How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life

by Scott Adams

It seemed as if other people were benefiting greatly from the wisdom of their friends and families. That’s exactly the sort of inequality that pisses me off and motivates me at the same time.

When you stand in front of an audience, your sensation of time is distorted. That’s why inexperienced presenters speak too rapidly.

over the years I have cultivated a unique relationship with failure. I invite it. I survive it. I appreciate

Dilbert started out as just one of many get-rich schemes I was willing to try.

When you decide to be successful in a big way, it means you acknowledge the price and you’re willing to pay it.

Successful people don’t wish for success; they decide to pursue it. And to pursue it effectively, they need a system.

So while writing takes me away from my friends and family for a bit, it makes me a better person when I’m with them.

Capitalism is rotten at every level, and yet it adds up to something extraordinarily useful for society over time. The paradox of capitalism is that adding a bunch of bad-sounding ideas together creates something incredible that is far more good than bad.

I wouldn’t be satisfied simply escaping from my prison of silence; I was planning to escape, free the other inmates, shoot the warden, and burn down the prison.

People are naturally drawn to the things they feel comfortable doing, and comfort is a marker for talent.

Don’t be fooled by the opinions of friends and family. They’re all liars.

Quality is not an independent force in the universe; it depends on what you choose as your frame of reference.

If your gut feeling (intuition) disagrees with the experts, take that seriously. You might be experiencing some pattern recognition that you can’t yet verbalize.