Seth Godin Quotes

Source: Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

“The tragedy is that society (your school, your boss, your government, your family) keeps drumming the genius part out. The problem is that our culture has engaged in a Faustian bargain, in which we trade our genius and artistry for apparent stability.”

Problem Government School Culture Genius Tragedy Trade Engaged Boss Stability Bargains Artistry Drumming

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

“Letting your customers set your standards is a dangerous game, because the race to the bottom is pretty easy to win. Setting your own standards--and living up to them--is a better way to profit. Not to mention a better way to make your day worth all the effort you put into it." -”

Way Games Winning Easy Leadership Effort Business Race Dangerous Standards Conscience Bottom Profit Customers Setting Settings Better Ways

Author:Seth Godin

“I think art is the ability to change people with your work, to see things as they are and then create stories, images, and interactions that change the marketplace.”

People Thinking Art Stories Ability Art Is Interaction Marketplace Ability To Change

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

“The combination of passion and art is what makes someone a linchpin.”

Art Passion Art Is Combination

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

“Perhaps your challenge isn't finding a better project or a better boss. Perhaps you need to get in touch with what it means to feel passionate. People with passion look for ways to make things happen.”

People Way Needs Feels Looks Mean Happens Passion Challenges Findings Projects Passionate Things Happen Boss Make Things Happen

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

“...the greatest shortage in our society is an instinct to produce. To create solutions and hustle them out the door. To touch the humanity inside and connect to the humans in the marketplace.”

Humans Humanity Doors Produce Solutions Instinct Our Society Marketplace Hustle Shortage

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

“Discomfort brings engagement and change. Discomfort means you're doing something that others were unlikely to do, because they're hiding out in the comfortable zone. When your uncomfortable actions lead to success, the organization rewards you and brings you back for more.”

Mean Action Comfortable Organization Rewards Uncomfortable Zone Hiding Engagement Unlikely Discomfort Hiding Out

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

“When you set down the path to create art, whatever sort of art it is, understand that the path is neither short not easy. That means you must determine if the route is worth the effort. If it's not, dream bigger.”

Ifs Mean Art Dream Easy Effort Path Bigger Determine Routes

Author:Seth Godin

“Not only must you be an artist, must you be generous, and must you be able to see where you can help but you must also be aware. Aware of where your skills are welcomed.”

Helping Able Artist Skills Generous

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

“Here's the truth you have to wrestle with: the reason that art (writing, engaging, leading, all of it) is valuable is precisely why I can't tell you how to do it. If there were a map, there'd be no art, because art is the act of navigating without a map. Don't you hate that? I love that there's no map.”

Ifs Writing Art I Can Reason Hate Art Is Valuable Maps Engaging

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

“The secret to being wrong isn't to avoid being wrong! The secret is being willing to be wrong. The secret is realizing that wrong isn't fatal.”

Realizing Secret Willing Failure Being Wrong

Book:Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Source: Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

“The competitive advantages the marketplace demands is someone more human, connected, and mature. Someone with passion and energy, capable of seeing things as they are and negotiating multiple priorities as she makes useful decisions without angst. Flexible in the face of change, resilient in the face of confusion. All of these attributes are choices, not talents, and all of them are available to you.”

“If you are deliberately trying to create a future that feels safe, you will willfully ignore the future that is likely.”

Ifs Inspirational Feels Trying Business Safe

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? How to drive your career and create a remarkable future

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? How to drive your career and create a remarkable future

“Don't find customers for your products, find products for your customers.”

Motivational Business Design Products Customers Blogging Marketers Customer Loyalty Inspirational Customer Service Retention Loyal Customers Marketing And Sales Loyalty In Business

Author:Seth Godin

“At the age of four, you were an artist. And at seven, you were a poet.”

Age Artist Four Poet Seven

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

“Art isn't only a painting; it's anything that changes someone for the better, any nonanonymous interaction that leads to a human (not simply a commercial) conclusion.”

Humans Art Painting Conclusion Interaction

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

“A brilliant author or businesswoman or senator or software engineer is brilliant only in tiny bursts. The rest of the time, they’re doing work that most any trained person could do.”

Persons Brilliant Tiny Software Engineers Senators

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

“Art is never defect-free. Things that are remarkable never meet spec, because that would make them standardized, not worth talking about.”

Art Talking Art Is Remarkable Defects Specs Free Things

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? How to drive your career and create a remarkable future

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? How to drive your career and create a remarkable future

“An artist is someone who uses bravery, insight, creativity, and boldness to challenge the status quo. And an artist takes it personally.”

Art Use Artist Challenges Business Creativity Bravery Insight Status Quo Boldness Blogging

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

“Transferring your passion to your job is far easier than finding a job that happens to match your passion.”

Happens Jobs Passion Peace Easier Findings

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

“Art is what we call...the thing an artist does. It's not the medium or the oil or the price or whether it hangs on a wall or you eat it. What matters, what makes it art, is that the person who made it overcame the resistance, ignored the voice of doubt and made something worth making. Something risky. Something human. Art is not in the ...eye of the beholder. It's in the soul of the artist.”

Humans Persons Doe Art Made Soul Matter Eye Artist Voice Doubt Wall Photography Art Is Photographer Oil Resistance Mediums Made It What Matters Ignored Beholder Eye Of The Beholder

Author:Seth Godin

“People don't believe what you tell them. They rarely believe what you show them. They often believe what their friends tell them. They always believe what they tell themselves.”

