Greg McKeown Quotes

Essentialism: only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.

Take a deep breath. Get present in the moment and ask yourself what is important this very second.

Discern the vital few from the trivial Many.

Done right, a strategic intent is really one decision that makes 1,000 decisions.

I think we are in a non-essentialist bubble—everything seems important—so of course nothing is.

Remember that if you don’t prioritize your life someone else will.

Play stimulates the parts of the brain involved in both careful, logical reasoning and carefree, unbound exploration.

I think we’ve been oversold the value of more and undersold the value of less.

We often think of choice as a thing. But a choice is not a thing. Our options may be things, but a choice—a choice is an action. It is not just something we have but something we do.

The ability to choose cannot be taken away or even given away-it can only be forgotten.

There should be no shame in admitting to a mistake; after all, we really are only admitting that we are now wiser than we once were.

If it isn't a clear yes, then it's a clear no.

The word priority was singular for 500 years—what does priorities mean—'many many first things.'

I'd rather be honest and lose than be dishonest and win

One of the best ways to seed an opportunity is to allow someone to discover the opportunity for him- or herself.

If I didn’t already own this, how much would I spend to buy it?