Quotes from James Clear

Bryce Canyon National Park, June 2022

Quotes From James Clear (author of Atomic Habits)

"The best way to change the world is in concentric circles: start with yourself and work your way out from there."


"You don’t need more time, you need fewer distractions." 

"You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."

"You just need to have the courage to eliminate everything that doesn't directly feed what you really want." 

"Patience only works if you do.  Doing the work + patience = results.   Planning to work + patience = you're just waiting."

"Momentum goes both ways.  Don’t move, feel sluggish. Start moving, feel like moving a little more.  Don't talk, feel timid. Start chatting, conversation gets a little easier.  Don't ship, feel stuck. Start creating, ideas begin to flow."

"Happiness is simply the absence of desire... Happiness is not about the achievement of pleasure (which is joy or satisfaction), but about the lack of desire. It arrives when you have no urge to feel differently. Happiness is the state you enter when you no longer want to change your state."


"There are at least 4 types of wealth:

Be wary of jobs that lure you in with 1 and 2, but rob you of 3 and 4."


"Risk is an essential need of the soul. The absence of risk produces a kind of boredom which paralyses in a different way from fear, but almost as much."


"Be excited for people when they succeed.

When a friend or family member reaches an important milestone like getting a promotion or making their first sale or scoring acceptance into their desired program, celebrate it. Buy them a drink. Send them a card. Tell them you're proud to know them.

Being thrilled on someone's behalf is a lovely way to be. Winning is better when shared."

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"Ambition is when you expect yourself to close the gap between what you have and what you want.

Entitlement is when you expect others to close the gap between what you have and what you want."



Asking what makes someone successful is like asking which ingredient makes a recipe taste good. It’s not any single ingredient. It is the combination of many ingredients in the right proportions and in the right order—and the absence of anything that would ruin the mixture." 


The ultimate form of preparation is not planning for a specific scenario, but a mindset that can handle uncertainty." 


Power is influence over external events. Peace is influence over internal events.


We often avoid taking action because we think "I need to learn more," but the best way to learn is often by taking action."


When you fall in love with the process rather than the product, you don’t have to wait to give yourself permission to be happy. You can be satisfied anytime your system is running." 


“The hard way is rarely harder in terms of daily effort, but it is often harder psychologically.

It requires:

- thinking long-term

- removing limiting beliefs

- avoiding the lure of status and approval

- trusting that small things will lead to big things

It’s a mental battle."  


Your net productivity is the balance of the productive and unproductive forces in your life.  

A great deal of time and energy is spent thinking about how to increase effort, but there is a lot to be gained by reducing friction.  

A car will travel faster not only if you press the accelerator, but also if you remove the speed bumps." 


Every transaction is paid for at least three times. First, with the money you pay. Second, with the time you spend. Third, with the reputation you create through your behavior.  

Being pleasant, reliable, and easy to work with might cost you a little more time. Perhaps even a bit of extra money. But the long-term returns from a great reputation usually outweigh the cost of a single transaction.

Most of the value in life and in business arises out of good relationships."  


"The more clearly you know how you want to spend your days, the easier it becomes to say no to the requests that steal your hours." 


“It’s not your job to tell yourself no.  It’s not your job to deny yourself opportunities.  It’s not your job to prevent your own progress.  There are enough people in the world who will do those things for you.  Your job is to pursue rather than prevent.  Your job is to tell yourself “yes” instead of “no.”  

www.jamesclear.com/your-job