Quotes from James Altucher

In one column is the list of ideas. In the other column is the list of "First Steps"—only the first step, because you have no idea where that first step will take you.

The only truly safe thing you can do is to try over and over again. To go for it, to get rejected, to repeat, to strive, to wish.

But one thing is for sure: if you don't make courageous choices for yourself, nobody else will. There's

Now, every day when I wake up I am grateful. I have to be. And I have to count the things that are abundant in my life. Literally count them. If I don't they will begin to disappear. I've watched them disappear before. I don't want it to happen again. In

This is how we form a better society. First we become better as individuals. You can't help others if you look in the mirror and hate what you see. And it's very easy to hate what is there. We live most of our lives hating the mirror.

There's no way to know in advance if a business idea is a good one. Google started around 1996 but didn't make a dime of money until around 2001.

thousands of common stories that are baked into our societal mythology and that we believe are real.

The ethic of the Choose Yourself era is to not depend on those stifling trends that are defeating you. Instead, build your own platform, have faith and confidence in yourself instead of a jury-rigged system, and define success by your own terms.

If the wants, needs, and prejudices of others, even those you love, take up too much mental real estate in your brain, then you have no room left over to actually be the person you were meant to be—the person who actually has the potential to help others.

All you have to do is stay in the present. When you catch yourself upset about the past or worried about the future, say to yourself, "Ah, I'm time traveling," then STOP. That's what meditation is.

This is about a new phase in history where art, science, business, and spirit will join together, both externally and internally, in the pursuit of true wealth.

How do you surrender? By trusting that you've done the right preparation. You've done all you can do. All that is within your power, your control. Now, give up the results. The right thing will happen.

Some people say, "Oh! You have to meditate!" You have to sit in the lotus position! Blah blah blah. No, you don't. All you have to do is stay in the present. When you catch yourself upset about the past or worried about the future, say to yourself, "Ah, I'm time traveling," then STOP.

You no longer have to wait for the gods of corporate America, or universities, or media, or investors, to come down from the clouds and choose you for success. In every single industry, the middleman is being taken out of the picture, causing more disruption in employment but also greater efficiencies and more opportunities for unique ideas to generate real wealth. You can develop those ideas, execute on them, and choose yourself for success.

It was almost as if a 3 a.m. religion existed, one that was self-reliant and relished how the world can be lived upside-down but still lived to its fullest potential.

The learned man aims for more. But the wise man decreases. And then decreases again." Everyone

Robots are the new middle class. And everyone else will either be an entrepreneur or a temp staffer.

For the past five thousand years, people have been largely enslaved by a few select masters who understood how violence, religion, communication, debt, and class warfare all work together to subjugate a large group of people.

I've seen it in action repeatedly: no matter who you are, no matter what you do, no matter who your audience is: 30 percent will love it, 30 percent will hate it, and 30 percent won't care. Stick with the people who love you and don't spend a single second on the rest. Life will be better that way.

Your mind desperately wants to be the BOSS. It needs you to be very, VERY BUSY with BS stuff

Like many people, he realized that he had to do something different in order to get out of the rut he was in. There's a saying, "It's your best thinking that got you here." So the first step is to literally throw away your "best thinking.

Here's an exercise for those who typically wake up anxious and paranoid at three in the morning: instead of counting sheep to get back to sleep, count all the things you are grateful for. Even the negative parts of your life. Figure out why you should be grateful for them. Try to get up to one hundred.

Ninety-nine percent of the people on the street will lick the flavor right off your Life Saver if you let them.

I would watch either Michael Cera doing comedy or Louis CK doing stand-up. This would