism Expert; Marketer & Media Strategist

When you have an unlimited view into every awful thing that's happening in the world, as well as every minor thing, you can become paralysed. It's hard to know what to spend time and energy on.

— Ryan Holiday

Author & Stoicism Expert; Marketer & Media Strategist