Focus on the moment, not the monsters that may or may not be up ahead.
Ryan HolidayRead
Ordinary people shy away form negative situations, just as they do with failure. They do their best to avoid trouble. What great people do is the opposite. They are their best in these situations. They turn personal tragedy or misfortune - really anything, everything - to their advantage.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Great individuals embrace challenges and turn adversity into opportunities for growth.
This quote by Ryan Holiday emphasizes the distinction between ordinary people and great individuals in their responses to adversity and failure. Ordinary individuals typically try to avoid negative situations and challenges, while great people confront these obstacles head-on, using them as opportunities to strengthen and grow. Instead of running from misfortune, they leverage their struggles to their advantage, demonstrating resilience and a proactive mindset in the face of difficulties.
Themes
AdversityResilienceGrowthFailureSuccess
In practice
Example use cases
In an inspirational speech about overcoming obstacles, one could say, 'As Ryan Holiday reminds us, great people turn personal tragedy into opportunity.'
More from Ryan Holiday
All quotes →Being criticized in the media is a good problem to have - most of the time. It means you're doing something that is at least interesting or cool or crazy enough to be noticed. It might not always feel good, but it's usually better than the alternative of obscurity.
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The idea that only the swaggering, all-knowing, and ruthlessly ambitious succeed is a lie. One that has discouraged so many people with so much potential - and worse, encouraged many more to crash and burn.
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Virality, at its core, is asking someone to spend their social capital recommending or linking or posting about you for free.
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There is no good or bad without us, there is only perception. There is the event itself and the story we tell ourselves about what it means.
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Virality is not an accident. It is engineered. And that's why growth hackers beat traditional marketers.
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