The Pocket Guide to Action Quotes

“We don’t consider refusing to choose as a choice. We think we’re safe if we don’t expose ourselves to failure. We don’t appreciate the consequences of inaction because they are slow, chronic, and non-obvious. That’s what makes them dangerous. You don’t get to escape pain. The pain that comes with action is acute, scars you, and makes you grow. The pain that comes from inaction is low-grade, softens you, and decays your soul.”
― Kyle Eschenroeder, The Pocket Guide to Action: 116 Meditations On the Art of Doing

“Our fatal mistake is waiting to be motivated before we take action. Action motivates.”
― Kyle Eschenroeder, The Pocket Guide to Action: 116 Meditations on the Art of Doing

“Inaction is the cancer that will eat away at your soul until it is gone. That’s scarier than anything.”
― Kyle Eschenroeder, The Pocket Guide to Action: 116 Meditations On the Art of Doing

“SUCKERS TRY TO WIN ARGUMENTS, NON-SUCKERS TRY TO WIN.”—NASSIM TALEB Action is about the ultimate win—it transcends argument. Argument is derived from (and therefore secondary to) actions and their consequences. Action immediately removes you from the squabble. It separates you from those afraid to make a move. You cannot take action and remain petty, immaterial, or inane. Action doesn’t pretend to have an answer for everything—but it does accept that it may be the answer.”
― Kyle Eschenroeder, The Pocket Guide to Action: 116 Meditations On the Art of Doing

“ACTION FREES YOU FROM IDEOLOGY “The world is always close to catastrophe. But it seems to be closer now. Seeing this approaching catastrophe, most of us take shelter in idea. We think that this catastrophe, this crisis, can be solved by an ideology. Ideology is always an impediment to direct relationship, which prevents action.” Jiddu Krishnamurti Action immediately frees you from your ideologies. The switch is one of impossible (and invisible) reconciliation of warring ideas to total harmony. Focusing on the work or situation before you as it is makes it clear. The most obvious choice becomes clear as you pay attention. When you let go of an idea of how things should be then you open yourself up to the best current choice. This is easy to perform in work or sports, provided we have some experience with them. It’s more difficult in relationships with other people. Our expectations for how our parents, significant others, or bosses should behave makes us blind to how we could act given the current circumstances. We shouldn’t apply romantic ideals to others if we wish to connect with them. (Even the expectation that they lift their expectations should be lifted.)”
― Kyle Eschenroeder, The Pocket Guide to Action: 116 Meditations On the Art of Doing

“A lesson I learned from this ancient [Greek] culture is the notion of megalopsychon (a term expressed in Aristotle’s ethics), a sense of grandeur that was superseded by the Christian value of ‘humility.’ There is no word for it in Romance languages; in Arabic is called Shhm—best translated as non-small. If you take risks and face your fate with dignity, there is nothing you can do that makes you small; if you don’t take risks, there is nothing you can do that makes you grand, nothing. And when you take risks, insults by half-men (small men, those who don’t risk anything) are similar to barks by nonhuman animals: you can’t feel insulted by a dog.” – Nassim Taleb, The Black Swan”
― Kyle Eschenroeder, The Pocket Guide to Action: 116 Meditations On the Art of Doing

“Right action is not reactive, it is proactive. It is independent of others’ immediate demands on your time. Checking email, Facebook, and Twitter upon waking up sets you up for a day of reactivity. Starting the day with your own creative labor sets you up for a day of action. What’s the most important thing you could work on today? Why aren’t you putting that before everything else? It’s hard. But only until you begin.”
― Kyle Eschenroeder, The Pocket Guide to Action: 116 Meditations On the Art of Doing

“We won’t be able to understand all our actions all the way, right away. Sometimes we have to do things and we don’t know why until years later. We’re sitting having a beer with an old friend and in the middle of the conversation we get hit with it. So that’s why I had to do that. Action takes faith. That it will make sense later. That the lessons you learned here matter. We are conscious of very little of what we understand. Do you think, “I better not touch the stove” when you know it’s hot? No. You understand it so thoroughly that you don’t require an explanation. Lessons learned through action have this kind of depth. No human can explain his or her life completely. Yet we go to great lengths to do just that. The most liberating response to, “Why did you do that?” Because I had to.”
― Kyle Eschenroeder, The Pocket Guide to Action: 116 Meditations On the Art of Doing

