It's not enough to just be yourself. You must be your best self
Neil StraussRead
I know that I need honesty from the people I interview. I also know that the truth is more interesting than made up stuff, and also, people don't connect with you if you're not honest.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Honesty fosters true connections and makes experiences more engaging.
In this quote, Neil Strauss emphasizes the importance of honesty in interpersonal interactions, especially during interviews. He argues that genuine connections are built on truthfulness, as people are more likely to engage and relate to one another when they are open and authentic, rather than when they fabricate stories or try to be disingenuous.
Themes
HonestyTruthConnectionsInterviewsAuthenticity
In practice
Example use cases
In a team meeting where we discuss project outcomes, I might quote Neil Strauss to emphasize the need for honesty in our feedback.
More from Neil Strauss
All quotes →To me, I think it's awesome to meet your heroes and find out who they are and where they came from and what made them choose to communicate in the form that connected with you.
Neil StraussRead
In life, people tend to wait for good things to come to them. And by waiting, they miss out. Usually, what you wish for doesn't fall in your lap; it falls somewhere nearby, and you have to recognize it, stand up, and put in the time and work it takes to get to it. This isn't because the universe is cruel. It's because the universe is smart. It has its own cat-string theory and knows we don't appreciate things that fall into our laps.
Neil StraussRead
There are certain bad habits we've groomed our whole life -- from personality flaws to fashion faux pas. And it has been the role of parents and friends, outside of some minor tweaking, to reinforce the belief that we're okay just as we are. But it's not enough to just be yourself. You have to be your best self. And that's a tall order if you haven't found your best self yet.
Neil StraussRead
In fact, every woman I met seemed disposable and replaceable. I was experiencing seducer's paradox: The better a seducer I became, the less I loved women. Success was no longer defined by getting laid or finding a girlfriend, but by how well I performed.
Neil StraussRead
A lot of guys are very intimidated by an attractive woman, and they dehumanise her because our culture perceives beautiful women as commodities. But I think if you're able walk up to a person and get to know them, and you see their flaws and their impurities, and realise that they're like you, then you can humanise them again.
Neil StraussRead
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She had an air of seeming to wait, as if for a man to get through with something more important than herself, a battle or an operation, during which he must not be hurried or interfered with. When the man had finished she would be waiting, without fret or impatience, somewhere on a highstool, turning the pages of a newspaper.
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Marriage made more sense when it was indissoluble. It's the woman trying to cope with the strains of a one-parent family who will suffer most from the relaxation of the divorce laws.
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