Quotes from Ryan Holiday

The risks of speaking extemporaneously are apparent the first time you wing it and promptly put your foot in your mouth.

When I dropped out of school at 19 to start my first job in Hollywood, I didn't know anything, and I had no idea where I'd end up. Thankfully, I was attached to some smart and forgiving people who let me learn under them.

Anyone who faults Romney or Obama or any public figure for demanding quote approval is missing the point. The journalists were no abused weaklings here. They made a bargain for access to these newsworthy figures that they thought was in their favor - they're only complaining because they got caught.

Perfectionism rarely begets perfection, or satisfaction - only disappointment.

Stoicism is a philosophy designed for the masses, and if it has to be simplified a bit to reach the masses, so be it.

Understanding how the media actually works is critical. Because editors depend on ignorance and media illiteracy to ply their trade. The fact that many readers expect fact checking, editorial oversight, and ethics actually makes it easier for the media to be lazy.

I made a lot of money and had a great time playing with the words that make up the news. I exploited the laziness behind the news and people's reading habits.

Bloggers are lazy and greedy.

Growth hacking is the future of marketing. It has to be.

Work hard, take it seriously, embrace your ambition. And when you're not doing that, do something - whatever it happens to be - that taps into the part of you that makes you forget about all the rest of it.

You know what's better than building things up in your imagination? Building things up in real life.

Growth hacking is a mindset, and those who have it will reap incredible gains.

Like most reasonable people, it saddens me when I see Americans celebrating a heritage they don't understand.

We all have goals: We want to matter. We want to be important. We want to have freedom and power to pursue our creative work. We want respect from our peers and recognition for our accomplishments. Not out of vanity or selfishness, but of an earnest desire to fulfill our personal potential.

Every job carries occupational hazards.

In every job and position, there are valuable lessons to be learned. Even in a nasty, abusive, toxic workplace, you're being taught precisely how not to run an organization.

Online journalism has always had a sourcing problem. From using unverified 'anonymous tips' to repeating whatever rumor or speculation people are chattering about, the general ethic is, 'We'll publish just about anything.'

Public relations and marketing are something companies do to move product. It is not meaningful. It is not cool. Yet because it is cheap, easy, and lucrative to cover, blogs want to convince you that it is.

I know how hard authors work on their books and how far out of their element many are when it comes to doing the sales and marketing. So when I see someone doing it wrong and giving bad advice, I do my best to help - even when they're not my clients.

Even people who despise ego and aspire to humility, who plan to be humble once they are successful, are worried that actually enacting those beliefs would sentence them to a life of obscurity or weakness or failure.

I love books. Probably too much for my own good.

The news as entertainment is the real danger, because the truth or accuracy of what it is reporting becomes irrelevant.

Writing the perfect paper is a lot like a military operation. It takes discipline, foresight, research, strategy, and, if done right, ends in total victory.

In Los Angeles and other cities, being around immigrants is inspiring. They are touching the American Dream and reminding you how much you take it for granted.