Quotes
Every now and then I’ll get on Instagram or the Facebook and see someone posted a quote that I really like.
I usually think “that’s nice,” and maybe it sticks with me for the next couple minutes.
Then I move on.
I think most people are like this.
When have you ever read a quote and then done something of significance you wouldn’t have otherwise done?
I don’t know anyone who’s read something like this…
and quit their job the next day.
Have you ever met anyone who read this…
and had a plane ticket to Indonesia an hour later?
Usually the person who quit their job, or flew to Indonesia was going to do that anyways.
Plus, quotes don’t usually have any real life application.
A few weeks ago I saw this quote someone posted on instagram.
“Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves…”
-Cheryl Strayed
It got some likes.
I don’t like things on instagram, but I imagine if I did, I would’ve liked it.
It’s a nice quote, but what can I do with that?
Make it the background on my cell phone and remember to never have fear?
It doesn’t tell me HOW to overcome my fears, just maybe that I should.
Well thanks, but I still haven’t talked to the pretty girl behind the bar at that restaurant.
But now I know that I’m scared to because of some story I’m telling myself.
That’s helpful.
Nice quote, but it doesn’t change anything for me.
That’s why I like quotes fine, but don’t really value them in and of themselves.
I’ll show you later how I do value certain quotes.
Blogs
I read blogs pretty regularly.
If I finish a good blog post, I usually try to apply it to my life for the next several days, maybe even weeks.
But a few weeks later, I’ll have read 20 new posts, and I’ll be on something else.
I guess they’re kind of like longer quotes.
There are a few that I bookmark, and go back to read periodically, but for the most part, blogs don’t have a lasting impact on me.
Again do you know someone who read a blog post that inspired them to change their life in some significant way?
Probably not.
Books
“You’re the same today as you’ll be in five years except for the people you meet and the books you read.”
Charlie Jones
Up until about 8 months ago, I didn’t read books with any regularity.
I’d maybe pick one up for a month or three, then stop reading for a year.
Last summer, I decided to get rid of cable. No, not to upgrade to DirecTV, but to start reading more, among other things.
I’ve probably read more books in the past 8 months than I did in the previous 8 years.
I think I’ll keep it going too. I’ve really enjoyed it.
There’s no such thing as a life changing quote.
I like some quotes, but only when I associate them with specific memories, experiences, or books.
I like what they remind me of. The quote has no value to me other than being the medium for remembrance.
I’ve never heard of a life changing blog post[1].
Blogs are good for day to day inspiration, motivation, and education. I read them mostly for enjoyment. I don’t expect to read a blog and change my view of the world.
People do claim books to be life changing though.
A good book stays with you.
It doesn’t wear off after a few weeks like a blog.
It doesn’t inspire you for a few hours with no real application like a quote.
A good book changes the way you think, and therefore the way you behave.
So when I tell you that Antifragile has changed my worldview, and is the most significant book I’ve ever read, I can’t give you a quote from it to make you understand.
I can’t even write a 3000 word post summarizing and highlighting the concepts and ideas.
All I can do is tell you.
Antifragile is the best book I’ve ever read.
Now you decide what to do next.
- Except maybe from the bloggers perspective.