“Large numbers of strangers can cooperate successfully by believing in common myths.”

“Telling effective stories is not easy. The difficulty lies not in telling the story, but in convincing everyone else to believe it.”

“Much of history revolves around this question: how does one convince millions of people to believe particular stories about gods, or nations, or limited liability companies?”

“There is no evidence that people became more intelligent with time.”

“One of history’s few iron laws is that luxuries tend to become necessities and to spawn new obligations. Once people get used to a certain luckily luxury, they take it for granted. Then they begin to count on it. Finally they reach a point where they can’t live without it.”

“The pursuit of an easier life resulted in much hardship, and not for the last time. It happens to us today.”

“Until the late modern era, more than 90 percent of humans were peasants who rose each morning to till the land by the sweat of their brows…History is something that very few people have been doing while everyone else was ploughing fields and carrying water buckets.”

“there is no God, but don’t tell that to my servant, lest he murder me at night.”

“money is the most universal and most efficient system of mutual trust ever devised.”

The real test of 'knowledge' is not whether it is true, but whether it empowers us. Scientists usually assume that no theory is 100 per cent correct. Consequently, truth is a poor test for knowledge. The real test is utility. A theory that enables us to do new things constitutes knowledge.

Racism was replaced by culturism.Today's elites usually justify superiority in terms of historical differences between cultures rather than biological differences between races. We no longer say, 'It’s in their blood.” We say, "It”s in their culture.”

To understand modern economic history, you really need to understand just a single word. The word is growth. For better or worse, in sickness and in health, the modern economy has been growing like a hormone-soused teenager. It eats up everything it can find and puts on inches faster than you can count.

A meaningful life can be extremely satisfying even in the midst of hardship, whereas a meaningless life is a terrible ordeal no matter how comfortable it is.

Impactful quotes, hand-selected, from Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

New York Times BestsellerA Summer Reading Pick for President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution—a #1 international bestseller—that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human.”One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one—homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us?Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas.Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because over the last few decades humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become?Featuring 27 photographs, 6 maps, and 25 illustrations/diagrams, this provocative and insightful work is sure to spark debate and is essential reading for aficionados of Jared Diamond, James Gleick, Matt Ridley, Robert Wright, and Sharon Moalem.

religionandspirituality

Religion & Spirituality

history

History

books

Books

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

Yuval Noah Harari is an Israeli public intellectual, historian and professor in the Department of History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the author of the popular science bestsellers Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century.

Yuval Noah Harari

Sapiens

In spiritual terms, success is measured by how efficiently, how effortlessly, we co-create with the universe. Hard work, struggle, and frustration are the opposite of what the ancient sages taught; they knew that spirit lies at the source of all achievement in life.

Pure potentiality is pure consciousness; it is the field of all possibilities and infinite creativity. Our physical body, the physical universe — everything in the material world — comes from the same place: a field of silent, unmoving awareness from which anything is possible.There is no separation between this field of energy and our spiritual essence, our Self.This field is our own Self. And when we know that our essential nature is one of pure potentiality, we align with the power that manifests everything in the universe.

First Law: The Law Of Pure Potentiality

Every relationship is one of give and take because giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy in the universe. If we stop the flow of energy, we interfere with nature's intelligence. We must give and receive in order to keep money, or anything we want, circulating in our lives.

Second Law: The Law Of Giving And Receiving

Nature supports your every need and desire, including your need for joy, love, laughter, harmony, and knowledge.

Karma is both action and the consequence of that action. Everyone has heard the expression"What you sow is what you reap.” If we want to create happiness in our lives, we must learn to sow the seeds of happiness.

Third Law: The Law Of Karma

Nature's intelligence unfolds spontaneously through the path of least effort and no resistance. This is the way that you can live, too.When you combine acceptance, responsibility, and defenselessness, your life flows with effortless ease. Your dreams and desires flow with nature's desires. Then you can release your intentions without attachment, and when the season is right, your desires will blossom into reality.

Fourth Law: The Law Of Least Effort

Inherent in every desire are the mechanics for its fulfillment, and these mechanics apply to desires reaching far beyond the physical body.Energy and information exist everywhere in nature; at the level of pure consciousness, there is nothing other than energy and information. This means there are no well-defined edges between our physical body and our extended body — the universe.We can consciously change the energy and information of our own body, and influence the energy and information of our extended body — our environment — and cause things to manifest in it.

