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Quotes from The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck — Mark Manson

born 1984 United States

← All quotes by Mark Manson

31 quotes

Evil people never believe that they are evil; rather, they believe that everyone else is evil.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

As a general rule, we’re all the world’s worst observers of ourselves.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

Pleasure is not the cause of happiness; rather, it is the effect.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

You too are going to die, and that’s because you too were fortunate enough to have lived.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

Action isn’t just the effect of motivation; it’s also the cause of it.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

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.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

Without acknowledging the ever-present gaze of death, the superficial will appear important, and the important will appear superficial.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

Uncertainty is the root of all progress and all growth. As the old adage goes, the man who believes he knows everything learns nothing. We cannot learn anything without first not knowing something.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

Our culture today confuses great attention and great success, assuming them to be the same thing. But they are not.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

Technology has solved old economic problems by giving us new psychological problems.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

People hold on to arbitrary certainties and try to enforce them on others, often violently, in the name of some made-up righteous cause.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

“Don’t hope for a life without problems,” the [Disappointment Panda] said. “There’s no such thing. Instead, hope for a life full of good problems.”

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

The desire for more positive experience is itself a negative experience. And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one’s negative experience is itself a positive experience.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

We’re apes. We think we’re all sophisticated with our toaster ovens and designer footwear, but we’re just a bunch of finely ornamented apes.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

A lot of people hesitate to take responsibility for their problems because they believe that to be responsible for your problems is to also be at fault for your problems.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

Without conflict, there can be no trust. Conflict exists to show us who is there for us unconditionally and who is just there for the benefits. No one trusts a yes-man.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

Next time you’re at a swanky cocktail party and you want to impress somebody, try dropping Manson’s law of avoidance on them:
The more something threatens your identity, the more you will avoid it.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

Good values are 1) reality-based, 2) socially constructive, and 3) immediate and controllable.
Bad values are 1) superstitious, 2) socially destructive, and 3) not immediate and controllable.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

Certainty is the enemy of growth.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

Our values are imperfect and incomplete, and to assume that they are perfect and complete is to put us in a dangerously dogmatic mindset that breeds entitlement and avoids responsibility.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (2016)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Mark Manson (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.