17 Quotes & Sayings By Mark Manson

Mark Manson is a writer, speaker, and entrepreneur. He is the bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life . He has spoken to sold-out crowds around the world at TED, AOL, and Facebook. Mark is the host of his own podcast where he interviews leading figures in psychology, business, and entertainment Read more

He lives in San Francisco with his wife and two children.

1
When the standard of success becomes merely acting–when any result is regarded as progress and important, when inspiration is seen as a reward rather than a prerequisite–we propel ourselves ahead. We feel free to fail, and that failure moves us forward. Mark Manson
2
We don’t actually know what a positive or negative experience is. Some of the most difficult and stressful moments of our lives also end up being the most formative and motivating. Some of the best and most gratifying experiences of our lives are also the most distracting and demotivating. Don’t trust your conception of positive/negative experiences. All that we know for certain is what hurts in the moment and what doesn’t. And that’s not worth much. Mark Manson
Being wrong opens us up to the possibility of change....
3
Being wrong opens us up to the possibility of change. Being wrong brings the opportunity for growth. Mark Manson
4
Despite dreaming about making a living through his art, the real potential of becoming An Artist Nobody Likes was far, far scarier than remaining An Artist Nobody’s Heard Of. At least he was comfortable with and used to being An Artist Nobody’s Heard Of. Mark Manson
5
The person you marry is the person you fight with. The house you buy is the house you repair. The dream job you take is the job you stress over. Everything comes with an inherent sacrifice–whatever makes us feel good will also inevitably make us feel bad. What we gain is also what we lose. What creates our positive experiences will define our negative experiences. Mark Manson
6
And while there's nothing wrong with good business, the problem is that giving too many fucks is bad for your mental health. It causes you to become overly attached to the superficial and fake, to dedicate your life to chasing a mirage of happiness and satisfaction. The key to a good life is not giving a fuck about more; it's giving a fuck about less, giving a fuck about only what is true and immediate and important. Mark Manson
7
Much of the self-help world is predicated on peddling highs to people rather than solving legitimate problems. Many self-help gurus teach you new forms of denial and pump you up with exercises that feel good in the short term, while ignoring the underlying issue. Remember, nobody who is actually happy has to stand in front of a mirror and tell himself that he’s happy. Mark Manson
8
This entitlement plays out in one of two ways:1.    I’m awesome and the rest of you all suck, so I deserve special treatment.2.    I suck and the rest of you are all awesome, so I deserve special treatment. Opposite mindset on the outside, but the same selfish creamy core in the middle. Mark Manson
9
In my life, I have given a fuck about many people and many things. I have also not given a fuck about many people and many things. And like the road not taken, it was the fucks not given that made all the difference. Mark Manson
10
No truly happy person feels the need to stand in front of a mirror and recite that she's happy. She just is. Mark Manson
11
Because when you give too many fucks–when you give a fuck about everyone and everything–you will feel that you’re perpetually entitled to be comfortable and happy at all times, that everything is supposed to be just exactly the fucking way you want it to be. This is a sickness. And it will eat you alive. You will see every adversity as an injustice, every challenge as a failure, every inconvenience as a personal slight, every disagreement as a betrayal. . Mark Manson
12
At some point, most of us reach a place where we’re afraid to fail, where we instinctively avoid failure and stick only to what is placed in front of us or only what we’re already good at. This confines us and stifles us. We can be truly successful only at something we’re willing to fail at. If we’re unwilling to fail, then we’re unwilling to succeed. Mark Manson
13
Improvement at anything is based on thousands of tiny failures, and the magnitude of your success is based on how many times you’ve failed at something. If someone is better than you at something, then it’s likely because she has failed at it more than you have. If someone is worse than you, it’s likely because he hasn’t been through all of the painful learning experiences you have. Mark Manson
14
If we're unwilling to fail, then we're unwilling to succeed. Mark Manson
15
Shitty values involve tangible external goals outside of our control. Better values are process-oriented. Mark Manson
16
Indifferent people are afraid of the world and the repercussions of their own choices. That’s why they don’t make any meaningful choices. They hide in a gray, emotionless pit of their own making, self-absorbed and self-pitying, perpetually distracting themselves from this unfortunate thing demanding their time and energy called life. Mark Manson