Fifth Law: The Law Of Intention And Desire

The way to acquire anything in the universe is to relinquish our attachment to it. This doesn't mean we give up the intention to create our desire; we don't give up the intention, and we don't give up the desire. We give up our attachment to the outcome. The moment we combine one-pointed intention with detachment to the outcome, we will have that which we desire.

Sixth Law: The Law Of Detachment

We are spiritual beings who have taken physical form to fulfill a purpose. Everyone has a purpose in life — a unique gift or special talent to give to others, and for every unique talent and expression of that talent, there are also unique needs. When we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy and exultation of our spirit. This is the goal of all goals.

Seventh Law: The Law Of Dharma

Quotes and descriptions of the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success as defined by Deepak Chopra

In The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Deepak Chopra distills the essence of his teachings into seven simple, yet powerful principles that can easily be applied to create success in all areas of your life. Based on natural laws that govern all of creation, this book shatters the myth that success is the result of hard work, exacting plans, or driving ambition. Instead, Chopra offers a life-altering perspective on the attainment of success: Once we understand our true nature and learn to live in harmony with natural law, a sense of well-being, good health, fulfilling relationships, energy and enthusiasm for life, and material abundance will spring forth easily and effortlessly. Filled with timeless wisdom and practical steps you can apply right away, this is a book you will cherish for a lifetime, for within its pages are the secrets to making all your dreams come true. ___________________ &quot;A must-read for anyone who missed The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran.&quot; — The New York Times “Of all Deepak’s books, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success gives a profound outline for conducting one’s life at the highest and most integrated level. It is magnificent.” — Anthony Robbins, Author, Unlimited Power “The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success make wonderful guiding principles for anyone attempting to create a productive and satisfying life or human organization.” — Ken Blanchard, Co-author, The One Minute Manager ___________________ About the Author Deepak Chopra is a world-renowned leader in the fields of holistic health and human potential. He is The New York Times bestselling author of numerous books and audio programs that cover every aspect of mind, body, and spirit. His books have been translated into more than 50 languages, and he travels widely throughout the world promoting peace, health, and well-being.

mindfulness

Mindfulness

mentalhealth

Mental Health

Deepak Chopra

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

We humans are experts at casting ourselves as victims and rewriting narratives that put us in the center of injustices. And we can repaint our anger or hatred of someone, into a righteouslooking work of art.

When we recognize our unsurprising fallenness and keep our eyes joyfully open for the glorious exceptions, we're much less offendable.

Anger and rest are always at odds. You can’t have both at once.

We’ve so justified anger that we can’t imagine doing the right thing without it.

Loving people means divesting ourselves of our status.

We humans can't save ourselves, but we want to be our own saviors. And many of us would rather go down on our own terms than be humble.

Quotes selected from Unoffendable by Brant Hansen. A book in giving up anger and offering forgiveness as we have been forgiven according to the christian faith.

Unoffendable, now revised and updated with two new chapters, gives you a concrete, practical way to live life with less stress. In our easily offended, cancel-culture society, learn how to replace perpetual frustration and anger with refreshing humility and gratitude.It turns out giving up your "right" to be offended can be one of the most freeing, healthy, simplifying, relaxing, refreshing, stress-relieving, encouraging things you can do. It's a radical, provocative idea: We're not entitled to get offended or stay angry. The idea of our own "righteous anger" is a myth. It is the number one problem in our societies today and, as Dallas Willard says, Christians have not been taught out of it. But what if Christians were the most unoffendable people on the planet?In Unoffendable you will find concrete, practical ways to live life with less stress, including:<ul><li>Adjusting your expectations to fit human nature</li><li>Replacing perpetual anger with refreshing humility and gratitude</li><li>Embracing forgiveness and beginning to love others in unexpected ways</li></ul>Newly revised with two brand-new chapters on forgiveness and what Hansen has learned since writing his original book, this updated edition of the bestselling book is a must-read for every Christian. With short chapters, this book is easy to slip into a daily routine or commute to spend time deepening in God’s Word. In a humorous and conversational style,?Unoffendable?seeks to lift religious burdens from our backs and allow us to experience the joy of gratitude, perhaps for the first time, every single day of our lives—flourishing the way God intended.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

philosophy

Philosophy

Brant Hansen

Unoffendable

“Be scared. You can’t help that, but don’t be afraid.”

“There are always more of them before they are counted.”