People Believe Shows Business Don't Believe Marketing Always Believe Motivational Business

Book:Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Source: Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

“...treasure what it means to do a day's work. It's our one and only chance to do something productive today, and it's certainly not available to someone merely because he is the high bidder. A day's work is your chance to do art, to create a gift, to do something that matters. As your work gets better and your art becomes more important, competition for your gifts will increase and you'll discover that you can be choosier about whom you give them to.”

Giving Mean Art Important Matter Motivational Today Chance Business Increase Competition Available Treasure Get Better Productive Working It Motivational Business

Author:Seth Godin

“Reject the tyranny of picked. Pick yourself.”

Picks Tyranny Rejects Poke Mind Your Own Business

Book:Poke The Box: When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time?

Source: Poke The Box: When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time?

“believe that giving up is the same thing as being realistic.”

Giving Believe Giving Up Realistic Disheartened

Book:Poke The Box: When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time?

Source: Poke The Box: When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time?

“It’s okay. Let your ego push you to be the initiator. But tell your ego that the best way to get something shipped is to let other people take the credit. The real win for you (and your ego) is seeing something get shipped, not in getting the credit when it does.”

People Way Doe Real Winning Seeing Ego Okay Credit Best Way

Book:Poke The Box: When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time?

Source: Poke The Box: When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time?

“All great programmers learn the same way. They poke the box. They code something and see what the computer does. They change it and see what the computer does. They repeat the process again and again until they figure out how the box works.”

Way Doe Process Figures Computer Boxes Code Repeats Again And Again Programmers Poke

Book:Poke The Box: When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time?

Source: Poke The Box: When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time?

“If you need to conceal your true nature to get in the door, understand that you'll probably have to conceal your true nature to keep that job.”

Ifs Needs Jobs Doors True Nature

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

“You cannot create a piece of art merely for money. Doing it as part of commerce so denudes art of wonder that it ceases to be art.”

Art Wonder Pieces Cease Commerce

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

“Soon is not as good as now.”

Time Management

Author:Seth Godin

“I define anxiety as experiencing failure in advance.”

Challenges Anxiety

Book:Poke The Box: When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time?

Source: Poke The Box: When Was the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time?

“The challenge with being an initiator of projects is that you are never, ever done.”

Done Challenges Business Projects Blogging

Author:Seth Godin

“Art is a personal act of courage, something one human does that creates change in another.”

Humans Doe Art Change Courage Creative Art Is Acts Of Courage Personal Courage

Book:Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Source: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

“In a battle between two ideas, the best one doesn't necessarily win. No, the idea that wins is the one with the most fearless heretic behind it.”

Two Ideas Motivational Winning Leadership Inspiring Behinds Battle Fearless Heretic

Book:Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Source: Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don't need to escape from.”

Inspirational Needs Should Next Change Inspiring Business Wonder Travel Lovely Insightful Vacation Tribes Ingenious Fresh Start Need A Vacation

Book:Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Source: Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

“Yes, I think it's okay to abandon the big, established, stuck tribe. It's okay to say to them, "You're not going where I need to go, and there's no way I'm going to persuade all of you to follow me. So rather than standing here watching the opportunities fade away, I'm heading off. I'm betting some of you, the best of you, will follow me.”

Thinking Way Needs Bigs Opportunity Standing Okay Stuck Abandon Fades Tribes Headings Follow Me Fade Away Betting

Book:Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Source: Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

“As our society gets more complex and our people get more complacent, the role of the jester is more vital than ever before. Please stop sitting around. We need you to make a ruckus.”

People Needs Roles Please Sitting Complexes Our Society Need You Complacent Sitting Around Jester

Author:Seth Godin

“The people who are the best in the world specialize at getting really good at the questions they don't know.”

People Knows World

Book:The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

Source: The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

“Strategic quitting is the secret of successful organizations”

Secret Successful Organization Quitting Strategic Successful Organizations

Book:The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

Source: The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

“The Cul-de-Sac ( French for "dead end" ) ... is a situation where you work and work and work and nothing much changes”

Ends Situation Dead Ends

Author:Seth Godin

“The market ... demands a signal from you that you're serious, powerful, accepted, and safe.”

Powerful Serious Safe Demand Accepted Signals

Book:The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

Source: The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

“Persistent people are able to visualize the idea of light at the end of the tunnel when others can't see it”

People Ideas Ends Light Able Persistent Tunnels Light At The End Of The Tunnel End Of The Tunnel

Book:The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

Source: The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

“No one knows more about the way you think than you do.”

Thinking Knows Way

Author:Seth Godin

“As soon as we associate reading with a test, we've missed the point.”

Reading Tests Associates

Author:Seth Godin

“Learning is not done to you, it is something you choose to do.”

Done You Choose

Author:Seth Godin

“What is school for? If you're not asking that, you're wasting time and money.”

Ifs School Asking Wasting Time Time And Money

Author:Seth Godin

“We do not need to teach students to embrace the status quo.”

Needs Teach Students Embrace Status Quo

Author:Seth Godin

“We need students who can learn how to learn, who can discover how to push themselves and are generous enough and honest enough to engage with the outside world to make those dreams happen.”

World Needs Enough Dream Happens Honest Students Generous Outside World

Author:Seth Godin

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Famous Seth Godin Quotes