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

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.

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.

There was so much testosterone in the air, I felt like I needed a gas mask.

First people lose their hair, then their vices, then their motivation. Then a toupee brings it all flowing back.

Selling MP3s or physical copies, it's still cool, but I think it's slowly becoming outdated to where people just want to build a culture.

Yes, you must have the courage of being free.

There are parts of us that are miserable, that hate, that love, that are cruel, are kind, are reasonable, are unreasonable. You know, you live inside your own mind. Who are you kidding?

It is not a matter of being fearless. The fear is sometimes constant, but it's about moving forward regardless of the fear. Courage means feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

Does it say 'Colonel' anywhere on my uniform?

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse predict an ailing marriage: Criticism, Defensiveness, Stonewalling and Contempt. The worst of these is contempt.

People never leave, we are always here in our past and future lives.

I am someone who takes everything very literally. I simply do not understand irony, a defect I have had ever since I was able to think independently.