“One cannot find a great exemplar except in misfortune.”

“Fear determines what is or isn’t possible. If you think something is too scary, it’s too scary for you. If you don’t think you have any power…you don’t. If you aren’t the captain of your fate… then fate is the captain of you.”

“Our fears point us , like a self-indicating arrow, in the direction of the right thing to do.”

“If you wish to improve, be content to appear clueless or stupid.”

“There’s a great expression: Whatever you’re not changing, you’re choosing.”

“One man with courage makes a majority.”

“The bill comes due eventually, with interest attached.”

“Imagine that your own ancestors - of blood and bravery - are standing here, watching you, protecting you. Remind yourself what they would do right here and right now. You can’t let them down.”

“Every prophet has to come from civilization, but every prophet has to go into the wilderness. He must have a strong impression of a complex society… and he must serve periods of isolation and meditation. This is the process by which psychic dynamite is made.”

“A life is meaningless except for it’s impact on others.”

“Our duty was never just to be the best version of ourselves, but to help others realize their best.”

“Character, is above all the ability to disregard insults or abandonment by one’s own people. One must be willing to lose everything. There is no such thing as half a risk.”

“No power on earth can govern a human being, however feeble, who withholds his or her consent.”

Insightful and inspiring quotes hand selected from Ryan Holiday’s first book of his most recent stoic virtue series.

The instant New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller! Ryan Holiday’s bestselling trilogy—The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego is the Enemy, and Stillness is the Key—captivated professional athletes, CEOs, politicians, and entrepreneurs and helped bring Stoicism to millions of readers. Now, in the first book of an exciting new series on the cardinal virtues of ancient philosophy, Holiday explores the most foundational virtue of all: Courage. Almost every religion, spiritual practice, philosophy and person grapples with fear. The most repeated phrase in the Bible is “Be not afraid.” The ancient Greeks spoke of phobos, panic and terror. It is natural to feel fear, the Stoics believed, but it cannot rule you. Courage, then, is the ability to rise above fear, to do what’s right, to do what’s needed, to do what is true. And so it rests at the heart of the works of Marcus Aurelius, Aristotle, and CS Lewis, alongside temperance, justice, and wisdom. In Courage Is Calling, Ryan Holiday breaks down the elements of fear, an expression of cowardice, the elements of courage, an expression of bravery, and lastly, the elements of heroism, an expression of valor. Through engaging stories about historic and contemporary leaders, including Charles De Gaulle, Florence Nightingale, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Holiday shows you how to conquer fear and practice courage in your daily life. You’ll also delve deep into the moral dilemmas and courageous acts of lesser-known, but equally as important, figures from ancient and modern history, such as Helvidius Priscus, a Roman Senator who stood his ground against emperor Vespasian, even in the face of death; Frank Serpico, a former New York City Police Department Detective who exposed police corruption; and Frederick Douglass and a slave named Nelly, whose fierce resistance against her captors inspired his own crusade to end slavery. In a world in which fear runs rampant—when people would rather stand on the sidelines than speak out against injustice, go along with convention than bet on themselves, and turn a blind eye to the ugly realities of modern life—we need courage more than ever. We need the courage of whistleblowers and risk takers. We need the courage of activists and adventurers. We need the courage of writers who speak the truth—and the courage of leaders to listen. We need you to step into the arena and fight.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

Ryan Holiday is media strategist for notorious clients like Tucker Max and Dov Charney. After dropping out of college at 19 to apprentice under the strategist Robert Greene, he went on to advise many bestselling authors and multi-platinum musicians. He is the Director of Marketing at American Apparel, where his work in advertising was internationally known. His strategies are used as case studies by Twitter, YouTube, and Google, and have been written about in AdAge, the New York Times, Gawker, and Fast Company. He is the author is *Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator*, which is due out in July. He currently lives in New Orleans, with his rebellious puppy, Hanno.

Ryan Holiday

Courage Is Calling

“Nothing is right if we’re not doing what is right.”

“The phrase ‘I am not responsible’ has become a standard response in our society to complaints of a job poorly done.”

“Whenever you are to do a thing tho’ it can never be known but to yourself, ask yourself how you would act were all the world looking at you.”

“Loyalty does not mean protecting people from the consequences of their own actions.

“The man who is just and firm of purpose can be shaken from his stern resolve neither by the rage of the people who urge him to crime nor by the countenance of the threatening tyrant.”

