Quotes from Jordan B. Peterson

So, listen, to yourself and to those with whom you are speaking. Your wisdom then consists not of the knowledge you already have, but the continual search for knowledge, which is the highest form of wisdom.

People organize their brains with conversation. If they don't have anyone to tell their story to, they lose their minds. Like hoarders, they cannot unclutter themselves.

Stop saying those things that make you weak and ashamed. Say only those things that make you strong. Do only those things that you could speak of with honour.

There are some games you don't get to play unless you are all in.

Of course, my socialist colleagues and I weren't out to hurt anyone – quite the reverse. We were out to improve things – but we were going to start with other people. I came to see the temptation in this logic, the obvious flaw, the danger – but could also see that it did not exclusively characterize socialism. Anyone who was out to change the world by changing others was to be regarded with suspicion. The temptations of such a position were too great to be resisted.

It is my firm belief that the best way to fix the world—a handyman's dream, if ever there was one—is to fix yourself,

If your life is not what it could be, try telling the truth. If you cling desperately to an ideology, or wallow in nihilism, try telling the truth. If you feel weak and rejected, and desperate, and confused, try telling the truth. In Paradise, everyone speaks the truth. That is what makes it Paradise. Tell the truth. Or, at least, don't lie.

We require routine and tradition. That's order. Order can become excessive, and that's not good, but chaos can swamp us, so we drown— and that is also not good. We need to stay on the straight and narrow path.

The secret to your existence is right in front of you. It manifests itself as all those things you know you should do, but are avoiding.

Don't ever underestimate the destructive power of sins of omission.

You are by no means only what you already know. You are also all that which you could know, if you only would. Thus, you should never sacrifice what you could be for what you are. You should never give up the better that resides within for the security you already have—and certainly not when you have already caught a glimpse, an undeniable glimpse, of something beyond.

If you betray yourself, if you say untrue things, if you act out a lie, you weaken your character.

We believe that in reducing the scope and importance of our errors, we are properly humble; in truth, we are merely unwilling to bear the weight of our true responsibility.

The things that pose the greatest threats to your survival are the most real things.

Worthlessness is the default condition.

It's a luxury to pursue what makes you happy; it's a moral obligation to pursue what you find meaningful.

And you must be cautious, because making your life better means adopting a lot of responsibility, and that takes more effort and care than living stupidly in pain and remaining arrogant, deceitful and resentful.

Consciousness is a mystery that faces the mystery of potential and transforms it into actuality. We do that with every choice we make. Our choices determine the destiny of the world. By making a choice, you alter the structure of reality.

Sometimes it seems the only people willing to give advice in a relativistic society are those with the least to offer.

Did what I want happen? No. Then my aim or my methods were wrong. I still have something to learn." That is the voice of authenticity. "Did what I want happen? No. Then the world is unfair. People are jealous, and too stupid to understand. It is the fault of something or someone else." That is the voice of inauthenticity.

If a child has not been taught to behave properly by the age of four, it will forever be difficult for him or her to make friends.

We must each adopt as much responsibility as possible for individual life, society and the world. We must each tell the truth and repair what is in disrepair and break down and recreate what is old and outdated. It is in this manner that we can and must reduce the suffering that poisons the world. It's asking a lot. It's asking for everything.

If you remember that something bad happened, and you can figure out why, then you can try to avoid that bad thing happening again. That's the purpose of memory. It's not "to remember the past." It's to stop the same damn thing from happening over and over.

Don't use language instrumentally