“ACTION WILL BE YOUR LEGACY “He who has a vehement desire for posthumous fame does not consider that every one of those who remember him will himself also die very soon…” – Marcus Aurelius We can’t escape the fact that we wish to leave the world with a reminder that we were here, too, once. On some level it doesn’t make much sense—the mind that is wishing to be remembered will probably be gone…it won’t even have a chance to think about being remembered! Some people can afford to put their name on football stadiums or tall buildings. Some people have left large tombs. Some have left autobiographies. Some have left massive fortunes. Some have left scientific breakthroughs. Some glorious son-of-a-gun out there left us the PB&J sandwich. These are great contributions. However, the accumulation of interactions you have with other people will certainly be greater. The way you are in the world matters more than what you make in the world. This is important. You spread whatever you are. If you are decisive, emotionally stable, and optimistic, then you will give others the permission to be the same. When you free yourself from overthinking and commit to action you will free others. Not by spreading the word or talking about this book (although that would be great!) but by just being that way. Think of a time when you’ve been afraid to make a leap. You look around for others who have made the leap. Then you see it’s a possibility. When you smile at someone instead of worrying about what they’re thinking about you, you make their day better—and your day better. When you do the thing you’re embarrassed to do you provide relief for everyone around who was too scared. When you believe the actions you take are more important than an abstract purpose, you may pull an onlooker out of an existential crisis with you. If you can do it, they can too. These moments multiply. The person you smiled at while waiting in line at the grocery store was planning on committing suicide later that day. Now they are second-guessing it. They may continue to live and provide good for others, who will then provide more good for others. Staying calm in the midst of an emergency will give solace to others. Now others will gain solace from them. It’s been called the butterfly effect. We, as humans, are terrible at believing what isn’t right in front of us. We sometimes feel like we’re doing nothing, like our lives don’t matter. This is impossible. If you think you can’t create any change, then you will create change by spreading the idea of hopelessness. Everything you do matters. Act accordingly.”
― Kyle Eschenroeder, The Pocket Guide to Action: 116 Meditations On the Art of Doing

“You don’t need another motivational quote laid over a picture of a mountain. Think about what happens every time you go on a motivational image or video binge. You jump from image to image, releasing a little more dopamine with each click (like an addict). Then you get to a point maybe an hour later and realize that all the motivation did was kill time. Now you’re exhausted and have no energy to do anything else. A much better way to inspire yourself is to take action. Work on your project. Take the first step towards starting a new habit. Write the first paragraph of a blog post. Do something! The only information that stays inspiring in the long-run is the information that we apply. Knowledge is not power, it’s frustration. Applied knowledge is power. When your default is action, inspiration builds on itself.”
― Kyle Eschenroeder, The Pocket Guide to Action: 116 Meditations On the Art of Doing

“Inaction is a luxury, one that many take for granted (and take pills to deal with). Action comes from hardship and necessity, physical or psychological. If you were born into luxury, or earned it later, the trick is to treat it with disdain and effort with reverence. To stay hungry when you could be constantly full—to stay active when you could be sedate.”
― Kyle Eschenroeder, The Pocket Guide to Action: 116 Meditations On the Art of Doing

“Nobel Prize winner Herbert Simon postulated that people can be divided into two groups: Maximizers and Satisficers. Whether they’re choosing a restaurant, college, or spouse, maximizers are obsessed with always making the very best choice and trying to attain the very fullest happiness. Satisficers are happy with any sufficient option. You’d think Maximizers would be happier, since they spend so much time and energy on making the best possible choice. But they’re not. Even after they make their choice, they agonize that maybe it wasn’t the right one after all. Satisficers, meanwhile, have moved on with their life and are enjoying what they chose. Deciding is progress. Perfect is the enemy of good.”
― Kyle Eschenroeder, The Pocket Guide to Action: 116 Meditations On the Art of Doing

“When Mother told you the fire would be painful, did you believe her? Did you become adept at basic arithmetic when your teacher gave the lesson or after hours of practice? Did talking about the birds and the bees save you from fumbling around awkwardly? It’s better if we can avoid mistakes than make them all on our own. It’s better if we can learn not to touch the fire by the examples of others. Sometimes we can’t though. A lot of times. Sometimes, in fact, it’s better that we don’t.”
― Kyle Eschenroeder, The Pocket Guide to Action: 116 Meditations On the Art of Doing