Precariously Balanced On My Sanity Ledge

“Being in love is one of the only times when life is anything
like art.” 
Having recently gotten engaged, I couldn’t agree more. Thanks to Tim for this gem.


“Being religious about how you make your money is the
quickest way to go out of business.”
 Yet another piece of advice that would have done me good about five years ago. From the brain of Gary Vee.


“Childhood wishes often reappear later in life.” Can’t remember where this thought comes from, but lately, I’ve noticed a lot of those twenty-year loops closing. Neato. 

“Makes the room seem less empty.” In the past few years, I’ve become a podcast junkie. Podcasts literally saved me from going crazy during my sabbatical and job transition. Thank pod.


“One more inevitable, melancholy stroke of the ethnic eraser.” Review of a book I’ll probably never read, but holy crap, what a sentence. Gotta love The Times.


“Precariously balanced on my sanity ledge.” This beautiful phrase sneaked out of Carolla’s mouth somewhere between fart jokes and rants about passion fruit. Nice.


“Prophecy is a lonely business.” Since I was a kid, I’ve been obsessed with any movie or book that involves the apocalypse. Thanks Greg.



“The obnoxious roommate living inside your head.” Awesome article on imagined limitations and the things we say to ourselves. Nice to see Huffpost publish something worth reading for once.

Never Cling To Your Gift Too Tightly

“Automobiles are tools, not symbols of power and status.” Selling my car was one of the most liberating, joyful, satisfying moments of my life. This video helps explain why.

“It’s not about a lot of people loving you from a distance, it’s
about a few people loving you up close, and about those people being enough.”
 Amanda Palmer’s TED talk is inspiring as hell. Wish I could have watched it ten years ago.


“Just because you’re small doesn’t mean you care.” Great point, Gary Vee. Not every mom and pop shop is in the business of caring. Dang it.

“Never cling to your gift too tightly.” During Rob Bell’s sermon on his latest book, he shares solid advice for anyone who’s ever experienced an identity crisis. What a communicator.


“Nothing to prove and everything to imagine.” This old interview from The Paris Review digs into the mind of writer Eugène Ionesco, namely, how he works.


“Overpaid my dues.” When I watched Searching for Sugarman, I cried almost the whole movie. Absolutely devastating. Rodriguez’s song Cause will floor you.


“Question people, if only to make them search for another
answer.”
Brilliant insight from the world’s only demotivational speaker, Big Mike. Nigh.


“Sanding off of the interesting edges.” Digging Seth’s recent post on bringing all of yourself to everything that you do, namely, how you work. 


“Sick with sweet gratitude.” Just a glorious sentence. Snagged it from an article in The Times this weekend.


“With television or film, you have to wait until somebody
wants you back.”
 The documentary Please Subscribe is simultaneously inspiring, fascinating and heartbreaking. This particular quotation is from Hannah Hart, who is adorable.

All The Bottles I Threw Into The Ocean Are Finally Coming Back

“All the bottles I threw into the ocean are coming back.” Not sure where this sentence came from, but it’s a nice window into the excruciating patience of self-employment.

“Create a sense of before, during and after.” Fascinating interview with Julia Cameron, one of my writing heroes, on the fear of flying. 


“Every little bit of hope you stumble across is real.” In Rob Bell’s audio book, someone asked him to define Christianity in ten words, which was exercise first invented by Theologian Will Campbell many years ago. Cool.


“Falling into a period of prolificacy.” Kevin Smith discusses the future of television. He continues to be the single most productive stoner on the planet and, ironically, my idol.


“Just an inch away from making it.” Bob Lefsetz rants on the never ending pursuit of the imaginary ceiling. Boy do I remember those days.


“Obnoxious to the human eye.” Edison describes the street lights of Paris. Not the first or the last person to use the phrase, but there’s something about his context that’s better than anyone else.


“People don’t dig complicated.” As usual, Dr. Drew sums up the human condition in a few words. I’ve been listening to him for twenty years. I feel like he’s my doctor.


“Time makes us all betray ourselves.” So true. Tim Kreider nails it. Funny how often this happens. Stupid clock.


“I used small chores to enforce some order in my life.” When I went on sabbatical last summer, I used to do the dishes every day, just to feel useful. It works.


“We never encountered any danger, only people who were afraid.” Raphael Fellmer lives pretty well without money. With an attitude like that, I can see why.

People Like Funny Shirts, But They Won’t Wear Them

A little dancing smile of satisfaction. Great passage from one of the few non-fiction authors  I still read regularly. 

Every arrow points to the family. Says Carolla, almost daily. I couldn’t agree more. Every problem our society has can be traced back to the same, simple thing.

Hang around long enough and you outlive the critics. Bob Lefsetz writes one of the few email newsletters worth reading, sharing and saving. Great piece on The Piano Man.

It’s hard to talk about how the dirt feels about
the shovel
. That’s what Bob Dylan told Rolling Stone when they asked about his songwriting process. Such a bad ass.



If you design something useful, you’re ninety percent of the
way there.
 My coworker Ryan Fleming said this during a recent presentation to some art school students. Nice one.


Make good art on bad days. If you haven’t watched Neil Gaiman’s commencement speech yet, it’s amazing. This sentence pretty much says it all. 

Missing the biological boat. Editorial cartoonist Tim Kreider wrote this article a few years back. I wish I would have read it then. Wow.


Nature doesn’t take things personally. During a conversation about cramping up during yoga class, my friend Tony made this comment. Too true.


People like funny shirts, but they won’t wear them. My boss said this during a brainstorming session. It made me happy.


There’s no right or wrong because it’s all mine. Possibly the most inspiring speech I’ve ever heard. Dave Grohl on the value of voice.

In Search of Exquisite Ordinariness

A coward where it counts. This passage comes from the first fiction book I’ve read in a long time. Now my new favorite author.

I wanted to change my operating system. From an outstanding interview with Derek Sivers on evolving your identity and living larger than your labels.



Experts in every world except the real one. Brilliant offhand comment made by Bill Maher during his latest interview with Snoop Lion. 



Forever tethered to the unproductive dance. From the new book by Brian Solis. Really hit home with the efficient side of me.



I don’t
want to be understood by you.
 John Hegarty discusses the downside of consumer personalization. Love this one.



It’s my
backbone project.
As a lifelong sober guy I can relate to Amy’s perspective on not drinking. Way to stand up!



In search of exquisite ordinariness. My friend and mentor Jen mentioned this during dinner. Pretty much summarizes the last six months of my life.



Luck finds the doers. Genius article by one of my heroes, Scott Adams, on getting a real education. Explains why I’ve been so lucky all these years.



Piss away my chances. My pal Genuine Chris says more profound sentences in one phone conversation than most people do in a year. Nice one.



Tequila makes me fight with the sidewalk. Found this one while researching buyer behavior for a new client. Made me laugh out loud.


That’s a kick in the colored coded nuts. My colleague, Victor, said this during a late night meeting and I couldn’t let it go undocumented. Gracias!

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