I’ve recommended the book Perennial Seller by Ryan Holiday to people at least five times this week and countless times before that.
It’s a must-read for anybody who makes or markets creative work that’s packed with insights on why some books, movies, music, and products continue to get attention forever and others quickly fade away.
“Anything you make — a podcast, a book, a TV show, a business, really any endeavor that you undertake — is not just the thing it is, but it’s also an engine that powers, directly or indirectly, other things and other people. And that’s more true the more success you have.”
“The reason the journalists said, ‘Were you nervous?,’ is because they would be nervous. Athletes would never say that to each other.”
“If you hold down shift, option, and then click your volume keys you can move the volume slider in increments of one quarter.”
When amateurs meet, they don’t edge each other out by being slightly more skillful. Instead, it’s a contest of who makes the fewest huge, gaping blunders. Amateurs constantly make egregious point- and game-losing mistakes, of the sort that pros no longer make. The outcome is decided by who makes the fewest — or least catastrophic — such mistakes.”
“Every one of you can forge a life so idiosyncratic that it’d be silly to compare yourself to someone else.”
Being top 20% in 3 different areas, make you top 1% in the combination. But, that’s true for any combination of 3 skills. So, show me that there’s a demand for that combination.”
“Acquiring information is not learning. You can’t learn to write novels, ride a bike, wrestle, fill out spreadsheets, or write Java code by reading textbooks. Textbooks can help, but they only work when combined with practice.”
“The biggest key to successful side hustles that I’ve seen? Understanding that you’re not starting a startup. Get this idea out of your head.”
“Only the ideas that we really live have value.” — Hermann Hesse