Quotes that inspire me

People who know me will know that I can barely go five minutes without mentioning some pithy quote that I think fits the topic at hand. This is a list of the quotes that I find insightful or inspiring, and refer back to often. I may edit this post in future to add more.

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

Wenniger aber besser (Less, but better)

Be curious, not judgmental.

Of the good leader, when the task is done, the people will say, “We did it ourselves”

He that is everywhere is nowhere.

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.

A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.

Stop knowing so much and listen.

I am not difficult, I am happy with the best.

Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water. You put water into a cup; it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle; it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot; it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend.

La cuisine, c’est quand les choses ont le goût de ce qu’elles sont. (Cooking is when things taste like what they are.)

Drinks are for strangers, acquaintances, workmen and family. Meals are for family, close friends, honoured guests

If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late

Small rooms or dwellings discipline the mind, and large ones weaken it.

God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.

Mastering the fundamentals wont guarantee we win, but failing to master them will guarantee that we’ll lose

Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.

When faced with a hard change, first make it easy (warning, this may be hard), then make the easy change.