If applied, they can improve your entire existence.
Most people introduce Ryan Holiday as the Marketing Director at American Apparel at age 21. Some would add that Benjamin Hardy, PhD, and Tim Ferriss hired him to improve their books.
I’d suggest we forget about his achievements in business. Instead, let’s think of Ryan Holiday as the philosophical translator of our time.
Thoreau once said, Philosophy is about solving the problems of life, not theoretically, but practically. That’s precisely what Ryan does. He makes ancient philosophy applicable to our lives.
Probably it’s because he read the same book 100 times over 10 years that he understands stoic thinkers — Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca — like no other 1987-born person does.
In 2019, his wise lines on time management inspired me to change my life for the better. That’s why I bought and devoured his recent books: The Obstacle is the Way (2014), Ego is the Enemy (2016), and Stillness is the Key (2019).
And as I believe the insights from this book can change any life for the better, here are my favorite quotes, including why they are relevant and how you can apply them.
“Many Relationships and Moments of Inner Peace Were Sacrificed on the Altar of Achievement.”
Social networks allow us to connect with the world. Yet, they also allow us to compare ourselves with more than 3.6 billion people on this planet.
There will always be people in your network who achieve more than you do. So-called high achievers posting impressive job updates on LinkedIn. Or hustlers sharing intimidating morning routines on their Instagram stories.
Let’s take the hard truth: By comparing ourselves against the achievements of others, we will never feel real satisfaction. Because we’ll always be reminded of more: do more, earn more, own more, achieve more.
We add unachievable items to our ever-growing to-do lists.
We prioritize work over a walk with a friend.
We postpone family catchups.
And while we’re so focused on more, we often neglect our relationships and inner peace. At the end of the day, we feel burned out and empty.
How to apply this quote:
We can stop our hamster race by replacing the altar of achievement with an altar of compassion. When we go through the world with an open heart, there’s no room for ceaseless striving.
Let’s get comfortable with the concept of good enough. Doing something good enough trumps doing something perfectly.
Start a gratitude journal and focus on the abundance in your life. By jotting down the things you’re grateful for — physical and mental health, a caring partner, warm summer sun — there’s no space for unhealthy wanting.
“People Who Don’t Read Have No Advantage over Those Who Cannot read.”
I wish I could spend five minutes with my younger self. What I’d tell the young Eva is to read every damn day. I’d tell her books to carry the wisdom of humanity, and that life is better when you turn into an avid reader.
Wanting to live a happy life without reading books is the same as you wanting to learn a new language without looking at the vocabulary.
In any language, we need a vocabulary to form proper, meaningful sentences. And to live a meaningful life, we need insights and wisdom from ancient philosophers and the great thinkers of our time.
By reading books, we learn the vocabulary of life.
Books allow us to access the minds of the world’s greatest philosophers, humble startup founders, and war survivors. It’s in books where we find the greatest wisdom, the best advice for any life situation.
Yet, unless we read, we close ourselves from the benefits of any book. If we don’t read, we have no advantage over illiterate people.
How to apply this quote:
Make reading a habit. Seriously. Abandon your phone from your sleeping room and, instead, take a book to your hands. That’s how I read 52 books a year for two years.
In case you need extra motivation, go to a bookstore, or browse through Goodreads. Create a want-to-read list. Start a book club. Get inspired by avid readers, like Bill Gates.
“When Your Life Is Solely and Exclusively About Yourself It’s Worse than Not Fun — It’s Empty and Awful.”
With all the self-help fluff out there, it’s tempting to think the universe revolves around you. Many people treat self-improvement like a religion.
What they forget is that we don’t rise by lifting ourselves.
Instead, we rise by lifting others.
In 2013, I forgot about this essential principle. I thought I’d be better than any other person on this planet. I only consumed higher, further, faster content without reflecting on it.
And that’s why I love this quote so much. My own experience showed me it’s true. When you inflate your ego and make life all about yourself, you’ll feel empty and awful in the end.
How to apply this quote:
No matter where you’re in life, remember to be humble. Connect your presence to the lives of others. Center your activities around the needs of others.
Look out for tiny acts of care. Carrying a bag, offering help, doing things that need to be done, but that nobody else wants to do.