We cannot fix what we won’t face. We cannot stop what we refuse to acknowledge.

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil… God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

“No one ever became poor by giving.”

Inspiring and insightful quotes pulled from Ryan Holiday’s third book of his most recent stoic series over Justice, one of the four cardinal virtues of stoicism.

In his New York Times bestselling book, Discipline Is Destiny, Ryan Holiday made the Stoic case for a life of self-discipline. In this much-anticipated third installment in the Stoic Virtues series, he argues for the necessity of doing what’s right – even when it isn’t easy For the ancients, everything worth pursuing in life flowed from a strong sense of justice—or one’s commitment to doing the right thing, no matter how difficult. In order to be courageous, wise, and self-disciplined, one must begin with justice. The influence of the modern world often tells us that acting justly is optional. Holiday argues that that’s simply untrue—and the fact that so few people today have the strength to stand by their convictions explains much about why we’re so unhappy. In Right Thing. Right Now., Holiday draws on fascinating stories of historical figures such as Marcus Aurelius, Florence Nightingale, Jimmy Carter, Gandhi, and Frederick Douglass, whose examples of kindness, honesty, integrity, and loyalty we can emulate as pillars of upright living. Through the lives of these role models, readers learn the transformational power of living by a moral code and, through the cautionary tales of unjust leaders, the consequences of an ill-formed conscience. The Stoics never claimed that living justly was easy, only that it was necessary. And that the alternative—sacrificing our principles for something lesser—was considered only by cowards and fools. Right Thing. Right Now. is a powerful antidote to the moral failures of our modern age, and a manual for living virtuously.

Right Thing, Right Now

”The smartphone is the modern day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation. If you haven’t met your drug of choice yet, it’s coming soon to a website near you.”

“One of the biggest risk factors for getting addicted to any drug is easy access to that drug. When it’s easier to get a drug, we’re more likely to try it. In trying it, we’re more likely to get addicted to it.”

“The world now offers a full complement of digital drugs that didn’t exist before, or if they did exist, they now exist on digital platforms that have exponentially increased their potency and availability. These include online pornography, gambling, and video games, to name a few.”

“Americans no longer talk to each other, they entertain each other. They do not exchange ideas, they exchange images. They do not argue with propositions: They argue with good looks, celebrities and commercials.”

“The paradox is the hedonism, the pursuit of pleasure for it’s own sake, leads to anhedonia, which is the inability to enjoy pleasure of any kind.”

“addicts are bored or frustrated problem-solvers who instinctively contrive Houdini-like situations from which to disentangle themselves when no other challenge happens to present itself. The drug becomes the reward when they succeed and the consolation prize when they fail.”

“When we realize that we are capable of this inner legislation, the (natural) man feels himself compelled to reverence for the moral man in his own person.”Here Kant emphasizes that humans possess a unique capacity for “inner legislation,” which refers to the ability to act according to principles we rationally determine ourselves, rather than being driven solely by external influences or natural impulses. When we recognize our ability to act morally through inner legislation, we feel compelled to “reverence” (or respect) the moral dimension of ourselves.

“In medicating ourselves to adapt to the world, what kind of world are we settling for?”

“there is a cost to medicating away every type of human suffering, and as we shall see, there is an alternative path that might work better: embracing pain.”

“When you consider that we evolved to traverse tens of kilometers daily to compete for a limited supply of food, the adverse effects of our modern sedentary lifestyle are devastating.”

Exercise has a more profound and sustained positive effect on mood, anxiety, cognition, energy, and sleep than any pill I can prescribe.

“Radical honesty - telling the truth about things large and small, especially when doing so exposes our foibles and entails consequences - is essential not just to recovery from addiction but for all of us trying to live a more balanced life in our reward-saturated ecosystem.”

“Recounting our experiences gives us mastery over them.”

“Telling the truth draws people in, especially when we’re willing to expose our own vulnerabilities… They see in our brokenness their own vulnerability and humanity.”

“No longer endeavoring to manage my environment, I began to feel invigorated, to find a balance, to permit a feeling of connection with the spontaneity of the natural world and with my own inner nature.”

“find a way to immerse yourself fully in the life you’ve been given.”

<ul><li>The relentless pursuit of pleasure (and avoidance of pain) leads to pain.</li><li>Recovery begins with abstinence.</li><li>Abstinence resets the brain's reward pathway and with it our capacity to take joy in simpler pleasures.</li><li>Self-binding creates literal and metacognitive space between desire and consumption, a modern necessity in our dopamine-overloaded world.</li><li>Medications can restore homeostasis, but consider what we lose by medicating away our pain.</li></ul>

Lessons of the Balance Part: 1

<ul><li>Pressing on the pain side resets our balance to the side of pleasure. </li><li>Beware of getting addicted to pain.</li><li>Radical honesty promotes awareness, enhances intimacy, and fosters a plenty mindset.</li><li>Prosocial shame affirms that we belong to the human tribe.</li><li>Instead of running away from the world, we can find escape by immersing ourselves in it.</li></ul>

Lessons of the Balance Part: 2

Impactful quotes selected from Dopamine Nation by Dr. Anna Lembke.

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES and LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER “Brilliant . . . riveting, scary, cogent, and cleverly argued.”—Beth Macy, author of Dopesick, as heard on Fresh Air This book is about pleasure. It’s also about pain. Most important, it’s about how to find the delicate balance between the two, and why now more than ever finding balance is essential. We’re living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting . . . The increased numbers, variety, and potency is staggering. The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation. As such we’ve all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption.   In Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and author, explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain . . . and what to do about it. Condensing complex neuroscience into easy-to-understand metaphors, Lembke illustrates how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check. The lived experiences of her patients are the gripping fabric of her narrative. Their riveting stories of suffering and redemption give us all hope for managing our consumption and transforming our lives. In essence, Dopamine Nation shows that the secret to finding balance is combining the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery.

Dr. Anna Lembke is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Dr. Anna Lembke has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Dr. Anna Lembke's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

Dr. Anna Lembke

Dopamine Nation

”The pleasure of excess is always fleeting.”

”Who can be free when they have lost, as one addiction specialist put it, ‘the freedom to abstain’?”

”When we desire more than we need, we make ourselves vulnerable.”

You may lose battles, but never lose a minute to sloth.

“We don’t rise to the occasion, we fall to the level of our training.”

“A weak mind must be constantly entertained and stimulated. A strong mind can occupy itself and, more importantly, be still and vigilant in moments that demand it.”

“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”

“Don’t just think about what a certain pleasure will give, think about what it will take out of you.”

“You can get angry…the important thing is not to do anything out of anger.”

“An expert on speaking also knows when not to do so.”

“Time is the way we measure the only truly nonrenewable resource we have. No one is making more of it. Once lost, it cannot be recovered.”

“The leader shows up first and leaves last. The leader works hardest. The leader puts others before themselves. The leader takes the hit. Everything else is just semantics and titles.”

“In the end, it’s not about what we do, it’s about how we do it and, by extension, who we are.”

“Rigidity is fragility. Formlessness is unbreakable.”

Impactful quotes from Discipline Is Destiny, the second book of his most recent stoic virtue series.

The instant New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller! In his New York Times bestselling book Courage is Calling, author Ryan Holiday made the Stoic case for a bold and brave life. In this much-anticipated second book of his Stoic Virtue series, Holiday celebrates the awesome power of self-discipline and those who have seized it. To master anything, one must first master themselves–one’s emotions, one’s thoughts, one’s actions. Eisenhower famously said that freedom is really the opportunity to practice self-discipline. Cicero called the virtue of temperance the polish of life. Without boundaries and restraint, we risk not only failing to meet our full potential and jeopardizing what we have achieved, but we ensure misery and shame. In a world of temptation and excess, this ancient idea is more urgent than ever. In Discipline is Destiny, Holiday draws on the stories of historical figures we can emulate as pillars of self-discipline, including Lou Gehrig, Queen Elizabeth II, boxer Floyd Patterson, Marcus Aurelius and writer Toni Morrison, as well as the cautionary tales of Napoleon, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Babe Ruth. Through these engaging examples, Holiday teaches readers the power of self-discipline and balance, and cautions against the perils of extravagance and hedonism. At the heart of Stoicism are four simple virtues: courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom. Everything else, the Stoics believed, flows from them. Discipline is Destiny will guide readers down the path to self-mastery, upon which all the other virtues depend. Discipline is predictive. You cannot succeed without it. And if you lose it, you cannot help but bring yourself failure and unhappiness.

Sapiens

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

Unoffendable

Courage Is Calling

Right Thing, Right Now

Jackson Smoot