And no matter what you’re doing: Remember that you are no better or worse than any other being on earth.
“Give More. Give What You Didn’t Get. Love More. Despite Any Old Story. Try It, If You Can”
Huh? How the hell can you give what you didn’t get?
Too often, we’re slaves to our storylines. We feel we were deprived of something in our childhood — praise, love, encouragement. We secretly wish to reengineer how we grew up.
Yet, fantasizing about what should have happened only makes you feel worse. Regretting your past keeps you from enjoying the present. If you want the best, the world has to offer, offer the world your best.
How to apply this quote:
Stop pitying yourself. Ditch old stories that no longer serve you. Let go of any anger towards your caregivers. Lewis Smedes once said:
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”
Free yourself from negative storylines and, instead, give what you didn’t get. Step by step, day by day, create the story of your present life.
“Mental and Spiritual Independence Matter Little If the Things We Own in the Physical World End up Owning us.”
This one is essential. When I prepared this article, most quotes resonated with me in terms of internal mindsets, this quote, however, goes beyond our mindsets.
Most of us own too much stuff. We spend money on things we don’t need to buy things that end up owning us.
Every material thing we own ties us down. Expensive phones come with insurance, big gardens with gardeners we need to pay, an urban jungle plant with a special treatment that’s required.
Everything you own blocks mental and physical space.
How to apply this quote:
Get rid of everything you don’t need: Clothes, decoration, food, clutter. Take an afternoon and a big box. Here’s an excellent visualization for every part of your house or apartment you can declutter.
“Leisure Is Not the Absence of Activity, It Is Activity. What Is Absent Is Any External Justification.”
Too often, we transfer the achievement mindset to our free time.
Do a fancy panty yoga session to tell your co-workers about it?
Or should you go to the gym to burn some calories?
Instead of allowing time for leisure, we put additional weight on our shoulders. We feel bad if we can’t keep up with the sports portfolio of our fittest friends.
Leisure doesn’t mean we should watch Netflix from the comfort of our homes. What it means is to enjoy activities in the absence of any external justification.
How to apply this quote:
Find a hobby you genuinely enjoy. An activity you don’t do to achieve something or to impress someone. Find something that you love doing.
“Always Think About What You’re Really Being Asked to Give. Because the Answer Is Often a Piece of Your Life, Usually in Exchange for Something, You Don’t Even Want. Remember That That’s What Time Is. It’s Your Life, It’s Your Flesh and Blood, That You Can Never Get back.”
We live in the misconception that we have plenty of time left. With a life expectancy of around 80 years, 20 minutes here and there seem infinitesimal.
Yet, when accumulated, those minutes turn to hours, into days, and ultimately your life. Seneca once wrote how stupid many of us are when it comes to time:
“No person hands out their money to passersby, but to how many do each of us hand out our lives! We’re tightfisted with property and money, yet think too little of wasting time, the one thing about which we should all be the toughest misers.”
I don’t like admitting it, but I used to fall into this group. I’d say yes to please the person asking. I’d give away hours of my lifetime to feedback a startup pitch, proofread documents, catch up with so-called friends.
Ryan Holiday reminds us to treat our time with intention. Because every time we say yes to something, we give away parts of our life. Time we give away will never be given back to us.
How to apply this quote:
Before saying yes to anything, think about whether you’d treat your life for it. If your answer is yes, go for it. If your answer is no, say no.
Remind yourself that saying no equals a yes to yourself. And when saying no, we can borrow the phrases from Ryan Holiday, who’s no, sounds like this:
“No, sorry, sounds great but I’d rather not.”
“No, I’m not available.”
“No, I don’t like that idea.”
“No, I don’t want that. I’d rather make the most of what I already have.”
Closing Thoughts
A glimmer of inspiration won’t matter if you don’t take action. And that’s what makes quotes so powerful: If applied, they can improve your life for the better.
- Remember good enough is better than perfect
- Make reading a daily habit
- Center your life around the lives of others
- Let go of unhelpful storylines and give what you didn’t get
- Get rid of anything that blocks your mental or physical space
- Engage in leisure activities you genuinely enjoy
- Say no to things you don’t want to treat your life for
Always remember it’s not your actions that determine your self-worth. You are enough. You are always loved, no matter what you’re doing today.
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